tomorrow night.”
“I sleep better in your bed. Tell me you want me to stay.”
What I wanted to say was that I never wanted him to leave. Not tonight. Not ever. But I couldn’t say that. “You can stay. If you want.”
That was the only invitation he needed. He rolled onto his side and pulled my body against his, wrapping an arm around my waist. My body fit so perfectly into the curve of his. I cursed him for being so perfect. Not perfect, as in without faults. Just perfect for me. Sometimes I couldn’t believe my luck. I’d found this boy when I was only nine years old and he’d chosen me above all others.
“‘Night, Lila.” He kissed my hair, so gentle and loving like I was something precious to him, and I pushed aside my fears. I didn’t want to keep torturing myself with thoughts of the things he’d done with Kylie that he hadn’t done with me. I didn’t want to think about him with anyone else. Even though he hadn’t said the three words I wanted to hear, I could feel it. He loved me.
“‘Night, Jude.” I love you. Only you.
Chapter Eighteen
Lila
We were a united front of blue and gold, a current of electricity running through the crowd, so palpable I could touch it. Taste it. Out there under the stadium lights, Jude McCallister was a god. Tonight he was on fire.
Until it all fell apart in the fourth quarter.
“Goddammit,” Patrick growled from the row directly in front of me. He threw up his hands. “What the hell was that? That’s the second interception Jude threw. We were so close to winning.”
“It’s not all about winning,” Kate told Patrick. “The boys put up a good fight. They played their hearts out and did their best. That’s what counts.”
He scowled, refusing to be placated. In the six months I’d been living with the McCallisters, I’d learned a lot about their family dynamics. And to say that Jude’s dad put a premium on winning was the understatement of the century. He was hard on his boys but he was the hardest on Jude. I’d never noticed it before and Jude never complained, but sometimes his dad could be a bit of an asshole.
“If their defense would have gotten their heads out of their asses, maybe we could have gotten somewhere,” Patrick said, snorting with disgust when he checked the scoreboard again. The digital numbers hadn’t changed. Mavericks – 40; Knights – 43. “Jude’s head wasn’t in the game. He let that last interception rattle him.”
Christy and I shared a look. She raised her brows. I was insulted on Jude’s behalf and wanted to defend him. What Patrick said wasn’t true. After Jude threw that interception, he didn’t just lay down and die, he kept playing, giving it his all just like he always did.
Something hit the back of my head and I brushed my hand over my hair then turned in my seat to glare at Brody. He just laughed and eased another handful of sunflower seeds into his mouth then leaned forward in his seat. “Lighten up, L.”
I gave him the finger and faced forward again, completely ignoring Kylie who was practically in his lap. Guess Jude and Brody were okay with sharing.
“I wonder if they had a threesome,” Christy mused. I sucked in a sharp breath. She slapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry. Did I say that out loud?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, pushing Christy’s words out of my head, and watched the Mavericks lose more yards. Patrick was on his feet, shouting something at the refs. Kate grabbed his arm and yanked him back down into his seat. “Calm down,” she said firmly. “It’s only a game.”
“It is not only a game. It’s football. And it’s the last damn game you’ll ever see Jude play.”
“It’s not over yet,” Jesse said, his hands balling into fists. “Jude can still do it. He can turn this around.”
“Honey, it’s too late—”
Jesse cut off the rest of his mom’s sentence. “It’s not too late,” he insisted. “Jude can do it. I know he can.”
I loved Jesse’s blind faith in Jude and his optimism. He truly believed that his brother could turn this game around.
We were down by three with only three seconds remaining. Jude tapped his helmet, indicating that he was changing the play. I didn’t know what he had in mind but it would take a miracle or an act of God to win this game.
Jude