Frayed: A Small Town Sports Romance (Willow Springs Series Book 1)

by Laura Pavlov

  “Completely.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you. We’re going to count to three, and jump. If I lose your hand in the air, I promised I’ll find you in the water, okay?”

  She nodded “One. Two. Three…”

  We flew down, and I gripped her hand in mine. Never losing contact. Everything went silent around me, as I focused all my energy on her. My feet hit the water first, and we went under. It was shockingly cold, but I’d expected that. My hands found her hips beneath the water and I pushed her up toward the surface.

  “Oh my god,” she shouted. “I did it.”

  Everyone screamed and cheered from a few feet away, and I swore I heard Coco yell out something about bitches taking over the world. I laughed.

  “You did it, Ace.”

  “We did it. Thank you,” she said, through her gasps. Her breaths came hard and fast, and I pulled her toward the shore where I could at least stand. I settled my feet on the ground and pulled her against me. Her legs came around my waist and I held her close.

  “I’ll always catch you,” I said. And I fucking meant it.

  “I know you will. And I’ll always catch you.”

  Her fingers traced my tattoo, and she studied it as if she were trying to figure out the meaning.

  “What are these dates?” she asked.

  “My mom and Gram’s birthdays in Roman numerals.”

  “Just a boy and his numbers,” she said, smiling up at me and pushing the hair out of her face.

  I laughed because I couldn’t fucking help it. Her friends swam over and congratulated her. I looked out at the beach and Jax had a fire going, and he’d brought the blankets we’d always kept in Shaw’s truck over as well.

  I looked at my girl. Eyes dancing with excitement. Pops of amber and gold sparkling in the bit of light from above. I made a mental note to memorize every curve of her face. Her perfect nose and pouty lips. She was fucking beautiful.

  And I don’t know how it happened. But she was mine.

  And nothing had ever felt more right.

  After I dropped Adelaide off at home, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Wren telling me he needed to talk to me before my fight tonight. Fuck me. It was like the universe was trying to force me to have this conversation. I didn’t respond. Instead, I drove to the mechanic shop where I knew he’d be. Because when I finally asked him the question that I’d been avoiding asking for months, I needed to look him in the eye and see if he was telling me the truth.

  I parked my bike and walked in. My clothes had finally dried, but I could still feel Adelaide’s soft skin on my fingers. Still feel all her sweetness around me.

  “Wren here?” I asked Joey Pucci who worked for Wren. I’d known the dude most of my life and he hung out at the fights.

  “Hey Jett. I heard you’re fighting Donny West from Summerhaven tonight.” The guy was a big deal one town over, and I’d agreed to fight him.

  “Yep. We’ll see how that goes.” I shrugged, because I was fighting tougher opponents lately, and I didn’t have a clue if I was getting in over my head.

  “You’ll get him. I have zero doubts. Wren’s in back.”

  I nodded. “Thanks. See you tonight.”

  I knocked on his office door, and I saw Wren sitting there through the glass window. He waved me inside and motioned for me to take the seat across from his desk as he finished up a phone call. When he set his phone down, his gaze narrowed as he studied me. “Didn’t expect you to come here. Just meant for you to call me.”

  “Well, I’m here.” I looked anywhere but at him, as I tried to decide how to do this. How I’d ask him if he was my father. Which was basically asking him if he’d raped my mother. And how I’d deal with it if he was. How would I let the man walk out of here?

  “All right. Well, I wanted to discuss the fight tonight and some things that I’m hearing.”

  “Which is?” I crossed my arms over my chest and studied his features. We looked nothing alike. He had light hair and blue eyes. But I’d always resembled my mother, so that didn’t mean anything.

  “Well, Jett, you’re winning a lot of fights and not everyone is happy about it. There’s a group of guys that bet a lot of money on their fighters, and you’ve thrown a bit of a wrench in that.”

  “Tough shit. Then they need to find better fighters,” I said, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees.

  He bellowed out in laughter. “Just be aware. There are guys that don’t want you there. This Donny you’re fighting tonight works for a bad dude. Get in and get out. Don’t stick around after, especially if you beat him. And don’t have your girl there. Not with this guy.”

  I nodded. “All right. I can do that.”

  “I’ve got a few of my guys watching out for you, so it should be fine. Just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

  I wanted to thank him, but I couldn’t be nice to him. Not until I knew the truth.

  “I need to ask you something.” I looked up and met his gaze. He didn’t look away.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Fuck,” I mumbled. “This is awkward as hell, but I need to know.” I thought about Adelaide, and we’d both agreed to get this shit off our chests. She’d jumped off a fucking cliff because she trusted me. This shit was holding me back. I needed to know.

  “What?” He appeared confused as fuck.

  I let out a long breath. “Are you my father?”

  He pushed back in his chair. “Wow. I did not see that coming. Uh, no Jett. I am most definitely not your father.”

  I watched his movements, his reaction—he didn’t seem to be lying. But how would I know?

  “You sure about that?” I folded my hands, intertwining my fingers, and rested my chin there.

  He chuckled. “Pretty fucking sure. I’m fairly certain you need to have sex with someone to make a baby. And as much as I’ve tried to win your mother over, that’s never happened. Is that why you’ve hated me these past few months? You decided I was the one who’d knocked your mother up and left her?”

  I rolled my eyes and my hands fisted at my sides. “He did a lot more than just knock her up. He fucking raped her.”

  For some reason, I didn’t feel like I was betraying Ma by talking to Wren about it. And looking him in the eyes as he said the words, made it clear that he wasn’t my father. There was no doubt he cared about her. Always had.

  His face hardened and he leaned forward. “You know about that?”

  “She doesn’t know I know, but yes. How the fuck do you know about it?”

  “Your mom and I have been friends since we were kids. I’d heard what happened to her back in the day, and she admitted it to me. Asked me to keep it a secret because she never reported it. And I’m pretty fucking sure she never wanted you to find out about it.”

  I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Fuck. I overheard her talking to Shay a few months ago. I want to fucking hurt him.”

  “Get in line.” He chuckled. “Been there, done that. You don’t need to worry about it. He was dealt with and he won’t be coming back. Not ever.”

  A chill ran down my spine. “You killed him?”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m not in the business of murdering people, Jett. Let’s just say that a friend of mine made sure he’d never hurt her again. No more questions. You got it?”

  What the fuck?

  “Yeah. I got it. Thanks for looking out for her.” I pushed to my feet, still in disbelief over the conversation.

  “Always. I’d never hurt your mother. She’s the best woman I know,” he said as he stood and clapped me on the shoulder.

  Holy shit. The dude was in love with her. He’d spent his whole life pining for a woman who’d been too wounded to see it.

  “She sure is. Hey Wren,” I said before turning to face him as I stood in the doorway.

 
“Yeah?”

  “Thanks for looking out for my mom, and I guess for looking out for me, too. Sorry for being a dick to you lately.”

  “Well, I’d always hoped to end up with your mom, if I’m being honest. So, I guess in a way you’re kind of like the son I never had.”

  I nodded. Jesus. The dude had been at every football game I’d ever played. I’d never thought it was to personally see me play. But things were starting to make sense. And he wasn’t being a dick by monitoring my fights, he actually had my back because he cared about what happened to me.

  “I appreciate that. I’ll see you tonight at the fight.”

  “I’ll be there. Watch your back, Jett.”

  I sat on my bike processing all that had happened. Wren had been in love with my mom for as long as I’d been alive, and he’d made sure the man who’d hurt her was handled.

  Whatever the hell that meant. Had he had him killed? Scared him off? I didn’t have a clue. But I saw the look in Wren’s eyes, and I knew in my gut that whoever my dad was, he would never be back.

  I sent a text to Adelaide.

  Me ~ took care of things on my end. I’ll fill you in tomorrow. Talk to your mom, Ace. Stay home tonight. Wren said there’s some heat at the fights and I don’t want you there. I’ll call you after. Love you.

  I slipped my phone in my back pocket before heading to Shaw’s to fill him and Jax in about the fight. And make sure that Shaw didn’t invite Coco to come. The last thing I wanted was for Adelaide to be there if anything was going down.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Adelaide

  I met the girls down in the basement. We were meeting quick to catch up on a few things and Mama had already called down twice to tell me to come to dinner.

  “So, are you going to finally tell her why you’ve been so mad at her?” Maura asked.

  “I guess we need to talk about it at some point.” My mother and I had been on edge for almost two months. I’d never been this angry before, but we needed to get past it. And Jett had talked to Wren. I couldn’t wait to find out what he said. This was the one topic that was off-limits with my friends. It was Jett’s secret and not mine to tell.

  “I have something to tell you guys, but I just, I don’t know…” Gigi trailed off, and she fidgeted with her hands.

  “What is it? You can talk to us,” I said, reaching for her hand because I could see she was struggling to tell us.

  She stared at me with as much empathy as I’d ever seen before. “I, um, Addy, I got into TU.”

  I squealed and jumped to my feet, urging her to hers before wrapping my arms around her. “Gigi, what? Oh my gosh. Why would you not be screaming from the rooftop? I’m so happy for you.”

  “I don’t know. I mean, you’re a better student than me, and you haven’t heard back yet, so I feel bad about it. I was hoping you’d hear today, and we could both share our news.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I told you I bombed the essay. I’m okay with it, I promise. And I’m so proud of you. You deserve this,” I said.

  She looked down at the ground, and I hated that she was allowing my not getting in to cloud her achievement. What she was afraid to say was that TU was a top-tier university, and it would be unlikely for two of us from the same small high school to both get in. And honestly, if I had to pick, I’d want her to go there. She’d wanted it for as long as I could remember. She deserved this.

  And I’d gone for total honesty on my essay. I’d explained that every day we’re faced with situations that could potentially hold us back whether we realized it or not. The key was to always strive to be your best, to never lose sight of your goals and your dreams no matter what the obstacle. I’d shared how I’d had a negative experience with a long-time family friend, Alec, and I’d walked away because it was hindering my potential and growth. I’d listened to my own voice and not the voice of those who I didn’t feel had my best interest at heart. And recognizing that there might be people in your life who you love who might not have your best interest in mind was a negative situation in itself. It was the truth, but I highly doubted it would win me high scores on a college application.

  “Congrats, Gigi. At least you know Addy will visit a lot because her and her hot boyfriend can’t stay away from one another.” Coco pushed to her feet when my mother shouted for me down the stairs. Again.

  Jett and I hadn’t discussed what would happen after this year. He never pushed me to choose where I’d go based on him. He just encouraged me to chase my dreams, and I loved him even more for it. It didn’t matter where we went. My heart belonged to him. It was that simple.

  “Damn, the warden is on one tonight. Can you please have it out with her so we can be here without her yelling at you every five minutes?” Coco hissed as she made her way to the door.

  “Hey, I got a weird text from Jett telling me not to come to his fight tonight. Do you know what that’s about?”

  Coco shifted on her feet. “Shaw said there are people that aren’t happy with how well Jett is doing, and he needs to watch his back. He told me not to come tonight either.”

  “Looks like we’re all going then. Can you sneak out?” Ivy asked as she hugged me goodbye.

  “Yep. I’ll text you. The fight isn’t until eleven tonight. Are you sure you all want to go?” None of the girls had been out to the warehouse aside from me and Coco.

  “Sounds like we need a united front. And it’s senior year. I’m in.” Gigi hugged me goodbye as she spoke.

  “Co, are you driving? Just pull around the corner so my parents don’t hear your car,” Maura said, and Ivy chimed in with the same sentiment.

  We said our goodbyes and I made my way upstairs.

  “Mama’s been acting super weird since she got the mail today. Something’s up,” Clem whispered, as we both stopped in the bathroom to wash up before heading to the dining room.

  “She got the mail today?”

  “She’s been beating me out there every day this week.” My sister took her seat at the table. Clem or I always got the mail.

  I held my phone in my lap and quickly logged into my TU account. I figured the status would be updated online since I hadn’t received a letter.

  ACCEPTED.

  The word stunned me, and I scrolled down to see that my acceptance letter had been sent a week ago. What the actual hell.

  “Tell me about your day, girls.” Daddy dropped to sit at the head of the table.

  “Um, actually, I have a question,” I said, passing the salad to my sister after I scooped some onto my plate and my gaze landed on Mama.

  “Oh, you’re speaking to me now?” my mother said, dropping her napkin in her lap.

  “I am. And my question is for you, Mama. Did you receive some mail for me this week?”

  Her cheeks flushed and my stomach dropped. Would she really go this far? Did she honestly believe that keeping the letter from me would deter me?

  “Savannah,” Daddy said. “Are you feeling all right?” He leaned over and used the back of his hand to feel her forehead.

  “I’m fine. Yes. You’ve received some mail, but as your parent, I don’t feel that these letters are of any relevance to your life. You know where you’re going to school, and this is just you having a little temper tantrum because Alec messed up.” She pursed her lips before pushing the salad around on her plate.

  “You took her mail?” Clem gasped. “Did you open it?”

  “Of course, I did. I’m her mother.”

  My father set his fork down on his plate and stared at her. “You opened Ladybug’s mail and didn’t share it with her? Why?”

  “I believe one is an acceptance letter to TU. She doesn’t want me to go there, so she hid it from me. I’m guessing the others are acceptance letters as well.” Tears ran down my face.

  “Mama, that’s actually against the law. Did
she get into TU?” my sister asked.

  My father pushed his chair back and the legs made a screeching sound against the floor. “Where are the letters?”

  I’d never seen him so angry. Mama pushed to her feet and moved to the drawer in the dining hutch and tossed three letters on the table. The letter from TU was on top. I already knew what it said.

  “Did you really think you could keep these from me? I have an account, Mama. I would have found out.”

  She shrugged. “I’m doing what I believe is best for you.”

  I rolled my eyes as a sob escaped my throat and tears made it impossible to see. “You’re doing what’s best for you. You’ve got a lot of secrets, don’t you? On top of hiding my mail, you also said horrible things to Jett, which is why he’s never come back here.”

  “What did you say to Jett?” My father was still standing, his face in complete disbelief.

  “I told him the truth.”

  “No. You told him your truth. That his mother is trash, and he isn’t good enough for me. That he’s only going to college because he can throw a ball. He’s a straight-A student, Mother. A hell of a lot better student than Alec Taulson. He’s brilliant. And talented. But you are too blind to see that.” My voice quaked as I tried to get the words out. I pushed to my feet and swiped at the tears streaming down my face. “You’re a judgmental woman. You know nothing about Jett or his mother. You babysat Mae Stone when she was young, but you turned your back on her when she got pregnant. When she needed her friends most. Because you make up the rules as you go, and you treat people horribly. I’m disgusted by you.” I didn’t even recognize my own voice as I shouted ugly words at her, and my family watched me in silence.

  I ran up the stairs and slammed my bedroom door. My mother was not who I thought she was. She’d hidden acceptance letters from me, she’d said horrible things to Jett. She’d turned her back on a friend. I dropped on my bed and sobbed as my door flew open.

  “Ladybug.” Daddy’s voice startled me. He dropped down on my bed, scrubbing a hand over his face, and I pushed up to sit. He held three letters in his hands. “What your mother did is inexcusable. But right now, I’d like to look at these letters with you. Getting into TU is a huge accomplishment, and I will not have it overshadowed by your mother’s need to control your life. I won’t do it.”