by Tijan
I grinned but looked down. It was all so neat and tidy. He’d left me a copy of everything and told me the extent of my father’s belongings were in a storage shelter.
“I took care of the payments, and what was still owed. I’ll set up everything tomorrow.”
I had nothing to even fight him on that. A hundred thousand was too much, and I knew that it would take me probably my entire life to pay him back. But I would. I would.
“Thank you.”
Stone didn’t respond, and I was grateful.
I could hear my mom’s laughter. It was faint, but I heard it and I was back there. “She liked to twirl sometimes.” I looked up. “When she was baking with us. She’d wear that yellow apron, especially when she was making something for you. I don’t have those memories of him.” Those memories were the hard ones. “We survived together after she died. We were roommates in that apartment. I went to school and worked. He worked. We just survived side by side. Then he met Gail three months after we buried Mom, and he was with Gail after that.”
Then I graduated. Then I went to community college, but I had to take time to work before starting classes.
There were other memories. Had to be. “I don’t have those same memories of him. He taught me to ride a bike. And throw a baseball.”
Stone said, “I taught you to throw a baseball.”
“Oh.” That was right. “Yeah. He went fishing with me—”
“I took you fishing. I hated the worms, remember? You didn’t care. You hooked the bait for us.”
Another memory I got wrong. I flashed him a smile, feeling the back of my neck heating up. “My concussion. Fucks with the head.”
He grunted. “That’s the definition of a concussion.” Checking his phone, he looked up. “I should head in. You ready to go?”
Change of subject. Thank God. Someone else might’ve done it to save me from the embarrassment of remembering how little I had with my father, but I could tell with Stone, he was done with the conversation. Sometimes he was thoughtful. This giving side was a throwback to our childhood, to the friend I used to remember, but right now, knowing he truly wanted to get going, this was the newer Stone. And his change of subject had nothing to do with me and was completely all about him.
I almost loved him for it, too. Almost.
“Yes. Let me change clothes and I’m ready to go.”
I started for the guest area, but he caught the back of my jeans. “You’re good. You look hot anyway.” He nodded for the back door. “Let’s go. I told my coach I’d be there by now. I know he’s waiting.”
Stone thought I was hot. What. The. Hell.
I paused, that thought flashing through my body, but then it was numb again. Gone. That brief spark vanished.
So, we left. I had time to grab my phone, then dash out to the garage.
Stone powered his window down. “You set the code?”
I backtracked, setting the code he told me earlier, and then dashed out to his truck. The drive there was actually peaceful. For some reason, I liked riding in the passenger seat with Stone driving. He wasn’t too reckless, but he drove how he played. Wild at times. Reckless. But also smart and controlled, too. Efficient. When we were at a stoplight, I half expected the people right next to us to recognize him.
They didn’t.
“You have tinted windows?”
He nodded, easing forward as the light turned green. “Yeah. I had a scary incident last year, and since then, I’ll never not have tinted windows again. Only reason that one photographer got you was because you hadn’t totally shut the door yet.”
“Good to know.”
We went to where he worked.
He parked in a back lot, and we walked in through an off-door. A few other workers were around, and they raised their hand up, saying hello to Stone as he walked by. The orange and brown colors from the Kings displayed everywhere.
We went down one hallway and he paused outside a door, pushing it open. He stuck his head in, then backed up. “You can hang out in here.” It was a waiting room. There were couches. A television. A kitchenette area. He went to the fridge and opened it. “You can help yourself, and I’ll be about an hour. Two, tops. That okay?” He went to a closed door and toed it open. It was a bathroom. Then he went to the exit and glanced back. “You’re going to still be here and alive when I come back?”
I had my phone. I waved it. “I’ll call 911 and give them your credit card number if I need anything.”
He stared at me, gauging my intent, then rolled his eyes. “Har, har.”
Yeah. Har, har back.
It was a weird dynamic between us. Moments of kindness, moments of caring and then moments of strain and sarcasm and bitterness. This time it was all on me. I knew the next would be his. Cursing me as I’m in the hospital, totally something Stone would do. And me being bitter when he’s bringing me into this sanctum, where I knew so many would pay in blood to switch places—yeah. That was Stone and me.
I made some coffee while he was gone. I drank some of the water. I ate a yogurt, and had settled in, an HBO movie on when my phone started blowing up.
I picked it up, hitting one of the alerts.
Childhood Sweethearts? Mystery Woman Identified!
Say It Isn’t So! Is Reeves Off The Market?
And another headline, this one with a bigger kick than the others.
Recent Trauma Brought Them Together?
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. I could repeat that forever and ever and ever and etcetera here because fuuuuuuuuck. Every single article had me tagged, and the last one brought up my car accident. I was skimming, but none of the others had the information about my dad and Gail.
I didn’t know if this could get back and affect Jared’s life, but I was hoping it wouldn’t.
Then my phone started ringing, and my stomach really did turn inside out. Jared’s name was flashing on the screen. Wow, that was quite the coincidence, him calling me at same time I’d just thought about him.
I hit accept and stood, already instantly nervous. “Hi.”
He was quiet on the other end, just a second. “You kidding? That’s the first thing you have to say to me?”
“Jared…”
“Mom and Dad died a week ago, and nothing. Apollo’s mom and dad told me that they’re adopting me today. Where are you? You don’t want me?”
Oh.
God.
I collapsed down in a chair. “No, Jared. It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like? Where the fuck are you?”
“This isn’t because of the news?”
“Yeah. I mean, that’s another thing. You hanging with Stone Reeves? I thought you were like mortal enemies and what? Now you’re fucking?”
Shit. I frowned. “Is this how high schoolers speak now?”
“They are when their parents are dead and their only family has been absent every minute since they died. The funeral. Everything.”
My heart squeezed. There was ahold on it, crushing it inch by inch.
“Jared. I was in a car accident. I’ve been in a coma.” Had no one told him? I should’ve told him. I should’ve figured it out.
Silence. Again. And I didn’t know how he was reacting, but I was painfully aware the other people we both loved had also been in a car accident.
His voice was strained, “You okay?”
“I…” This was hard. I was swallowing tears almost as fast as they were slipping down my face. “I got the news and got in my car, and a moving truck totaled me. I backed out in front of them.”
“Fuck.”
“They were worried about swelling on my brain, so they put me in a medically induced coma. I just got pulled out of it a few days ago, and since then, I haven’t been handling anything the best way.”
I should’ve called by now.
I should’ve called him the instant I heard.
“I’m so sorry, Jared. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, well.” His own voice broke. “Do you not
want me, Dusty?”
I sat still, holding that phone so tight, and making sure I heard him right. Logically, I knew there were ways to think about this situation with us, but I wasn’t thinking logically. I was thinking with all emotion, and that question pierced straight through my chest, finding my heart. Bullseye. Without missing a beat, I said the words that had haunted me about Jared since I woke up from the coma, “Do you want me?”
“Yes! I mean, shit. You’re my only family. You’re my sister.”
This day. Right here. Right now. I would be better. I would no longer be an okay person, or a good person. I would be a fucking great person, and I’d have to google how to do that because I knew it’d be a lot of work.
I breathed into the phone, “Yes. Yes. I thought Apollo’s parents would be the best for you. They have a stable house. They have jobs.” I didn’t. “You don’t have to leave school. You could finish the year out there—”
“I don’t give a shit about any of that. I want you. You’re my family. The only person on this Earth I have left who cares about me.”
I was nodding, and crying, not knowing how I was going to do any of this. “Okay. Yeah. Okay. Um,” I stood. I couldn’t figure out how to be this new person sitting down. That made no sense. “Okay. Just, okay.”
“You have any idea what you’re going to do?” I could hear a bell sound where he was. Lockers opening, shutting. Conversations. Laughter. Shouts. A ‘what’s up, man?’ Followed by a ‘pound my fist, dude.’ He’d left his class early to call me.
“Not a goddamn clue.” My head still felt woozy. “I think the concussion is affecting me.”
“Coach says to take that stuff seriously. You shouldn’t even be on your phone right now.”
“Yeah. Well. I’m glad I am. I’m glad I had it, or I would’ve missed your call.”
I heard his laugh, and everything righted for a split second. I could do this. I could keep going. Right? I was asking myself. Right? I just answered myself. I was feeling inspired.
“Okay. Well. You let me know.”
I was nodding and smiling to myself and beaming like a fool. “I will. Right. Have a good rest of the day.”
“Er. Okay. Bye.”
“Bye!” I was waving, to the microwave. “Lov—”
That word stuck in my throat. I hated that it was there, but it was. Jared hung up.
I stood there.
I didn’t move.
I almost felt the microwave was going to start heckling me, and then I heard from behind me, “You did not just do what I heard you just do?”
Stone was there. Stone was furious. Stone was probably back to being my enemy after this.
I gave him a weak smile. “I blame my concussion.”
He growled, fixing me with a heated glare. “You are so fucking stupid.”
Yep. I so knew that. But on the flipside, I was now a single mother-figure. So, yay that?
Chapter Nineteen
Well. The joke was on me.
Apollo’s mom called me thirty minutes later. I was just leaving the stadium with Stone beside me. Seeing Georgia’s name on the screen, I glanced at Stone before answering. “Georgia. Hi.”
She started right in. “I am so sorry. Apollo called me and told me what Jared said to you. Now, you have to understand that I am in no way trying to get between a stepbrother and sister. You both lost your parents, and if I thought there was even a small inkling that Jared meant what he said, I wouldn’t even be making this call. But having said all of that, Apollo told me last night that Jared has an alert set so any stories about Stone Reeves go right to his phone. He got the alert that Page Nine sent out a day ago, and he recognized you. Jared has…” She hesitated. “Jared’s been a bit difficult the last couple days, with reason. We get it. We can’t imagine his pain, but he was talking to Apollo last night and said that he wants to ‘hook up’ with his sister and score free Kings tickets.”
She paused, her voice cracking.
“I am so sorry that he actually called, and I am so sorry that he even did this because you lost your father, too, and my heart is just breaking for both of you.” Her voice grew hoarse.
I had stopped. We were right in front of the exit doors of the stadium.
Stone was watching me, moving in closer with his eyebrows raised. He was dressed in jeans with a Kings blazer on, and a Kings ballcap pulled low. His head inclined toward me and his mouth was flat, so I knew he could hear Georgia.
“He’s such an avid fan of Stone Reeves. I think it stemmed because of his family’s connection to yours, and it only got worse the last six months, and now with losing your parents and seeing that you’re actually down there and with him, well, I’m just so sorry about this all.”
I couldn’t speak.
My body had rooted itself in place.
Noting all of this, Stone muttered a curse and took the phone. He turned away. “You’re saying all that bullshit on the phone was for what? To get free tickets to one of my games?”
I couldn’t hear her, but Stone was listening. He had the phone pressed so tight to his ear. I didn’t know if he was doing it on purpose, to block me out and shield me, or because he was that pissed off. I was guessing it was for both reasons.
“Yeah.” Stone.
Pause.
A longer pause.
“Yeah.” He turned back to me, his eyes holding mine, but his face gave nothing away. “Yeah.” And then, a sigh. “Yeah, I’m sorry, too. I will. Text me your information and I’ll have my manager reach out. Thank you.”
The call ended and he tossed the phone my way.
I caught it at the same time his hand came to the back of my neck. He gripped me and tugged me toward him. Bending down, so his forehead was almost touching mine, he said, “That kid is hurting and he’s thinking of every possible way to avoid feeling even more hurt, so he fixated on me. That fixation grew after the accident, and what you heard from the mom was accurate. What you didn’t hear from the mom is that he does want a relationship with you, but he doesn’t want to actually leave their home. She said they’d put off the adoption if you wanted to wait and see if you did want to take him in. Knowing that, though, you gotta go up there and live there because that boy is adamant that he doesn’t want to leave his hometown.”
His jaw clenched.
His hand tightened on my neck. “All that said, most of that call was to get free tickets to my next Kings game. How are you feeling about that?”
I shook my head, whispering, “I have no idea.”
He stared at me, long and hard, and let go of my neck. He stepped back, his arms going back to his pockets, hunching his shoulders forward. His head inclined again, but he could still see me just under the brim of his hat. “You’re still in college. You’re a kid. So’s he. You take him on now, you got his college debt to take on. I know my dad paid for yours, but I didn’t go three rounds with him just to see you take on debt that isn’t your responsibility. Want my advice?” He cracked a grin, and I swear, the sight actually made my heart skip.
What the fuck was that?
I scowled, more at myself, but nodded. “Yeah.”
“Call him later. Talk to him. Let Apollo’s parents take him on as their own, and then work in a regular relationship with you. I talked to her and she seems legit. Had a few calls put out last week about them, too, and they all said what you said. Bud and Georgia Montrose are good people, good family, genuine. They ain’t bullshitters, and I think her tears were the real deal. Be clearheaded about the future.”
He tipped my head up, making sure I was looking him in the eye. He said, “Promise me.”
My mouth dried.
I didn’t know how to promise, because I didn’t know what was in my head anymore. But I whispered, “Promise.”
He waited, making sure, then let me go. “Good. Now, did you eat in there?”
Finally. Something I had done right. “I had a yogurt. And coffee.” Score for me.
He scowled, “Fu
cking hell.” He took my arm, walking me out the doors and back to where he’d parked. “Come on. Let’s get food in you before going to that house.”
It was the day after a game, so I hadn’t expected to see a lot of people at the stadium, but there were enough workers milling about, all saying hello to Stone, that it was slow in hitting me. And I got that Stone was a new star in the football world, but seeing all these peoples’ reactions, feeling the curious gazes as they paused wondering who was with him, a couple women shot me dirty looks—Stone was Famous Stone. He was only a year older than me, but acted ten years older. And it was because of this world, because of his career, that he’d grown up faster than most.
He’d barely come back once he left for college. I knew there had been some time off, but the rumor mill said he spent it at other athletes’ houses and in pre-training programs. This was a different world than even the college football team.
Here, there was a relaxed but professional vibe in the air. Also, a no-nonsense feel, too. Like, there was no room for tries and missteps. You either did whatever you did, or you were replaced by someone who would.
I was a little in awe, but also I knew in the back of my mind that if this had been a normal day for me, no recent trauma or loss happening, that I’d be way more intimidated by Stone—and the Stone in this world—than I was now. I was taking note of everything, almost like I was protected in an invisible car and the frame was made of firm, unbreakable glass.
Sounded weird, but it was what it was. I felt a layer of something that I couldn’t place all around me, so I wasn’t really experiencing every moment to the fullest. I didn’t know if that was good or bad. And I wasn’t going to question it.
He swung through a drive-thru and pulled away with enough food to feed a six-person family. Chicken sandwiches, minus the buns. Fries that he said were for me. Salads galore. A couple burgers, but mostly chicken. Also, grilled chicken.
The attendant fainted when she saw who was at the wheel, and a bunch of other employees came over. Stone handled it all with a polite smile, signing napkins for them, and a hat that had the fast food’s logo printed on it.
I asked when we pulled away, “Is it always like that?”