Page 68 of Play Maker

Oh shit. I stopped hauling her to the living room to cross check dates in my head.

With all the sex and football and rehearsals, the wedding stuff had become an afterthought. We’d done two of the events without a problem, but they were both low-key daytime parties where I only had to look good and say something witty once in a while. Not-Archer hadn’t paid me any attention, which I assumed was due to him actively ignoring Blue as long as she wasn’t making a scene.

The final event before the wedding was coming up this weekend, on the same night as the live performance with Alex, and I’d totally forgotten.

Eva read my face like I had subtitles attached and started laughing. “What did you fuck up?”

“Nothing I can’t fix.” I spun her around and shoved her out the door.

My mind raced with alternatives. We had a real chance of winning. Alex was a genius, and the judges had raved about our sample, but I couldn’t be in two places at once. Or could I?

A hazy idea formed in the back of my mind. Alex would hate it, but I wasn’t above forcing his hand. Blue was counting on me, and I wasn’t letting Shad anywhere near her.

Eva stopped on the landing to get in one last shot. “Whatever you’re planning, talk to Blue about it first. Remember what your mom always says.”

I stopped with my hand on the door to meet her eyes, unable to resist the urge to tease her a little. “That I’m her favorite child?”

She pursed her lips. “Communication is key, my friend—and I’m definitely her favorite child.”

Eva turned with a flare of pink hair and headed for the parking lot. I watched her get into her BMW, glad to have the old Eva back. Even if I was probably going to ignore her advice.

25

Fate didn’t give me a choice. Instead of spending the next few hours naked with Blue, I drove over to Alex’s, where I thought he might strangle me with one of his cords. After I explained my plan—and he yelled at me for a solid half hour—he agreed to do things my way. As long as I agreed to tell Blue about the competition.

Apparently, everyone was suddenly listening to my mother.

Five hours later, we finished our marathon session, and Luis kicked me out. At least he fed me first. Alex didn’t even say goodbye.

Darkness had fallen while we were busy in the makeshift studio, and I winced when I checked my watch. Well past dinner time. Blue wouldn’t be waiting for me, but I’d told her I’d come by after practice.

The drive over didn’t take long, Addison wasn’t that big, but for the first time ever, I was nervous to see my girlfriend. Blue didn’t hide things. She didn’t overreact either, but I still felt guilty for not sharing the big change happening in my life. Especially since she was the only one I’d told about my passion for music—the only one who understood the twitchy feeling of Mac not being enough anymore.

Football was my life, and I had every intention of being drafted in April, but things inside me had shifted this summer. Blue had helped me realize I didn’t have to be Mac all the time. I could let music be important too.

I could trust someone to want every part of me, not only the flashy outside.

A laugh escaped as I got out of my Jeep to walk around the big house. I wasn’t interested in trusting a rando. I wanted Blue. More than anything else, I wanted Blue. Which meant Eva and Alex and my mom were right—I needed to tell her everything.

I was probably destroying my chance to level up with this crazy plan, but I wasn’t going to leave her alone with Shad circling like a vulture. Her mom certainly hadn’t stepped up to protect her, and not-Archer would just as likely offer her as a bonus to Shad if he hit his sales targets.

Music could wait—hell, football could wait—if it meant showing her she didn’t need those assholes.

Blue opened the door to my knock, wearing one of my TU football shirts over cut-off shorts, and my brain short-circuited. There was something about seeing her in my clothes that triggered a possessive streak I’d kept buried deep. I tracked the tanned length of her legs, and when I got back to her face, heat darkened the blue green to the turquoise I loved.

Talking suddenly became less important. I closed the door behind me and reached for the hem of her shirt. Instead of lifting her arms, she back pedaled, almost toppling over the foot of her bed.

I shifted forward to catch her, but she held up her hands to fend me off. What the hell? I stayed where I was by the door and tried to keep the hurt out of my voice.

“You okay, Sunshine?”

She let out a small humorless laugh. “Yes. I didn’t mean to get dramatic, but when you touch me, my mind shuts off. Alex called me. He wanted to make sure you followed through with your end of the deal.”

Yep, I was going to murder him for not trusting me. I shoved my balled-up hands in my pockets and rolled to my toes. “What did he say?”

“He told me about the competition.” She tilted her head and studied me, like she’d done so many times before trying to work something out. “Why didn’tyoutell me?”

I wanted to hold her and erase the hint of sadness. Instead, I held myself still and hoped I didn’t make things worse. “I don’t know. Alex texted me about it the same night I had the idea for you to move in. I was going to tell him no like I always did, but something felt different this time. Like what I had before wasn’t enough.”

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