AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It was fine. I’m still on the team.”
Although barely, and Coach was pretty clear about that. I would either have to get my head out of my ass and focus on football, or I was getting the boot. So, I did my best to shove the thoughts of a certain redhead out of my mind and focus on what was in front of me.
“You don’t sound too happy about it,” Emmett points out.
“I’m happy about it. I’m just tired.”
“Tell me about it,” Emmett hums before suddenly changing the subject. “I stopped by Rebecca’s place. She looks like shit.”
The mention of Rebecca has me losing my footing. I stumble forward, and I’d face plant if I didn’t catch the handle next to me to steady myself.
“Fernandez?” Emmett asks, and I’m pretty sure I can hear a smirk in his voice.
“I don’t know what that has to do with me.”
“Oh please, you didn’t actually think that your little rendezvous would stay a secret, did you? You haven’t been away from Bluebonnet for that long to be so naïve. I mean, not only did Kate catch you in the act, but I’ve heard from different sources about your little date to the fair.”
“You’re delusional.”
“Mhmm… that’s why you almost fell on your ass right now at the bare mention of her.”
I press my lips together, refusing to take his bait, but Emmett doesn’t seem to get the memo.
“She had to move her mom to the assisted living facility.”
Assisted living facility?
My heart starts beating wildly inside my chest as I try to process his words. “What? When?”
Emmett sighs. “Just recently. She’s been getting worse to the point that even having Linda’s help wasn’t much use.”
“Fuck, that’s…”
I run my hand through my hair, not sure what to say.
She looked fine that day I saw her, almost… normal.
“I know. Becs is devastated. She put so much pressure on herself to help keep her family together. For her to agree to this…”
It had to be bad.
Did something happen? Was Mrs. Williams okay? Did she have an accident of some sort? Did she run away like she did that day?
I still remember the look of utter devastation on her face that night on her porch. The tears. Those fucking tears that were my undoing.
Is she crying now? Who’s holding her and comforting her now that I’m gone?
Just thinking about it makes me grit my teeth.
No matter what I said, he’d try to turn it against me, so my plan was simply to ignore it and change the subject. “How’s Kate doing?”
Thankfully, that does the trick. “She’s good. Feeling slightly better now that she’s in the second trimester. The doctor told us we should be able to find out the sex of the baby at our next appointment.”
“That’s cool. What are you guys hoping for?”
“Kate insists she just wants the baby to be healthy, but I’m hoping for a girl.”
I don’t need to see him to know how excited he is. I could hear it in his voice as clear as day. Emmett was ecstatic with the idea of becoming a father, of being a husband.
