Page 186 of Cruel Steps

“So, typical Hol?” I laughed, and everyone joined in.

“I’ll go check on him.” Mer kissed my cheek and sauntered off. I had to restrain myself from following her. The first month after Homecoming, Holden and I had barely let her out of our sight. She’d finally had enough of it after finals and said she loved that we cared, but she couldn’t live her life with both of us up her ass all the time.

Holden had tried to argue she didn’t know until she tried. Mer had stared, promising him pain with her eyes if he didn’t shape up.

We both reluctantly pulled back our vigilance, giving her space to live without one of us attached to her. Whether our acquiescence had to do with Owen’s case moving quickly through the court system or not, we’d never know.

It totally did.

That and sharing locations on all our phones.

But we’d let Mer believe she’d won. It was better that way.

“You ready for the big game?” Milton asked, pulling me away from watching Mer’s ass sway.

“Oh, yeah. I can’t believe it could be our last time playing together.” This weekend, Holden and I played in the Rose Bowl. We’d ended our season 15-1, only losing the game after Homecoming. It earned us a bye for the first round of games, leading to the quarterfinal. If we didn’t win this weekend, our season would be done. We had a good shot of winning the whole damn thing, but I didn’t want to jinx us.

There was no doubt Holden would go high in the draft. He’d played an incredible season and deserved everything he was about to get. There had been a lot of speculation on whether I would join him, and I had considered it for a minute. It was tempting to earn that kind of money, but there was no guarantee I’d go as high as Holden, and at the end of the day, I only loved to play football when he was my QB. The odds of that occurring were slim to none.

Football was a hobby for me, not a career. It gave me the opportunity I needed to go to Hayward, and for that, I would always love the sport. It brought me my best friend, the love of my life, and the opportunity to learn. I’d have a career I loved because of it.

I owed football a lot; it just wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

“They’re about to start,” Mer said, motioning for us to join her. I took her hand and wrapped my arms around her. When we stopped in front of the exhibits, I pulled her into my chest. Three displays were covered, the artists standing next to them. Holden looked miserable, but when he spotted Mer, his eyes softened, and the corners of his mouth tugged up in a smile.

Kissing her neck, I tuned out the teacher as he spoke about the students who had entered the competition and how art was personal, yada yada. I stood straighter when he pointed to the three behind him, eager to hear how Holden did.

“Our third-place finalist is junior Sara Matthews. Her art piece is titled ‘Through a Window.’” The girl in the middle smiled as her art was revealed. It showcased a family eating dinner from one angle, but when I shifted, I saw parents fighting, the kid crying, and food on the floor. It was an optical illusion with perspective. Okay, that was cool.

“The second-place finalist is someone I’ve been begging to enter for years. I’m glad he finally did before he graduates.” The professor smiled at Holden. “Senior Holden Adler’s piece is titled ‘Love.’”

Holden’s face warmed, and he crossed his arms, staring into the crowd like he dared them to say something. Despite his hard stare, the only person he had eyes for was Mer. I glanced at his display as it was revealed, awe filling my body.

“It’s beautiful,” Mer gasped, her hand covering her mouth. It was a silhouette of her dancing, a dress flying around her.

It, indeed, was a masterpiece. He’d captured her beauty and grace, something I didn’t think was possible. I was amazed at his level of skill. If he didn’t make it in the NFL, he’d have a career in digital art.

“Wait, there’s more…” I stepped closer, seeing all the smaller images. From afar, it looked like one image, but when you stepped closer, hundreds of other pictures created the final product. There was a sketch of him throwing football, of me catching one, of each of us with Mer. There were images of his family, Pawsitive Haven, and our friends. My eyes couldn’t take in all the different sketches he’d made and then composed together to form the outline of Mer.

Holden walked forward once the winner was announced, his eyes never leaving Mer’s. He pulled her out of my arms and kissed her. I cleared my throat to remind him we weren’t alone when I started to get turned on. Holden grunted but broke the kiss, releasing Mer so she could hold both of our hands.

Milton, Rose, and Hope congratulated Holden and praised him for his talent. The professor and a few other students from their class also stopped by. Holden didn’t say anything; he just nodded, holding Mer’s hands like an anchor the whole time.

“Ready to get out of here?” I asked.

“Shoot. What time is it?” Mer asked, patting her dress.

“Five. You still have time, but we should head out, so you’re not rushed.”

Everyone nodded, and we made our way out the doors once Holden had collected his artwork. Many of the students had theirs for sale, but not Holden. There was no way he’d let anyone own a piece of Mer. I had a feeling it would go on his wall and remain there.

“We’ll meet you guys there,” Milton said, kissing Mer on the cheek.

Holden climbed into the SUV, and I pulled Mer into the backseat. Holden glared at me from the front.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

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