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“I know but imagine how hard it was for him to do that.”
My eyes flickered over to Coach, who was watching us. “I think your dad probably agrees with you.”
“Well, of course he does, silly.” Lily leaned up, kissing me.
“Don’t worry about Jase,” Mr. Bennet said, clapping me on the back. “He remembers what he was like at your age. He and Fee were wild—”
“Oh God,” Lily balked, stepping away from me. “I didn’t… I can’t…” Her eyes crinkled. “I’ll be over there, away from all the talk of my parentsdoing it.” She squeezed my hand before taking off toward her friends.
“She’s different, you know?” Aaron’s dad gave me a pointed look. “You’re good for her.”
“Did you know?” I asked him, thinking back to the times we hung out at his house.
“I suspected something, yeah.”
“And you didn’t tell Coach?”
“Why the fuck would I do that? Jase is… he’s one of the best guys I know. But sometimes he cares too damn much. Lily isn’t a kid anymore. She needs room to grow and figure out her place in the world. But I did tell him that maybe he had you all wrong.”
“You did?” I gawked at him.
“You’re not your old man, Kaiden. By the sounds of it, he lost his way a long time ago. And I know that’s got to suck. But you have a new family now. I’m not saying we’ll ever replace your father, that’s not what this is. But we’re here for you, son. If you ever need anything… an ear, a place to stay, or just a place to hang, our door is always open.”
“Thank you, I don’t know what to say.”
“You say, ‘sounds good, Ash,’ and we’ll leave it there.”
“Sounds good, Mr. B—” He arched a brow and I chuckled. “Ash. Thank you.”
He gave me a sharp nod and headed over to the grill where Coach was surrounded by a big plume of smoke.
“What did he want?” Lily came back over, wrapping her arms around me.
“Oh, you know, to welcome me to the family.” I didn’t expect the lump in my throat, but the words caught there.
People said you didn’t know what you’d lost until it was gone, but I’d never had it in the first place. My father had been checked out too long for me to know the support and guidance of a good man. But Coach Ford and Aaron’s dad and Ashleigh’s dad, they were real men. The kind of men who got shit done. Their acceptance and respect was more than I could have hoped for.
“He’s right, you know,” Lily gazed up at me.
“Is he?”
“Yeah. You’re stuck with us now, Kaiden. You’re stuck with me.”
Well fuck.
That didn’t seem like a bad place to be at all.
Lily
“Hey are you okay?” I asked Peyton as we entered school. She was quieter than usual lately.
“Yeah, it’s just… she’s my mom, but she can be a real fucking bitch sometimes.” She inhaled a ragged breath; but then in true Peyton style, plastered on the biggest, fakest smile she could muster. “Don’t worry about me, babe. I’m fine.”
But then something caught her eye over my shoulder and her whole demeanor shifted.
“What is it?” I turned slowly to come face to face with none other than Lindsey Filmer. “Oh,” I said.
“Oh?” Peyton hissed. “I can’t believe they let her back here.”
