“Jackass!” she yells as she beats at my back with her tiny fists.
“Sparky, when I cross the line, I want you in my arms.”
“Oh my God, you’re such a perv!”
I laugh, the hardest I can remember laughing since I found out my dad had gotten sick again.
And just like I promised, I cross the finish line with her.
“What is that, like carrying your bride over the threshold?” bursts out of her mouth as I gently deposit her back onto the ground feet first.
We stare at each other. “I didn’t think of it that way,” I finally say. “But I’m not objecting.”
She grabs the football out of my hands. “I’m only sixteen,” she says. “That’s far too young to be thinking about marriage.”
I follow her back down to the line of scrimmage. “I’m seventeen. Isn’t that a little young also?”
She glances at me out of the side of her eye. “Exactly. You’re about ten years ahead of yourself.”
“Why ten years?” I persist.
“I figure you’ll need about that long to mature. Boys always take longer than girls.”
I lightly tug her ponytail. “But you’re a year younger than me.”
“True. And I have a feeling I’m not going to be ready for a while.” She claps her hand over her mouth. “Forget I said that. It’s none of your business.”
But I just smile. “I’ll wait for you, Sparky.”
Her cheeks turn bright red. “Shut up. Jackass.”
But as she turns away from me, I see her smiling. It’s one of the first walls-down, genuine smiles I’ve seen out of her.
Which just makes me want to get her to smile even more.
Chapter Fourteen
Skylar
When the game ends, my brothers try to entice everyone into a quick follow-up.
“One more half game,” Ben challenges, tossing the football into the air. “Losers have to start the bonfire tonight.”
Nick immediately says he’s in, along with a bunch of the other guys.
“No way,” I say to my brothers as I walk away. “I’ll see you.”
“Come get us in an hour!” Ben calls after me. “Or else we may lose track of time.”
I laugh. “May?”
“Okay, most definitely.”
I wave. “I’ll come grab you for dinner.”
I’ve walked maybe ten feet before Colton falls into step next to me.
“How about a snack before dinner?” he asks me.
