Page 129 of Red Zone
Simple.
Exactly what I needed after today.
When we pull into the little diner on the edge of town, the one with the faded neon milkshake sign, Carter glances at me with a faint smirk.
“Vanilla or vanilla?”
I arch a brow. “Who says I’m getting vanilla?”
“Because you always do.”
I pretend to look offended. “Not true.”
He just shakes his head and gets out, rounding the Jeep to open my door before I can even move.
And okay. Maybe I let myself smile at that, just a little.
A few minutes later, we’re back in the Jeep, milkshakes in hand. I take a long sip of the salted
caramel cookie crunch, my favorite, letting the sweetness settle before I finally work up the courage to ask.
“So…” I start slowly.
Carter glances at me out of the corner of his eye, a straw between his lips. “So?”
I chew on the edge of my straw for a second, then blurt, “What happened in the locker room after the game?”
That earns me a raised brow.
“Why?”
“Because…” I hesitate, then sigh. “Jaxon came over. And he was upset. Like, really upset. Madison tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t say much. He just shut down. I figured they needed some privacy, so I just hung outside until you came.”
Carter’s jaw tightens slightly as he stares at the road ahead.
“Something happen with him?” I press gently.
Carter exhales slowly, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.
“Some dumbass decided to run his mouth about Madison. Jax handled it.”
My stomach twists. “Handled it how?”
He glances at me, then back at the road, a wry smile tugging at his mouth.
“Let’s just say I’ve never seen a locker room go that quiet, that fast.”
I shake my head, the ache in my chest deepening. “I just…I hate that he was hurting. He doesn’t usually let it show like that.”
For a second, Carter doesn’t say anything. Then his hand drops from the wheel, resting lightly over mine where it sits in my lap.
“He’s got her,” he says quietly. “That’s all that matters.”
I glance at him, my heart doing that annoying little flutter thing it does whenever he surprises me by being serious.
I turn my hand over and slip my fingers through his and don’t let go of his hand.
Not for the rest of the drive.
