I swallow.
If she cares, she probably wants to trust you. Sometimes we just need space… and sometimes we just need to feel safe enough to let our guard down.
He doesn’t answer right away, and I start to question if maybe I’ve said too much.
“Yeah,” he says quietly. “That sounds like her.”
The next match loads. I keep my mic muted, and he keeps talking through his.
I sit there in the dim light of my loft, listening to his voice through the speakers, trying to pretend I’m not the girl he’s talking about.
And telling myself to give him space.
If it’s meant to be, it’ll work itself out.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cooper
The team pulls out just after sunrise.
Rixton still looks half asleep as we roll through town. The streetlights are on, and only a few people are on the road. I watch the rest of the city slide by through the window, trying to think about how different the past few days have felt.
Like something in my life has been missing. And it’s left a huge hole in its place.
The guys are louder than usual, considering how early it is.
Music plays from someone’s speaker in the back. Owen is arguing with them to turn it down. Talon and Kade are laughing, giving him a hard time about being an old man.
It’s the same routine for every road game.
Shifting to lean against the window, I stretch my legs across the seat next to me. My shoulder is still tight but manageable. It feels worse after practice or a game, but then it eases as I start to slowly get moving again.
Talon drops down in the seat across from me. Kade follows a minute later, leaning into the aisle between us.
“You good?” Talon asks.
“Hangin’ in there. You talk to Reed at all?” I ask so low that no one can hear it over the music.
He knows I’ve been anxious for an update. Hoping he’s able to find something I can use to turn the tables as leverage against Coach Dawson.
Talon nods. “Yeah. He sent me an update last night. He’s still digging.”
“Find anything?”
“Not yet,” Kade chimes in. “Nothing concrete. Mostly stuff we already knew or things that didn’t look right but we haven’t quite made sense of.”
“That’s helpful,” I mutter, leaning my head against the cool window.
Kade claps me on my shin. “We’re gonna figure this out, man. He’s been juggling games and practice, and we’ve had a full schedule too.”
I shift in my seat. “It’s fine. I understand he’s doing what he can.”
Neither of them looks convinced, but they let it go.
The bus hits a pothole, and the whole row jolts. Someone swears in the back. One of the coaches yells something about holding onto your drinks.
Talon leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Reed said if there’s something, it’s gonna be buried. He still thinks he’s mixed up with betting and just needs to connect the dots somehow.”
