Page 126 of Let You Love Me

Chance’s cheeks flush, and if the firm set of his mouth is any indication, I succeeded in pissing him off.

Good. Now we’re even.

“We’ve had better tight ends,” he says, squaring his shoulders.

I roll my eyes. I so badly want to say we’ve had better quarterbacks, too, but it wouldn’t be true, and I’d just sound like a jerk.

Besides, Chance is doing a good job at showing his hand all on his own.

“Is that so?” I prop my chin on my fist and stare. I have no idea what kind of game he’s playing, but it’s obvious he’s trying something; I just haven’t figured out what.

Chance nods. “Yeah. The kid’s a loose cannon if you ask me.”

Kid?

My brows rise. He acts so fucking superior, it makes me sick. Meanwhile, he’s half the man Teagan will ever be. I only wish I could tell him so, right here, right now, in front of my parents without sounding like I’m the one in the wrong.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see my father take a bite of his food, his forehead creased in concentration. “Teagan has a lot of spirit and a damned lot of potential. He’s stumbled a bit off the field, but it’s no reason to discount him, at least not yet. If he keeps his head in the game, I think he’ll go far.”

The pleasure at the irritation sliding through Chance’s features hits me like a branding iron, hot and sharp.

I grin, knowing this wasn’t what Chance wanted to hear. But that’s the thing about my dad. He may be tough, and he may love Chance like a son, but he’s fair and more than diplomatic. In many ways, he views all of his players as his children, prides himself on shaping each and every one into not only damn good players, but also decent men.

I stab a strawberry and pop it in my mouth, feeling more than a little smug. “Did you know he has a twin sister?”

“Really?” Mom smiles over at me.

I nod. “Her name is Brynn and she goes to Ann Arbor University. She also happens to be dating one of their star receivers, Jace Taggart?”

“Taggart?” My father perks up, eyes on me.

“Yup.”

My father grunts. “He’s a hell of a player. Didn’t he play for a school in Ohio before college?”

“Yeah. Riverside. He and Teagan played on the same team. They’re best friends actually.”

“How lovely,” Mom says. “So, Teagan’s best friend is dating his sister?”

“Yeah.” A quick glance at Chance’s pinched expression and red face encourages me to go on. “He’s still good friends with a couple of guys from his old team, actually. I think it’s kind of cool,” I say, knowing Chance no longer talks toanyonefrom his high school team. The minute he got a scholarship to CU, he dropped them all like a hot potato. Kind of like when I got pregnant. “Another one plays college ball, but I forget his name. He plays for Ohio State.”

“No shit.” My father stares off into the distance. “I’ll have to check out their roster, but if he’s a freshman, I know Atlas Scott has been making a ton of headlines. They’re predicting he’ll be a first-round pick.”

“The name sounds familiar,” I say, at least I think it does. But regardless, I say it because the steam coming from Chance’s ears has me giddy.

Aw, poor Chance Lockhart isn’t the center of attention. Boo-hoo.

The fact that Chance seems to loathe Teagan so much is practically an endorsement of his character.

“What’s Teagan’s major?” Mom asks, and I give her a mental high five for prolonging the conversation.

“Education. He wants to be a high school teacher and hopes to coach football.”

Chance snorts and my father spears him a look. After all, he was a teacher until he got the gig at CU.

I smile at Chance’s blunder, wishing I had a hidden camera to capture this on film; I’d study it like one of my father’s game tapes.

“That’s wonderful.” My mother’s gaze flickers to Chance and her posture stiffens before she changes the subject.