“For what?”
“For not rushing me,” I say, pulling him into a hug, pressing my cheek to his chest.
“Sloane, I never want to hurt you again. Anything you need, just ask. Never be afraid to speak up,” he says, kissing the top of my head. I don’t say anything, I just hold onto him. We stay here for a few more minutes before I pull away and gently push him back and slide off the counter.
“Can we eat ice cream now?” I ask, reaching for the bowls. A small huff of laughter leaves him.
“Of course we can, baby.” He kisses my cheek and dishes up our bowls. “Go sit in the living room, I’ll be in there in just a few minutes,” he instructs, pushing both bowls into my hands.
I get a movie started and relax on the couch, nibbling my ice cream until he joins me. He sits down, pulls me into his side, and we just enjoy each other’s company until eventually I fall asleep.
15
BECKETT
She giggles as we work together. She bumps me with her hip. I wrap an arm around her and pull her closer to me.
“Thank you for taking the time to teach me,” she whispers.
I cup her cheek with one of my hands and smile down at her. “I’ll teach you everything that you want to know,” I profess. She wraps her arms around my neck, pressing a kiss to the underside of my jaw.
She giggles again as I capture her lips in mine. I like kissing her softly. Nothing about what I want to do with her should be rushed. I like the way she moves against me when I kiss her slow. It’s my favorite feeling ever.
“We should never leave the garage.”
“You think so, huh?” I ask. She nods, kissing my cheek before letting me go and turning back to the task that I had given her.
“Oh shit, the draft,” she says, looking down at her phone. Today is the day we find out if Kaden is getting drafted to the NBA or not. I look at the clock, and my eyes widen. I didn’t even realize how late it had gotten.
“I have to go shower,” she mumbles to herself.
We’d planned to just watch the draft on TV. Her parents and sister flew out to California to be with Kaden.
Sloane, however, didn’t, and that is either because A, she didn’t want to go, or B, the more likely reason, she wasn’t invited. The thought hurts my heart for her.I grip the wrench in my hand tighter than normal as I think about them not inviting her to something like this, especially since I know how much Kaden means to her. How muchallof them mean to her.
I clean up our mess and close up the shop. When I get inside, she’s making us finger food, including the smokies she put on this morning, and dips and chips, before taking pictures of everything.
She gives me a smile, one that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I can tell that she’s trying to hold it all together, trying to pretend like this isn’t killing her.
“I’m going to go clean up, I’ll be right back,” I say, and she nods wordlessly.
I take a quick shower before putting on some sweats and a t-shirt.
When I get back downstairs, she’s put the food on the coffee table and is switching through the channels as she sits on the couch, dressed in one of Kaden’s college hoodies and some loose shorts.
She bites her thumb as she finds the right one and sets the remote down, bringing her knees up to her chest.
“Blanket?”
“No thanks,” she whispers, her eyes glued to the screen.
We sit in silence as the program starts. I eat a little and drink a beer. She just stares at the screen, looking more nervous than I think I’ve ever seen her.
I’ve always known that Sloane has a big heart. She always cared so much, even when she didn’t get much back in return.And right now, while I watch her sit here and stare at the TV, I’m hit with how much she loves her family.
“Round two, pick number forty-five. The Athens City Dolphins select Senior from California University, Kaden Monroe.”
She gets a big smile on her face as his name is called. I see a wave of tension roll off her. Then I watch her smile drop.My head turns towards the TV to see Kaden, his parents, and Lottie all standing there smiling while their picture is being taken. Kaden in the middle, holding up a jersey.
