Page 118 of The Wrong Quarterback

And then he was gone.

I didn’t leave. Instead, I tossed and turned all night, the empty space next to me feeling like too much without him.

It got so bad that I even picked up when he called after his team meetings.

“Hi,” he murmured, his voice warm and sleepy and delicious. “I miss you.”

“I—I miss you, too,” I said after a moment, his absence clearly affecting me.

“You look beautiful right now.”

I blinked, and it took me a moment to understand what that implied.

“Parker Fucking Davis, are you watching me on camera right now?” I finally screeched, jumping out of bed and frantically searching around the room for a device.

“It’s likeFaceTime,” he laughed. “What’s the big deal?”

I opened my mouth to argue, until I realized I had that confusing, warm feeling inside me again. The idea that he was so obsessed with me that he wanted to watch me when he was out of the house was…hot.

Psycho, but hot.

Fuck. I needed a therapist.

I gave up on finding where he’d hidden the camera and crawled back into bed.

“That’s my girl,” he murmured, and I tried to snarl at him.

Which only made him laugh at me more.

“Tell me that you love me,” he finally said.

And my reply was instant. “I love you. I love you, even though…I shouldn’t,” I admitted.

“There’s noshouldn’tinvolved. No one gets to say how the greatest love stories are told. We can make our own rules.”

I didn’t have anything to say to that…because I was beginning to think he was right.

“Put the phone down next to you, but keep the line connected,” he ordered.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I want us connected all night. Just keep the line open, even while you’re sleeping. That way, if you need anything…I’m here.”

Ugh. Why did he have to be like that, already anticipating that I wouldn’t sleep well without him? Why did he have to make me feel like I was the center of his world?

“Okay,” I whispered, tucking my phone next to me on the bed, a warmth settling over me. I put the phone on speaker so I could hear him.

Because if he was going to be my stalker…I wanted to be his stalker, too.

“Good girl.” His voice softened, filling the empty space between us. “Sweet dreams, baby. I love you.”

I fell asleep listening to the sound of his breaths.

Watching him on the screen the next day, my chest felt tight, like I could barely breathe. Tennessee had won, and then Parker stood there with the announcer, sweaty and triumphant. His eyes were still blazing with that fierce focus that seemed to power him through everything.

When he leaned into the mic, his gaze was steady, his voice firm. “This win…” He paused, almost like he was gathering the right words. “It’s for someone special. My soulmate’s brother, Ben Larsen. A man I never got to meet, but wish I had. I respect him immensely, and I know he’s watching out for her and us, wherever he is.”

Hearing those words hit like a punch, softening me in a way I hadn’t expected. Ben. He’d just said Ben’s name on national television, dedicating his win to him. The respect in Parker’s voice was real, solid, and the whole world was watching him honor my brother in a way that made my heart twist and ache. No one else had ever done that, no one else had ever thought of Ben like this—not even Gray.

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