All for me.
“Okay.” She tears her lips away from mine, both of us breathing heavily. “We need to stop.”
I pull her in for one last kiss, on her neck, just behind her ear. She shivers. “I never want to stop when I’m with you.”
She clutches my shoulders, tilting her head back so I can kiss her there again, forgetting all about my one last kiss promise. “I don’t either. But we have to.”
She shoves at my shoulders, proving she’s stronger than she looks, and I go scooting backward across the bench. “Damn, woman.”
“I throw girls into the air on an almost daily basis,” she reminds me. “I’m stronger than I look.”
In so many ways, I want to tell her, but I keep my lips shut. I sound like a sentimental ass, saying stuff like that.
“You ready to go back to school tomorrow?” she asks, her eyes wide, her lips swollen from my kisses. I know she’s trying to change the subject, to steer me away from thinking about getting her naked, but her question only reminds me of the one thing I’m trying to forget.
Fucking Rylie and her pregnancy story.
If that shit is true, I’m doomed. Fucked beyond measure.
Can’t think about it now. Not while I’m sitting here with the girl I care about more than anything else in this world. Forget Rylie, forget all the bullshit. I need to focus on Autumn.
Autumn. I need to call her by her name more. But it’s kind of fun, how I never do it. I think it drives her nuts.
“I’m ready to go to practice tomorrow,” I say, and that’s the truth. I miss football. I don’t want Jake to permanently take my place either, so I need to get back to it.
Autumn rolls her eyes. “Of course you are.”
“Hey, that’s what I’m known for. And that’s the only thing that’s going to get me out of here,” I remind her.
“I know. You’re right. And you’re a pretty great football player.” She leans in and drops a quick kiss on my cheek.
“You want to wear my jersey on Friday?” I ask. This is serious stuff. I have never let anyone wear my jersey on game day before. Not even Rylie, though I know she was dying to. Still, it didn’t feel quite right, letting her wear my number. Six. My favorite number since I was assigned it for my soccer jersey when I was six. Made sense to my first grader brain that I got that number, and it stuck as my favorite.
Autumn’s face brightens, her eyes dancing as she nods enthusiastically. “I would love to.”
“Consider it yours. I’ll bring one of my spares home. I leave it in my locker.” So it doesn’t end up stinking like cigarettes or old, musty food. God, I hated living with my mom so damn much. If I never have to go back there again, I’ll be satisfied.
She’s grinning now. To the point that I can almost see her back teeth. “You just called it home.”
Reaching out, I play with her hair again. It’s dark. Silky soft. Everything about her is perfect. Perfect for me. “That’s because it’s like my home now.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she says, her voice lowering to whisper. “Despite the circumstances that you brought you to me, I’m glad it happened.”
“I’m glad it did too,” I whisper back.
Her smile fades. “Do you think we’re moving too fast?”
I slowly shake my head. “We’ve been circling around each other for almost four years. I say it’s about damn time this is happening.”
She laughs, and it’s this great, big sound that hits me right in the chest. Smack in the middle of my heart. Damn, this girl.
She will be my undoing.
Thirty-Four
Autumn
It’s surprising how normal everything feels when Ash returns to school. My parents go with him to the sheriff substation first thing Monday morning, and though I normally take Ava and Jake with me every day, I also take Beck to school, so Mom doesn’t have to worry about it. After meeting with the deputy and Ash telling them about his mom’s illegal business, they meet with Mrs. Adney, who is able to help them start the ball rolling to get Ash in my family’s temporary care.
Turns out the deputy helped with that too, offering up some suggestions. Within a couple of days, my parents are granted temporary guardianship of Asher Davis, and the county drug enforcement team performed a raid on Ash’s mom’s apartment. They found lots and lots of pills, along with all the paraphernalia that comes with dealing, and pressed charges against both his mother and Don, including distribution.
They’re still in jail, and this makes Ash inordinately happy.
He’s not off the hook, though. He confessed to what he did, what his mother made him do for the past two years, and he agreed to a community service sentence. He’ll be given an assignment within the next month or so, and once he completes his hours, the minor charges they pressed against him will be dropped, and forever sealed in his juvenile record.
Ash got off easy, and he knows it.
The entire week, he’s his usual overly confident self at school. Strutting down the hall, smiling at everyone. He throws himself into practice, working to the point of exhaustion every afternoon. Once word spread that Ash wasn’t dealing anymore and his mom got busted, all those people who were a part of his clientele list leave him alone. Or ask for recommendations on where they can get some Oxy.
Thankfully, he doesn’t have any recs to give them.
By Friday night, the school is in a frenzy, ready to win our last home game before the team goes on the road for the next three weeks. They’re undefeated so far for the season, and Ash is ready to prove to his coaches, to the entire school that he still has what it takes. I’m on the sidelines as usual, even more pumped up for this game than normal, and I’m talking with my coach when Mom approaches, a giant smile on her face. When she gestures for me to come closer, I walk over to where she’s standing on the other side of the fence.
“An offensive coach from Fresno State is here tonight to watch Ash play,” she whispers in my ear.
I pull away to stare at her incredulously. “Aren’t they a D-1 school?”
Mom nods, looking very pleased. “Your dad called in a few favors.”
“Did he tell Ash?”
“No way!” Mom laughs. “That kid would be a bundle of nerves if he did that. He has no clue.”
And I won’t have a chance to tell him. We never speak during games. He’s too busy, I’m too busy.
The game starts, and the opposing team immediately puts points on the board, which riles up our crowd. The stands are full tonight, the student section at near capacity, and the rest of the bleachers are filled up as well. The town is small and there’s not a lot to do on a Friday night so plenty of locals come to watch the game. Plus, many people who live here once went to this high school, so there are a lot of alumni filling the stands.
Looks like they all came out tonight. I’m sure part of it has to do with Ash. It was all over social media and the local news that his mom was arrested in the drug bust, though no mention of Ash’s involvement was included. He’s a bit of a celebrity right now thanks to his mom’s transgressions, but he seems to be taking everything in stride.