Page 96 of Rival Season
I swallow, the way he defended me is still running through my head. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever forget the words he said. “It was the best speech I’ve ever heard.”
He smiles softly, then presses his lips to my forehead. “Do you want to go back to the restaurant? I know I’m not exactlywelcome, but I’ll go back if you want me to—for you, not for them.”
I shake my head, laughing. “Not even a little. Wanna ditch?”
He breathes a sigh of relief. “Hell, yes.”
“Let’s go home, Playboy.”
He takes my hand. “Sure thing, Bubbles.”
CHAPTER 36
PENN
“Give me that!”I demand as Hazel walks out of her bedroom with a massive box balanced precariously in her arms.
She peeks out over the top of the box, shooting me a sassy grin. “You forgot the magic word.”
“Fine. Give me that,now.” I smirk at my girlfriend, taking the huge box out of her arms before she can protest. It’s as heavy as it looks, and I’m impressed she was able to pick it up in the first place—Hazel is nothing if not determined. But as much as I adore that about her, it’s part of my job to carry heavy shit for her, dammit.
“I could have managed by myself,” Hazel grouches.
My grin widens. “I don’t doubt that for a second. The thing is, you no longer have to manage by yourself. We’re a team now—you’re the brains, and I’m the brawn of this operation, whether you like it or not.”
Hazel laughs, but her green eyes glaze over. “Iwantto tell you that’s sexist, but holding that heavy box is making your forearms look extra sexy, so I won’t argue.”
“Good girl,” I say, flexing my forearms because I exist to impress Hazel Palmer.
It’s been just over a week since we got in my truck and left Sacramento together, leaving all of the noise and drama behind us.
On the ride home, I explained that my dad is a violent criminal who’s been in and out of jail my whole life. Then I told Hazel the truth about that night. How I made the decision to turn my back on my team and ditch the game to give my dad a ride, but he was attempting to skip town after looting a jewelry store—something I didn’t realize until the cops surrounded us a few minutes later outside the school. My dad resisted arrest and assaulted one of the cops. Then tried to pin his crime on me, claimingI’drobbed the store.
This all went down in front of hundreds of other students, and families of my teammates who were making their way into the arena to watch the game. Tori was among them—and she went to Chadwick for comfort.
But worse, Cassie was there. I’ll never forget the look on my sister’s face as I was handcuffed and pushed into a cop car. Confused about where I was going and scared to go back to our foster placement alone, Cassie ran away and ended up lost and alone on the streets for hours.
After that, I was terrified of turning out like my father, but also afraid of showing love to anyone, of letting myself feel that emotion, in case I screwed up and let everyone down again.
Hazel listened to everything without a hint of judgment in her eyes. She said she was simply happy I shared, and that she’d been sad I hadn’t felt comfortable telling her before.
“What are you smiling about?” She asks me now, looking at me with her hands on her hips.
“You,” I reply simply, and she laughs in delight.
Being with a woman who doesn’t judge me for my past has my head and my heart ready to move forward in life in a way I haven’t felt before…it’s like my nervous system was looking forpermission, looking for the person who would show me the love and understanding I needed to forgive myself and fully move on. To believe in myself as both a personanda partner who is capable of loving someone well. Now I can focus all of my energy into enjoying every second of moving forward with Hazel without being stuck in the past.
“I can’t believe you’re no longer going to be my downstairs neighbor,” I say as I walk through the apartment and place the box at the front door next to the others. “I feel like this all happened so fast.”
“Same.” Hazel tilts her chin up to look at me. “But I’m excited for a fresh start, to live in a place that feels like it’s mine.”
After we got home last week, Hazel told Chadwick’s aunt and uncle—who own the apartment she lives in—that she was moving out and could no longer house-sit for them. She said she wanted a clean break from Chadwick, and living somewhere he had a key to was obviously not ideal.
“I’m excited for you, too. But who’s going to knock on my door and complain about my music now?”
“I’ll have to tell Jeffrey and Violet to make sure they sell this place to someone who’s home all the time and hates any noise whatsoever,” Hazel says with a laugh. “Can’t have you getting too big for your boots up there in the penthouse.”
I lean down and kiss her. “Nah, I’m planning to spend most of my time slumming it down in 1F across the street from now on. I heard there’s a really hot new tenant moving in there.”
