Page 85 of Let You Love Me

“No,” she insists. “I asked him.” She crosses her arms over her chest, fighting so hard against the wobble in her voice. “Please, Mom, he’s my bestest friend. And he’ll lose without it.”

My ribs crack open, heart exposed.

If I didn’t want Sophie to get attached, I failed.

A sob rips through her throat, and tears slide down her cheeks.

With a groan, I place my head in my hands, debating on what to do. If we take the bracelet to him where the buses pick them up, someone might see us, and the last thing I want to do is get him in trouble with my father. Even though I’d be willing to clear the air, I’m not sure I’d have the time before they leave for the game.

But Sophie is clearly devastated, and I’d be lying if I said a small part of me didn’t want to see him. Part of me wants to look him in the eyes after last night, to make sure nothing has changed between us. As crazy as it sounds, over these the past few weeks, Teagan’s friendship has come to mean something to me—hemeans something to me—and I don’t want that to change because in the moment we’d gotten carried away.

Sophie hangs her head, swiping at her tear-streaked cheeks as I glance at the time on my phone. “If we hurry, we might catch him.” I sigh.

“Really?” She blinks up at me, and the silvery tracks from her tears shine on the apples of her cheeks.

I nod. “But I can’t guarantee it. We could be too late.”

The sky overhead is cloudy and gray as we make our way to the stadium.

Sophie sits in the back seat, chattering incessantly the entire way. When I pull into the parking lot and peer up at the massive bus, I can see the silhouettes from within, which means they’ve already boarded.

Shit. How the hell am I going to get this to him without making a scene?

“It might be too late, honey,” I say, my voice trembling from nerves.

“Nuh uh, Mommy, I see him. Right there!” She points to the tinted windows of the bus, and sure enough, I catch Teagan’s profile toward the back.

Double shit.

A cursory glance around the lot tells me my father has yet to arrive because his red sports car is nowhere in sight. Maybe if I hurry . . .

“Okay,” I say, biting my lip. “But let me text him and tell him we’re here.”

I grab my phone from the cup holder of the car and open my contacts, find his name, and start to type out a quick text.

Me: Hey, I’m here at the school. Sophie wanted me to bring you something. Any way you can meet me outside the bus?

I hit send and watch as he glances down at something in his hands before his head whips up and he searches the lot beside the bus, easily finding us.

I offer him a little wave, then wait as he drops his head once more.

Teagan: Be right there.

He rises from his seat, seemingly pausing to talk to someone halfway down the aisle, and then he disappears from sight as he dismounts the steps on the other side.

Opening my car door, I step out and start walking for the bus at the same time Teagan comes into view, and my brain bursts into flames. Teagan in a football uniform is hot, but Teagan in a suit is a sight to behold.

The black suit coat stretches perfectly across his broad shoulders, somehow amplifying his athletic build. A crisp white shirt and blue tie draw my eyes for a classic look. Everything about him is polished, masculine, and completely sexy. The only thing remotely out of place are the rebellious curls mussed atop his head.

Feeling paranoid, I glance back up at the bus, and any hopes I had that his teammates might not notice our little exchange vanish as more than a dozen faces turn in our direction, watching Teagan’s approach.

“Hey,” Teagan murmurs, drawing my attention.

His sapphire gaze melts into mine, stealing all my reservations. Suddenly, we’re the only two in this parking lot, the only people on the planet.

I clear my throat, remembering why I’m here, and reach out, offering him the bracelet. “Sophie insisted you have this for your game. She said it’s your good luck charm, and she was quite adamant.”

He smiles and turns it over in his hands with a chuckle. “She asked me if I had a good luck charm, then made me put my numbers on this one but she said it was for her.”