I swallow. “They want me to start dialysis,” I say. “Sooner rather than later.”
Greyson’s jaw tightens. “And?”
“And I’m on the transplant list for a kidney.” I roll my shoulders like I’m shaking off a bad hit. “Not exactly breaking news.”
“That’s not nothing,” he says sharply.
“I know.” I force a half-smile. “But it’s manageable. I’ve been dealing with this my whole life.”
“Managing and pretending it’s no big deal aren’t the same thing.”
I twist my lips and say, “The clock’s ticking, Grey. I get it.”
The words hang there, heavier than they should. I don’t like the look in his eyes—too knowing, too worried.
He exhales slowly. “When can you have a transplant?”
“When someone who matches all the markers dies, is a donor, and lives close enough to Austin for a helicopter to fly it in within an hour or two.”
“So, you don’t know.”
“Maybe soon. Maybe never.”
Grey takes his helmet off, letting it fall beside his leg. “What if you have a live donor?”
I shrug.
“Shrugging is not an answer, Stricker.”
“Neither is hovering,” I shoot back, then soften.
Greyson studies me for a long beat, then nods once. “All right. But don’t freeze me out. You don’t get to go through this alone.”
I don’t trust my voice to stay steady, so I leave it.
As I blow the whistle, the two rookie QBs run to us. “Five-minute break, then we’re running with the receivers.”
They jog to the Gatorade, dangerously close to Noelle. Any man in her proximity brings out the possessiveness inside me. I guess my focus stays on her a little longer than needed.
Greyson clears his throat. “So.”
Here we go.
“So,” I echo.
He glances toward Noelle again, then back to me. “Fake-dating my sister. That’s… done now, right?”
My chest tightens. “She can’t stop talking about Witley,” I blurt out, which has nothing to do with his comment.
“Witley is adorable, but I’m talking about Noelle.” He keeps his tone even. Careful. “She went to New Orleans. She’s not going to be around Brooks for a while. Seems like time for a clean break from him and this ridiculous fake relationship.”
Clean.
Nothing about this has been. I want her more than she can ever know.
I nod slowly. “That was always the plan.”
There was a fork in the road, and we took the forbidden path.
