Page 71 of Saving the Halfback

I put the ramp down and grabbed a strap to tie it to the hitch of the truck, so it wouldn’t slide around while we loaded up the bike. When I turned around, Lachlan and Nolan were standing there, grinning at me. “What?” I asked.

“That was hot as hell,” Lachlan said.

“Yeah, I had no idea watching a chick do all that was such a turn on,” Nolan said.

“You should see her ride a horse, lasso a cow, and flip it over,” Ethan said. I hadn’t seen him standing off to the side, leaning against the rail of the school stairs.

“What? Really?” Nolan asked.

I rolled my eyes. “It was a calf, not a full-size cow, and I was like ten.” I turned back to Nolan. “You’re going to have to load it up because I’m not tall enough.”

“So, just ride it right on?”

“No! You’ll break my window or something. Walk it up. With the slope from the wheelchair ramp, it shouldn’t be too hard, but you might need to give a little gas at the top. Once the bike is at the top, just step up on the tailgate and keep walking the bike forward.”

Nolan smiled. “Motorcycle.”

“Shooting star,” I snarked.

“I’ll spot you,” Ethan said. He pushed off the railing and walked over to the other side of the ramp.

Nolan nodded to him. He started the engine and walked it up to the ramp. He gave a bit of gas to get on the ramp, but otherwise, he was able to walk it up smoothly. Ethan helped by steadying the bike on the other side while Nolan stepped up onto the tailgate. Once the bike was in, I handed the tie straps to Nolan. I had no idea where I could secure them on themotorcycle, but he seemed to know.

“Watch your clutch cable there.” Ethan pointed to a spot on the bike.

Nolan nodded. “Thanks.”

Once everything was secured and put away, I pushed up the tailgate and dusted off my hands.

“Got your keys?” Ethan asked.

“Yep.” I pulled my keys from my pocket and held them up. He snatched them right away.

“Thanks, I’m driving.”

“Hey! What… You can’t—”

“No,” Ethan snapped. He lowered his voice as he got in my face. “You think I’m stupid enough to let you drive under the influence with a Harley in the back and two friends in the cab?”

“I wasn’t… But I feel—”

“Fine?” He shook his head. “They all say that. Have some brains, B. Get in the truck.” His words were a command; he wasn’t budging on this.

Lachlan and Nolan got into the back, and I braved the passenger seat. I was pissed off at what Ethan was insinuating, though. If I didn’t feel a hundred percent, I never would’ve offered to drive anyone. I wasn’t sure exactly what I would’ve done, but I never would’ve put other lives at risk. Shame filled me.

“Why do I feel like we just got scolded by Daddy?” Nolan whispered. I suppressed a laugh, nearly choking. Ethan slowly shook his head, but I could see he was holding back a smile.

As we left the parking lot, I spotted Chase’s car. Though he sat inside with Hadley, he was focused entirely on us. I gave him a little wave as we passed.

“Where’s your car?” Lachlan asked Ethan.

“I didn’t drive today.”

“Oh?”

“Got an Uber.”

“Eth!” Now it was my turn to scold. “Why not just call me for a ride? I could’ve stopped by your place and picked you up. Do you have my number?”

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