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She nodded and moved into the middle of the field. After practice, I usually talked to them separately about their times and the way to improve them, but they were level pegging now, and after what had happened with Aria, I knew I had to switch things up. So I planned to talk to them together, at least that way we would be safe from any…mishaps.
“I better head—”
“The date, Cade,” Willow interrupted, her voice demanding. “You said you would take me out on a date, but you’re going back on your word.” A sweet smile pulled at Willow’s lips, and my stomach sank. “I can go back on my word too, you know.”
I knew what she was saying. There was no way I could get out of this. Ford was right, I didn’t have a choice. “Saturday?” I asked, stepping away from the fence and catching sight of Aria walking toward Reagan with her hands on her hips. “I’ll pick you up at eight?”
“Make sure you do.” She spun around and then paused to look back at me. “I’ll message you my address. Don’t be late.”
I didn’t say another word, and I didn’t take my eyes off her as she walked toward the building. I didn’t trust to have my back to her. She was a snake, and I had no way of getting away from her—not yet at least.
Shaking my head when she was out of sight, I turned on my heels and headed toward the girls. They were both stretching out on the grass, talking, but when I halted a few feet away, they went silent. “Well done today,” I said to both of them. “We need to up our practices, so I’m going to add another day.”
“Another day?” Reagan asked. “Why?”
I crouched down in front of them and let my arms rest on my thighs. “I’ve heard some chatter about track meets. I don’t have anything concrete yet, and as soon as I do, I’ll let you know, but in the meantime, we need to get those times locked down and your endurance up just in case. Does Friday after school work for you both?”
“Fine with me,” Reagan said, stretching her leg out in front of her and reaching for her toes.
“Good.” I glanced at Aria, but she wasn’t looking at me. She was staring down at the grass between her open legs, mid-stretch. “Aria?” She didn’t move a muscle to indicate she’d heard me, just kept staring. “Aria?” I repeated.
“Huh?” Her head whipped up, her gaze clashing with mine. There was a fraction of a second where I saw something swirling in her eyes and then…
Nothing.
It was gone, almost as if it wasn’t there in the first place.
“I asked if you’re okay adding a Friday practice after school?”
She blinked and pulled her legs together. “Yeah, I’m good with that.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Okay,” she repeated, but neither of us looked away. We were caught in a stare-off, but I wasn’t sure what she was seeing when she looked at me. Did she see the man who thought the world of her? The man who had fallen head over heels for her? The man who had promised so many things? Or did she see the man who let her take the blame? The man who let her walk away and didn’t fight for her?
I should have fought for her.
I knew what I saw when I stared at her: nothing. I saw nothing behind her beautiful eyes. Not a spark, not an inkling of how she was feeling, just a whole lot of emptiness. Was she hiding it from me, or was she protecting herself? I wasn’t sure, but either way, there wasn’t a thing I could do to find out.
We’d drawn the line—a line we couldn’t cross no matter what.
I cleared my throat and looked away from her, intent on getting her out of my head any way possible. Maybe going on a date with Willow would be a good thing. Maybe having her fill some of my headspace would erase Aria.
But as she stood and walked across the field with Reagan, she turned her head to look at me, and I knew it would never happen. I couldn’t erase her because she was a part of me. A part buried so deep nothing could eradicate it.
* * *
ARIA
I was trying to get back to my routine—the one I’d had before Cade—and part of it was babysitting Belle and Asher as much as possible. Now that we lived so close, I could be there earlier and leave later, but going to the house Cade had spent years growing up in—and where he still had a bedroom—wasn’t exactly escaping him.
But somehow, I felt more at ease. Like the thought of him turning up anytime made me feel safer. It was one thing Cade had never failed to make me feel: safe. He was a master at calming my inner worries, and now that he wasn’t around in any capacity other than being my teacher and coach, they were going haywire.
I’d gotten so used to the way I felt and the way I coped, that having Cade come and change it up was a relief. But now the relief was gone, and things were getting…worse. Each day was a battle I had to wage, and when night fell, I almost always lost it.
Today wasn’t any different. I’d gone to school, followed by another track practice Cade had added to our schedule, and then right to Uncle Brody and Lola’s. Lola was pulling into the driveway when I turned the corner to their street, and by the time I was walking up the drive, she was opening the back door for the kids to get out of the car.
“Aria!” Belle shouted and darted toward me, her hands outstretched. I didn’t think twice about wrapping my arms around her and lifting her up off the ground. “I missed you!”
