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There was a split in my lip, and I had a nasty bruise along my jawbone but, in some ways, it needed to happen because it had finally given Mom the push she’d needed to call him out on his bullshit.
“I’m done. I don’t want his toxic bullshit anywhere near Lily.”
“Yeah, but how’s that going to work exactly? I mean, he’s an asshole, but he’s still your dad.”
I stared out at the yard, inhaling a sharp breath. “He doesn’t get to meet her, it’s that simple. Not until he’s figured out his shit and gotten the help he needs.”
I didn’t want him anywhere near Lily.
“But your mom—”
“Dude, I don’t have all the answers right now. Mom wants him to go to rehab. We’ll have to see if he can do the right thing or not. But so long as he’s still drinking, Lily is off-limits to him.” As far as I was concerned, it wasn’t negotiable.
“I still can’t believe you’re ban—I mean, with Coach Ford’s daughter. You know the rest of the guys are going to give you shit about it at school.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone thinks. Coach gave us his blessing. I made a promise to him to protect her, and I’ll do that, teammate or not.” A low growl rumbled in my throat and Bryan threw me a knowing smirk.
“Whoa, down boy. I’m on team Laiden, remember?”
“What the hell? I gawked at him.
“Or maybe team Kily is better. Which one do you—ow!” My knuckles buried in his arm and he jerked away. “What the fuck was that for?”
“I love you, man, but sometimes you don’t know when the fuck to quit it.”
“Landed me seven minutes in heaven with Peyton though, didn’t it?” His brows waggled.
“Seven minutes?” I quipped. “Wow, lucky girl.”
“Hey, fuck you, bro. Fuck you. I’d like to see you do better when you finally stick it—”
I levelled him with a hard look, and he gulped. “Aaaand I’m shutting up now.”
“Good idea.” I drained the rest of my beer and stood. “They should be here soon.”
“Relax, they’ll be here.”
Just then, Peyton appeared, dressed in a tight black dress that left little to the imagination.
“Isn’t that a little… much?” I cocked a brow.
“Any excuse to look good, right?” She shrugged, but I saw the hint of sadness in her eyes. “The guys are here,” she said. “Which means Lily should be here any minute.”
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” I grumbled, tugging at the collar on my shirt.
“She’ll love it, I promise. Plus, don’t you want a do-over?” Peyton winked at me, taking off down the hall to welcome our guests.
She was a force to be reckoned with. Sure of herself, confident, and whip smart. But underneath all that bravado was a girl carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. I saw it every time I looked at her.
Voices filled the hall, and Peyton yelled, “Kaiden, she’s here.”
My heart lurched into my throat. It already felt like hours since I’d seen her, when in reality, it was only three at the most.
But it was three too long.
I took off down the hall, passing our friends. Aaron shot me a cheeky grin. “Go get her, QB.” He tapped me on the shoulder.
Fuck. I was sweating.
