Page 157 of Saving the Halfback

I shook my head. “Not for me. See, I wasn’t sure how it was going to work. I like them and all, but part of me does want you to myself. I didn’t think I could handle it, but then I realized something.”

“What?” she asked, those sweet eyes staring right through every barrier I’d made in the name of Nick and seeing me, Nolan.

“The thought of not having you at all hurt far worse than the thought of sharing you.” Her lips parted ever so slightly. I turned around to the motorcycle, pulling the bunch of wildflowers I’d picked at the side of the road from the storage bag. I walked right up to her. “Bailey McCormick, I know you are the most beautiful, the most gorgeously talented halfback any team has ever had, but would you consider allowing this humble quarterback to take you to homecoming?”

Her eyes shone as she looked at the wildflowers. She pulled that lower lip between her teeth as she nodded her head yes, words failing her. I reached up, pushing her lip from her teeth and capturing it with mine. There were whoops and hollers around us as I kissed the girl that held every single broken piece of my heart, even the parts I hadn’t realized were fractured.

58

Bailey

Friday

Iwas pumped for our games. After school, I went out to the truck with the guys, grabbing weekend bags, in addition to our football gear. I locked up the truck before we walked over to the buses. Despite resting all day and night, Nolan was still limping. He kept insisting that he was fine, but I called him out on it. Chase and I were prepared to go in as QB, but that didn’t mean we wouldn’t suffer as a team. Nolan was a key player.

There were two coach buses the school had rented for the football team, as well as the cheerleaders; it was an event for them as much as it was for us. While we had a game this evening and one tomorrow afternoon, they were being scored for their cheers and stunts before, during, and after the game. Beth had explained it all to me. They had rival teams as much as we did, and it was a sport for them as well. Even though I hated Hadley, I did agree that what she did on the field took a lot of hard work and athletic talent.

Nolan bent down, pressing a quick kiss on my lips. I smiled and got in line with everyone else to toss our gear under the bus. I chose the one Beth was in line for, but she was far up the line.Lachlan wasn’t leaving without muffins, so we’d arrived a bit late after waiting for Mom to put them together.

I could feel eyes on me when Nolan threaded his fingers through mine, but I didn’t care. He’d warned me he was going to make a point of showing off that he was my boyfriend. This way, he felt the rumors about who I was with would die down, and the homecoming proposals would stop—he was still sour about those. Chase said they’d been waiting for Nolan to get on board, but if he hadn’t followed through before game day, he was going to take me.

Once the line moved and we came up to the under-storage of the bus, I went to toss my bags under, but Hadley cut in front of me, putting her stuff in. I tried not to glare at her, but it was difficult. “That grungy hat stinks, but I guess that’s what makes you fit in with the other football players,” she said over her shoulder at me.

Ethan stepped forward and tossed all his gear on top of her bags.

“Hey!” she exclaimed.

“Oops, hope you don’t mind sweat. I clean it, but I think it’s ingrained in the fabric at this point.”

Hadley wrinkled her nose at him and pouted. “Eww, that’s so gross.”

“B, need a hand with that?” Ethan asked me. I handed my stuff to him, and he threw it in on top of his. Lachlan, Chase, and Nolan did the same. Hadley stomped her foot and pushed her way to the front of the line.

“Thanks, big guy.” I patted his shoulder and headed to get in line to get on. Ugh, did that mean I had to deal with Hadley for five hours? Why wouldn’t she get on the bus with the cheerleaders? I know we were allowed to go on either, but seriously.

My phone began ringing in my pocket, and I pulled it out, answering Mom’s call. “Hey.”

“Hey, Boo, do you have a minute?”

I looked ahead. We were getting close to the bus, but I didn’t want people to hear in case it was something important. “One sec.” All four of the guys were watching me intently, so I quietly said, “It’s my mom. I’ll meet you on the bus.” I stepped out of the line and backed up a few paces. “What’s up?”

Mom took a big breath that had my stomach sinking. “I was going to meet you at the game tonight, but a few things came up. Ed is still in rehab, but they say he can go home soon, and they want him close to the hospital. Your dad just came back, saying he is looking pretty good. We may be moving him into the Benson house across the creek. Anyway, I have to get the house all cleaned up for when he comes. It may be this weekend, he is determined to get out. You know, I don’t blame him…” She kept going, and I knew she was puttering, talking on the phone while busying herself with another task. This was what caused her to talk in tangents.

Only, I couldn’t keep up with her. The world beneath my feet shifted. Ed was…alive. He obviously hadn’t told anyone what had happened, never reported me, but he was determined to get out, and I knew exactly what that meant. I was in trouble.

My eyes tracked the guys as they slowly got on the bus, shooting glances back at me now and then. “Mom,” I whispered.

“Oh, shoot, I think I’m going to have to pick up some more linens. I got the boys separate beds. I know they said they were fine, but they are growing boys…”The boyswas what she lovingly called Ethan and Chase, taking on a motherly role with them.

“Mom,” I interrupted, “I have to get on the bus.”

“Right, sorry, Boo. Mr. and Mrs. O’Riley will be at the game tonight, and Gwen said she will tape the game for us and send it.Even the pub in town will be tuning in to the live stream, so we will be watching.” Live stream?

“Okay, bye.” I hung up on her.

I walked up to the bus, the last of the line filing on, but Coach stopped me. “This one’s full, Bailey. You’ll have to go on the other bus. We have a few players over there.”

If I thought the ground was shifting below me before, now everything was spinning, vertigo taking over as panic slipped in. Ed was okay, Ed was up and moving, he was going to come for me, and I was being separated from the guys.

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