Page 52 of The Players We Hate
But at least now… the door wasn’t entirely shut.
The patio was quieter than I expected, tucked behind the house and strung with warm white lights that looked like they were meant for something softer than what any of us were going through. Hallyn stepped ahead of me, letting the screen door slap closed behind her, and dropped into one of the wooden chairs like she’d done it a hundred times before.
I stood for a beat, then lowered myself into the one across from her, my fingers still wrapped tightly around each other in my lap.
“You okay?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Honestly?” I let out a short laugh. “No idea. But I didn’t want her to think I came here with an agenda. I didn’t.”
“You don’t have to convince me,” Hallyn said gently. “Tate doesn’t open up easy, but she knows when someone’s being genuine. She wouldn’t have hugged you if she didn’t feel it.”
I stared out at the yard, at the way the trees swayed in the soft wind like they had no idea what kind of pain was being carried in that house.
“I keep wondering if being here only made things harder. If I overstepped,” I admitted.
Hallyn shook her head. “You came when she needed someone. You showed her you care. That’s not crossing a line, it’s drawing one. It matters more than you think.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice for a second.
The door opened again behind us, and Ava stepped out, tugging her cardigan tighter around her small frame. She was petite, with the lean grace of a dancer, and there was something free-spirited about the way she carried herself, as if joy came easily to her. She offered me a small smile, then glanced between us as if she already sensed the weight of what had been said before she’d even arrived.
“Mind if I sit?” Ava asked.
“Of course,” Hallyn said, motioning to the empty chair between us. “Wren, this is Ava. Ava, this is Wren.”
Ava gave me a warm smile, the kind that felt like she meant it.
As the three of us sat there in a quiet circle, some of the tension started to ease. The heaviness didn’t disappear, but it wasn’t crushing me anymore. And maybe that was enough for now.
I hadn’t come here to fix what my family had broken. I’d come to check on someone who once did the same for me. I came to try. And for the first time in a long time, trying felt like it might actually be worth something.
Chapter Fifteen
Talon
Showing up with Wren had thrown Tatum. I could see it in her eyes. She hadn’t expected to see Wells’s sister standing at her door. But Wren wasn’t like the rest of her family, and I think Tatum knew it, too. Whatever surprise she felt, it didn’t change the truth. Wren cared, and it wasn’t fair to lump her in with them just because of her last name.
The guys had pulled me into Reed’s room after Wren slipped outside with Hallyn, Beckham’s girlfriend.
The door clicked shut, cutting us off from everyone else. That’s when I realized what Reed was capable of. He didn’t brag about it, just laid out the truth of how he had the kind of skills that could track Wells, dig up whatever crap their family had buried, and use it to keep him away from Tatum.
I hated that it meant dragging Wren into it, hated the knot of guilt that twisted in my gut. But if this was the only way to make sure my sister was safe before things went any further, then I didn’t see another choice.
I wasn’t ready for how much seeing Tatum again would get to me. She looked stronger than the last time I saw her.More settled. There was still a shadow in her eyes, but it didn’t own her the way it did when she first left Rixton. The second she leaned into Wren, even just barely, some of the tightness in my chest finally let up.
I needed her to be okay. Not just for her, but for me too.
Knowing Reed had her back took some of the edge off. By the time we got downstairs, the knot in my chest had loosened a little.We settled into the living room, the old couch sagging beneath us, the muted hum of voices carrying in from the kitchen.
Beckham dropped into the seat beside me, eyes cutting toward the patio. “Your girl gonna survive out there with Hallyn and Ava?”
“She’s not my girl,” I muttered, following his line of sight.
He smirked, one brow climbing. “Sure, keep telling yourself that.”
I shoved his shoulder, grinning when he almost spilled forward. “You’re an ass.”
He barked out a laugh, the sound catching a few others’ attention before the mood shifted. He leaned in, elbows on his knees, and just like that, I knew the joking part was over.
