Page 51 of Hard Pass

“Hey, man,” he says.

“Hey.”

He shifts nervously on his feet before blurting out. “For what it’s worth, nobody on our team thinks you did it.”

His comment catches me off guard. “Okay. Thanks.”

“Just figured you should know. That’s all.”

I nod once. “Appreciate it.” And then because the guy looks nervous as hell, I add, “I’m hearing great things about you. Keep it up.”

His smile lights up his whole face. “Really? Thanks, man.”

I wander farther into the backyard as conversations overlap all around me. Football. Family. Fantasy leagues. Somebody arguing that Rodney’s music choice could be considered psychological warfare for the younger generation.

“Valor!” someone yells.

I turn just in time to catch the football coming at me with one hand.

“Looks like maybe you should’ve been a receiver,” another player says.

“That’d put you out of a job then,” I tease.

A chorus of bullshit follows instantly, and the sound is a relief. The guys are treating me normally and that matters more than I realized it would.

“You look less miserable than earlier,” Lucas Hale says as I step near where he’s standing in the pool, elbows propped on the side with a beer in one hand.

“Don’t sound too excited about it,” I say.

He smirks. “Misery loves company, brother.”

I take a seat on the chair near him. “When you had your shoulder thing, did you get tired of everybody asking if you were okay?”

“Every second of every day but the key is to never answer honestly and eventually they stop asking.”

“Sounds healthy,” I joke.

“Have you seen the sport we play?”

I huff out a laugh.

Lucas glances at me sideways. “You holding up?”

Honest answer? Not really. But this, being here and the guys talking shit, is helping.

“A little better today,” I finally say.

He nods once, like that’s enough. I take it.

Movement near the patio catches my eye as Camden Wolfe finally shows up through the side gate. Late. Of course.

“Look who decided to grace us with his presence,” Haberman yells.

Camden flips him off without breaking stride.

The man looks like he walked straight out of a cologne commercial. Tall. T-shirt stretched across tattooed arms. Hair that looks perfect even after pulling his helmet off.

Women love him. By the comments he gets on his social media, men do too.