Page 127 of Coach Me
Will pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Well, Casanova, let's get you sunscreen, and then, for some reason, I’m going to take you to see Callie in the outfield.”
Miles jumps and bolts back to the locker room. “Yay! Hurry up, Will.”
My brother goes to follow him, and I catch his arm. My brain feels like it’s in slow motion. “I didn’t plan on leaving him today.”
Will’s face softens. “You had my back yesterday. I think my pride can handle a five-year-old trying to steal my girlfriend for a bit. I’ve also already talked to Dex about it, so no arguments.”
Reagan leans her head around the back of Will to meet my face. “Come on, Luce, I drove all the way down here for you to yell at me.”
“I don’t want to yell at you.” Okay, maybe a little bit of a lie. I don’t have the energy to yell at her.
Will opens the door to the locker room. “I’ve got Miles. You guys talk. My only request is that you don’t burn the stadium down.”
I barely get Will’s name out in protest before he shuts the door. Dang it, I guess getting the last word in is an Anderson sibling thing.
“So, you want to yell at me in the hall or somewhere else?” Reagan twirls her finger at me. “You know you want to.”
I smack at her hand. “I don’t want to yell. I’m not exactly happy with you, but I don’t need to yell at you to feel better.”
Reagan’s teasing smile turns down. “What if I need you to yell to make myself feel better?”
I want to laugh, but I bite it back. “Hate to break it to ya, but you’re not going to get that from me. Did Will make you drive down here?”
“It didn’t take too much convincing after I got all the details. It was just a four-hour drive. A little audiobook action, and it flew by.”
I press my lips together. In a way, I’m happy to see Reagan. I miss her. Even before I started working for Dex she was standing me up. “Come on.”
I step to the other side of the hall and go in the extraequipment room Dex pulled me into yesterday. “So, Will told you about Dad too?”
The door clicks behind Reagan. “He did. I think I’m feeling somewhere in the middle of you two. Not afraid of a conversation, but not entirely sure how much of a relationship I want… That’s not why Will wanted me to come down here, though. I know he told you about all the guys I’ve run off.”
“He did.” I swallow a bit of pride. “I’m not going to yell, and really it feels a little redundant to be angry at you considering I’m here now with someone who’s actually good to me. That being said, I have a right to make my own choices, Reagan. I love you and Will both so much. I know what you did was with a good heart, and Will keeping it a secret until now—I get it. What’s done is done, but I had a right to those bad choices. You deciding to tell those guys to leave me alone instead of telling me only leaves me to assume that you thought I was incapable of handling them myself. I can be a kind and caring person who doesn’t want to yell, while still having a backbone and moral compass.”
She hangs her head with a small nod, and I know my words land. “I know. I could use the excuse of just wanting to look out for you, but I’m not trying to undermine this. It wasn’t my intention to make you feel that you couldn’t handle it or doubt that you would make the right decision… It was more that I could just take care of it for you. It’s still unfair—I know. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. I know that’s what you were trying to do with Dex too, but this is different.”
Reagan's mouth draws into a thin line. “You’re right. Will told me that. I could see that in the office. I know I overstepped. We’re usually together constantly, and with both of ourmoves…I don’t think we’ve truly ever spent that much time apart, even through college. Then I saw how close you and Jensen had gotten…It’s silly, I know, but the shift in our dynamic got in my head.
“I could practically feel what Will meant when he said you had the potential of a real relationship. I didn’t want to run Dex off, but I needed to protect you in any way I could. I know I left you hanging with my own move. I thought I was overcompensating for it, but really I was just being a bitch. I’m sorry.”
My nod comes slow as the weight of her words rolls off my back. This isn’t about forgiving her. I’m not sure there’s much my siblings could do that wouldn’t come with my automatic forgiveness, but I want Reagan’s respect.
“I’m not going to say it’s okay. As my older sister, I appreciate that and accept the apology. I truly do. We were dealt a difficult hand when Dad left. I want a chance to play my own cards for once. Just me.”
Reagan huffs an amused breath. “I like your metaphor. It feels very Reagan-themed. I’m sorry I cheated you a bit.”
“Thank you.”
A knock comes as Dex opens the door. “Hey,” he says softly. He steps around to me, wrapping his arms around me, then pulling my back against his chest. “Will told me to check on you guys in five minutes for proof-of-life.”
I tilt my head up to him. “Did he specify which sister he thought needed the life check?”
Dex places a kiss on my temple. “I’m not answering that.”
Reagan hums. “I know it’s for me, but alas, I think we’ve made our amends. Granted, I would have liked some yelling to see I’ve rubbed off on my sister even just a littlebit.”
Dex’s arms squeeze around me. “Nah, Lucie doesn’t need to yell when her calm reasoning hits a lot harder.”
