Page 107 of A Little Secret

“What?” I pull back. “Why?”

“I’m not the only one leaving people I care about in Lockwood Heights, Fin.”

Shit.

He’s right. Everyone Everett and Griffin care about is in this small town. Moving across the country to chase your dreams isn’t easy, and it sure as hell doesn’t come without sacrifices. I guess I always figured they were okay with it, though. The sacrifices. That the pros outweighed the cons, and we’d be nothing but a speck on their radar as they chased their dreams. Their futures. The ones they’ve been building for as long as I can remember. Knowing it isn’t entirely the case is…sobering, I guess.

Chewing on the edge of my thumb, I finally ask, “And what are the odds of Uncle Henry trading for both of you?”

Griffin hesitates. “I’m gonna go with…not great.”

I grimace, hating how I’d already reached the same conclusion. “Well, that’s…inconvenient.”

“You could say that.”

“Maybe I can bribe Uncle Henry with Grandma Taylor’s cookies,” I offer. “Think it would work?”

Running his hand up and down my bare back, he chuckles softly. “Worth a shot. Might wanna wait until I’ve told Ev I’m his competition, though.”

My eyes bulge. “He doesn’t know?”

“Not yet.”

“Does he know you know?”

He shakes his head.

“Well, are you gonna tell him?” I prod, caught betweenbeing impressed with the man’s audacity and a little scared for his life because Ev? He’s not someone you want to piss off, and he sure as shit has no problem holding a grudge. Add in my relationship with Griffin, and we’re already treading some pretty tumultuous waters. Now, this? This is…bad.

Griffin’s jaw clenches, and I have zero doubt he’s thinking the same thing.

“Maybe after the game,” he mutters. “Or…after the Lions make a decision. Or…” He scrubs his hand over his face. “I dunno.”

Climbing off him, I rest my back against the headboard. “Pretty sure Everett hasn’t even come to terms with us dating yet. Add in the competitive side of things and the possibility of him losing or disappointing Raine, and he is not going to be happy.”

“He’ll get over it.”

I look down at Griffin, his mussed hair, the worry creases around his eyes. He’s worried. He might act like he isn’t, but he can’t fool me. And he knows Everett all too well.

“Get over it?” I challenge. “We’re talking about my brother, right?”

With a groan, Griffin tosses his forearm over his eyes. “Fuck, don’t remind me.”

Grabbing his wrist, I force his arm back to his side and laugh, hoping to lighten the little dark cloud of chaos surrounding us. “It’ll be fine.”

“You sound so sure,” he mutters.

“One of us has to be, right?” I shift forward and kiss him again in hopes of softening the stubborn divot from moments ago. When I pull away, I realize it hasn’t done shit. Yup, the thing is so deep it’s basically a gulch. Running my thumb along the mark, I murmur, “For now, it’ll be ourlittle secret. Focus on the game. Do your best. And we’ll…play the rest by ear.”

He nods slowly, grabbing my wrist, bringing my fingers to his lips, and kissing them softly. “Yeah. Yeah, it’ll be fine. Add it to the list, right? But first, we have to help your brother and Raine move in.”

My nose scrunches. “Damn. I kind of forgot about that.” With a groan, I collapse onto his chest and snuggle into his warmth. “Or, we could hide away until Reeves has done all the heavy lifting.”

With a laugh, he squeezes me softly. “All right, one more hour, then we gotta get up.”

“So bossy,” I note, letting out a sigh and breathing in his familiar scent.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

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