Page 72 of Eight Steps to Alpha

Chapter 26

It wasafter noon when they finally pulling into the parking lot of the recreation center. From the driver’s seat, Elliot could see Fe’s brothers, far off on the other end of the field walking toward them. His hands started sweating, and he glanced over at Fe. She seemed nervous too, maybe more nervous than he was. He rubbed his hands up and down his thighs and tried to breathe, “Well here goes nothing.” But before he could grip the door handle, Fe grabbed hold of his arm, stopping him.

Her grip was firm, digging into his bicep. “There’s something I need to tell you.” Her voice was quiet, breathy.

He turned toward her and frowned. “What is it?”

“It’s just…” She looked down to her hands—“It’s just—they think you’re my boyfriend.”

His heart stopped beating in that second. What? Or he at least he thought he said what? Maybe he didn’t. Blinking a few times, he realized he must have misheard her. Why would she tell her brother’s he was her boyfriend? She wasn’t stupid, and that would be the stupidest thing in the world. Just when he was about to say so, Fe pushed open her door and hurried out of his truck.

What the hell? No. He hadn’t misheard her. That’s what she said. She defiantly said they thought he was her boyfriend. He quickly followed after her, needing answers, and caught up with her two feet away. Grabbing hold of her arm, he leaned into her ear, trying to keep his face neutral. “They think what?”

She took a deep breath, but forced a smile. “They think you’re my boyfriend,” she whispered through her teeth.

“And why do they think that?”

“Because last time I was visiting, I told them so.” She paused for a moment, then turned to face him. Her eyes pleading, her face serious, but desperate. “Look, it’s complicated, but I promise I’ll explain as soon as this is over.”

Normally, he would’ve been angry, normally he would’ve asked why she hadn’t explained this on their three-hour drive. But the look on her face was sorrowful, desperate, and he really didn’t care anymore. He took a calming breath, knowing he’d do just about anything to make her happy, but that’s when their conversation ended. Her brothers, all six-hundred-plus combined pounds of them, were only three yards away.

“Hey, stranger!” one yelled, which caused Fe to plaster the smile back on her face and turn in their direction. Her grin, which started just at her lips, spread across her entire face, until it became genuine. “Hey!” She took off running toward them, crossed the short distance, and launched herself into one of their arms. He almost stumbled backward, catching himself just in time, then spun her around laughing. All four of them were glowing. Like they were seeing a loved one after a long absence. And they were…but then her brothers turned to Elliot, and all of that warmth seemed to fade from their faces.

Elliot had met them a couple times, and even though it was brief, he still knew them by name. Craig was the largest of the three, and the one staring him down right now. He had longish hair, that was sort of shaggy at his nape, with arms as thick as trees. He may have been as tallest too. The only thing he could find that even remotely resembled his sister were his eyes. Which were the exact same shade of hazel.

Dave was the oldest brother and looked like a God-damned GQ model. He had dark bronzed skin, dark eyes, and a jaw so sharp it could cut nails. He was now crossing his arms at his chest and nodding toward Elliot.

The youngest was the one hugging Fe right now and happened to the least intimidating. Phillip. He liked Phil. Phil was nice. Though Phil was the one who punched a guy in the face just because he asked Fe to homecoming. He resembled his sister the most. The same medium brown hair, same round baby face, but a more masculine version with dark brown eyes.

Craig walked toward Elliot and held out his hand. “Elliot,” he stated, as though it was more of an observation than a greeting. “Long time no see.” The warning in his voice, matched his deathlike grip of his hand.

Elliot flexed his jaw, not allowing himself to be intimated. “Craig.”

He then turned to both Dave and Phillip, shaking both their hands before going over to stand by Fe. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. These brothers wouldn’t leave today thinking he was a shitty boyfriend. No. They would think he was the mother fucking man who was fully capable of taking care of their sister.

Dave glanced over Elliot and adjusted his stance. “Fe tells us you’ve never played football before?”

Elliot cleared his throat, ignoring the judgement he heard in Dave’s voice. “No, sir. But I’m hoping we can remedy that today.”

Craig and Dave shared a look, then turned back to the field and started discussing boundaries. The day was prefect, having rained the night before the ground was still slightly damp, but now the sun was shining, and a gentle breeze made the seventy-two-degree weather almost chilly.

Phillip walked toward him, tossing a football in his hands. “Have you ever watched a game before?” he asked Elliot. There was skepticism in his voice, like he couldn’t believe it was possible.

“Once or twice,” Elliot answered, which was a total lie. He’d started watching the second Fe told him about this meeting.

A smile lit up Philip’s face, and he cupped Elliot’s shoulder. “It’s simple really. Catch the ball, run the ball.” He winked. “Don’t worry. We’ll teach him the rest as we go along.”

Craig and David were busy setting up the field, which consisted of a set of orange cones on each end, and David’s black hoody which was laid out to represent the fifty-yard line.

Craig stared at Elliot’s chest, pointing toward one end of the field. “Get past those cones there, that’s a touchdown. Six points.”

“Fair enough.”

“We get passed ours, well… I think you’re smart enough to figure that part out.”

They all started walking toward the field, but Fe ran ahead, and grabbed ahold of Craig’s arm. She whispered something into his ear, but he shook her off and glanced over his shoulder to Elliot.

“What’s she doing?” Elliot asked Phillip.

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