Page 70 of Suck My Puck

Theo and I walk Xander to the SUV. Maya unlocks the car and holds open the door for us.

I groan as I help get Xander into the car. “Dude, you weigh a ton.”

“Do not.”

Bella and Maya laugh as they watch us.

“That’s right. Laugh it up, ladies,” Xander says.

“It’s a shame your fiancee had to leave right after the game to catch a red-eye to New York for a sports medicine conference. She’s missing out on how adorable you look right now,” Maya teases.

Xander flashes a drunk grin. “Sophie says I’m cute when I’m drunk.”

Theo pats his shoulder. “Yep. You’re so cute, bro.”

We all burst out laughing. When we finish getting him in the car, Theo turns to me.

“Thanks for your help,” he says.

“No problem. Will you be able to help him into his place by yourself?” I ask.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

We say good-bye to Maya and Theo, and they hop in their car. I lean down to buckle Xander’s seatbelt for him and go to close the door.

He stops me. “Hey, man. I just wanna say one thing.”

“What?”

“That’s messed up what your dad said about you on that podcast. Really messed up. Screw him.”

He leans back in his seat and passes out. I know he means well, but just hearing Xander mention my dad feels like a punch to the gut.

I close the car door and they drive off. When I turn around, I see Bella giving me a sad look.

I shove my hands in my pockets and step over to her.

“Your dad said something about you on a podcast?” she asks, her voice soft.

I nod, then start walking to my car in silence, not wanting to say more. Bella doesn’t speak as she walks next to me.

I open the passenger door for her, close it, then round the car to the driver’s side. As I drive to my apartment building, we’re both quiet.

I ease to a stop at a red light. Tension racks my body. I know I should say something. Bella can tell I’m upset. I bet I seem like a moody teenager not wanting to talk about it. She probably thinks I’m acting like a baby.

I huff out a heavy breath, wondering what I should even say to explainmyself.

But then, she reaches over and grabs my hand from my lap, holding it in both of hers.

I glance down at our joined hands, thankful for the warmth and comfort of her touch. The tension inside of me starts to ease.

When I look up at her, the tenderness in her eyes catches me off guard.

This time when I let out a breath, it feels like I’m releasing all the stress in my body. And that’s when I realize that Bella gets it. She understands I don’t want to talk about what’s bothering me. And she somehow knew that the most helpful thing she could do is hold my hand in hers, letting me know that she’s here for me.

I lean over and press a soft kiss to her lips. “Thank you,” I whisper.

Her beautiful mouth curves up in the gentlest smile.

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