After the Game

“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.“

I glanced back to see where her attention had been turned to and saw Gunner approaching us. I was ready for this. In a way I had asked for it by kissing her in public. Gunner was my friend, and I hated all the shit he had been dealt. However, his family and the rest of this town had equally hurt Riley. I wouldn’t allow him to embarrass or hurt her any more.

I prepared myself as I positioned my body in front of hers. The time had come for this, and I wouldn’t let her down. It was my chance to prove to her just how much she meant to me. This wasn’t some high school fling. We were more than that.

“Since you’re gonna make out with her in public, I figured I’d come over here and be friendly. So the whole damn field party knows this is good. I’m not hating on Riley or you,” Gunner said as he and Willa appeared at my side.

Gunner looked at me but directed his words to Riley. “Glad you came, Riley Young.” It was his way of letting me know this was okay with him. Maybe he wasn’t giving Riley the apology she deserved, and I hoped one day he would. But for now I could accept this. I still stood partially in front of her because it made me feel safer. Like no one could get too close.

Riley glanced toward Willa, then back to Gunner. “Thanks. Me too.”

Gunner turned to my mom. “Gorgeous as always, Mrs. Higgens.”

Mom smiled. “Thank you, Gunner. You played an amazing game. You boys never cease to surprise me.”

Gunner glanced at me. “Yeah, well, Brady never ceases to surprise me.”

I smirked, knowing the last call could have gone badly but I’d run over it with Coach and he’d told me if I could pull it off, then go for it. We’d make the headlines.

“Go big or go home,” I told Gunner.

He chuckled. “Yeah. Well, we went big, all right. Can’t wait to see what the paper says about it in the morning.”

Me either.

“See y’all at the field?” he asked.

I really wanted Riley alone, but I figured we would stop by for the team’s sake. “Yeah. We will be there.”

Gunner shook his head, smiling. “This year has been full of surprises. I’m almost scared to see what happens next.”

I knew what he meant. It had all started with Maggie coming into our family and West losing his dad to cancer. The whole dynamic of things shifted, then West changed. For the better. Then Gunner’s family went to hell with secrets no one expected. Now I was dating Riley Young.

I knew what was coming next. The smile left my face. Because what came next was my tragedy. The perfect Higgens home was about to fall apart around us.

I glanced over at my mother. “You ready to go home?” I asked her.

“Yes, but I don’t want to rush you.”

“I’ll see y’all later,” I told Gunner and Willa.

Riley said her good-byes to Willa and they whispered about something that made Riley laugh.

“Come on, we will walk you to your car,” I told her.

I wasn’t letting her face this crowd without me. She was now the center of attention, and I knew she could feel the eyes on her. I had kissed her and Gunner had acted like they were friends. This town was stirring in it.

“You don’t have to do that. I can get there okay by myself,” Riley said.

She apparently didn’t know that the scene we had just given everyone had made her an open target. People would want answers. And they wouldn’t come to me to get them. They’d go after Riley. I was going to keep her safe from that.

“I’m walking my girl to her car” was all I said in return.

This Was the Field Party, But After a Game It Was Brady’s Show

CHAPTER 45

RILEY

It was exactly twenty-eight minutes later when Brady pulled up in my drive.

Mom had been waiting on me when I walked inside, and I’d told her about the game although she had watched it. I left out the bit about Brady and his dad. When I told her Brady was coming to get me to take me to the field party, she beamed like I’d just won an award.