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We're halfway to the exit, the cold air from the outside already drafting in, when Victor's hand lightly grasps my sleeve. My heart does a little skip—not from affection, but from surprise—and I look down at his fingers, slightly rough, encircling the fabric near my wrist. Then I lift my eyes to meet his.
"Can we talk?" he says, with an intensity that almost seems out of place after the casual warmth he showed the kids.
"I need to get her home," I say, looking down at Olivia, who is rocking her body from left to right, letting her gear bag toss and turn with the movement.
"Actually, I was wondering if you'd reconsider..." Victor trails off. "Join me for breakfast tomorrow?" There's something in his gaze that makes me feel like he's not just talking about a casual breakfast.
"Breakfast?" Olivia bounces on the balls of her feet, her previous impatience forgotten. "Yes! Can we, Mom?"
I hesitate because I know what this looks like. Avery Bennett, swayed by a single gesture, sitting across from the man threatening our community's way of life. But then I see the hope flickering in Olivia's eyes, bright asthe overhead lights, and I don't have the heart to snuff it out.
"Fine," I say, mustering a smile that doesn't quite reach
my eyes. "We'll both be there."
"Great." There's a flash of something—relief?—across Victor's face before he schools it back into that practiced neutrality. "Same coffee shop, then?"
"Same coffee shop," I confirm, already steering Olivia towards the door, away from the knots of parents and echoes of victory. Away from Victor Stone and the questions swirling around him like snow in a blizzard.
"See you tomorrow, Coach!" Olivia waves over her shoulder, her excitement painting the evening in brighter hues.
"Tomorrow," he echoes, and I feel his gaze on my back long after we've stepped out into the night.
Chapter Sixteen
Avery
18 yearsold
"You can't be serious, Avery!" Grandma's voice cracks with disbelief.
I grip the edge of the kitchen counter, my knuckles turning white. "I am serious. I love Eric, and I'm moving in with him."
Grandpa's face reddens. "You're far too young for this nonsense."
"I'm eighteen," I shoot back. "And I have the money Mom and Dad left me."
The mention of my parents sends a pang through my chest. I push it down.
Grandma's eyes soften. "Sweetheart, thatmoney is for college. For your future. It's what your parents would have wanted."
Hot tears sting my eyes. "What they would have wanted doesn't matter anymore. They're gone. They left me alone."
I blink back tears, remembering the car crash that took my parents. The loneliness that's haunted me since. Eric makes that ache go away.
"Oh, Avery." Grandma reaches for me, her lined face creased with worry. "It's natural to still feel upset. But they loved you so much-"
I jerk away from her touch. "Eric loves me now. He's the only one who understands me."
Grandpa scoffs, but I ignore him.
"I'm moving in with Eric," I repeat firmly. "It's true love. You can't stop me."
My heart races as I say the words. Part of me can't believe I'm really doing this. But I have to. Eric needs me. We need each other.
"Please try to understand," I plead, but my grandparents' expressions remain stubborn.
I know they think I'm making a mistake. But they're wrong. Eric and I are meant to be together. I'll prove it to them.