She hands me the beer. “I’ve always known you were a good soccer player. Everyone does. That’s not something I could have taken away from you just because you broke my best friend’s heart.”
I wince a little at the cutting way she chose to phrase that. I guess I deserve it. I know I hurt Claire when I ended things, but she’s happier than ever now, so that has to make it better on some level, right?
“I guess it doesn’t matter now. She and Austin are together, and that wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t broken up with her,” Lacey says exactly what I was thinking.
“I don’t know. Those two might have found their way to each other either way.”
“No.” Lacey is adamant as she shakes her head. “She didn’t see anyone but you. She loved you.”
My guilt intensifies. I don’t know what would have happened, no one does, but it doesn’t excuse the way I treated her.
“Do you regret it?” she asks me.
“Of course. When she got hurt and had to quit skating, I felt awful. I knew how much it meant to her. As long as I’d known her, she’d had one dream and then it was gone. To be honest, I think it freaked me out.”
“Like if her dream could be taken away just like that, so could yours.”
“I hadn’t thought about it quite like that, but yeah. Claire’s great and we were good together, but so much ofwhat we had was based on understanding how important our goals were to us. Soccer and skating came first. I should have handled everything better. I know that. If I could go back and do things differently, I would.” I blow out a breath. “But Claire and I are okay now and Austin is the kind of boyfriend she deserves. Maybe we were only ever supposed to be friends.”
That’s how it started. We had the same discipline and focus for our sports that our classmates didn’t always understand. I felt like she was the first person who knew and understood the real me.
“So if Austin and Claire broke up for some reason, you wouldn’t try to get her back?” Lacey asks.
I give the question some thought, even though I have the answer immediately. “No.”
“No?” Lacey’s surprise borders outrage like she thinks I’m offending her friend all over again.
“They’re not going to break up.”
She doesn’t look appeased by that answer. “Yeah, but I know you wanted her back just weeks ago. Why not now?”
The truth is that Lacey iswhy not now. I couldn’t get back with Claire while feeling this way about her best friend. And I really do think Claire and I are probably better off as friends. But there’s also the real fear that I’d do the same thing all over again.
“I don’t think jumping into another relationship would be the best thing for me. Believe it or not, I don’t revel in being a shitty boyfriend.”
Her hard-ass demeanor finally breaks, and she laughs softly. “You could just choose not to be a shitty boyfriend.”
“Sounds hard and complicated.” I laugh it off too, and I’m thankful to have the conversation feeling lighter again.
When our combined laughter dies off, she says more quietly, “You could do it if you wanted.”
I’m not sure if she’s right. “You really think so?”
I lock onto her stare again, and I search her face for any hesitation she feels. I trust her judgment. If she thinks I’m capable of it, then maybe I am.
“I think…” she starts and then stops. This time, as we’re openly staring at each other, her gaze is the one that drops. My chest warms and my skin tingles with anticipation.
Pretty certain she’s feeling this thing between us too, but wanting to test it, I reach out to brush another windblown piece of hair away from her face. She doesn’t flinch as the pads of my fingers drag along her cheekbone and tuck it behind her ear like she had. Instead, she inches closer.
My stomach swirls with desire and need as I lean in. I stop with my lips just an inch away from hers. One last chance to decide this isn’t what she wants.
“Vaughn.” My name comes out barely above a whisper. Is she reminding herself who I am or about to ask me to stop?
I don’t find out because the roar of an engine approaching, followed by squeals of happiness, cut through our quiet bubble.
Lacey’s eyes widen and she turns her head as we watch Eddie, one of the Whitlock twins, cut through the clearing on a four-wheeler with a girl on the back.
Lacey stands quickly, and I get to my feet a little slower.
