Page 123 of The Wrong Quarterback

“Put her DOWN,” I growled, seeing red as I forced myself not to tackle my oldest brother.

Cole’s smirk stretched across his whole face as he set her down and watched as I immediately pulled her against my body. “So touchy about touching,” he said, taking off his hat and pulling back his dark blue bandana so he could use it to wipe his sweat-slicked face.

I took in what he was wearing while he was distracted because one of Walker and my favorite things to do was to make fun of his...colorful style.

I would call this one his hobo cowboy look.

His shirt, some kind of loose linen deal, was unbuttoned halfway down his chest, revealing a glint of silver from a chain with a small emerald stone at the end, swinging slightly as he shifted. His leather pants were so tight that I wasn’t sure how he’d actually gotten them on in the first place.

I snapped a picture and sent it to Walker. His response was instantaneous.

Walker: Burn it.

I snorted, and Cole lifted an eyebrow at me. “You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?”

“Only a little.”

Jace started his joke, and I turned my attention to Casey, who had gotten extremely quiet.

“What’s up, baby?” I asked.

She glanced up at me, and I realized she was blushing. Now I really wanted to know what was going on in that gorgeous head of hers.

“He called me his ‘future sis-in-law,’” she whispered shyly, and I brushed a kiss against her lips.

“‘My future wife’ is better, but if the other one gets you going, I’ll take it as long as it gets me to the same place.”

“The same place?”

“At the altar, with you in a white dress, telling me you’re going to belong to me forever and ever.”

“I like the sound of that place,” she said, her blush deepening. I kissed her again.

“That place is going to happen. Soon.”

CHAPTER 34

PARKER

Imoved down the winding paths of the cemetery, my hands shoved deep in my pockets, every step feeling heavier than the last. The place was quiet, like the silence here was something alive, pressing down over the rows of headstones around me. No sounds, no distractions—just a hushed kind of stillness that made me feel like I was walking into something sacred.

I’d been here once before with Casey, but this was my first time alone. I still found Ben’s grave easily, though, the location embedded in my mind.

When I reached his grave, I paused, looking down at the headstone. Simple, barely more than his name and the dates. It looked plain, not nearly enough to capture who he was to Casey. I crouched down, brushing a bit of dirt from the edge, running my fingers over the rough stone. “Hey, Ben,” I started, my voice rough, feeling a strange mix of nerves settle over me. I hadn’t talked when I was here with Casey, I’d just been there as emotional support.

It felt strange now talking to someone I’d never met, but I kept going. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but…I guess I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Parker.”

I rubbed a hand over the back of my neck, feeling the importance that this moment carried. “Look, I know you probably would’ve had a lot to say about me being with her,” I admitted, managing a small, wry smile. “And I don’t blame you. But I love her, man. More than I can even wrap my head around. She’s…everything.”

I let out a shaky breath, my gaze dropping to the name etched in stone. It hit me then—everything he’d missed, everything he’d left behind. “I’m sorry we never met. I wish we had.” I paused, letting the silence settle before going on. “But I want you to know…you can trust me with her heart. With her life. She’s safe with me.”

The words hung thick in the air, like a physical representation of everything I’d been carrying. I stared at the headstone, as if expecting an answer. “I’m going to take care of her. I promise. You don’t have to worry—your sister’s going to be okay.”

I shifted, digging my hands into my pockets, the words feeling heavy on my tongue. “Ben…I know what it’s like to miss someone after they’re gone,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “Hell, I know what it’s like to miss someone even when they’re still walking the Earth. To carry around that ache, day in and day out. It never really leaves you.”

I swallowed, letting that truth sink in, feeling the raw edge of it in my chest. “But I’m going to be there for her. I’ll help her keep you with her, always. She’s never going to have to carry that alone.” My voice cracked, but I forced myself to keep going, to make the promise as real as I could. “I’ll make sure she remembers every story, every memory, every bit of you. I’ll keep your memory alive with her.”

I took a shaky breath, the truth in those words grounding me, a vow that felt more real than anything I’d said in a long time.

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