Page 11 of Tight End

I blink fast. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on. You think I missed the fact that you were a total groupie for Sin City back in the day? You always knew where they’d be, and if we were in driving distance, it was a done deal that we’d be going to that club.” He smirks. “You’ve got a thing for Brixton Scott. You always did.”

“You’re delusional,” I scoff, turning away because I can feel the heat creeping up the sides of my neck. “And why the hell are we having this conversation anyway? We should be talking about you.”

“I’m sick of talking about me. There’s nothing left to talk about. We’ve gone over everything a million times, and…”

He stops and my spine stiffens.

“What?”

Chase pulls his eyes away from me. “I signed a DNR.”

The words hit me like a cinderblock to the chest. “What the fuck are you talking about? You’re on the list for a heart. You really want to give up?”

“The odds aren’t great.” He sinks deeper into the whitepillows. “And I don’t want to be kept alive with machines, waiting for something that might never come.”

“You can’t just give up,” I rasp.

“I’ve accepted what I can’t change,” he whispers. “And you need to do the same. Be there for Mom and Dad. Take care of them.”

“Stop talking like you’re dying,” I growl, pushing back the chair and shooting out of it.

Chase looks at me, his eyes filled with resignation. “But I am, Sammy. And I’m finally okay with it. You know why? Because you’re here. You’ve always been the best brother, my biggest cheerleader. And you’ll be the glue that holds everyone together when I’m gone.”

I fist the sides of my head and stomp toward the window. Staring out at the city of Oakland, thousands of twinkling lights blink back at me. My pulse throbs against the side of my throat, a knot of tears lodging in my throat. A tingling sensation assaults my nose and I stare at the ceiling to keep my eyes from watering.

“This world needs you, Chase,” I finally say, turning around just as I hear a knock on the doorframe.

Rae stands there, spots of pink coloring her cheeks, her lips curled into one of the smiles she usually has reserved for Chase.

“It does. And God must agree because…” She steps into the room, her eyes shining with tears. “I just got a call. We have a heart.”

Chapter 4

Brixton

PRESENT DAY

My back stiffens as I slowly step out of the truck I rented for while I’m in Oakland.

What the fuck is he doing here?

With one fist clenched tight and the other clutching a bunch of brightly colored shopping bags, I stalk up the few stairs to the front door of Allie’s house in Golden Gate Heights and give it a hard knock. I twist my head to glare at the offending car parked in the short driveway.

I guess I shouldn’t be shocked. It’s the baby’s birthday.

Allie opens the door in a frenzy, her blonde hair tied up in a messy ponytail. Her cheeks flush a deep pink when she looks at me. Her shoulders lift in a tiny shrug. “There wasn’t anything I could do,” she mouths.

Squaring my shoulders, I enter the small foyer. I won’t let him into my head this time. I refuse to let him add to all the guilt that festers and feasts on me daily.

If he and Allie had been home instead of at the arena, they’d have been safe and protected. They would have gone to their hospital and seen their doctor when Allie’s water brokeinstead of shuttling to a completely foreign one in Oakland with an Uber driver who fucking walked away from the accidenthecaused without a scratch.

I know some of that is illogical and unreasonable, but I can’t help the way I feel.

And I feel responsible even though I know I wasn’t. Not really.

A loud squeak jolts me as I step into something squishy. “What the fu?—?”

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