Chapter Twenty-One

Tatum

Wyatt drives us to the house after the game. While I knew Everly wanted to wait for Hayes outside the locker room, she didn't hesitate to come with me.

There was a lot of chatter in the stands about Reed's foul —people from both Rixton and Braysen were shocked he wasn't ejected. Hallyn texted me after their halftime performance, saying she overheard Beckham and Reed arguing on the sidelines.

Reed: I'm sorry.

I haven't replied yet. I'm unsure what to say, but a part of me also doesn't want to have this conversation through text either.

"Has he said anything to you?" Everly asks, settling on the couch and adjusting the blanket over her lap.

"Not since he texted me after the game apologizing. That's it."

Everly forces a smile. Wyatt is sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

"Reed is not normally a confrontational guy. Not without reason, anyway," Wyatt says.

Everly and I exchange looks, recalling the night when he overheard the conversation with Wells on the phone. He hadn't said much in front of Hayes, but I knew it pissed him off to see how upset the call made me.

"Hayes texted me asking how you were doing after the game," Everly says. "I guess it started when Wells was trash-talking—typical on-field banter. Beckham called a play that had Reed blocking Wells, but he took it too far."

I wince, thinking about Reed's aggressive hit. They reviewed the play for targeting. Everyone in the stands was caught off guard by his hostility. It's the first time he's ever been flagged for a personal foul.

"Hayes is worried about him, mainly because he's been down that road before when a play went wrong. He could've injured himself or Wells."

Growing up around hockey, I'm used to seeing fights on the ice. Hell, they call my brother "the troublemaker" for a reason. He's notorious for picking fights, sometimes without even being instigated.

Headlights flash through the bay window, and we all turn to see Beckham's and Colter's trucks pull into the driveway.

"Does anyone know about the two of you?" Wyatt whispers.

I shake my head. "You mean that we're friends? I guess I thought it was public knowledge."

Everly rolls her eyes. "Two friends who like to roll around naked."

Wyatt snorts. "If you think you're fooling anyone, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but…" She pretends to hold a pin out and presses her lips together, making a popping sound.

Hayes and Beckham enter first. Hayes drops his bag by the door and heads upstairs, making a beeline for Everly. She stands to greet him with a hug. Reed follows, his gaze meeting mine.

You'd think the guys lost their game by the solemn look on their faces.

"Cat's out of the bag, Lucy girl. Hate to break it to you, but you're not good at hiding shit."

"Will you shut the fuck up?" Reed snaps from behind him. Beckham's grin and wink suggest he said it to provoke Reed.

"Can I speak with you?" Reed gestures toward the stairwell leading up to our rooms. "Without an audience."

Everyone watches the exchange, and Wyatt slumps against the couch with a sigh. "I was kind of hoping to get the four-one-one on the drama," Wyatt complains, defeated.

Since when has my love life turned into a source of entertainment?

Reed grabs his bag and stomps up the stairs. My gaze flashes over to Everly, and she smiles, mouthing for me to call her later, and I nod.

I follow Reed into his room, and then he locks his door behind us.

"You pissed at me too?" he grumbles. "You never responded to my text earlier, so I'm assuming yes, but I'd rather ask than make assumptions."

I roll my eyes. "No, I'm not mad. I mean, you could've hurt yourself, but you're a big boy. You can handle the consequences of your own actions."

"Yeah, trust me, I heard enough about that from the guys."

I climb onto his bed and cross my legs, watching as he tugs off his sweatshirt, revealing his Braysen football T-shirt. He spins his computer chair around and takes a seat.

"What made you so angry anyway?"

He slouches in the chair, folding his hands together. "Perry, that dude is an arrogant piece of shit. I can handle players talking shit. We all do it, but knowing what he's said and done to you, and then having him run his mouth, pushed me too far."

"Do you regret it?" I ask.

He studies me for a moment. "Now that I know you're not pissed at me, no."

Reed's lip curls into a smirk, and I shake my head.

"Guess I should've seen that one coming. What was that about downstairs with Beckham?"

"After the game, Beckham laid into me about how my actions could make your situation worse."

"Why? How?"

"He's worried Perry will start digging around, especially since Beckham plays for Braysen and he's close friends with your brother. Beckham's concerned Wells will put the pieces together…"

I wince. I hadn't thought about it that way, but he has a point.

"There's more," Reed says, and I snap my head up to meet his gaze.

"He told me he knows about the two of us."

"What? How?"

Reed shrugs. "I mean, Wyatt and Everly figured it out. I didn't realize it was so obvious."

I exhaled a heavy sigh and nod. "Wyatt put two and two together seeing you come by the bakery. Everly said you gave yourself away."

"What the hell does that mean? How?"

I shrug. "She said she could tell by the way you look at me. She said she noticed it the night we first met at the hockey game."

His mouth drops open, and he quickly snaps it shut, but he doesn't say a word.

"Beckham promised me he wouldn't tell your brother."

"Well, I guess that means we're done sneaking around…" I smirk.

Reed stands and holds his hand out to me. I crawl across the bed toward him. He bends down and lifts me in his arms, turning to sit on the edge of the bed with me straddling his lap.

"I'm kind of bummed we won't be sneaking around anymore," he admits. "It was fun, but at the same time, I'm glad I don't have to hide it either."

"Hide what?" I ask, cupping his face. "What is this to you, Reed?"

"I guess I don't know. This is all new to me, but I do know it's more than a hookup."

"More than friends with benefits?"

"If I say yes, you're not gonna end it with me saying I broke the rules, are you?"

I laugh and shake my head. "Is that why you went along with this in the first place?"

"I mean, maybe. I wasn't lying when I told you I didn't want a relationship. At the time, it was true."

"At the time? What changed your mind?"

"You." He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him until not even an inch separates us. "I know you don't want a relationship, and the fact I'm a football player puts me on the off-limits list, but I'm hoping you'll give me a little more time, and I can change your mind."

"More time? You think you need more time to convince me?"

"Well, now that you know my intentions and I don't have to hide that I'm your friend who also likes to see you naked, I can do more to show you that I'm not like the last asshole."

A slow smile stretches across my face, and I nod.

Reed turns us over on the bed, pinning me beneath him.

"Don't worry, though," he whispers against my ear, "I still plan to get you naked as often as I can. I love teasing you until you're begging me to make you come."

I hum in agreement, and he kisses me deeply. He grinds his hips against me, and I can feel his arousal growing in his pants.

When a low moan escapes my lips, he pulls away slightly. "What else are you gonna do?"

"Well, for starters, I'm gonna make good on my promise and wake you up one of these mornings with my head buried between your legs."

My face heats, and he grins. "Reed," I plead.

"You want that, sweetheart?" And I nod.

"I'm also gonna take you on a proper date."

"Mmm, oh yeah?" I smirk. "What kind of date?"

"It's a surprise. I don't want to ruin it, but I wanna do something different. Fun. That doesn't include work or school, or even going to Whiskey Sinner's with everyone else."

"I had fun the other night at Whiskey Sinner's, though. I wouldn't mind going back."

"We can go there anytime you want, sweetheart. Just say the word."

He climbs on the bed with me, and I curl up against his side.

"What do you see yourself doing after college? I mean, with your degree and all. Are you hoping to still play football?"

I shrug. "Football just helped me get a scholarship. My cousin, who was my coach growing up, got me into playing. He said I needed an outlet. He knew what my home life was like. My mom is an addict, and she came in and out of my life a lot. He's about seven years older than me. His mom got pregnant with him when she was still in high school. He always pushed me to do better. He wanted a better future for me than what I had been dealt."

"My dad was an addict too," I mumble against the side of his face. "While I had Talon at home looking out for me, we also had our cousin, Owen. Add in my brother's friend, and it was like a whole team keeping an eye on me."

"As much as Beckham can be a pain in my ass, I guess I should be thankful he's looked out for you. If he hadn't, it might not have brought you here."

"Mm-hmm," I hum, turning to press my nose against his neck.

It scares me how much comfort I get from lying with him here, like this. If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's never to get too dependent on someone. You'll get the rug pulled out from beneath you. Everyone ends up showing their true colors eventually.

The only person in my life I've ever truly counted on is Talon.

I drape my arm across Reed's waist. His arm beneath my head bends, and he uses his hand to brush the strands of hair away from my face.

After a few minutes, I find myself dozing off in his arms. Reed must've thought I was asleep because he turns and presses his lips against my forehead. I faintly hear him whisper, "I hope you'll stay with me like this forever, sweetheart."