“I know,” I say, because she didn’t come home until after I was already asleep. She apparently stayed to hang out with Molly, but we didn’t have the chance to talk much this morning because I came in early for a physio session. All she told me was I should expect Erik to talk to me.
But I didn’t anticipate his doing it now. In the middle of the day.
He doesn’t say anything until after we’ve picked out our food. A grilled chicken wrap with a side of sweet potatoes and a chocolate-and-peanut-butter protein shake for me. A turkey cheeseburger, fries, salad, and Greek yogurt for him.
“It was an overreaction,” he says eventually. “I’m sorry. I never should have said what I said that day or…any other time. I was pissed off because Nan and I, we’ve always been on the same side, and it suddenly felt like we weren’t.”
“Yeah,” I agree, after wiping my mouth with a napkin. “Because you chose to switch teams.”
“Can you honestly tell me you’d be totally cool if you found out one of your teammates was sleeping with your sister?”
“First of all, I love Nadine, so you can stop talking about our relationship like she’s some random hookup. And secondly, I hope that once Paisley is old enough…like forty, she’ll have enough sense to make a good choice in her partner. So I might not be totally cool with it, but I wouldn’t flip out like you did.”
He exhales noisily, closing his eyes for a long moment, probably doing his mindful breathing thing. When he meets my gaze again, he says, “I flipped out because you lied to me, she lied to me, I found you kissing her in the tunnel after our game, and to top it off, you’re my best friend. You don’t think it made me feel shitty that you felt like you couldn’t come to me? That’s why I asked you, why I asked both of you.”
I set my elbows on the table. “Yeah, I get it. That was my decision. I asked her to keep it quiet, but only because I did want to talk to you…eventually. It’s not exactly an easy conversation to have after all the shit you’ve said.”
He nods slowly. “I know, and I’m sorry. It’s only that I’ve had to pick up the pieces from things you’ve broken so many times, I didn’t want to have to do it again. With my own sister.”
Although I know his words are coming from a place of protection for Nadine, it doesn’t make them any easier to hear. That even my best friend believes I’m going to fuck up this relationship.
“But I also know how big your heart is, and when you want to do something, you’ll do it. So I’m hoping that you’ll follow your heart and not your gut when it tells you to do dumb shit.”
I give in to a laugh. “Well, I tried to follow my gut the other night and break up with her when I saw how upset this riftbetween you and me was making her, and she verbally stuffed me into a locker.”
“You tried to break up with her?”
“I thought it was the right thing. She told me I was an idiot.”
He hums, squinting, like he does when he’s studying a play or film. “You would’ve given her up because of all this?”
“If it would make her happier, yes, absolutely. But I guess she likes me too much.”
A smile slowly unfurls across his face, and I relax. He’s right. I should have had this conversation with him from the beginning, but I was too afraid I wouldn’t have been able to prove that I deserved Nadine yet. At least now he knows, that she comes before everything. Beyond family or football, she is number one in my life.
“I’m sorry I ever said I wouldn’t want you dating my sister. I still don’t think you’re good enough for her, because no one is?—”
“You’re right about that.”
“But if she is going to be with anyone, it might as well be my best friend.”
Erik holds out his hand to me, and I clasp it in mine, both of us standing to hug.
“Love you, brother,” he says with a slap to my back.
“Love you too.”
He actually chuckles. “Guess Nan’s got you in tune with your feelings too, huh?”
“She’s got me in tune witha lotof things.”
He puts his hand up, grimacing. “None of that. Please. I’m eating my lunch.”
I grin as I sink back down to my chair. It’s good to have him back, and while we finish up, we discuss the game on Sunday.
The conference championship against Arizona.
It’ll be a tough one with a wide receiver who currently holds the record for most yards and a fast-as-fuck rookie running back.
