Page 84 of How to Prevent a Fumble

But no. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her. She’s just six.

“Hey,” Briar says quietly as she appears. She leans against the wall, watching us for a second as Elara uses the fact that I’ve been distracted by Briar’s lack of real pants to kill me once more, collecting the coins that come from my demise with an evil chuckle.

“Hey,” I tell her, giving up on playing for the moment. “There’s some food on a plate in the fridge for you.”

Her eyes flicker to the fridge before back at me. “Thank you. I, uh, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“You’re going to have to ask her,” I point a thumb to her daughter.

Elara thinks for a second, her chin perched between her thumb and pointer finger. “I’ll let him go. But make it fast, mom. He hasn’t been pulling his weight, and we have to beat Vader.”

What is with this kid?

Briar smirks, and I roll my eyes, getting up and following her into her bedroom. “You okay?” I ask, watching as her wet hair drips down her shoulders and down her chest. Her gray shirt is wet, and her nipples are pebbled, poking through her shirt.

Fuck.

“I just wanted to thank you.”

I nod simply. “Always. Is there anything I can do to help you with him?”

I know she’s going to say no, but it’s worth a try.

She shakes her head. “I don’t know, but I can deal with it on my own, thank you.”

It’s my turn to shake my head in return. “You’re not dealing with this alone, Briar. You can keep it from your brother, from your parents, from everyone, but I already know, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but there has to be something.”

She folds her arms over her chest, covering herself, and for a moment I’m sad. “Fine.”

“Can I have his number?” I ask her.

“No.”

“I promise I won’t call him right now. I just want it. For, I don’t know, the future.”

Biting her cheek, she looks into my eyes, trying to tell if I’m being truthful or not. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid and make this harder on us.”

I nod. “I promise.”

“Fine.”

25

BRIAR

Ihave absolutely no idea what to do.

Leo Warner has screwed up more times than anyone can count. He’s reckless, annoying, and firmly believes that he can buy his way out of any problem he ever has.

And yet, he’s been a sense of peace for me.

So much so that I’ve gotten annoyed with myself, believing that I’m just going to develop feelings for anyone who is even remotely nice to me.

And I hate Tony for that. I hate him for a lot of reasons, but making me question every relationship I have is the biggest reason.

Because, really, does anyone like me? Anyone at all? Or do they just want something from me? I’m not quite sure what I have to give them, but it has to be something.

The good news is that I have time away from Leo, since the boys have an away game on Sunday, leaving me to stew in my feelings without the complications of seeing his handsome face every single time I leave my room.

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