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Piper served, lobbing the ball over. Nixon put it up, and Ford returned it gently. Luna bumped it up, and Autumn jumped and spiked it back at Ted.
“Well hell.” Nash whistled. “Stop being nice.”
“I wasn’t,” Ford protested, knowing full well he was.
It took the loss of four points before they started playing harder.
“You need a real man out there, little bro,” Luke called from the sideline.
“You show me a real man and I’ll let you know,” Nixon said, grinning.
Ford knew the boy’s story and had to say he was as pleased as everyone else to see him nestled in the Trainer family after the shit start he’d had in life.
Autumn rose again, and he caught a glimpse of the soft skin of her stomach and felt heat spike through him. He’d had his lips on that strip of skin last night.
“Get off your feet, Ford!”
“Trying, Miss Marla,” he said, moving.
“Try harder,” Miss Sarah demanded. “The girls are making you look like one-hundred-year-old men wearing slippers!”
“The seniors in this town,” Ford said.
“No words,” Joe said, lobbing the ball.
Ford jumped and spiked it hard. It hit the inside line at the back of the court. Autumn scowled, and he smiled.
Poking around inside his head, he thought maybe he was happier right in this moment than he’d been in a long time. He’d come clean to his family and had two full nights of sleep in the arms of the woman he was beginning to realize he felt a whole ton of stuff for.
Terrified? Yes. Happy? Absolutely.
Chapter24
One week after Nick had come to Ryker Falls, demanding she lie to his parents to get money, she and Ritchie were flying to Lyntacky with Quinn and Luke. Ritchie was excited. So much so he’d repacked his bag several times with a selection of books and toys.
Her phone rang as they left the house to drive to the Harper family property.
“Hello,” she said, not recognizing the number.
“Autumn!”
“Nick, this is not your number.” She whispered so Ritchie didn’t hear her.
“You wouldn’t answer, so I got another phone.”
“I’m not doing it, so stop calling.”
“I need—”
Autumn cut the call and dropped the phone into her handbag.
He’d followed her to the house after the volleyball game and talked at her for an hour. Autumn had just kept saying no, that she would not do what he wanted. Luckily, Ritchie had his headphones on and was watching something on the iPad Ford had given him while they talked and then argued. When Nick said he wasn’t leaving until she did as he asked, she’d threatened to call her friends. That got him moving. Nick had never been brave.
He’d left but called her constantly since. Autumn had stopped taking his calls. Clearly he’d found another way to get her to pick up.
“We’re going on a plane, Mom.”
She looked in the rearview mirror. Ritchie wore the Ryker Falls cap Mr. Goldhirsh had given him and was vibrating with excitement.
