Page 24 of Playmaker

“Trust me,” he replies, “I know you are. I have no doubt you’ll make the team.”

I take his hand, allowing him to help me up. “What if I don’t make the team? What happens then?”

He shrugs and pats me on the shoulder. “Then you try again. If this is something you really want, I’ll practice with you. And if it’s something you don’t want to do anymore, we’ll find another sport or activity you’re interested in. Your mom and I will support you whatever you decide to do.”

“Always,” my mom adds, joining us in the yard. She bends down to pick up the football, tossing it between her hands. “Well? Think you can handle a few passes from me?”

This is the best Thanksgiving ever.

—

Morning comes too soon.

The sunlight filtering through the curtains of the living room practically blinds me when I peek one eye open, then both as I attempt to adjust to it.

What happened last night?

I remember coming home from Jamie’s party and playing video games with Ethan until the early hours of the morning. I had been annoyed because I had wanted to speak to—

FUCK.

One after another, memories slam into my head like bulldozers.

Maddie’s head thrown back in ecstasy. My hands and tongue worshipping her breasts. Her fingers wrapped tightly in my curls.

Last night wasn’t a fever dream. It was allreal, and now I have to live with whatever the aftermath will be. I don’t regret it. Kissing Maddie has been something I’ve wanted to do for years, but do I feel guilty? Of course I do. Ethan is my best friend. The minute he gets an inkling that something happened between us, he’ll exile me from his life forever. It’s been stated on numerous occasions he wants me nowhere near his sister, and for good reason. I don’t have the greatest reputation. Ethan and I don’tdorelationships, and if I had a sister, I’d keep Ethan away from her too.

The sound of pots and pans clattering in the kitchen pushes me to sit up on the couch to investigate who’s making the noise. Mary is humming a tune as she cracks an egg into a bowl, and Richard is beside her making pancakes.

Throughout high school, this was the normal routine. Mary and Richard would make breakfast and I’d always help them do the dishes afterward. After all, if it wasn’t for their delicious home-cooked meals, I’d have lived on takeout with the money my dad gave me while he was away on another business trip. The least I could do was help clean up.

“Cameron!”Mary wipes her hands on her apron and races over to me, enveloping me in a hug filled with a warmth only she is capable of giving. “Oh, I missed yousomuch, honey. I feel awful that we planned our trip right in the middle of your spring break, but thankfully we still have the Grand Canyon this weekend to look forward to.” She rambles cheerily. “We can’twaitto hear about everything that’s new and exciting with you.”

She looks back at me expectantly. I don’t have the ability to say no to her, but the one event that’s been themostexciting is one I can’t tell her. I don’t believe Mary would be upset if she found out Maddie and I kissed, but Richard? He’s a different story. The man could have been a football player himself back in the day. He’s so tall he almost towers over me, and he’s got sleeves of tattoos on both heavily muscled arms. Richard saw me and Ethan do some pretty dumb shit in our teenage years. If he found out I kissed his daughter? I don’t know what his reaction would be, nor will I risk a fist to the face by attempting to find out.

“I mean—” I rake a hand through my curls while I try to think of something other than Maddie’s face as she shattered apart in my arms.

“Breakfast first, then,” Mary says, tugging me off the couch. For a small woman, she sure is strong.

I sit on one of the bar stools while they cook breakfast and fill me in on their trip to the Bahamas. She sipped margaritas and laid on the beach during their port stops, but they both seem to have had the time of their lives. Richard, his face still sporting a burn from his time in the sun, tells me about winning a game of cornhole on the cruise ship.

Their marriage makes me wonder if this is the kind of stability my parents would have given me had my mom not passed before high school. Would they still be in love like this? Would I have woken up to breakfasts being made for me every morning? Would they be so eager to hear about my life? And I’m not talking about my football career, which seems to be the only thing my dad cares about, butme. Just me.

Mary’s face softens as she flips the bacon, seeming to read my thoughts. “Have you heard from your father lately?”

I shake my head.

“He’s on another business trip?”

“Yeah. He sent his condolences before I came home. I don’t think he’ll see me before I go back to school.”

Marytuts, annoyance evident in her features. “Well, you’re welcome here for the entirety of the break, but you already know that.”

This home became my safe haven during high school. When my dad kept leaving, I started staying here every weekend, and every weekend eventually turned into five nights out of the week. Mary and Richard wouldn’t have cared if I moved in with them, but a part of me couldn’t allow myself to do that. I waited at home those remaining two nights, holding out hope that my dad would come home and stay for good. I thought my living situation wastemporary.

“I do, Mary. Thank you.” My eyes stray over her shoulder as Maddie enters the kitchen, and my sad memories are replaced by pure, unrelenting lust.

She’s wearing a pair of tiny pajama shorts that hardly cover her ass and a tank top with no bra on. My mouth dries out at the sight of her, and I’ve never been more thankful to be sitting down. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that my hard cock is twitching at the memory of what her breasts looked like.

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