Page 25

CARSON

Today has been a total bust. Concentrating in class was nearly impossible, and then practice, which usually isn’t so bad unless I’m detained for extra work, sucked.

The coaches ran us ragged, and we don’t even have a fucking game this weekend.

We get like two weekends off the entire season, and today they acted as if we were prepping for a playoff final.

I don’t know what the fuck their problem was.

Unless Coach Jones has found out about Nylah and me and he’s punishing the whole team.

There is no Nylah and you. Just shut up and stop thinking!

See, that’s the problem.

I can’t stop thinking. No matter what I try, I can’t stop thinking about Sunday afternoon in that theater… and then the way I just took off and let her face the firing squad on her own.

Standing in that alley, wondering if her parents had spotted us together, was torture. I felt like a complete douche. And then I couldn’t take it anymore and snuck around the corner, back onto the street to check on Nylah. But she was gone, and so were her parents.

I didn’t have her number or anything, so all I could do was jump on my bike and ride home.

The house was quiet when I got back. Tyrell was in the living room reading a book. He told me everyone had left and Zoey was upstairs napping.

“Sienna and Zander probably are too.” Tyrell snickered. “They looked exhausted.”

I snuck up to my room, closing the door as quietly as I could and then forcing myself to try and get some studying done.

I don’t know why. I never usually study, but I needed to distract myself.

It didn’t work, so after an hour of failing to finish my assignment, I watched movies on my laptop until I fell asleep.

And now I’m sitting on the couch, scrolling through Netflix and wondering how I’m gonna distract myself tonight.

I should just go to Offside, but I’m not in the mood.

Wily’s out. Tyrell and Grady are playing chess in the den—boring!

And I don’t know what the fuck Zander and Sienna are gonna do with the kid.

She hasn’t come near me today. Not sure why, but she’s been kind of clingy with Sienna.

This guy named Baxter was here this afternoon, apparently.

He brought his kid with him, and Zoey and I-don’t-know-his-name screamed the house down playing chase, then pirates, then firefighters, then tag.

I heard Sienna talking about it with Wily.

I bet that kid wore poor Zoey out, and now she’s overtired and grizzly.

I wonder if he’ll come over every time Baxter does. Oh joy.

The builder is gonna be renovating the garage.

Zander spoke with the landlord last night, and he was happy with the idea as long as it didn’t cost him anything.

I wasn’t part of the discussion, but if I had been, I would have told him to stop being a dick.

Zander will be moving out of the house after he graduates, and the landlord will then have his room plus the garage space to rent for money…

and he’s not gonna help finance that? Asshole.

Zander was too excited about getting permission that he didn’t even question it, and between his parents and Sienna’s parents, they’re gonna cover the costs.

So, Baxter is onto it and no doubt stoked that he’s got a decent gig to keep him busy.

Now I just have to adjust to the fact that there’ll be building noises and extra people wandering around the house over the coming weeks.

I should be irritated by this, but I’m not because it means I won’t have to live with a toddler anymore.

I mean, sort of. They’ll still be sharing the kitchen, but Zoey won’t be sleeping just a door away from me, which means I can bring chicks home and watch any movie I fucking want on the big TV downstairs again.

Bring chicks home? my brain taunts as I think about the only chick I want up in my bed right now and how that’s an impossible scenario.

Fuck!

There’s a knock at the door, and Zander calls down the stairs. “Can someone get that? It’s the babysitter.”

What the fuck?

Standing with a frown, I shuffle to the door, immediately formulating an escape plan. I could just go for a long ride. That’ll use up some time, and maybe I could find a bar a town or two over and watch some football or play some pool or?—

My plans disintegrate the second I open the door.

Nylah’s standing on the porch, looking pretty damn sexy in her yoga pants and baggy Nolan U Cougars sweater. Her lips are glossy, and whatever shit she put on her eyes is making them look big and beautiful.

Holy fuck. Does she have to be so gorgeous?

And then my slow-ass brain registers that she’s standing outside my front door, and I’m flooded with a rush of panic. “What are you doing here?”

She can’t come and see me like this. Is she crazy? People will talk. The guys on my team will find out. I’ll?—

“I’m babysitting.”

“No, you’re not.”

She gives me an amused smirk. “Ah, yes, I am.”

“You can’t. Are you crazy? You can’t be here. The guys on the team will find out.”

“About what?” She gives me a confused frown, which I seriously don’t think is genuine. There’s this glint in her eye like my snappy warnings are more funny than serious.

I grit my teeth and whisper-bark, “About us.”

Tipping her head, she raises her right eyebrow at me and asks, “What us? I mean, is there an us?”

My shoulders slump and I dip my chin. “Come on. Your parents were just across the street. I was doing you a favor.”

Her look remains dry and unimpressed as she slips past me into the house. “You really need to work on your goodbyes, champ.”

“Lame,” I automatically reply.

She snickers. “And I wasn’t even trying, Houdini.”

“Still lame.”

Narrowing her eyes, she mock-glares up at me as I close the front door. “Okay, fine, you pansy-ass bailer.”

“Ooo.” I hiss. “And the claws come out.”

“You deserve a little scratching,” she mutters. “And not the fun, sexy kind.” The tip of her tongue pokes out the side of her mouth, and all I want to do is grab her face and taste her again.

I want fun and sexy with her.

Shit, I want it so fucking bad.

Which means I need to get out of here.

“Oh yay. You’re here.” Sienna comes skipping down the stairs, looking gorgeous in a blue dress that has this tie thing around her waist and a V-neck that shows off her very decent rack.

I avert my gaze and watch Nylah’s face as she nods and listens to Sienna’s instructions.

“Zoey’s been a little fussy since dinner.

Not sure why, but she didn’t devour her food like she normally would.

I think she’s overtired after her playdate with her little buddy Kai this afternoon.

Plus, we had a full-on weekend, and yesterday was hectic as well.

” Sienna’s expression wrinkles. “We’re still keeping a close eye on her after what happened, so if anything goes wrong, please?—”

“She’s gonna be fine.” Nylah smiles at her. “You need to go out and enjoy a date with your man. Don’t worry about Zoey. I’ve got three younger siblings, and I’ve been babysitting for years. This is gonna be a breeze. But I promise I’ll call you if I think she needs you.”

Sienna relaxes. “Zander told me you’d be gold. Thank you.”

“Her dad told me she’d be gold.” Zander appears on the stairs, carrying Zoey, who’s snuggled up against his chest in her pink-and-purple dinosaur pajamas.

She’s looking uncharacteristically unsure of herself, so I give her a closed-mouth smile when she glances at me.

But all she does is blink and squeeze her toy elephant tighter to her side.

“Hey, Zoey.” Nylah smiles at her. “I’m Nylah. Your daddy plays on my daddy’s football team.”

She doesn’t say anything, just looks at her new babysitter like she’s trying to suss her out.

“It’s okay, lil’ bug.” Sienna rubs her back. “Nylah’s gonna read you a book, then get you all snuggled up in bed, okay? Daddy and I will be back when you wake up.”

Zoey nods but clings to Zander when he tries to pass her to Nylah.

“It’s okay, Zo. I’ll be here too.”

What the fuck? Why did I just say that?

Zander’s eyebrows jump high. “You’re not going out?”

“I don’t have any plans. I can kick around here if that’s… you know… helpful.” My eyes dart to Nylah, who’s fighting a grin. Dammit, she’s totally gonna give us away.

What us?

Fuck, that question burns.

“Whatever you want, man.” Zander nods while Sienna takes Zoey into her arms and steps toward Nylah to have a whispered conversation with her.

Zander moves around his woman and stands beside me. “Tyrell and Grady are heading out soon, so it’ll just be you and the babysitter.”

“Okay,” I rasp, my heart starting to thunder.

“So, be nice to her, or stay out of her way, okay?”

“Of course I’ll be nice to her.” I frown at him.

He gives me a skeptical look, then shrugs and mumbles, “Okay, man,” before stepping forward and resting his hand on Sienna’s lower back. “Time to go, Sparky.”

“Yeah, okay.” Sienna kisses Zoey’s cheek one more time. “Love you, lil’ bug.”

“Lalu, Mommy.”

“I’ll give you a kiss when I get home, okay? Even if you’re sleeping.”

Zoey’s lips tug into a small smile. “’Kay.”

“And so will I.” Zander steps around Sienna, giving Zoey a raspberry. His little girl giggles and squirms in Nylah’s arms, then waves goodbye as her parents leave.

But then the door clicks shut and her eyes get kind of big and glassy.

Oh shit. Is she gonna cry?

“So, Miss Zoey Bird, what do you want to do?” Nylah grins at her. “I’ve got some books in my bag if you want to read something new.”

Zoey eyes her up again.

“I brought some of my favorites. Like Dr. Seuss.”

“Geen eggs ham?” Zoey’s voice pitches with enthusiasm.

“You know that one? Wow. And you know it’s a Dr. Seuss book. You are one clever little peanut, aren’t you?”

Zoey smiles and dips her chin, obviously loving the compliment.

“I also bought A Fly Went By because that’s like the best book ever.”

Zoey’s interest is piqued, but then her nose wrinkles. “Geen eggs ham.”

“You want that one first?”

Zoey nods again.

“Okay, well, do you wanna show me your room and maybe we can read in there?”

Pointing up the stairs, Zoey guides Nylah up to her room while I stay on the landing, telling myself to leave but knowing there’s not a chance in hell I’m going anywhere.

I can hear Nylah’s voice floating down from Zander’s room, and it’s got this sweet singsong quality.

Damn, she’s good with kids and sounds so adorable as she puts on voices and makes Zoey giggle.

I just stand there like an idiot, straining to hear her read stories and resisting the urge to climb the stairs so I can spy on her.

“What are you doing, bruh?” Tyrell’s deep voice nearly makes me jump out of my skin.

“Uh… nothing. What the fuck, man?”

“What?” He softly laughs at me as he pulls on his boots.

“Where are you going?” I lean against the railing, trying to look casual and relaxed. Shit, I probably look like an idiot.

“Study group.” He grabs his jacket as Grady wanders in from the kitchen.

He’s reaching for his shoes as well.

I shove my hands into my pockets, feeling agitated for reasons I can’t explain. “You got a date with Teah?”

“I wish.” He snorts as he ties his Skechers. “Nah, I’ve got a tutoring session with that new freshman running back.”

“Stainton?”

“Yeah. Poor kid can’t read for shit. He’s really struggling, and you know Coach is all about excellence in all areas of life.

I’m just helping him go through the playbook tonight, and I might proofread an essay for him too.

It’s no doubt full of mistakes. He’s bright, just got some processing issues. ”

“Dyslexia?” Tyrell asks.

“Yeah, and some other stuff too.” Grady follows our roommate out the door, and they keep chatting while I stand there watching them go and becoming hyperaware that Zoey’s about to go to sleep and Nylah and I will have the house to ourselves.

Maybe we can finish what we started on Sunday afternoon… if I can convince her that my disappearing act was for her sake as much as mine.