Page 109 of Fair Catch

“Look at those two, making nice,” Quinton muses from beside me, his eyes locked on where Oakely and Hayes are chatting ahead of us. “Sometimes all it takes is a little nudge in the right direction.”

“Nudge?” I echo skeptically. “I’d call it more of a violent shove, but that’s just me.”

He laughs, knocking his shoulder with mine. “I’m sure you keep Hayes on his toes with that quick wit.”

“Who do you think I learned it from?”

The comment has Quinton’s eyes lighting up, and before I know it, he’s calling out to Oakley and Hayes in front of us.

“I have someone who can corroborate my claims about you corrupting me, Hayes. Better watch your back!”

To his credit, my boyfriend doesn’t so much as glance backward at his best friend’s outburst, simply choosing to flip him the bird while he and Oakley continue talking.

“You know, I’ve been wondering how someone like Hayes and someone like you became friends.” I glance at Quinton to find him arching a brow at me. “I mean, you have to admit, it doesn’t make sense when you look at it on paper.”

Quinton laughs, his eyes glittering with the same sort of energy I’ve often found in Holden’s. “Well, it helps that we grew up together. Kinda forged a friendship because our families run in the same circles, despite them being entirely different types of people.”

I tilt my head, frowning. “You both come from buckets of money. How would that make your families different types of people?”

“Let’s just say Hayes and I had the same opportunities afforded to us by our family wealth, but we had very different upbringings. His parents have only looked out for his and Rhys’ best interests, even if it was a bit…overbearing.” He gives me an apologetic smile, and it takes all of three seconds for me to realize Hayes must’ve told him about Thanksgiving.

“And your parents?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me to pry on such a personal matter.

Quinton doesn’t seem to mind, though, shrugging as he puts his hands in his coat pockets.

“They’re overbearing in a different way, because they only cared about themselves, their money, or the way I made them look to the public. Other than that, I may as well have not existed.” His eyes slide from where our guys are walking ahead of us, landing back on me. “And while they might not have physically laid a hand on me, their words still did plenty of damage over the years. A lot of shit I had to work through in my own time and my own way, you know?”

I’m a little shocked by hearing the resemblance Quinton’s upbringing holds to mine. Never in a million years would I have guessed it, either. But it also adds another layer of insight as to why Hayes seemed to understand my trauma so easily, if not take it in stride.

He’s seen it before. Cared about someone who’s gone through neglect and abuse, all at the hands of people who are supposed to be programmed to love us unconditionally.

The parallels are uncanny.

“Yeah,” I find myself whispering. “Though I came from a completely different upbringing, I understand the circumstances.”

“I thought you might,” he says with a sigh. “But through it all, I’ve learned one thing: It’s not always about blood. It’s the family you choose that matters.” He motions toward Hayes and Oakley with his chin. “Those two are more my family than my parents ever were. As long as I’ve got them, I’m good.”

Nodding, my mind immediately goes to Phoenix and his family. And, before I can stop it, it lands on Hayes too, making my heart stumble all over again.

“I definitely know the feeling.”

The two of us walk in silence for about half a block, watching the snow start to fall as we round the corner toward the condo. Our partners are already standing outside the door waiting for us, and I can feel Hayes’ eyes locked on me as we approach.

Quinton’s icy gaze flashes to me too, and he smirks knowingly.

“You don’t need my stamp of approval, but you’ve got it regardless. It’s obvious how good you are for him.”

I can’t stop myself from smiling when I whisper back, “Not as good as he is for me.”

Twenty-Eight

Kason

January

Break comes to an unfortunate end far sooner than either Hayes or I would like, and we’re already a week deep in the new semester when Hayes mentions a party he needs to attend at his parents’ house the following weekend. It’s an off-handed comment more than anything, and while the way things went at Thanksgiving makes me less than thrilled about spending more time around his parents, I offer to go anyway.

If I want this for the long haul, it has to happen.

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