Page 12

CHAPTER 12

JENNER

C amden hadn’t come to the game after I’d talked to her at Cleats & Kegs. There was no way she hadn’t been planning to, so it had to have been seeing me that changed her mind. After, I’d overheard Brooks tell Urban that their sister was at his house. She’d watched the game with Harlowe.

“Why didn’t she come?” Urban asked him. “She said she was. That’s not like her.”

Brooks shrugged as he toweled off his hair after a shower. We all had towels wrapped around our waists since we’d all just taken a shower. “Don’t know, man. Things come up, right?”

Urban eyed him suspiciously. “With the baby?”

“No. My girls are doing good. She just changed her mind, Harlowe said.”

“It has to be something more, right?” Silas asked.

“Fuck,” Brooks bit out. “I don’t know. Harlowe doesn’t tell me the shit that Camden tells her.”

“Why the fuck not?” Cobb entered the chat. “Isn’t that the point of dating your sister’s best friend?”

“No.” Brooks gave him a shove. “I’m not dating her, I’m marrying her. Because I love her, not so she’ll funnel shit to me. That’s a hard rule for her.”

“Well, that sucks.” Cobb went back to getting ready .

I wanted to tell them that they could just ask their sister what was going on but thought better of it. Staying out of the conversation was the right choice all around.

“I’m going to give her shit about bailing on us,” Urban said as he tossed his towel into his locker. “She said she was coming. She never misses when she says she’ll be here. Our sister is very reliable.”

“Why would you give her shit about it?” Brooks countered.

Urban shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe she’ll actually tell us something for once.”

“That’s true,” Cobb added. “For her being all up in all of our business, she tells us very little about hers.”

“We bring her into our shit,” Brooks told them, which was true. Up until it involved Harlowe, Camden didn’t normally stick her nose where it wasn’t wanted. “That’s the difference. And she tells us stuff. Given that she’s helping me a lot right now, I’d rather you didn’t give her shit. If you do, I’ll be on her side.”

Which meant something. He was the oldest, after all.

“Some of you need to have a cheering section.” It was everything Urban could do to hold back his laugh. None of them needed anyone to play well. We did it on the road all the time when family wasn’t there.

“Aww…” Silas slapped him on the back. “You’re upset she wasn’t there to watch me play? Are you jealous?”

“Fuck that.” He shirked off Silas’s hand. “You know Camden’s my favorite out of all you assholes. ”

“Sorry, Urban,” Silas said while shaking his head. “Camden has Harlowe’s baby to spoil now. We’re yesterday’s news.”

Urban’s eyes widened, like he was outraged. “I like to be spoiled.”

“Talk to Everly,” Cobb piped in, causing us all to chuckle. This was how it was supposed to be among this group. Each of us giving the other shit.

“You’re missing the point.” The tone of Urban’s voice was a lot like their dad’s when one of them had disappointed him. “Camden doesn’t normally change her mind out of nowhere.”

Cobb shrugged as he pulled on his jeans. “She’s in school. Maybe she decided to work on that final project she was talking about.”

“Doubt it.” Brooks pulled his shirt down over his head. “My money is on her being at my house. It’s her full-time hobby snuggling Kelsie these days. She doesn’t even mind changing diapers.”

Cobb stood, having put his shoes on and draped his arm around Urban. “I think old Urby here is just missing his fruit snacks.” The guys roared with laughter, but Urban shook his head and shrugged Cobb off of him.

“I stole her fruit snacks one time. She threw them at me. Literally. She physically chucked them at my head. It was an act of aggression, so I ate them.”

Silas rolled his eyes as I continued to get dressed myself. “That’s tough love, man. She knew you needed practice dodging baseballs. ”

That happened when they’d were kids. Camden had been maybe eight and Urban had kept asking for her fruit snacks, even though he could’ve gone into the kitchen to get his own.

“All right.” Brooks cleared his throat and when I looked over, he was ready to go. Already had his bag over his shoulder and everything. “Let’s get outta here or we’ll be here all night trying to figure Camden out. If any of you want to ask her what changed her mind, go for it. But she’ll only tell you what she wants you to know.”

Luckily, I wasn’t worried because she wouldn’t tell any of her brothers that I was the one who’d changed her mind. Not that that had been my intention.

After we all finished up, we walked out together. I assumed they were all going home to their women, but I didn’t ask. I went home to an empty house, which was how I preferred it right now. I’d spent too long drowning out the memory of what had happened with random women and even though I didn’t want to be stuck with the memory, I also didn’t want to keep going the way I had been. Especially since it was part of what had Camden hating me.

In bed that night, as I stared at the ceiling, those memories came flooding in the way they had been more recently. I was restless and restless nights were the worst. Hell, the memories were part of the reason I wanted Camden to not hate me so fucking much.

We’d been celebrating that night. Silas and I had just been drafted the day before. It was a warm July night, exactly the kind of night you wanted when you were celebrating. We’d spent all day at his parents’ pool. Everyone had been there. People from high school, teammates from college.

They’d all been saying they’d known both of us would be drafted that year and most of them had known they wouldn’t be. Everyone was excited. The beer was flowing, though neither Silas nor I had had more than one at that point. Us being drunk had been the reason Amity’s brother, Jayce, had come out to pick us up the night he’d been killed.

We were really fucking careful after that.

Camden came up to me like she had something important to say, though her face was kind of hard, like she was already annoyed. She was wearing a coverup over her bathing suit and as far as I could tell, she hadn’t gotten in the pool at all. I had on swim trunks and a T-shirt. A woman from my college had just run her hand down my chest. That had potential for later, I’d thought.

“What if I told you that I love you?” she asked as she fiddled with the two charms on her bracelet, which made me bust out with a loud laugh. Their entire family loved me and I loved them. We’d grown up together. It was normal, but her face went red with anger. “You’re laughing at me.”

“It just surprised me, is all,” I explained. “Everyone loves me, Camden. They just don’t feel the need to tell me.”

Her nostrils flared as her arms swept wide. “Could you try to not be an asshole with this? ”

I shrugged. “I can try, but it probably won’t work.”

She raised her chin and glared at me. “I’m being serious here, Jenner, and it’s not really easy for me. Telling someone how you feel is hard.”

My mouth fell open and my skin tingled as my heart sped up. Fuck. She was serious. “Yeah, it is.” I scratched at the back of my head because I didn’t know what to do here. She was my best friend’s little sister. There was no chance Silas would be remotely happy to hear his sister had a thing for me.

Not to mention, Camden would always be a relationship person. Knowing her meant knowing that she wouldn’t be down for a quick fuck to only go back to normal the next day. And it could hurt my relationship with her brothers.

Not to mention she was seventeen damn years old.

Since the day I’d found the woman I’d loved riding another man in the back of a car, I’d vowed to never let myself care about anyone like that. Sure, we were in high school, but my feelings for her had been as real as they could have been.

“You’re being serious, aren’t you?” I asked. She nodded her head. “Listen, Camden,” I said uneasily. If I handled this wrong, it would fuck up my life in more ways than I could count. “I don’t see you that way.”

She narrowed her eyes. “At all?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. You’re just my best friend’s little sister. I care about you, of course, but if you’re looking for something more… You’re looking at the wrong person. I wouldn’t do that to Silas. ”

“To Silas,” she bit out through clenched teeth. “You wouldn’t do that to Silas ?”

“I wouldn’t . He’s my best friend. Besides, you know I don’t do relationships and I think you’re a relationship person. I could never be with you.”

“You don’t want to be with me is what you’re saying.”

“I mean, yeah, I guess so.”

“But you haven’t said that you don’t have feelings for me,” she countered and fuck, she was right. “I swear the last year—”

I cut her off. “Just being friendly.” Which was a damned lie. “Besides, I’m too old for you. You should be interested in someone in school.”

“But I’m not.”

This wasn’t going the way I’d hoped. In my mind, I’d say a few things and she’d get the hint. We couldn’t be together. It wasn’t going to happen no matter how much anyone wanted it to. My words weren’t working so that meant, I had to ramp it up.

“Well, I don’t know what the fuck to tell you, then. Get over it because whatever you’re thinking will never happen. Maybe four years’ age difference doesn’t seem like a lot, but we’re in different fucking worlds.”

“You’re kind of being an asshole.” She wasn’t wrong. I was walking a fine line here between pushing her away but not saying anything that would make her brother want to fuck me up. I mean, I’d fight him if I had to, but Silas was like my brother and I didn’t want to .

Her face was red with anger. Fuck. What did she expect? That she’d tell me her feelings and I’d jump on her right here in front of everyone? Couldn’t do that. Even if I did have feelings, they were wrong to have when I knew that I’d never be the kind of man that she should have.

We went back and forth and I didn’t remember everything that was said, but I’d bet my contract that she did. I’d been young and stupid and trying to make sure she wouldn’t entertain even the idea of me.

But I did remember what had happened after that.

Camden had been pissed. She probably wouldn’t have been as angry if she’d believed me when I’d said I’d actually felt nothing romantic toward her, but she’d been right. The year before that, we’d talked a lot and had gotten closer than we had been. I would’ve said I’d been her friend then instead of just her brother’s best friend. Yeah, if I would’ve been more convincing, she would’ve been OK. Not happy, but she hadn’t been such a spoiled brat to think that just because she’d liked someone they had to like her back.

That was when I knew I was fucked when it came to Camden Briggs.

At first, she’d backed away from me slowly. Most women her age might’ve started to cry, but not her. She had just been pissed. Probably thought I’d played with her emotions, which now as a twenty-two-year-old, she thought all ballplayers did.

It was my fault she felt like that.

But then she’d turned away .

When Camden ran from me, I watched from where I was but didn’t follow. That would’ve sent the wrong message. That is, until I saw her disappear in the treeline. Hell no. I wasn’t going to stand here while she was out in the wooded area alone. Who the fuck knew what was going on out there. It wasn’t on her parents’ property, but it was close and I wouldn’t put it past some of the people here to be out there, drunk, fucking against a tree.

So I went after her. Slowly at first so no one would notice. I was stopped by a few people talking about how great it was that I was drafted and of course talking about the big payday because that shit usually ended up in the news cycle. Hell, anyone could Google my signing bonus.

Once I was through the party, she was gone. Nowhere in sight, so I headed for the trees. That was the only way she could disappear like that and I happened to know that she hated this area, especially at night.

I’d just stepped into the trees when a shrill scream released into the air.

Fuck. That was Camden. No one at the party would hear it because of the music, but my heart pounded against my chest and my palms began to sweat from adrenaline and I took off in a run. It was dark as hell with the trees blocking out the moon, but I didn’t care.

I had to get to her.

It wasn’t until I heard the crying and calling that I had any idea where the sound had come from. She was like a wounded animal begging for help. Still, I ran until I almost tripped over her and I fell to my knees.

Oh, fuck, I thought.

She was on the ground. Blood pouring from her chest. A branch, about as thick as her arm sticking out just below her shoulder and another one—smaller—just below her ribs on the right side.

The air sucked out of my chest.

What should I do? It was like I’d just been punched in the stomach.

She cried and tried to talk, but the words weren’t coming out. Just sounds. Sounds I’d never forget.

I yanked my shirt off and wrapped it around the wound that was bleeding the most. Crimson liquid soaked it quickly and my hands. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Quickly, I used one hand for pressure, the other to dig into my pocket and pull out my phone so I could call for help.

I didn’t even remember the call or how I’d told them where we were.

The sounds coming from her broke my heart. When she’d passed out, once I’d made sure she was still alive, it had almost been a relief for both of us. The pain had been too much.

It took the paramedics forever to show up. Each minute felt like a year. Forever to me because I’d been trying to keep as much blood inside her as I could. But it wasn’t working.

When we’d gotten to the ambulance, I’d hopped in without thinking about it. No chance in hell I’d send her to the hospital alone. Fuck. That was when I’d remembered that I needed to call her brothers, which I did from the ambulance. Only called one. Silas. He could take care of the rest.

At the hospital, they’d whisked her away without telling me anything and her brothers busted through the doors shortly after.

“What happened?” Silas demanded as he glanced from me to the doors Camden had just disappeared behind.

I was just in my swim trunks. Tennis shoes because I hadn’t gone into the water yet and no shirt. My hands were covered in blood and I found out later so was my chest and some of my hair because I’d run my fingers through it with worry.

But I’d known even then that I couldn’t tell them what had happened. I hadn’t realized it when we’d been in the woods, but that moment in the hospital, it was like whatever Camden had been trying to say finally became clear.

Don’t tell anyone why…

Don’t tell anyone why she’d been in the woods. That had been a concern for her and I wouldn’t. If I did, a fight would break out in the hospital right now, which wasn’t what she needed. Camden could tell them later.

So I’d told my version. That I’d found her there. I’d heard a scream.

None of it was a lie, but it also wasn’t the entire truth and that was a chance I’d have to take.

I’d pushed Camden away from me that night for her own good. The Briggs brothers were protective and it was easy to see why. Camden was kind with a big heart. If she got hurt, it would change her.

I’d changed her that night.

Silas sure as hell wouldn’t have wanted me with her then. As my best friend—basically brothers—we knew a lot about each other. I’d needed that found family as a kid. It was the first time my mom had cancer and they’d made sure that hadn’t become my life. My mom hadn’t wanted it to even when they hadn’t been sure she’d make it.

Even when I’d been tested for the genetic condition she had… the guys were there for me.

It was clear that I was blaming myself for her accident the same way that Silas blamed himself for Jayce’s accident, but there was one big difference.

Camden’s accident had been my fault. Jayce’s hadn’t been Silas’s. If I hadn’t said those things to her—tried to crush her just enough that she’d hate me a little—she wouldn’t have gone running.

At the time, I’d needed her to hate me a little. I hadn’t known I’d been creating a monster that wouldn’t want to be in the same room with me even all these years later.

Yet all this time of her hating me hadn’t changed my feelings for her because she’d been right. In another world, her telling me that she was in love with me would’ve been the answer to a prayer. It had just taken me five years to realize that I could be the kind of man she needed.

Now I wondered if it was time to tell Silas everything.