Page 123 of Savage Heart

I’m here for Linc.

And for Lincoln.

My knuckles ache from how tightly I’m holding on to my purse. Maverick walks beside me, his hand on my back, and Linc is on my other side. People turn as we pass and stare openly. Whispers ripple through the crowd.

I breathe through it.

I grasp Linc’s hand. He’s nervous too, but there’s pride there as well. He’s wearing a jersey with Lincoln’s number . . . eighteen.

Evelyn spots us and waves. She’s several rows above Jennifer, who I wish we didn’t have to walk past.

“Linc, Iris . . . I saved your seats,” Evelyn calls, winking at me.

Jennifer stiffens and doesn’t turn our way, while Charlie and Billie exchange a look and then give me a tight smile before beaming at Linc. He waves happily and sits next to Evelyn. She turns to greet him, and he hugs her hard.

“Hey, Evy!” he says.

Another look is exchanged between the girls, and when I look at Maverick, his eyebrows are raised. It seems foolish now that I ever kept it a secret. Maybe the family would’ve gotten to know and love Linc even earlier. Grady and Cameron wave from the far end, and the players run onto the field.

Maverick takes my hand, and I try to steady my breathing. The announcer’s voice booms through the speakers, and the national anthem echoes off the bleachers as the crowd rises to its feet. Afterward, a big cheer rattles my chest, and the game begins.

It feels like halftime will never get here, but it finally does. Our old principal says a few words about Lincoln, the golden boy who left us too soon. He unveils the framed jersey, and I swallow the lump in my throat.

My hand trembles. Maverick leans closer.

“You okay?” he asks.

I nod through the tears burning my eyes.

Then Brandon steps up to the microphone, and the stadium quiets.

“My brother,” he begins, voice rough, “was larger than life. Always laughing. Always ready to have fun.”

There’s a skitter of laughter through the crowd.

“He worked harder than anyone I knew. He loved this game with a passion. He was a kind person who loved his family and his friends. And he couldn’t wait to take the world by storm as the best quarterback of all time.”

More laughter. Linc looks at me and grins.

Then Brandon stops talking, and the silence stretches until it becomes uncomfortable. He scans the crowd, eyes moving slowly . . . until they find me.

I freeze, my pulse roaring in my ears. Maverick squeezes my hand. And then Brandon’s gaze shifts to Linc, and something in him breaks.

“There’s something I need to say,” he says, voice shaking now. “Something I should’ve said a long time ago.” He swallows and looks down for a second, until he regains control. “I see my brother every time I look at his son.”

My breath catches.

“Linc looks so much like Lincoln did at that age,” Brandon continues.

Linc is as still as a statue next to me.

“So I can’t do this anymore,” Brandon says quietly. “I can’t let this lie keep hurting the people he loved.”

My stomach drops. What is he doing?

“I was the one who got to the wreck first,” Brandon says, his voice getting stronger. “Before the police. Before the ambulance.”

Jennifer stands abruptly and walks to him, crying. Brandon turns and gently grips her arm.