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Jackson has Stella practically stuck to his side. He glances at his mom and me for help, but the little girl isn’t doing anything but talking about the game. He sort of reminds me of Brayden. Except Brayden will stay in a situation, even if he’s uncomfortable. Jackson wants out.
“She’s teaching you about the game, Jackson,” Raelynn eventually says. “You better listen. She knows way more than I do.”
His shoulders slump and Stella smiles at him. He stops sending help me looks to his mom after that. Having them here keeps me from wondering what will happen after the game. How will Brayden react when he sees me? Will he pretend to be happy to put on a show for the others? No, I can’t see him doing that. He’ll likely give me a sour look that will leave the gossip lovers dying to know more.
I sigh.
“Is everything okay?” Raelynn asks.
“Yeah, just thinking. How do you like being a nanny?”
“Honestly?”
I shrug. “You can lie. I don’t mind.”
She laughs. “It doesn’t seem real to have a job with a nice boss, good money, and to live without worrying if I can pay all my bills that month. It’s a huge relief.”
“You’ve had a tough life, huh?”
She nods, her eyes straying to Jackson. “It hasn’t been too bad.”
“How old are you?” I ask.
Raelynn’s shoulders seem to straighten. “Twenty-two. Jackson’s five.” She stares at me, obviously waiting for some sort of response.
I exhale heavily. “Wow. Much respect.”
Her eyes nearly pop out of her head and her jaw hits the floor. “What?”
“I still can’t see myself with a kid and I’m older than you. The thought of juggling a baby and my business sounds insane and way more work than I’m prepared to deal with. For you to have him young and him to be such a good kid? You’ve done something right, despite whatever struggles you’ve had to deal with.”
Raelynn still seems stunned. “No one has ever said that to me. They are too focused on the fact that I had him young.”
“People often miss the big picture, including me, so don’t let me fool you.” I smile, even though I’m thinking of my mistake with Brayden. One of my worst fears is spending life alone. Even friends with benefits prevents me from being completely alone. That’s not what I truly want, though. I want Brayden Hayes! I have to figure out how to get back on his good side.
The goal horn blares, scaring the absolute shit out of Jackson, who immediately covers his ears. “Mommy, that’s louder than on TV,” he complains.
“I’m sorry, baby. But look, Mr. Brayden scored.”
We look up at the jumbotron just in time to see a replay of a sniper of a shot and then, the craziest thing of all. Brayden celebrates. What in the world? I thought he didn’t do that. He hasn’t the few times I’ve watched. I lean forward and over a little bit.
“Hey,” I say in the general direction of the women. When they glance over at me, I ask, “When did he start celebrating?”
“He did it once on the road trip and has ever since,” Meredith answers. “Weird, right? Maybe it’s because he’s in love,” she teases with a grin.
“Yeah, maybe,” I murmur. Hm. I doubt it. We weren’t talking and he’s currently pissed at me. Maybe it’s a rage-fueled distraction that’s causing him to relax enough to let loose? I don’t know. It’s nice to see his smile on the jumbotron, though. My eyes stay trained on Brayden throughout the rest of the game, where they seem to lose their speed and leave their net weak. Maybe I’ll catch other ways he’s changed, but he still looks pissy except for when he scored the lone Rebel goal. It’s not enough when the opposition scores two.
So, here I am, waiting and waiting for him to show up. He has to show up, right? I pull up my message to him, making sure I included that I was stranded if he didn’t give me a ride home. Yes, I hoped I could guilt him into it.
Sylvia’s husband, Scott, shows up. He doesn’t seem to be in too great of a mood, but he showers his daughters with a kiss each, thanks Lizzy for bringing them, and leaves in a hurry. Meredith and Lizzy’s husbands, Noah and Marc, show up. They take the hands of their wives, seemingly in no rush to leave, just yet. Where is Brayden?
Then, EJ, Ian, and Zane show up. EJ and Zane look surprised to see me.
“What are you doing here?” Zane asks while EJ asks nearly the same question.
“Waiting for Brayden.” Why else would I be at a game?
EJ steps closer to me and lowers his voice. “Brayden’s not coming up here, Deanna. He was just on his way out when we were on our way up. Did he know you were coming?”
