She tilts her head, thinking over her response. “I think so. But I also think that they just didn’t take the time to really understand me. They just took to my brother instead.”
There’s an underlying sadness in her gaze, and I feel helpless wanting nothing more than to take it away.
Before I have the chance to respond, there’s a faint yell coming from the front.
I glance toward the door to see Steele, Calloway and Moore making their way over to us. My head drops, an involuntary sigh leaving my parted lips.
“I’m so sorry.” I whisper to Scarlett just before the guys reach our table.
The guys greet us with a big smile. “Scarlett!” Moore grins, sliding into the booth beside her, throwing an arm over her shoulder. “I’ve missed you!”
He pulls her into his side, giving her an awkward hug. I narrow my eyes at their contact as Steele slides in beside me and Calloway slides in beside Moore.
The waitress comes to our table, placing our food down before shooting a questioning look toward my teammates.
“We’ll take the same.” Steele smiles politely, and the waitress walks off to put in the order.
I give the guys a tight-lipped smile. “What are you guys doing here?”
Moore shrugs. “We were in the area.”
I glance at Calloway, raising my eyebrows.
He throws his hands up in a surrender. “You know I can’t control him. Once Huddy has his mind set, there’s no changing it.”
I sigh, exasperated, flicking my gaze toward Scarlett. She looks amused as she meets my eyes, a small smile on her lips and I soften.
“So,” Steele starts, leaning on the table, “how is he?” He nods toward me, eager to know about my recovery.
Scarlett’s smile widens as she picks up her sandwich. “He’s doing really well, Ben. You should be so proud of him.”
My face begins to heat as Steele looks to me with a big grin on his face. Nudging me with his shoulder, he nods. “Yeah, we’re really proud.”
I look down at my food, trying to avoid the attention on me right now. I love them, but it makes me somewhat uncomfortable.
“Are you guys back to training yet?” Scarlett pivots, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that as the guys light up.
“We’ve just started back up. Though, we miss Cap.” Moore nods to me just as the waitress comes through with the food, placing it on the table.
Scarlett flicks her eyes to mind, a small smile gracing her lips. “Well, he’ll be back before you know it.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
SCARLETT
LEV
Hey, your brother plays tonight, right?
That was not the message that I expected to wake up to this morning. Not to mention that I never expected that Levi would be coming over to stay the night in order to watch the game. But he is.
I’m giving my apartment a quick clean when my phone rings out from the kitchen and I jog to grab it, not checking the Caller ID.
“Hello?”
A gruff voice comes through the speaker. “Scarlett, it’s Warren. How are you?”
I make my way back to the living room, flopping down on my couch. “I’m good, thank you. And how are you?”
