After the Game

I wasn’t completely sure I was supposed to wait on Brady. He had his family to deal with now. I knew his mom would have questions.

“The field party will be crazy tonight. Your first one back should be one to remember, at least.”

I hadn’t thought about that. The field party was always after the game.

Going to the field party didn’t seem like something Brady was going to be up for tonight. But then I wasn’t sure what had actually been said on that field, so maybe he wanted to go blow off steam.

“Not sure if I’m supposed to be going. Brady hasn’t mentioned it.”

Willa smirked. “He watched you most of the game. I don’t think he’s planning on going to the field party without you.”

She didn’t understand, and I couldn’t explain it. So I just smiled.

“We can head down that way if you want. The crowd around the door is getting thick. I didn’t think about everyone wanting to congratulate them.”

I stood up. “Okay.”

Brady’s mom was waiting, but his father wasn’t around. I was glad he’d at least left. Brady wouldn’t want to see him when he got out.

“I’d better call my nonna and give her an update on where I am and what we are doing. She probably watched the game on television and already knows we won.”

Willa’s nonna was Ms. Ames. She had been the cook at the Lawton house for as long as I could remember. She made the best chocolate chip cookies. I would always sit and have some with a glass of milk and talk to her in the kitchen when I was dating Gunner.

I watched the door and guys began coming out, but none of them I knew. Younger players who didn’t get much playing time came out and hugged family members or kissed girlfriends.

“Why are you here?” Serena’s voice was laced with hate.

I didn’t look her way. “Waiting on someone.”

“You’re sitting with Gunner’s girlfriend. You’re probably the reason they struggled out there tonight. Just because Willa is too dumb to know who you are, Gunner knows. You need to leave. No one wants you here, slut.”

I found it ironic that Serena would call anyone a slut. Even more so that it was me, a girl who had sex once in her life, and that had been against my wishes. My screaming and clawing and crying for him to stop had made that clear enough.

But this was what I should have expected. This was what they all thought of me, and walking into it was asking for this. I had to be tough and take it or continue to hide. I was done hiding. I was ready to be tough.

“I’m sorry, I forgot to call you and ask you permission to come tonight. Must have slipped my mind,” I replied to her, and again I didn’t look her way.

“Back off, Serena,” Willa said, stepping between us.

Serena laughed. “You do know who this is you’re all buddy-buddy with? Right? Gunner hates her. She ruined his family.”

Willa rolled her eyes. “She didn’t ruin his family. Jeez, get your story straight. And yes, I know who she is and what she was falsely accused of. No one asked you to come over here. Go talk to someone who likes you.”

Willa turned to me. “Ignore her. I always do.”

I really liked Willa Ames.

“Gunner isn’t going to be happy about this,” Serena threw out one more time, then spun to strut away as if she were important.

“She never got better, I see,” I said to her retreating back.

“Nope,” Willa agreed. “Seems to get worse.”

“Thanks,” I told her. I didn’t have friends a few weeks ago, and now I felt as if I had two.

“Anytime. I’ve had my own problems with Serena.”

I started to say something else when Brady walked out of the locker room. I didn’t go to him. I stayed back and waited on him to see his mother first. She would be worried and need answers. I had no idea what his answers would be.

She walked right up to him and hugged him. I watched as he held her a little tighter than expected and whispered something in her ear. Then his eyes met mine and he motioned for me to come to him with his finger as he held his mom.

“I think you’re about to catch up with his mom,” Willa said with a smile.

“Yeah, I think so too,” I agreed.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Okay,” I replied.

Then I headed over to Brady. And his mother.

I’m Walking My Girl to Her Car

CHAPTER 44

BRADY

After hugging Mom and telling her I loved her, I pulled back and watched as Riley made her way to me through the crowd. She’d been my lifeline tonight. The one place I could look that was safe. I wanted her to understand that.

“Mom, you remember Riley,” I said as Riley came up beside me.

My mother’s eyes lit up in surprise as she turned to Riley. “Yes, I do. Hello, Riley. You’re just as beautiful as I remember.”

Having Riley at my side not only gave me comfort, but it also kept Mom from asking questions about my father’s disappearance and what happened on the field.

“Hello, Mrs. Higgens. It’s good to see you.”

“I’ve been meaning to call your mother and get together sometime for coffee. I’d love to catch up with her.”

“She’d like that. The lemon cake you sent over was delicious. We all fought over the last piece. Bryony won, though.”

At Bryony’s name I could see mother’s confusion.

“Bryony is Riley’s daughter,” I told her.

“Oh, yes. I hear she is just as beautiful as her mother. I look forward to meeting her. I’ll be sure to send another lemon cake over this week. You can tell her it’s just for her.”

Riley beamed, and I could hug my mother again for that. If anything, my mom was the kindest most thoughtful woman I knew. Making Riley at ease about Bryony and even offering to do something like that made me love her more and hate the man she was married to.

“She’d love that. Thank you,” Riley said, still smiling. I had seen the anxiety on her face when she walked up to me and now seeing the relief and happiness there made my heart ache less. Knowing Riley was okay and happy among the people who had once caused her pain helped me heal some. If that made any sense at all.

“Well, I need to get going. Find your dad,” Mom said, glancing back at me with unanswered questions in her eyes.

“Do you need a ride?” I asked her.

She looked around as if she wasn’t sure before giving me a little shrug. “Maybe.”

“I drove. So I need to take my car home anyway. You take your mom home and I’ll see you tomorrow?” Riley said that as if it were a question.

“I’ll pick you up at your place in thirty minutes,” I told her.

“Oh.” She glanced at my mother then back at me. “Okay. If that changes, just call. I understand.”

I bent down and pressed a kiss to her lips right there in front of everyone. I knew they were all watching us. I knew there were questions. I wanted them answered. They could go home tonight and talk about Brady Higgens kissing Riley Young right there in front of God and everyone and hopefully forget the scene with my father. For my mom’s sake, at least.

As for Riley, I wanted them to all know she was with me. We were together. And they could all get the fuck over it.

“After a night like this one I want to be with you. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

She looked up at me wide eyes and nodded, but her attention shifted to something over my shoulder. There was a flash of fear in her eyes. “Okay.“