Page 145 of Saving the Halfback

Chase said nothing as he helped me pull my pants back on, grabbing my panties and shoving them into his pocket with a sated smile. He pulled his pants back into place before slipping his arms around me and lifting me up.

I was exhausted, completely spent, emotionally and physically. I didn’t think I had felt contentment to the point of exhaustion before. “If you carry me out there, they will worry,” I said. “I don’t want to ruin this feeling.”

Chase walked over to a spot where a few square bales sat against the barn. He sat down, holding me on his lap while he shrugged his zipper hoodie off. He wrapped the soft material that smelled just like him around me and pulled me tight to him. I leaned into his chest, closing my eyes and humming with satisfaction.

After a few moments, Chase took his phone out.

“What are you doing?” I asked lazily.

“Letting them know I’ve got you.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I’ve always loved you, Bailey.”

53

Bailey

Monday

That morning, I woke to heavy arms wrapped around me and a body pressed against my back, though the body itself wasn’t the only thing hard. I didn’t open my eyes, but I could tell by the feel, it was Ethan. I wiggled myself closer to his warmth, his arms constricting around me. “We are going to be late if you don’t stop moving like that,” he said, his voice heavy with sleep.

There was a short laugh, and I opened my eyes to see Chase lying right in front of me, phone in hand. “You better not be taking pictures,” I hissed. “My parents would kill me if they knew you were both in here.”

“No one will see but us, remember? Boyfriend support.” Boyfriend support. My boyfriend, I smiled. His phone buzzed. “Hey, Eth, Lachlan wants to know why you look so pained.”

“Why are you both in here?” I asked, wiggling out of Ethan’s arms, so I could lie on my back and look at him.

He cleared his throat. “You talk in your sleep. It didn’t sound nice, and Chase said you slept soundly when you slept on his chest before.”

“Yeah,mine,” he complained. “I get tonight.”

I rolled my eyes and got out of bed.

“She slept just fine after I came in,” Ethan said. “Plus, this bed is much more comfortable than sharing with you.”

“You were still sharing with me. We just had a barrier between us, instead of the pillow wall you built. News flash—you snuggle in your sleep, not me.”

Smiling at their banter, I grabbed my clothes, opting to get dressed in the bathroom. Chores went by fast, and before long, we were all running out of the house with pancakes in our hands. First stop was Lachlan’s.

“When are your parents going to adopt me, so I can sneak into your bed?” he asked as soon as he got in.

“Morning,” Chase said, holding two pancakes out to him.

“Mom make these?” Lachlan asked.

“Yep,” Chase replied.

Lachlan let out a long, dramatic breath. “Fine, I guess I forgive you.”

“Boys.” I shook my head and smiled. Ethan’s hand slipped to my thigh, giving a little squeeze before leaving it to rest there.

I was in my bliss, until I saw Nolan.

“Is he limping?” Lachlan asked. “Why’s he limping?” Lachlan got out of the truck and let Nolan slide into the middle.

Ethan pulled out as soon as Lachlan closed the door, but the cab was silent. Nolan glanced around at all of us staring at him. “It was late when I got back last night. He stopped the back-to-back runs, so I had to get up early to run. I didn’t see a stick on the path—”

“Because it was pitch black at four a.m.?” Chase scoffed.

“Three.” Nolan let out a long breath.

---