Page 56 of Drifting

He’s scared about what my answer will be.

My heart kicks up a notch. “Yeah, I do.” I take in the other guys who each have a different look, though none of them are disappointed.

Mav gives me his roguish grin. “And how about Luke?”

After I glance at Luke, I fiddle with my cast, afraid to speak, so I bob my head quickly.

Cam takes a step forward. “And me?”

My heart lurches. “Yes.”

“And what about Mr. Grumpy?” Mav hooks a thumb toward his brother.

Oh, these boys are going to be the death of me.

I tilt my head and glance up at Dom. “Yes.”

As a relieved look washes over each of the guys’ faces, I know I have to crush them. “But, I can’t get involved with any of you.”

“Why the hell not?” Mav demands with wide eyes.

“One, I’m not planning on staying, so it’s not fair to start anything.” I go back to picking at my cast. “Two, my history’s screwed up, just like I am.”

“That’s up to us to decide, not you,” Cam says. “I, for one, don’t care if you’re only here for a month. I want to be with you. And name one of us who isn’t screwed up.”

“What about Hannah and this Black and White thing?” I ask. “Won’t she be upset that we’re seeing each other?”

When Hannah finds out I’m dating Luke, all hell will break loose. The thought of taking her down a notch makes me smile.

“I’m not dating her, Shelby. I told her when we were dating that I’d take her to that damn dance. And I guess, yesterday, without thinking, I said I still would. Yes, she’ll be pissed, but I don’t care.” His cocoa eyes tell me he means every word he says.

With a monotone voice, I say, “You forget Luke, I saw you together. You still have feelings for her.”

“I’m being honest with you. I will always care about Hannah, but she’s destroyed any feeling of love I had for her. She has a way of manipulating me, and that’s something I need to work on,” he admits, bowing his head.

I turn my stare on Dom. “You and Carrie have some unresolved issues.”

His eyes move from glaring at his boots to my face. “Not anymore. We talked last night, and she knows where I stand. I won’t be going back to her. I won’t lie, Shelby, I loved her, and she hurt me by destroying my trust. You’re the first girl I’ve wanted to try to have a relationship with since that happened.”

My heart soars for a bit before reality sets in. “If you have trust issues, how are you going to handle me seeing all of your friends?”

“It’s not a secret I know you’re dating them,” he states.

I shake my head. “I’ve had problems dating one guy. How the hell am I going to date four?”

Luke lifts his shoulder in a half shrug. “Trust and no secrets.”

“This isn’t going to be easy. We all have trust issues, and I’m sure a lot more baggage we haven’t told each other. But the main thing I’m concerned about is your friendship. I’m telling you now, I will stop seeing you all if that falters.” I look each of them in the eyes. I want them to understand how important this is to me.

Luke smiles. “We talked about that, and we want you to get to know us better and us get to know you and see where it goes.”

“We want you to come to our game next Friday,” Mav adds cheerfully.

“I’ve never been to a game before. Can I bring a friend?”

“Yeah, of course.” Cam smiles. “I’ll be there, too.”

“We better go. The bell is going to ring, and it takes Limpy a while to get to class,” Mav teases.

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