But then a hand was on her arm, gentle fingers squeezing there, a light pressure. A lifeline thrown her way.
“I need some time, Sammie.” Ivy was there, in front of her, but she wasthere. She wasn’t gone, she hadn’t run away from Sammie’s failure. The realization nearly knocked her knees out from under her. “But I love you. I can’t imagine not having you in my life now. And that’s why it hurt so much, knowing you might be willing to throw me away rather than face something hard.” A pause, and Sammie’s mind raced to catch up even as relief flooded her. “Just give me some time.”
Sammie nodded, finally finding the question she most wanted answered. “We’ll be okay?”
Ivy blinked back her own tears. “We’ll be okay.”
Then she was gone, walking back the way she’d come. Sammie watched her friend’s retreating figure, regret warring with her relief.
It was all out there now, out in the open between them. No more secrets, no more hiding. It was real, terrifying, painful. But, despite the fear that was still there, telling Sammie that she was worth sticking around for… it all felt a little more manageable now. Because the worst part was over now, wasn’t it? The getting it out there, the coming face-to-face with it all.
Sure, Sammie had made everything worse by pushing Ivy out, by burying her head in the sand rather than facing it all from the beginning. But she’s been forced to face it, and instead of falling into the endless dark, Ivy had offered a hand that kept her in the light. It shined bright enough to illuminate the shadows of Sammie’s fears.
Lit up, brought forward from the dark, no matter how bad it all felt, those fears seemed a lot less scary.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE SIGNED CONTRACT sat next to his laptop. Kieran stared at it, at the sharp curves of his handwritten name.
It was done. Kieran would be playing with the Cats again next season.
His heart beat too hard in his chest, a loud thrum that echoed down his arms, into his fingertips, rattling him from the inside out. He clicked a button, joining the video chat that was waiting for him. His parent’s smiling faces filled the screen.
“You did it!” Meredith’s words were filled with laughter. She clapped her hands together, leaning forward as though it might give her a better view of her son.
“Wasn’t just me.” Kieran chuckled. “The guys all played a great game yesterday.”
“They couldn’t have done it without you.” His father echoed the same sentiment that Kieran had heard too many times over the past twenty-four hours. Kieran was still struggling to believe it, that he was in any way instrumental in the success of his team. But he wanted to be. He wanted to be a player that they relied on, looked to.
“The tournament is going to be wonderful,” Meredith continued. “You guys have a real shot at the trophy!” A slight pause, a single moment, and Kieran saw his mother’s next words written clear across her face. “It’ll be a wonderful way to end your volleyball career.”
There was a question there, hidden in the tone of her voice. Would he do what his parents wanted? Would Kieran give up the thing he loved, the thing that had shaped his whole life and had led him to the people who had claimed his heart, all for the sake of his parents?
Kieran pulled in a steadying breath.
“It won’t be the end.” His fingers tingled, anxiety coursing through his veins. He hated that their conversation was happening with a screen between them. Video calls made him uncomfortable, made it too hard to read the other parties, to know when it was his turn to speak.
Meredith’s lips parted, astonishment coloring her expression. Grant’s brows pulled together, but he didn’t look mad. Where Kieran’s mother was taken aback by his declaration, his father seemed resigned to a decision he’d seen coming.
“What do you mean?”
Kieran clenched his jaw. His mother was playing a game he didn’t appreciate, acting as though what she’d wanted from him had been a done deal. “I’m playing next season. I’m signed on with the Cats for two more years.”
Meredith’s pale skin went red, frustration twisting her face.
“But we need you here. We’vetoldyou that we need you here.”
Kieran looked to his father for help, but Grant stayed silent as ever.
“You’re making a mistake.” Meredith was still going, a train off the rails, crashing toward Kieran with nothing to hold her back. “Putting aside the fact that weneedyou, you have to think about the future. You’re not going to be able to play volleyball forever. You need to start considering what your life will look like after that. Money, Kieran! You’ll need something else to sustain you, and the farm is the answer.”
Her voice was too loud, crackling through his laptop’s speaker. It grated down Kieran’s spine, claws raking along his skin.
“I am thinking about the future.” Meredith didn’t seem to hear him, spilling more words that pelted Kieran over and over.
“You’re making a mistake.” She leaned back crossing her arms over her chest, disappointment wafting off her. Grant mumbled something that Kieran couldn’t hear, a calming hand coming to rest on Meredith’s thigh.
Kieran’s anger was becoming a tangible thing, a creature that was desperate to crawl out of him. “Iamthinking about my future. I’m saving money. You don’t need to worry about me.”
