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“You like this girl, don’t you?” Mom murmurs. It’s not a question. She can see it. Feel it.
“I do.” My chest gets tight just thinking about Willow. “I hate how he talked to her. And about her.”
“It wasn’t right,” Mom agrees. “I like seeing you rush to her defense. How protective you feel. Reminds me of your father. He was the same way. Still is.”
“I’m what?” Dad asks, approaching us. “The love of your life?”
“Yes, that’s true, but you’ve always been very protective of me.” Mom circles her arm through Dad’s, leaning her head on his shoulder. “And I’ve always loved that.”
“I protect what’s mine,” Dad says, his gaze sliding to me. “I’m guessing you’re feeling the same way about that girl?”
Mom lightly slaps his arm. “She’s not just that girl. Her name is Willow.”
“I care about her, yeah,” I say, my throat thick with a weird emotion. I swallow it down, rubbing at my chest. “I care about her a lot.”
“Have you told her that?” Mom asks.
“No.” I’m a little uncomfortable talking about this—about Willow. Maybe because I never really have yet. “It feels too early.”
“It’s never too early,” Mom says. “If you feel a certain way about her, you should tell her.”
“Are you for real right now?” Dad asks, sending her a questioning look. “You were always trying to push me away at first.”
“You scared me with your big feelings and I didn’t know how to tell my family we were seeing each other.” Mom shrugs. “It’s mostly Jake’s fault. I didn’t want to make him mad.”
“Motherfucker,” Dad mutters, shaking his head. His so-called rivalry with my uncle is family legend. They still play it up all these years later and I think it’s kind of hilarious.
“Look, I’ll talk to Willow when it feels right,” I tell my parents. “That might be soon. That might be later. I’m not sure yet.”
“Don’t wait too long,” Dad says, his demeanor turning serious. “Listen to your mom. It’s better to be straight up from the start than keep things from her. What if you miss your chance?”
His words send a streak of terror through me and I stand up straighter, having a total realization. “I’m not about to lose my chance with Willow.”
Dad smiles, and for a second there, I feel like I’m looking into a mirror. “That’s my boy.”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Willow
It’s after school and I’m doing something I’ve never done before.
Going to football practice.
Thankfully, I’m not going alone. Iris is tagging along because of course she is. She and Brooks are basically out as a couple. He sat with us at lunch today and they walked to classes together holding hands. If that isn’t telling the world that you’re together, I don’t know what is.
I wish Rhett and I could do that. Maybe we will here soon. He needs to show up for class though first.
One step at a time, I guess.
We climb the bleachers and sit about halfway up, right on the fifty-yard line. There aren’t as many girls here as there were when school first started and I’m relieved. I don’t want to fight for attention amongst the Rhett Bennett fan club, but I do have the advantage of being the only girl he’s interested in, so I try my best to remember that.
Even if there are a couple of girls surrounding us who are cheering him on. I can’t get mad or jealous.
Okay, I’m not mad, but I am the teeniest bit jealous.
Iris kicks back, propping her arms and back onto the bench above us and stretching her long legs out as she keeps her gaze focused on the field. “I can’t believe I’m dating Brooks Crosby. I used to draw monster pictures with crayon in elementary school and then name them Brooks.”
I burst out laughing. “You did not.”
