by Tay Marley
“Draaaaay,” she sang.
“Yes, Lucy?” Drayton gave her his undivided attention while he continued to bounce the little boy on his arm. I’d never seen him more domestic. Or more gorgeous, for that matter.
“Coen wants to know who that girl is.”
She pointed a finger at me with a shy, toothless grin. It was adorable, and I believed I used to use the same tactic to get answers to questions that I didn’t want to ask.
“Oh, that’s Dallas,” Drayton smiled, putting Coen down again. “My baby momma.”
Tension seized the entire room. Silence was all that followed his statement. It was so quiet that I could hear the groan of the fridge and the beating of my own heart. Ellie stopped grating. Leroy’s shoulders became rigid. They both stared at me with bewilderment and a touch of outrage. Lucy looked more confused than anything.
“What’s a baby momma?”
“You better be kidding,” Leroy snapped, his thunderous glare moving between the two of us.
“Excuse me. Teen father”—Drayton pointed at his own chest—“I’m the evidence. Don’t be a hypocrite.”
“Touché,” Cass laughed.
Gabby and Josh stared at the floor, attempting to smother their laughter. Ellie gave her son a warning stare. “Dray—”
“I’m kidding.” He rolled his eyes and waved his hand flippantly. “I wrap it before I tap it. You’re on the pill anyway, right, babe?”
Ellie forced a laugh while her husband muttered obscenities and Cass sniggered, pouring herself a glass of wine. I slapped Drayton in the chest with a backhand.
Drayton chuckled. I slapped his arm again for good measure. “Rough. I like it.”
He kissed my neck and although it made my toes curl, I leaned forward and attempted to move out of his hold. There was only one person who could possibly annoy and turn me on at the same time.
“Stop,” I whispered. “Not while there’s so many people around.”
“I don’t care who sees.” He turned me around and cupped the nape of my neck, locking our lips in a tasteful, gentle kiss. It had such a whirlwind effect.
“Food’s ready.”
The kitchen became a flurry of frenzied bodies, scraping chairs, and loud inhaling as people took in the aroma of the delicious meal that was laid out on the table. My mind wandered to Nathan, and I felt a little guilty that he’d probably fix himself toast or noodles because I hadn’t let him know about my plans. He’d no doubt texted me, but my phone was in my coat upstairs, and I wasn’t going to check it now. I was almost certain that Drayton would follow me, and then we’d never get to eat. Well, not burritos anyway.
During the first half-hour of the meal, there wasn’t a lot of chitchat as everyone was too busy devouring the delicious food that Drayton’s mother had made, which, to make no exaggeration about it, was mouthwatering.
But as the rush to eat settled, the conversation picked up. Gabby, Josh, Drayton, and I were on one side of the table. Cass, Ellie, Leroy, and the kids were on the other. Gabby talked with Ellie for a while. She spent more time here than I did, so it wasn’t surprising that she was close to Drayton’s mom.
Cass chatted to us when she could, but she did spend quite some time taming her toddler, who didn’t want to be at the table. And then Leroy decided to pick up the conversation. He leaned an elbow on the tabletop and clutched a cold beer.
“Good New Year’s, Dallas?”
“It was good, thanks. Quiet, but nice. I spent it with my brother for the most part.”
“Parents?”
“Dad.” Drayton paused with his burrito midway to his mouth in front of him. “Come on. I tol—”
“It’s okay,” I interrupted and smiled with assurance that it didn’t bother me to talk about. Of course, his loss was different, so his reaction would be too. “My brother looks after us. My parents died when we were kids.”
Leroy nodded and there was a subtle flinch of empathy on his face before he continued. “So you don’t plan on going to college?”
“No, I do. I’ve been saving up for college for a while now. I want to major in dance. I’ve got a part-time job at Rocky Ryan’s in town, and my brother is going to help too. Plus, I’ve applied for financial aid, and I think I have a good shot at getting it . . .”
“What colleges have you applied to?”
“My top pick is CalArts.” I nodded and noticed Drayton, sitting with his elbows on the table and his hands clasped in front of his chin beside me. His shoulders were tense and his thumb grazed back and forth across his bottom lip. “I just had an audition for their dance program.”
“CalArts as in California?” Leroy asked, watching me as he drank his beer. It was startling to see how alike he and Drayton were.
“No, Dad,” Drayton interrupted when I began to nod in confirmation. “CalArts as in Caledonia.”
The rest of the table were eating and immersed in their own conversations, but I caught Ellie checking out of her chitchat with Cass once in a while, watching the three of us with particular interest, more so when her son piped up with something sarcastic and irritating.
“You didn’t want to apply for SMU? They have a commendable dance program.”
“Can we not do this right now?” Drayton snapped.
Leroy watched me, waiting for an answer. I looked at Gabby and she was focused on anything but the subtle drama that was unfolding. I wished that she could save me right now.
“I did apply at SMU, but I didn’t get an audition. If CalArts doesn’t accept me then . . . I’ll probably try again next year. I don’t really want to go anywhere else.”
Leroy shrugged after a moment of deliberation. “Long-distance relationships work. It’s not the end of the world if you and Drayton end up in different states.”
“Dad,” Drayton warned.
Ellie leaned in closer beside her husband, her soft features contorted with concern. She placed a hand on his forearm and murmured for him to drop it for now.
But he didn’t. “Drayton is attending Baylor. Close to SMU. That school has seen generations of Laheys graduate. I just get the feeling that something is holding him back from writing his letter of intent.”
Drayton’s palms slammed down on the tabletop and his chair pushed back, scraping the stone floor. He stood up and offered me his hand while his glare remained fixed on his father. “Couldn’t leave it alone for one fucking night. It’s my damn birthday for fuck sakes.”
Ellie watched him, inching out of her seat while her gaze glimmered with concern. “Dray—”
“Come on, Dallas.”
I stood—mostly because he had a hold on my arm, but also because I knew that he needed someone right now. Before we could disappear, I turned and looked at Ellie. “Thank you for dinner. Loved it.”
In Drayton’s room, I closed the door and watched him in front of his window. His shoulders were broad, and his jawline could cut the tension that had been felt in the kitchen. Even though he was still, looking into the night, his frame hummed with restless irritation. Relationships between a child and parent were never something that another person should weigh in on; all families were different. But I felt pissed that Leroy chose tonight to grill me over college. It was meant to be his son’s celebration, and he spoiled it.
From that one interaction, it was obvious to me that Leroy was smooth when he was getting his point across. He didn’t need to shout or get upset because his delivery was calm, intimidating, and calculating. I knew what he meant without him saying it once. He didn’t want me influencing Drayton’s college choice. Not that I’d ever attempted to.
Drayton’s sigh was low and exhausted. He didn’t even look this drained after a grueling three-hour practice. I sat down on the bed and waited until he wanted to talk. He knew that I was there. He pulled his hoodie off. It pulled up the T-shirt underneath, exposing his f
irm torso.
I knew that I shouldn’t drool over his unreal muscle definition at a time like this, but I couldn’t help it. He pulled his shirt down and dropped the hoodie on an armchair beside the fireplace. When he sat beside me on the bed, his familiar scent surrounded me.
“He thinks that I’m going to choose you over Baylor,” he told me.
I wasn’t sure what Drayton had told his parents about our . . . relationship. Had he told them that it was the real deal? Hell, he hadn’t even told me that. There had been no talk of titles or labels, even if I felt it. I was still uncertain about what our future held.
“I talk about you a lot,” he answered my thoughts. “And a month and a half is longer than any of the other girls have lasted.”
I let out a breath of laughter through my nose and nodded. “I get it. This is new for me too.”
“I’ve obviously dated here and there.” He shrugged, still watching the soft charcoal carpet beneath his feet. I noticed that his socks had little footballs on them. “But most of them dip after one evening in our house.”
“Can’t handle the embarrassment?” I nudged him, referring to the earlier baby momma comment.
“You say that like it’s a joke, but it’s pretty much how it is. I put my cards on the table. I don’t hide much—with the exception of my sister—but most of them want the surface and not the rest of it. They see who I am. Who I really am. And they complain. Nitpick. Freak out that I say whatever I want.”
He turned his head and watched me with that gorgeous green stare. His lashes were thick and framed his almond-shaped eyes.
“You don’t take shit,” he murmured, his gaze sweeping my face, focusing and absorbing all of the details that he saw. “But you’ve never made me feel like I shouldn’t be exactly who I am.”
“With the exception of telling you not to be a jerk to me at school in front of the boys.” I leaned in and pressed a kiss against his soft lips. “I like all of who you are,” I whispered.
“You’re not going to run?”
It was hard to know what would happen after school. Falling in love with someone before I moved was the reason I’d avoided it for so long. And it still scared me.
“No running,” I promised.
This feeling could become so strong that it broke me. But I didn’t want to turn back now. I loved being in love.
Chapter 21
I was not a book person. I was more of a doer. I didn’t love sitting down to read pages and pages of someone else’s life when I could have been living my own, or, even worse, analyzing and writing an entire essay on whatever book the teacher had chosen—not even a book that I’d chosen. It was just . . . tiresome.
“This is stupid.” I kicked the couch behind me. Gabby and I were sprawled on her living-room floor working on an assignment together. “What does it matter what color the author uses to describe the walls? She probably just picked something and went with it.”
Gabby rolled from her back to her stomach. Long strands of her wild brown hair curtained around her as she stared at me with disapproval. “We’ve been over this a million times.”
“Still don’t get it.”
“Do you want me to do it?” She’d finished her assignment a while ago.
“No, I don’t.” I stared at the paper below me.
“Give me the paper. I’ll do it.”
Full disclosure: my grades would sink if it weren’t for Gabby. She held out her hand. I could feel her stare boring into me. She happened to love doing the work, so I didn’t feel too awful sliding the paper across the carpet.
“This will be your students one day.”
“What?”
“When you’re a professor at some swanky college and your papers are full of intellect and challenge. This will be your students.”
She shook her head, giggling as she stared at the paper. While she got to work, I checked my cell phone. It was Drayton’s actual birthday tomorrow. His parents were out of town. I wasn’t sure where; I hadn’t asked. Josh and Drayton were out getting supplies for tomorrow night’s party. Food. Alcohol—I wasn’t sure how they would manage that one—cups, soda for the sober, and whatever else a house party required. Eight new text messages.
Cheer, should I get blue or purple ping pong balls? Both?
Should I get a rainbow selection of ping pong balls?
I found flavored condoms. You hate cherry, I know this. What about orange?
I got strawberry.
Josh has a Richie Rich haircut. Noticed that? He works it though. Should I do that to my hair?
Na fuck that.
You’re busy huh? English? I’ll see you later? I’ll pick you up from Gabby’s when I drop Josh off. He’s superexcited to have dinner with her mom tonight.
Sarcasm.
The messages made me laugh. I didn’t want to derail Drayton’s plans for his birthday. He had his own traditions. But I did have something planned for the two of us that night while Josh and Gabby were having dinner here with Camilla.
“Drayton will be here soon,” I mentioned, sitting up. I’d been sprawled on the floor for too long, causing my ribs to become sore. “I need to get dressed.”
Her absentminded smile lifted. She was thinking about the fact that she’d get to see her man soon. I felt that.
Gabby continued the assignment so that I could get dressed. I had a duffel bag with me for the weekend. I’d be at Drayton’s that night and the next, so I figured that I would save a trip home and pack what I needed for both. My outfit was nothing special. An oversized turtleneck, boots, and black jeans. My hair was down and straight, so I slipped a beanie on. I was excited about this evening. I was nervous as well. The gift that I had planned for Drayton was a little different, but I hoped that he would love it.
The transition from Gabby’s bedroom to the rest of her house was such a change that you could forget it was the same building. She once worked an entire summer at the bakery with her mom so that she had enough cash to decorate her room. The walls were lavender and the furniture was white. It was simple but sweet.
The rest of the house was older, with patterned wallpaper and couches. Colorful quilts hung from the walls, rugs covered the carpet, patterned vases and wrought iron figures lined the shelves, and there was an enormous square mirror above the fireplace.
“All right.” Gabby stood up from her spot on the floor fifteen minutes later. “I’m done. Mine’s an A. Yours is a B plus. I had to keep it real,” she said. “Do you think Emily will be at Drayton’s tomorrow night?”
“Who knows. It doesn’t bother me. We’re on . . . civil terms after the whole Lincoln thing.”
“It is killing me that I can’t tell anyone the most scandalous thing that’s happening at our school.”
“Don’t even think about it,” I warned her. The last thing that I needed was Emily believing that I’d spread rumors about her. Not that rumors was the right word. Nonetheless, no one was going to find out. “She’s got it harder than we thought. I feel bad for her.”
“Don’t show her that you care.”
“No, I wouldn’t. That’d make her furious. I think the charity game in February is the last game that we cheer for together and then I’m done.” It was a relief just muttering the words out loud.
The Archwood Wolves and the Kenner Valley Bobcats were having their annual charity game to raise funds for homeless and troubled youth. It was a freezing-cold, extra-long night—longer than our usual matches—but it was for a good cause. Most of Castle Rock attended.
Emily hated it. She made a fuss about cheering in less than ideal conditions and never put effort into the routine. I used to think that it was because she was a soulless shell of a human being. Now I was beginning to think that the whole cause hit her a little close to home.
The front door opened and closed, and then Josh and Drayton
sauntered in. Drayton had never been to Gabby’s before, so he looked around the living room for a brief moment before he found me draped across the sofa, scrolling through Instagram.
“Hello, beautiful.” He pulled me up and gave me a kiss.
Josh fell into an armchair and nodded. “Smells good in here.”
“Mom’s cooking chilli,” Gabby informed him, falling into his lap. “It’ll be hot.”
Josh smiled and nodded, then ran a hand through his slick hair. Drayton picked up my duffel and kept me tucked under his arm as he pointed at our friends. “Do either of you want to tell me what the fuck I’m in for tonight? I don’t like being left out of the secrets.”
Gabby frantically waved her hand, her brows pulled tight. “Don’t swear! My mom is here. Are you insane?”
Drayton gave her a blank stare before he shrugged and tried again. “No one? No one’s going to tell me?”
“You are such a baby,” I laughed. “You’ll find out soon.”
He pulled me toward the living-room entrance, waving over his shoulder. “Come on, then. I’m hoping there will be nudity involved.”
The sounds of Josh’s and Gabby’s protests were silenced by the door closing behind us. We made a fast dash for the Jeep. It was cold out as usual, but I hoped that the snow would hold off for a few more hours.
Drayton had been attempting to extract information from me since he’d found out that I had a surprise for him. Josh had been kind enough to lend some assistance—I needed the patio on the second floor set up. I couldn’t do it myself, so he did it for me.
It was the first place that I went when we arrived at his house. Drayton carried my duffel bag.
“I just need to go to the bathroom,” I announced and slipped out from under his arm when we hit the second floor and stopped in front of his bedroom door.