Page 57 of Quarterback Sneak

“It’s part of it, yes.” If she could hunt down Craddock on Sam’s behalf, she would. As upset with him as she was, he didn’t deserve to be taken advantage of in that way.

The planes of his face hardened into sharp lines, “I thought you were different, Ivy. That you cared about me—not about the money, or the fame—but me. Obviously, you’re not the person I thought you were.” A chill hung on the edge of his words, his accusation biting deep.

Her jaw began to ache from clenching it. She wanted an honest discussion and it didn’t get more real than this. “Do. Not. Turn. This. On. Me. This has nothing to do with money and everything to do with you. You’re having problems, I understand, but you’re per—”

“I’m not perfect, Ivy.” His bitter laugh cut her off and green eyes, once warm, iced over.

“—persistence in pretending everything is going to be all right is insulting. No matter how many times I try to initiate a serious discussion, you give me some generic explanation that everything will be fine. Frankly, it’s condescending and annoying as hell. If you’re angry, be angry. You have every right.” Please, just please let me in.

A tiny crack appeared in his outward armor, fury hidden beneath the surface. Hope rose within her chest. Was she finally getting through to him?

He shifted on his feet, his tall frame righted, and the hint of anger disappeared behind a mask of calm. The mask he wore like a second skin slipped into place, his voice steady and unfazed. “Holding on to unhealthy anger is worse than obsessing.”

The dam snapped within Ivy and she glared at him, gloves off in the fight for her life. “Another platitude. You don’t have to hold onto it. Just express it like a normal person.”

His calm expression shifted the slightest bit and a trace of vulnerability showed. “Other than my health, the rest of those things are superfluous. In the grand scheme of things, possessions are irrelevant. I decided ages ago not to angst about things you can’t control. It isn’t productive. I choose to look at the bright side of life. It’s who I am and I’m not about to change.”

While well articulated, his words were all surface and no substance. Like Sam.

“I’m sorry, that just doesn’t work for me. I need more.”

“I’ve been honest with you about my feelings for you from day one, but the truth is you don’t like my answers. And if you can’t believe what I tell you, then there will never be us.” A fissure, much wider than the last, showed in the stern cast of his jaw until he corrected it for a second time.

The lights flickered as silence reined down, building onto the strain. He’d been close, to showing a vulnerable side but pride, or habit, stopped him. Raw emotion full of frustration and sadness crippled Ivy. They were at a crossroads with neither lane going anywhere but in a full circle. He’d refused to open up to her and no matter how much she wished otherwise, she drew the line at settling for less than one hundred percent.

“I should leave.” She turned on her heel when the ringing of a phone echoed in the cavernous space, hollow and empty like her heart. She glanced down at the screen and read her father’s name. Given the lateness of the hour, alarm bells rang in her head. Her back to Sam, she lifted the phone and began to walk toward the entry, unable to look at him through the tears forming in her eyes. “Hey Dad. You’re up late. Is everything okay?”

“No, I’m sorry honey, it’s Beth. She’s been in an accident.” Nausea churned Ivy’s stomach and she stumbled, her knees nearly buckling from beneath her.

“Is she hurt, is she—” the words clogged in her throat as she gripped the phone.

“Ivy?” Sam wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her and she leaned on him, although she no longer had the right.

She shook her head and blew out a breath. “Dad, is she hurt?” Or dead? Please don’t let her be dead.

“She’s been admitted into the hospital, and according to the police, she’s under arrest for DUI.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sam had broken up with Ivy. He’d fucking broken up with Ivy? If her phone hadn’t rang, he would have let her walk away. Madness. Shaking his head, Sam followed her out of the hospital elevator and into a waiting room. She’d barely said a word since they left the house. He’d kept his own counsel, unable to fathom the bizarre turn of events. For the first time in recent memory, he’d let down his guard and lost his temper. And now things were shit. Emotions spiraled through him faster than a football speeding down the end zone and no one was there to catch him when he crashed down to earth.

He loved her so much and had believed—still believed with 100% certainty—that she was the one for him. Except she didn’t trust him.

Ivy’s hands trembled. He slipped an arm around her waist, intent on helping her navigate through this mess regardless of her low opinion of him.

She leaned into him, a welcome sign after her earlier coldness.

After many years of suppressing his childhood resentments over his father, he’d learned to conquer his anger and rebelliousness by putting a positive spin on those weaknesses and investing his energy into sports. The physical outlet had reaped a stronger body and an even stronger mindset, one which served him well. He’d been a leader both on and off the field. Allowing himself the luxury of dropping his guard was not an option. People looked up to him and he had an obligation to live up to their expectations. He’d been placed on a pedestal for so long, he wasn’t sure how to step off.

Two nurses stood at the reception desk. The male nurse looked up when they entered and his expression sparked in the inevitable way when he spied Sam. “Knute Rockney?”

“We’re here to see Beth Cooper.” Sam took charge of the conversation. He didn’t want to let this become about him. She was already pissed about 3Square, he didn’t want to add to it. Not that it was entirely his fault. She had said she wanted someone to make the decision for her and he did. “I understand she has a room on this floor.”

“She’s at the end of the corridor,” the nurse said.

Beth’s bed overlooked a view of the city, the lights bright in the still dark sky. Sam saw her distorted, bruised, and battered face in the reflection of the window. She twisted her neck at the sound of their approach. A massive bruise covered one side of her face and a raw, jagged gash marred her upper lip. Red-rimmed eyes inspected them before her lashes drifted shut.

Ivy rushed to her side and clasped Beth’s limp hand in hers. “I was so scared when I got the call. Are you ok? Why didn’t you call me?”

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