by Amber Garza
I nod. “Thanks for all your help.”
He wears a sheepish grin. “I owed you.”
I frown, his words a stark reminder of the real reason he’s here. Wouldn’t it be great if my parents did nice things for me out of the kindness of their hearts and not because they were forced into it? That’s what other parents did.
“Hey.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Tawny’s gone. She transferred to another hospital.”
My head snaps up. “So, does that mean…?” I’m afraid to finish the question.
“It’s over between us,” he says. “You finding out about it, and showing up at my work like that really drove home what I’d done. The damage I caused.”
“Does Mom know?”
He nods. “We’re going to try to work things out. And I made it clear that I was never having an affair with Nurse Parker.” His gaze flickers over to Hayes and his family. “Hayes really cares about you. Actually, his whole family does.” When he returns his attention to me, I swallow down the emotion rising in my throat. “I’m proud of you, Ashley.”
It’s the first time my dad’s ever said that, and my eyes well with tears. I blink them back.
Dad smiles, shoving a hand in his pocket. “Well, Henry needs to get home. I said I would go with him to help get him situated.”
“Thanks again, Dad,” I whisper as he walks off. Taking a deep breath, I mull over his words, my heart lifting.
“Seriously, Ash, I can’t believe you’re still playing poor Hayes like this.” Josh saunters over to me. His hat is low on his head, darkening his eyes. The familiar scent that used to make my heart race fills my senses. Only now I feel nothing. It’s oddly satisfying. In fact, the only person I’m thinking about right now is Hayes and how much I want to see him. “I mean, I’m sure Talia and that group would take you back. And there are plenty of other guys who want to go out with you.” He moves closer. “Hell, I’d take you back. So ditch Hayes and Emmy and all those losers and get back on top where you belong.”
There was a time when I would’ve given anything to hear those words. To know that I could get it all back. My popularity. My queen bee status. Even Josh. But none of that matters to me anymore. Stepping away from Josh, I shake my head. “I’m not playing Hayes. And I’m not dumping him. I love him.”
Josh laughs. “Dude, for a second I thought you said you loved him.”
“That is what I said.”
“Wait.” Josh holds up his hands as if in surrender. A doubtful look paints his features. “What?”
“I love him,” I repeat, hoping it sinks in.
“Like you’re in love with him?”
“Yep.” I smile, images of Hayes filling my mind.
“And have you told him this?” The smug look has returned. He thinks he has me.
“Of course,” I say. “I tell him everything.”
Josh frowns. “What do you mean you tell him everything?”
I shrug. “We’re open with each other.”
He snorts. “Yeah, right. You’re open with him? So you tell him all your deep dark secrets? You talk about your family and your feelings?” His voice takes on a nasally tone, and I know he’s mocking me. It reminds me of why I’m glad not to be with him anymore.
“Pretty much.”
He sobers up. “But you never told me shit.”
“It’s different with Hayes. He’s different.”
“He’s certainly made you different,” he says sourly, his gaze traveling up and down my body.
“Hey,” Hayes’ voice reaches my ears. “Everything okay?” He steps toward me, eyeing Josh warily.
“Hey, you.” I step into his arms, and they effortlessly wrap around me. “Everything’s fine. Josh and I were just talking.”
“Yeah,” Josh grounds out. “We were talking about how you’ve brainwashed Ashley.”
Laughing, I shake my head. Hayes tosses me a puzzled look. “I was just explaining to Josh how much I love you.”
A large grin sweeps across Hayes’ face. He bends down and kisses me tenderly on the forehead. “Not as much as I love you.”
“Eww.” Josh groans. “Am I on one of those hidden camera shows? No way is this for real. You guys are acting like Emmy and Chris.” After the words leave his mouth, his eyes widen. “Oh, my god. This is what I do to girls.”
I giggle. “Yeah, you drive them right into the arms of another guy.”
Josh glares at me. “Nice to see you still have that wicked humor.”
“That’s my girl.” Hayes playfully slaps my backside, and I yelp.
Josh shakes his head. “Never thought I’d see the day when Ashley would let someone call her “their girl” and she’d be okay with that. The Ashley I knew wanted to be her own person. In fact, she made it her life’s mission.”
Underneath his mean spirited words, I know Josh is hurting. In the time we dated, it became clear that under this tough exterior is a little boy who desperately wants approval. The truth is that Josh and I really aren’t that different. I think it’s one of the things that attracted us. I also think it’s what drove us apart. We were too broken to be together. We only succeeded in tearing each other apart. But I have no desire to hurt him further. Honestly, I want nothing more than for him to find his Hayes. I mean, not his Hayes, obviously. A girl version of Hayes. I want him to find a girl who will love him and allow him to open up.
Someone who will help him heal.
“That’s the beauty of what Hayes and I have,” I explain. “I am my own person. More so than I’ve ever been before. He doesn’t take anything from me. He adds to me.”
Josh takes off his hat, running his hands through his hair. “Ash, you sound like a damn greeting card.”
I giggle. “One day you’ll see what I’m talking about.” Glancing up at Hayes, I say, “One day you’ll meet your soul mate. The person that makes your heart sing. The person who brings out the best in you. And when you find them, you’ll never want to let them go.”
“Okay, I’m outta here. I need a damn shower after that speech. Clean all the sap off.” Josh storms off.
Hayes and I burst into laughter.
“I see what he’s saying though.” Hayes faces me. “That was pretty sappy.”
“But I meant every word.”
“I know you did,” he murmurs, his face moving closer. “Right back at ya.” His lips crash over mine with such force I almost fall over. To keep from toppling into the grass, I loop my arms around his neck. When Hayes rests his hand on my waist, my feet lift from the ground. But I don’t fall. Hayes is strong. He can hold me up.
It’s what he’s good at.
He carried me through one of the toughest times of my life, and he continues to carry me now. I melt into him, content in his arms. And I pray that he will never let go.
THE END
PLAY DIRTY (Make the Play #4) – Josh’s story – coming summer 2016!
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AUTHOR’S NOTE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When I originally outlined the MAKE THE PLAY series, I had the first two books all mapped out, but the final two books remained a mystery. But once I wrote PLAY SAFE and PLAY HARD, I fell in love with Hayes and knew that I wanted him to have his own book. Now all the remained was figuring out who his romantic interest would be. After writing PLAY SAFE, I knew that I wanted the last book in the series to be about Josh. A little insider info: In the last book Christian’s mom and Josh’s dad will get married, so I’m bringing back Chris for the wedding. So I sort of had to make the final book about Josh so I could explore his relationship with his new stepbrother. With this in mind, it became clear that Ashley would need to be Hayes’ love interest. At first the idea scared me. I had no idea how I would redeem Ashley. She’d been our villain for two books and so far I hadn’t seen a lot of redeemable qualities. But as I sat down to think through her story, I realized that all of
us have been like Ashley at one time or another. We’ve all screwed up, made mistakes, and been mean. And in high school it’s even worse. Teenagers step on each other to climb the social ladder. At times they’re selfish and cruel. We’ve all been there, right?
At one point or another we’ve all needed redemption. So that was the spirit in which I started writing Ashley’s story. I’d already set up Ashley’s family dynamic in earlier books, so all I had to do was expand on that. And the more I got to know Ashley the more she grew on me. The more I liked her.
Hayes was great from the beginning. He’s the jokester. The nice guy. The giant teddy bear. I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and give him a huge hug. I hope you felt the same way about him. And I hope you enjoyed his story.
As always, I have many people to thank:
First, I have to thank the love of my life, Andrew. You always support, encourage and love me. I’m the luckiest woman alive.
Second, I have to thank my kids – Kayleen and Eli. You are constant inspirations to me. And I love you more than words can express.
Third, I have to thank those who helped me shape this book. They are as follows:
Matt and Kagen – your baseball knowledge is priceless.
Lisa Richardson – your editing skills are unmatched. So lucky to have you.
Megan Squires – Thank you for reading as I wrote and encouraging me along the way.
Fan club – Your enthusiasm keeps me going.
Matt at the Cover Lure – Your cover is so perfect. I’m in love with it.
Beth Shelby – Thanks for being my blurb fairy.
And mostly, thank you to God. Everything I do is for you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amber Garza is the author of the bestselling Playing for Keeps Series, as well as many other bestselling young adult romance novels including Tripping Me Up and The Summer We Fell. She also has several new adult and adult romance novels including Break Free, Star Struck and Head Above Water. She has had a passion for the written word since she was a child making books out of notebook paper and staples. Her hobbies include reading and singing. Coffee and wine are her drinks of choice (not necessarily in that order). She writes while blaring music, and talks about her characters like they’re real people. She currently lives in California with her amazing husband, and two hilarious children who provide her with enough material to keep her writing for years.