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Thirty Five

Hailey

“It’s not that simple,” I groaned, burying my face in my hands. My usually very reasonable, perfect boyfriend had suddenly turned into a stubborn donkey.

“Of course it’s that simple. We’re a team. A team supports each other.” He defiantly crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, well, for that to work, both sides of the team have to bring more or less the same amount to the table. Can’t you see just how out of balance we are when it comes to that?” I tried to appeal to his common sense. We had been going around in circles for what felt like an hour, neither of us willing to budge.

“Funny, a few days ago, you would have brought more to the table, and it wasn’t an issue then.”

I jerked my head back, my eyebrows raised. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Colt scoffed. “It’s pretty obvious. When people looked at us, they wonder why you slummed it with me. You’re beautiful, smart, kind, and rich.”

“Was rich,” I corrected with a sardonic tone.

“Why is that the salient point? In every other category, you’re still miles out of my league.”

“Because I know I’m going to be labeled a gold digger. I wasn’t always rich. I know how normal people think. They’ll think I knew about all that shit with my dad and latched onto you like a leech.” I punched my fist into my palm, but judging by the way the corners of his mouth twitched, the gesture probably didn’t have the desired effect.

“So what?”

“So, I don’t want them to think that. I don’t want it to taint our relationship. I don’t want anyone to think I’m with you for any reason other than you’re great, and I genuinely want to be.”

“You’re cute, but haven’t you always told me it doesn’t matter what other people think? To me, you’re the only thing that matters.”

I was melting inside, but I had to remain unyielding on the outside. I couldn’t lose this battle. “Can’t you just do it for me? I want to make it on my own. I’m not saying that I won’t accept any help from you, because that would just be stupid, but I won’t let you pay for my education.”

Groaning, he let his head slump back against the wall. “Then what am I allowed to help you with?”

“I wouldn’t mind having a new roommate next semester,” I said with a wink, and his eyes immediately lit up.

“Really?”

“Really. I might not be able to pay half the rent, but I’ll pay what I can. ”

His face fell. “And what if I’m not here anymore?”

My brows drew together, and I tilted my head. “What are you talking about? You still have a—”

“The draft …” He interrupted me, with an apologetic expression. “I’ve been considering declaring early.”

“The draft,” I breathed. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. I’d always assumed we’d have more than a full year of college together. Why had I never given the draft a second thought? Did I want a long-distance relationship?

“Before your mind goes into overdrive, I need you to know that I’d want you to go with me. No matter who picks me, I’d only go if you were willing to come with me.”

My breath caught in my throat, and my heart felt like it wanted to burst out of my chest. “You’re completely insane. Of course you’ll go if someone picks you.”

“Yeah” — he grinned — “if you come with me, that is.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Deadly serious.” His expression was one of no-compromise.

For a moment, there was nothing I could do but stare at him with my mouth hanging open.

“You’d put your whole future on hold for me?”

He jutted his chin forward. “I was willing to do it when shit went down with your father, so I’m damn well willing to do it now.”

“You can’t be serious.” My voice was no more than a squeak, and I wasn’t sure if it was out of frustration or disbelief that I could be so important to someone.

“Hailey” — his expression softened — “you don’t get it, I’d put everything on hold for you. If it means waiting for you to be ready, I’d sit out the draft, delay my career, whatever it takes. None of it means anything without you. The NFL isn’t my future — you are.”

My world came to a complete standstill, my heart stopped, and my thoughts spun out of control. To realize Colt was willing to do anything for me, to realize I played such an incredibly significant role in the life of someone who was just as important to me …

It felt like I was being blown into a trillion atomic particles, then put back together again. Altered at the molecular level. I thought my feelings for Colt had reached their peak, but I guess there were still new summits to scale.

I lunged at him so fast he had trouble catching me in time despite his incredible reflexes. Stunned, he looked down at me as I tugged at his neck to make him bend his head toward me.

“I’ll go anywhere with you,” I promised, then pressed my lips to his in an intimate, passionate kiss, to which he responded with a moan as his large arms wrapped around me.

“But you’re still not paying for my education.” I pulled away from him. “And I’m going to work no matter where we end up. Got it?”

“Got it.” The grin on his face couldn’t be bigger, and he swooped down again to capture my lips in another kiss.

***

I stood on the sidelines, pom-poms in hand, but my focus was on the field. The chaos of practice faded as I watched the football coach’s expression darken, his voice cutting through the noise. “Nico! My office. Now.”

Nico sauntered over, trying to maintain his cocky smirk, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. I was ready for justice .

As Nico followed the older man, I caught a glimpse of Colt. He looked tense, like a coiled spring, but there was a glimmer of determination in his gaze. This was the moment we’d been waiting for. Nico had brought this on himself, and I felt a dark satisfaction settle in my stomach.

Minutes felt like hours as I tried to concentrate on the cheers and stunts, but all I could think about was what was going on in the coach’s office. Finally, the door to the locker room swung open and out stepped Nico, his face drained of color. Gone was the swagger; he looked like a kid who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“What the hell happened?” one of the other players yelled, but Nico didn’t answer. He was practically marching toward the locker room, his fists clenched tightly against his sides.

I glanced back at Coach, who was standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable but fierce. Whatever conversation they had just had was serious. A wave of satisfaction washed over me. He deserved to be held accountable for the things he’d done, and I was pleased to know Colt was finally getting some revenge for Nico’s part in this.

A thrill ran through me as I looked back to the spot where Nico had disappeared into the locker room. This was a turning point — Nico had messed with the wrong people, and now he was about to find out how serious the consequences could be.

As I watched the players begin their drills again, I couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope.

One down, one to go.