Page 104 of A Quarterback for Christmas

I take another swig of my drink, waiting for her to continue. “This whole thing seemed like a good idea when I was on the plane, but now I’m just not sure how the hell I say this.”

“By saying it.” I’m blunter than she’s probably used to. “Look, Bella. I’m all for having you come to visit me, but this whole beating around the bush thing isn’t going to work anymore. I’m done pandering to it.”

Her hands drop, and she swallows in surprise. “You know what. You’re right. I’ve got a flight to catch. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about what happened. I did try to speak to my dad to get you out of trouble, but he refused to listen. Have a nice life, Drew.” She scrambles out of the booth and starts running to the door. By the time I’ve caught up with her, she’s outside the bar hobbling toward the open park area. She has no idea where she’s going; yet, she’d rather risk walking through a shady park in LA than talk to me.

Running away from her problems was always Bella’s style, but today, I’m not going to let her. Too much has happened between us. She followed me out here, and I will find out why.

Bella doesn’t look back, so she has no idea how close I am to catching up to her. I can hear her wheezing and notice the uneven gait in her stance. Clearly, her leg still hasn’t healed after four months.

She darts behind a tree, relaxes against it, and lets out a small squeal when I catch up to her. “Bella,” I grit out, blocking her in with my body and covering her from sight. “What else did you want to say?”

In all honesty, when I landed on LA soil all those months ago, I wanted to forget about Bella and move on from everything thathappened. It worked for a while. Football was my only focus, and I felt like I was making a real difference with the team.

But then she had to just stop by, didn’t she?

That perfect braid. Her twinkling eyes. Those dimples. Everything about Bella was designed to draw me in, and I refuse to let her leave without finding out more.

“I already told you. I’m here because I need my hairbrush back.”

Her eyes have been glued to my feet since I caught up with her, so I gently place one finger underneath her chin and tip it up. Her big blue eyes plead with me, and I know that look well. It’s when she wants to be let off the hook. She’s hoping I’ll do that for her since I’ve done it so many times before. She seems to forget I’m a persistent fucker when I want something, and right now, I want the truth.

“That’s a lie, B. You didn’t come all the way to Los Angeles for that or to tell me that you left St. Michael’s. There’s gotta be more to it.”

Come on, B.

Bella sniffles and her eyes dart over my shoulder. She’s doing everything she can to not have to look at me. I want to laugh because she’s being ridiculous. She’s come all the way out here to see me, and she still can’t admit why.

She scrapes a hand across her face, and groans like I’ve just broken her leg all over again. “I missed you, okay? Everything sucks without you around. I know I’ve always been a little selfish.” I snort at that comment, and she tilts her head petulantly. “I know I never considered other people’s feelings, yours especially, but I really did like you. Not putting a label on it made me feel like I had more control over the situation than I did. It made it easier to deny just how much you meant to me. Then everything happened.” She waves her hand over her face in disgust, not wanting to remember the way we left things. “AndI faced the reality of being without you for the first time since I can remember. You were gone, and that fact hit me harder than I ever thought it could.”

She drops her head onto the tree trunk, exasperated by the admission, but she’s not done yet.

“What reality?”

Cringing, she sighs. “That I love you.” She blurts it out with so much anger and intensity, I don’t fully process it.

“What?”

“You’re going to make me say it again, aren’t you?” She groans. “I love you, Drew.” She screams it louder, her voice echoing across the park. A few people sitting on the lawn clap, and although she notices, I’m too focused on the blonde firecracker in front of me to care about anyone else. With her eyes wide and her lips parted, she looks perfect, and I want her just as badly as the first day I met her. “In fact, if I really think it over, I don’t think there was ever a time that I didn’t love you. Even when we were thirteen, and you whacked me in the head with that stupid ball, I thought you were an angel. You’ve always been there, in the back of my mind, like a taunting presence. You’re all I’ve ever wanted, but I’ve always known I couldn’t have you. You’re too perfect and too good for me.” She’s hardly taken a breath since she started her declaration. Her eyes are watery, her shoulders slumped like she’s a defeated soldier, and for the first time, I can see the tiredness marred across her face. Still beautiful, she looks like she hasn’t slept peacefully in months. Maybe she hasn’t.

“Bella,” I breathe out. She doesn’t look up because her cheeks are reddening.

Before I can get a word in, she continues. “When you left, I thought it would be okay. That I’d get over it and everything that happened between us, but even though the seasons changed, my feelings didn’t. You took a piece of me with you when you left,and I tried to get it back, but I couldn’t. Me without you would never work. I need you more than I ever thought I would.”

Tears well in her eyes when she finally dares to make eye contact with me. “And then you left without saying goodbye. I fucked up, I know. But I could never imagine leaving you without one final kiss. You broke me more than I broke you, and now I’m just trying to piece together who I am without you.”

That’s enough. I don’t want to hear any more of her babbling. I want to show her how I feel about her. “Bella,” I say, but she’s not listening, too caught up in her own admission. “Bella,” I drawl out her name, even cupping her cheeks in my hand, but still no acknowledgment.

Fine.

Pushing her body back against the tree, she groans in what I hope is pleasure. Even dropping my lips against hers isn’t enough to get her to stop the random muffles of words that I can’t make out. “Bella, just shut up and let me kiss you.”

“O-”

I swallow the rest of the word, kissing her until she relaxes in my arms.

Chapter 30

Drew

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