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Kaiden ledthe Raiders to one of their biggest wins on record. He had been an unstoppable force on the field, throwing perfect pass after perfect pass. He’d led the team with ease, strength, and confidence. We had all witnessed a shift tonight. The moment Kaiden Thatcher shed his status as a Rixon East Eagle and became a fully-fledged Raider.
“Holy shit, that was amazing.”
“Language, young lady,” Aunt Hailee scolded Ashleigh, as we gathered to wait for Aaron and Dad.
“Sorry, Mom.” She rolled her eyes.
“Aaron and Kaiden work so well together,” Poppy added with a look of pride. She adored Aaron, but then, they had practically grown up together with Sofia.
It was nice, having this big extended family. Knowing that no matter what happened or what curveballs life threw at you, you always had someone to share it with.
It was one of the reasons I didn’t feel ready to leave Rixon. Because no matter how much I found their attention suffocating at times, they were my family, and I didn’t want to lose that.
The guys started filing out of the back of the stadium and everyone began clapping. Aaron rushed over to us, accepting hugs from his sister and Poppy before his mom and dad grabbed him and hugged him tight.
I scanned the crowd for Kaiden, spotting him over by the door. Then it hit me; he didn’t have anyone waiting for him.
God, I wanted to go to him. I wanted to go to him so much. But then my dad emerged from the building and headed straight for us.
“How’s Jenson?” Uncle Cam asked.
“He’ll live, but it looks like he’ll be out for the season.”
“Shit, that’s some bad luck.”
“Tell me about it,” he grumbled. “I’ve already had Jack on the phone demanding answers.”
“It was a bad tackle,” Uncle Cam said.
“Tell that to him.” Dad whipped off his ball cap and ran his hand through his hair. “Thatcher played a good game though.”
I dropped my gaze, listening, but not looking.
“That kid is fire… reminds me of someone I used to know back in the day,” Aaron’s dad said.
“Yeah, well, we’ll see what happens. It’s still early days. Although I’m not sure he’ll see it like that.”
“What do you mean?” Mom asked him.
“I was going to give him a shot, a legitimate shot… and now he’s getting it because Monroe is injured.”
“I’m sure he’s just happy to be playing.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
I was dumbfounded. My dad was going to give Kaiden a shot, and I hadn’t known anything about it.
Why hadn’t Kaiden told me?
You know why, a little voice whispered, but I shut it down. Because it was easy to betray someone who had no faith in you. But to betray someone who was giving you a chance… that was another thing entirely.
The pit in my stomach only grew.
“Are you guys ready to head to the fair?” Aaron asked.
“The fair?” Dad grumbled. “I thought we agreed no fair.”
“No, Dad, you agreed no fair, and me and Mom overruled you.” Poppy chuckled. “We know the rules. Don’t worry, we’ll be safe.” She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
