“He lived in Boston, so it was just a summer fling, but then Clay surprised me on the last day of camp and took us to one of his games.” She looks guilty, so I use my other hand to take hers in mine.
“Ethan wasn’t an asshole. He was the perfect secret boyfriend until he went from wanting to spend all his time with me to stringing me along for weeks after camp ended because he was a diehard baseball fan and couldn’t turn down free tickets.”
My anger flares, but she puts her hands on my chest and looks up at me, so vulnerable.
“When I realized that I liked you as more than a friend, I kept it to myself, because I wanted to keep spending time with you. I wanted whatever I could get. And the more time you spent with me, the more I thought you might want that too. That as long as we didn’t label it, and I didn’t interfere with your sister or your hockey…I was yours. Then you said all the things I wanted to hear, but…You’d known since the night I would pinpoint as the one where I thought things changed, and I was terrified. Because I’m too trusting and I’ve been blindsided before, and you went and made me feel like I deserved better than to accept scraps of?—”
“I would never, Savannah. All I care about it you.”
“I believe you. And you were right. I hide behind my characters, because I can control who hurts them and I know the outcome. But I don’t want to hide anymore. Not from my feelings or from everything that comes with my last name. I want to wear your jersey to your games and not care about the girls who think I don’t deserve you. I want to wear my brothers’ on their game days and not be afraid that none of my friends like me beyond what I can give them. I want you to meet my brothers, and I want to trust you with all my secrets, just like I want you to trust me with yours. I want to come here and support you at this fundraiser, where you look so handsome in your suit, and I want to slow dance with you and make out in a closet and take my brothers up on their offer to use their names to get the funds you guys need so we can all go home early.”
I kiss her because I can’t help myself.
“You lost me when you mentioned making out in closets,” I tease, and she shakes her head before pulling me down to kiss her again, like she truly doesn’t care who’s watching, which is good, because half my team whooped for the kiss. “I wish I could bring you back to Ivy right now and never let you leave.”
“So much yes, but I was kind of hoping you’d come to Sunday Dinner after your game tomorrow. My brothers will be there. Maybe with some teammates. Because my mom loves company.”
“I would love to meet your brothers,” I tell her, and she smiles like she understands I mean as her siblings, nothing more.
“Speaking of, I should rescue them.”
“How likely are they to murder me?”
“I already asked Dallas not to.”
“But he offered?”
“I was pretty sad.” She shrugs.
“I never want you to be sad again,” I say, knowing how impossible that is.
She shakes her head at me, but she’s smiling like she can’t help it.
“They’re also not assholes,” she assures me. “Even with their teammates, it was never ‘touch my sister and die’, it was always ‘hurt her and I’ll rip your balls out with my bare hands’.”
“Nice visual.”
“Do you plan on hurting me?”
“I’d rather die than do that again.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
Chapter Seventy
Savannah
Surrounded by love
Rescuing my brothers takes longer than it should, because the school decides to auction off their signed merch and tickets in between announcing the silent auction winners, so Dallas and Clay wind up on stage while Noah has me sit in his lap at a table with Owen, Colt, and who I assume are potential donors.
“I’m glad you guys figured things out,” Owen whispers while we clap for Tish, who just won a weekend hotel stay.
“Me too,” I share, trying to stop the spread of my smile by biting my bottom lip.
“You’re killing me Peaches,” Noah whispers into my neck, sending shivers down my spine.
“Does this mean she’s taking us up on the basement offer?” Colt is sitting on Noah’s other side, and he winks at me like he thinks my boyfriend might freak out over that, but Noah gets this smile.
