Page 73 of Surrender
“I wasn’t strong back then,” I defend. “I was young, and weak, and scared. I wasn’t who I am when I’m with you. You bring it out in me.” I sit up on my elbows, propping my head in my hands and looking down at him. “Being with you like this is really helping me find a strength that I never gave myself the chance to find before. That’s why I got so mad earlier tonight when you were trying to interfere with my business. I should be able to figure those things out for myself.”
“I really was just trying to help,” he replies, his other hand coming out and playing with a damp strand of hair draped over my shoulder.
“I know, Gareth. I really do understand. And I’m not mad. I’m…grateful.” The word is hard to find, but it’s the right one for the moment. “You were just being a friend. I should have accepted that and not put you in the ex category.”
His eyes widen. “I don’t want to be anywhere near that wanker.”
This makes me giggle. “How do you know he’s a wanker?”
Gareth runs his thumb across my lower lip. “Because he didn’t see you the way I see you.”
My mouth falls open as tears prick the backs of my eyes. “How do you see me?” I ask, my voice thick with fear.
He sighs heavily like he’s been sitting on his answer for ages. “Like a fucking lioness. And any rightful king would be a fool not to bow to his queen.”
“OI!GARETH!IASKED IFyou want seconds?” Booker shouts, waving a plate of Vi’s famous Swedish pancakes in front of me expectantly. “This is your last chance, or Tanner says he’s eating the rest.”
I shake him off, then scowl at Tanner as he forks all three and plops them onto his plate. When he reaches for the syrup, I can no longer bite my tongue. “Tanner, how can you eat like that right now?”
Tanner looks at me with wide, curious eyes. “What do you mean?”
“You’re in the middle of the season. Eating like that will have fans yelling, ‘who ate all the pies,’ at you, bro.” I glance around the table at Camden and Booker. They both nod knowingly.
It’s midseason. This is the point where we all usually hit our stride in the game. While we use Sundays as our cheat days because Vi’s cooking can’t be missed, Tanner is going above and beyond the small cheat.
Tanner rolls his eyes and stuffs a bite into his mouth while mumbling, “My game has never been better. I’m celebrating.”
I look over at Dad, who’s sitting at the head of the table with Rocky on his lap, cooing at her like she’s better than football.
Don’t get me wrong. Rocky is a million times better than football. She’s pretty much everything in life. We’re all happily wrapped around her little finger. Regardless, Dad has spent most of our lives controlling our diets and fitness routines because of his obsession with football. He even pushed all of us to live with him well into our twenties because he said it was best for our careers.
Now, his star striker is stuffing his face with pancakes and syrup, and the man can’t look away from his granddaughter to interject. What is happening?
Vi leans over me to grab my plate off the table. “Are you all right, Gareth?”
“Of course I am. Why do you ask?” I stand up and take the dishes from her hand, noticing that Dad chooses now to look away from Rocky to pay attention to the outside world.
We haven’t spoken again about him asking me to move back to London. It was a ridiculous request. But the truth is, watching him on Sundays lately, I can see that something is definitely changing in him.
Vi follows me to the sink in the kitchen. “You seem like you’re in a mood again.”
“What do you meanagain?” I frown at her.
“Well, a couple of months ago you were like this. Then you got better. Now you—”
“Kind of suck again,” Camden finishes, setting some plates on the counter next to Vi.
“I’m not in a mood,” I defend but know deep down that I’m completely in a mood.
Sloan is making me tense. Once again, she has pushed me off for another week. I get the occasional texts and phone calls, but I don’t understand her. She wants to see me every bloody night one week, then cuts me off dead for several days in a row the next week. It’s making me bloody mad.
I know this is casual, but it feels like she’s playing fucking games or something. It’s making me realise how very little I know about her. I don’t know where she lives or if she has flatmates. If she’s in a house or a flat. I know things about her upbringing, but nothing about her real life other than how she likes me to fuck her.
The first couple of weeks I loved the release sex with her gave me. Now that she’s spending the night more and more, I guess I feel entitled to a bit more.
“Here, your dad had to take a call,” Hayden says, handing Rocky off to me. I shift my grip to hold her against my chest as he adds, “Rocky brightens all my dark days.”
Vi smiles at Hayden affectionately, but Rocky diverts my attention back to her as she clasps her tiny fingers on my cheeks. “Garee,” she coos.
