Steeling Her: A Romance Novel

Carter

As we all sit and watch the game like everyone else in the stadium, we cheer each of them on. The more excitement there is, the louder our cheers become.

My dad and brother tend to be the worst out of all of us. Even when my dad coaches the opposition, you can always see him smiling when my brothers make a clean pass or skillful touchdown. He’s their number one supporter, without a doubt. He has a lot of pride for the two when they hit the field. There is no denying it.

“Come on, son!” my dad roars at Chris, who is not having a great day. He’s missed a few passes, and he knows he’s not playing well. Out of my brothers, Chris is the hardest on himself when things don’t go his way. Chris was never into school and education, so he knows he doesn’t have much to fall back on, which is added pressure for him.

I know he could always go back to school in the future, but everyone in my family knows that it’s not likely to happen. But there is one thing that he’s confident in: Chris is extremely talented in what he does. Nobody can deny it, some say he’s the best in his position. Ever.

That’s a huge compliment. I’ve even heard my dad say it to my mom about how much of a talent he is to watch. He’s a phenomenon. My dad is very proud of him, and you can see it every time he watches him play on the field, but he would keep that to himself. Chris’ head is already big enough with his ego.

“Come on, Chris!” Danielle mutters under her breath as she watches her partner miss another chance on the field to take the team ahead. He’s not functioning properly today. He’s not his usually self. Whatever it is today, he’s off and he knows it.

“Send it down the line!” My dad stands up out of his seat as we watch Nick holding on to the ball and seeing who is open. “Launch it!” he yells again to get Nick to listen to him. The likelihood of Nick hearing him is very slim. We are close to the field, but there are thousands screaming in this stadium right now. I’d say he can barely hear himself think right now. “Come on!” my dad repeats himself. Just as Chris makes another break and my dad shoots up out of his seat, Nick pulls his arm back to send my brother the ball. Just as it leaves Nick’s hand, Chris is nearing the end zone. “Jesus Christ,” my dad whispers in awe as we all watch the ball soar through in the air. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Austin throw from that far. If he has, he’s never been accurate enough or made it, but as soon as that ball leaves Nick’s grip, I knew it has the momentum behind it to reach my brother. It’s accurate enough too.

Hence, why my dad cursed. I don’t think he’s ever seen anything like it. There was so much strength and power behind that throw, I don’t think we’ve seen that one in a long time.

“Last time I saw a throw like that was in the eighties; Vincent Waldorf.” My dad keeps his eye on Nick even though his son gets the touchdown. The crowd erupts in a mountain of cheer. Taylor screams in happiness in her mom’s arms. She begins to scream for her dad because he finally got some points on the board. TJ has been doing all the work up until now.

My dad hasn’t sat down nor has he acknowledged the fact that the team has scored. He’s still staring at Nick, who hasn’t joined in on the celebrations. He’s just getting himself back into position and is waiting for his team to join him. He withdraws himself from the cheers and gets back into the game. He used to not be like that. If anything, he would be instigating the celebrations.

“Rodger?” my mom calls from him. He finally takes his eyes away from Nick and looks to the voice calling for him. “You okay?” she asks as soon as their eyes meet.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He nods and flicks his attention to me momentarily before taking his seat between my mom and Danielle with Taylor in her arms.

I don’t know what that was about. I don’t know why he was all of a sudden invested in Nick for those moments when there was a huge comeback underway; one his son started when he got his momentum back.

***

Nick

I can feel my chest rapidly moving up and down as I catch my breath from the quick run that I did to get the ball in the air for the boys. If I see an open man, you can be sure as hell that I will launch the ball at him.

I’ve learned that I won’t always have TJ on the team. He was my go-to man, the one I could always count on. I knew his style inside and out; it was what I was comfortable with. It was a familiar routine. Until we got drafted for different teams, then I had to adjust my game to suit the team I was on and not for my best friend anymore.

It took a while, but I had a great personal coach to help me focus on the teammate and to identify their traits on the field. It doesn’t happen overnight like I thought it would. It took time, and a hell of a lot of patience too.

I learned how to identify the trigger points of reading a person as I went on. I read a person’s game through their style of play, getting a feel for their signature and reading their body language on the field. It’s helping me work my way up the ladder.

I was slow to it at the beginning, but now, I find myself doing it off the field without even realizing it.

Now all my games are a rush. I have to pace myself if I want to be the best. Beating the best means beating the older Steel. Being the best quarterback in the game means I need to up my own game. Being the best means you have to beat the current best, and that’s Austin Steel.

Football is my life now. I train every single day. I have a team of people helping me out and keeping me focused and on target. We’re getting to the point where I could become number one, but I have to prove myself on the stage.

The field is my stage.

We call the play to get everyone on the same page. In agreement, everyone puts themselves into their positions. In a flash, the ball is snapped back to me and I hold off until I can see a free Lawson, who is trying his best to rush down the field. Two problems: one, he won’t make it in time as I have an opposing player running after me with no blocker to help right now; and two, I need to launch it now or run alone down the field. I take that option and dodge the player, pushing him off and making a break alone. I had no other option. No man is free for me to pass to right now, and the clock is ticking. You must abuse the seconds and use them to your advantage.

Keep moving forward.

I listen to my breathing growing harsher and harsher as I run towards the one place that I need to be; the end zone. Drowning out everything, I know I’ll get my ass kicked if I stand there or pass to Lawson. I take matters into my own hands and play the hand I was dealt with.

I run and run and run until there’s no space left for me to run. I find myself at the place where I needed to be.

I yank myself back into reality when bodies crash into me as my team celebrates around me. Patting my shoulders as a job well done, I nod back in appreciation for their support. When I turn around to continue the game so we don’t waste anymore time on this, I meet Chris’s eyes staring back at me. His stone cold expression makes me freeze. I don’t know what it is, but he seems to be the one out of the two brothers that has given me a much harder time. I thought it would have been Austin.

I swallow, apprehensive about his intentions. Is he pissed that I altered the play?

He saunters closer to me and nods. “Good call. My ass wouldn’t have made it,” he jokes, making both of us laugh. “I’m not the only one impressed.” He points his head to the stands. I see Rodger Steel peering down at the both of us with two hands on his hips. I can tell he’s looking at me specifically but he’s too far away for me read his face.

I impressed him?

I’m pulled back to the game when someone slaps me out of my stupor. I jog back to our side to begin another play until the clock runs out.

***

“Good game, man!” Jason compliments me. I smile back in appreciation and take off my pads so I can have a long shower and wash the sweat and dirt off me.

I crane my arm back to stretch and move it in circular motions to loosen up the strain I’m feeling again. This reminds me that I must return for another physical therapy session, and I will only have one person doing that.

I smile to myself at the image of her helping me out again; her hands touching me again. Her small fingers feeling for any pain that I have. If she were to find the source of all my pain, it would be in my chest.

I grab my stuff and make my way into the showers where the rest of the team are at. Shampoo, body wash, a towel, and my clothes are all in hand. I shut the door behind me once I get into the cubicle and begin my routine. Each shower has a designated ice bath for the person using it; each player gets ten minutes in that ice bath for us to soothe our muscles. It’s the one thing I love about the end of a football game. I’m always hot and I’ve always loved cold things.

I smirk down at my friends and strip the remainder of my clothes off, allowing myself to sink into the tiny, arctic plunge that has been designed for us to use after games.

I rest my body in the bath for what feels like a short amount of time before I hear the clock beep at me. I push myself out of the bath and rest by the side to wait for my body temperature to regulate back to normal. My entire skin is raw red from the ice cold water but I feel fantastic.

As I wait for my body to adjust, I switch on the shower but then stop. I don’t want to weaken my immune system going from cold to hot.

I’m lost in my thoughts until waves of rising steam catches my eye. I know now it’s ready for me to get in.

Minutes later, after working off autopilot, I find myself in a car with Haley and TJ as we head to the nearest club for celebrations. I’m not familiar with this place just yet, so I already forgot the name of the place we’re going to tonight.

When I pictured myself moving out here, I thought it would be a lot more crazy, but it’s very normal out here. It wasn’t like I expected. I’ve moved a few times, and nothing is filling the void that made me happy like in college. I think I know the reason why.

I know that the team will be at the club and we have a sectioned off area for our safety and for others. We’re two hundred pounds of meat that can tackle pretty much anyone. Plus, when you have the adrenaline added in there, we were more than likely to cause damage when there needs to be some defense.

As I sit in the car with my sister and future brother-in-law, I stare blankly out the window. Even though I probably played one of my best games tonight, I still can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something. I rest my finger across my upper lip as I continue thinking about this, trying to figure it all out. Before I could, I was greeted with the flash of a camera in my face. I realize we’ve arrived at our destination.

I spin around to make sure that my sister is okay. She sends me a quick nod to let me know. I know TJ is keeping her safe, because as soon as the door opens on her side, he takes hold of her hand and guides her gently out while pushing back the photographers. My sister is, without a doubt, very popular in this state. People love to read about her and TJ as a couple.

As I slide out on her side, I’m greeted with screams from girls and paparazzi asking me to take pictures. I ignore them and continue my way inside the club. I don’t need this kind of hassle right now. I was enjoying my peace and serenity in the comfort of my own thoughts. I used to be that guy who got people’s attention and liked it. Now, I don’t.

I bulldoze past them and get to the doors where I greet the security team guarding the club. With a quick nod from them, I enter inside as I try to find Haley in the crowd. Once I spot her waving at me wildly, I make my way over to her and TJ by the bar. Another checkpoint I must go through, but I’m let in easily and quickly because they recognize me.

As I near to them, I notice the space in our area compared to the lack of space elsewhere. I greet some of my team members as I pass by them to get to TJ. A beverage with no alcohol is held up to me. I usually don’t drink during the season. I get paid to do a job and I will do it to the best of my ability, and that’s done with no alcohol in my system like most of the other players on this team.

TJ toasts his glass with mine. I know both our drinks are free from alcohol. He has the same one in his hand while Haley holds a martini glass in hers. She sips on it, enjoying herself and the atmosphere that surrounds all of us. The heavy bass coming from the vibrating speakers hovers around us. Gyrating bodies sway back and forth to the beat with a few hands in the air as people are taken to another dimension while they feel the music. They let it sink into their pores and drink it up just as fast as the cocktails they have in their hands.

People are enjoying this.

They are so engrossed in the vibe of the club, and the strobe lights are adding to the effect. I used to enjoy this, but now, it’s become the one place where I get bothered the most.

“Excuse me.” I feel a finger tap my shoulder. I sigh to myself and shut my eyes before turning around to prepare my ‘I’m not interested’ speech.

I’m met with a pair of green eyes that stare back at me. Red hair and freckles dot across her nose. “I’m sorry, but I’m not interested,” I explain bluntly and watch her eyes widen in shock, then she smiles.

“Good to know, but I bat for the other team.” She chuckles and I almost choke on my drink.

“I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t be, it’s cool. I was just going to ask if you wouldn’t mind stepping off my bag strap? Your standing on it and I need to leave.” She points down to my foot. I quickly move it out of her way and apologize again.

“I’m sorry. Here, let me buy you a drink as a repayment for me being . . .”

“A dick?” she asks with a huge grin. “Thank you, but it’s not necessary. Like I said, I was just heading out now.” She nods to the door and just as I look towards it, I feel my breath get taken away again.

Carter enters in a pink top and black leather pants paired with heels. Her brown hair runs past her shoulders in long waves, framing her beautiful face as she enters with her arms fidgeting in front of her.

She hasn’t changed a bit.

“My God,” I whisper at the sight of her. She still acts the same when she’s nervous. Still beautiful as—shit. Ted enters not too far behind her, slipping his slimy arm around her waist. I notice it because it was an action that was only for me to see and was paired with a smug smirk on his face. A real “fuck you” to me.

“Go get her.” The stranger winks at me as she lifts her bag from the floor. “If you won’t, I will.” She chuckles before waving to me as she leaves. I couldn’t help but laugh at the joke as I shake my head. While I’m still smiling, I make eye contact with Carter before she turns on her heel and watches the girl leave. Swiftly, she rotates her body around and greets everyone with hugs. Until she gets to me.

“Hi, Nick.” All I get is a small wave.

“Hey, Carter . . .” I greet her back when she finally gives me her attention. All it took was for me to say her name and I would say it over and over again just to have her look at me like that for eternity.

“Nick.” I sigh when I hear his sick voice, the taunting tone of her boyfriend as he greets me. To be honest, I forgot he was even here for a second; it was pure bliss. Then he made himself known and it all came crashing down.

I grunt as a response and chug back the contents of the liquid in the glass. Now, I wish it was a proper beverage with alcohol in it.

“Okay, so, we’re going to get more drinks.” My sister ushers Carter and Danielle down to a gap in the bar. I wanted to grab her by the hair and yank her back.

“You already have one!” I tell her and point at the martini in her hand.

“I need another!” she hollers back and smirks as she drifts with the two girls into the crowd. I send her a scornful look for moving Carter away from me.

“Just leave them to it, Nick.” TJ begins to laugh and I turn my focus back to my teammates and the village idiot, I mean, Ted. “She’ll be back shortly,” he assures me. He knows that I was only wondering if one person in particular would return to me.

And not just for tonight.

He nods curtly, speaking a language only the two of us understand. It’s been this way since we were kids.

“Mr. and Mrs. Steel!” TJ flicks his eyes to the two people over my shoulder. I greet both of them along with the others, but I begin to smile at the tense state Ted is in with his girlfriend’s father in attendance. At least I have one up on him on this.

I play football and her dad is a coach.

Ted hates football and her dad hates Ted.

Simple math, even if Rodger won’t say it out loud.

“How are you?” TJ asks as Chris kisses his mother’s cheek.

“We’re good, TJ. How are you? The aches and pains aren’t too bad, are they?” Elaine chuckles as she reaches for her husband’s hand once more.

“We aren’t too bad; this guy here is as tough as nails. I could swear he doesn’t feel anything anymore,” he jokes and Ted starts to laugh. I stand taller and silently wait for him to shut the fuck up and fuck off home.

So, I yawn to amuse myself.

“How are you, Elaine?” I reach over and kiss her on the cheek to greet her once again. I ignore the stupid idiot that’s beside her still cackling like it was actually hilarious.

“I’m very well, thank you, Nick. I saw your commercial on the big screen earlier today. My goodness, you have grown up so much.” She gives me a motherly smile. “You played brilliantly too. Very skilful on the field. I’d say your parents are so proud of you.” She was doing so well until the end. When someone mentions my parents, I immediately shut down. It reminds me of my dad, and naturally my mom. She stood by him despite not being very happy with what he did.

“Yeah . . .” That’s all I can manage to say before we are greeted once again by the girls.

“Dad?” Carter calls to him in amusement. “Why are you here? In a club?” She chuckles as she greets him with a hug. There is not a moment you can’t see when these two interact with each other and show so much love for one another.

“What? I can’t be cool and come to a club with my kids?” He wraps her up and smiles down at her as she rolls her eyes.

“I thought they’d turn you away after one look at your ID.” She shakes her head.

“Why? Because I look like I haven’t aged a day?” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“No, because you’re too old, Dad.” Chris dodges the hand that was coming toward him from his dad. The rest of them laugh. We’re all in high spirits from a winning game today. We all played quite well, except for Chris. Although, he was gathering a bit more momentum towards the end of the game.

“And why didn’t you come?” Rodger directs his attention to Ted along with a cold tone. Now it’s my turn to laugh; I do so under my breath but enough for him to hear me.

“I had work to do, Rodger. I’m a busy man,” he jokes and they reluctantly shake one another’s hand. Rodger has always been a tough cookie, but I had begun to break him down when I was dating his daughter over the time. Ted has had the year and he still hates him.

This interaction is almost comical too.

“Too busy to support my son, or be there for my daughter?” he bluntly asks and I feel my eyes widen rapidly at how openly he asked that with no hint of remorse.

“It wasn’t like that—”

“I’m sure it wasn’t, but relationships are all about compromises, right?” he asks him.

“Football just isn’t my thing—”

“I get that, but have you even tried to watch a game? Go to one? Huh?” He holds on to his daughter that little bit longer. I can see she’s uncomfortable about the grilling her dad is giving.

“N—”

“Give it a try, Ted. You might actually like it,” he says.

“No thanks. I’m fine.” Ted takes me by surprise by answering confidently that it’s not going to happen.

“Okay, so, what did you girls get to drink?” Elaine steers the question away from the tense and awkward state that it was heading because of these two in the room.

“Martinis!” Haley answers quickly.

“I’m going to get a beer.” Ted leaves the circle and goes to a spot that’s the furthest place away in the bar. I watch Carter’s eyes follow him. She stares up at her father and sends him a look that he knows all too well.

“You shouldn’t have said that, Dad.” She leaves the circle and follows after Ted.

“Cart—” he calls after her but she continues to follow after him, ignoring her dad’s plea.

Looks like he’s in trouble.

“She’s right, you know,” Elaine warns him. “You need to stop giving him such a hard time about football. He doesn’t like it, don’t push him to and don’t punish him because he doesn’t,” Elaine warns him.

Rodger scoffs and mumbles something under his breath that nobody catches. No doubt, it’s about Ted. He doesn’t like him and doesn’t think he’s worthy of his daughter. Neither do I, but I don’t like to express it as much as he does.

I suppose it is his only daughter.

“I think we should go and leave these kids to it and before you get anymore beverages offered to you by the young women in here.” She rolls her eyes and pushes her husband back towards the door they originally came from. “We need to go to another bar where there are people our own age.” She chuckles as they link arms and wave at their daughter, who waves back before bringing her attention back to her sulking boyfriend.

He needs to suck it up and grow a pair. Rodger Steel is like this with all the guys around his daughter at first. It’s his thing, a warning to let them know who’s boss, a test to see who will stick by her and treat her properly.

“Thank God they left, it’s so weird being in a bar with your parents.” Chris watches them leave and sighs in relief when they’re out of sight. They came and went just as quick, but they both left a hell of an impression. People are giving their attention to the famous couple as they meander around the bodies, Rodger protectively leading the way.

“Pfft, you hadn’t had a problem with it at first,” Danielle teases him as she slides into his side.

“My dad is hilarious when he’s had too much alcohol. He’s smooth with the ladies that hit on him. For an old man, he still has the charm,” Chris jokes with Austin.

“Like father, like son, right?” Danielle nudges even more into his side as he leans down to capture her mouth.

“You got that right!” He winks.

“Idiot, you weren’t supposed to agree to that, Chris.” Austin rolls his eyes heavenward and snorts.

“I’m in busy, Austin.” Chris holds his hand up to his brothers face as he continues to kiss Danielle, who is giggling as well. “Go find a girl to bore,” he continues and Austin reaches across to smack him on the back of his head, making excellent sound that can be heard through the music.

Even after all these years, they still act like typical brothers with one another. I’ve only had sisters, so I never knew what that felt like, but TJ is as close to a brother as it gets.

He’ll do, I suppose.

“Ow! Austin, fuck off!” Chris launches for some retaliation but is stopped by Danielle as she gets in the middle of the two of them.

“Stop!” their sister’s voice sounds drained when she interjects.

I follow the direction of where it came from and see she’s tense as she stands beside him. Looks like she and Ted had another fight.

“Finally stopped crying?” Chris snorts and Carter shoots daggers at him.

“Stop.” Danielle swats him to keep his mouth shut. I couldn’t help but snort though as I catch Austin’s eye. He is also trying to hold back a smile so he bites on his lip.

“You think that’s funny?” All of a sudden, the fun and games has turned into something a little different. I turn my head around to face Ted dead in the eyes. “I said, do you think this funny?” he asks spitefully again.

“Ted—” Carter rests a soft hand on his chest to calm him down but it doesn’t work.

“I asked you a fucking question!” he yells in my face.

“What the fuck crawled up your ass and died?” I match his tone and stand my ground. I’m not about to let this fucker to walk all over me. I know how to hold myself in a fight. I will tear him apart if he tries to swing at me.

“Ted, maybe—”

“Shut the fuck up!” he booms back at her, making her flinch. I lose all the patience I have with him. Before her brothers get to him, I beat the both of them to it.

“Don’t talk to her like that.” I push him to gain his attention.

“Or what? She’s my girlfriend!” He presses his forehead against mine to prove to me that he’s not backing down. Funnily enough, neither will I.

“Yeah, alright. Talk to her like that again, and I will beat the manners back into you,” I warn him. No woman should be spoken down to like that. Maybe it’s my southern manners, or maybe it’s just my common sense talking; either way, he shouldn’t speak to anyone with such disrespect.

“Oh yeah?” he sneers. “Try me!” he taunts me. I almost take his bait, but the fact that she’s watching this makes me think about the consequences. I could lose her for good, and that’s not what I want. “I thought so. You’re as weak as the relationship you had with her and still are hoping for,” he scoffs. I can feel the rage burst from me.

I couldn’t even feel the connection my fist made with his face, but I watch him fall to the ground while cradling his face. Everyone is in complete shock that I really did that. People stare at me and bring their phones out to sell this off to the media, keeping my “bad boy of the NFL” image intact.

“Nick!” Carter yells at me before getting on her knees and checking if Ted, who provoked me, is alright. I hope he isn’t, because I don’t regret doing it. What do I regret is her seeing me do it. No matter what I do, I keep fucking up, and she’ll always there to see it, which makes me feel even worse. “What are you doing?” She peers up at me in shock that I did this in front of everyone in the bar.

I notice that people are standing back but are also close enough to see what is going to happen next.

“Can you get up?” she asks softly down to the guy who doesn’t deserve her kindness.

“I’m fine!” he replies roughly back at her even when she’s trying to help.

“What is going on here?!” Rodger returns from the crowd, who thought he had left, looking between me, Carter, and Ted. He’s a smart man, so I’m sure he’s put two and two together. I know he stayed to keep one eye on him and the other on me.

“This asshole decided to punch me in the face.” Ted points a finger directly at me.

I do nothing but roll my eyes. I wish I could say “You deserved it’ to his face. This isn’t my first fight either.

“Is that true?” he asks me and I don’t hesitate to nod.

“I didn’t like the way he was speaking to Carter,” I tell him confidently. Like a light switch goes off in his head, he faces Ted once again.

“And what way did you speak to my daughter?” He lowers his tone, wordlessly warning him to choose his next words carefully. He doesn’t sound all that impressed with him.

“It’s fine, Dad. We were just about to leave.” She helps Ted up and makes sure he’s okay.

He doesn’t deserve a woman like her.

He takes her kindness for granted, and it’s sad that she takes this sort of treatment from him.

That son of a bitch has been getting on my nerves since day one.

“Carter—” Her dad tries to stop her but she storms off and walks out on us, Ted following close behind her. She’s mad, I can tell.

“Just leave her to cool down, Rodger,” Elaine comforts him, rubbing his chest as he stares at his daughters retreating frame. We all watch her leave with a few shoulders slumped as he follows closely behind her and cupping his face where I hit him.

“Asshole,” he mutters.

I step forward only to be held back by TJ, who has to intervene to stop me from hitting him again. I would have done it gladly because Carter wouldn’t have seen me this time.

“You need to reel it in, Jackson,” Rodger warns me. “That is not the way to handle things with him. Or Carter,” he continues. I know he’s right but something about Ted just irks me. “That’s your playing arm, too, so be very careful.” He makes a valid point.

“Yeah, sorry.” I nod in disappointment at myself. I caused a scene, and people watched the entire thing play out. Videos of it will be thrown around by the media come dawn. For now, social media will have it in its grasp.

“Okay, no more fighting. This goes for all of you, but I’m talking about you in particular.” Her dad points at me to emphasize his point.

With a tight lipped smile, I agree to keep my hands to myself. I’ll only wind up in more trouble. I don’t want that anymore when I’m already in one with Carter.

Just as I confirm, he takes Elaine and leaves for good, following the pathway out where their daughter had just left moments ago.

I feel a smack on the back of the head; I snap my neck to see who the culprit is. I see two green eyes staring back at me in a blaze. “Don’t fuck this up for yourself, Nick. Your chances with her are running out, and if you keep swinging your fists, you won’t ever get her back. Don’t make it harder for yourself,” Haley whisper yells at me before nodding her head towards the exit as well. “We’re leaving too,” she announces to everyone with a scolding tone directed at me. I’ve never been reprimanded by my younger sister. Mother, yes, but never by Haley.

As I roll my eyes, I sigh and nod the guys goodbye as I leave, putting one foot in front of the other. People continue staring at me as I pass and smile. I ignore their attention and push through the crowd with my hands in my pockets to keep people from staring even more.

We manage to make it out of the club in a couple of minutes.

It’s at times like these where I wish I could have a restart button but, then again, he provoked me.

“Stop smiling, Nick,” Haley scolds me again, but as I stare at her, I begin to see a smile of her own forming on her lips. This makes me smile even harder. She slides into the car, and I follow her while TJ slips in to the other side.

“Then what are you smiling?” I mock her.

“I’m not!” she denies, rolling her eyes.

“Both of you, stop.” TJ rolls his eyes with a smile of his own on his face As we begin to drive away. “You know what you did was wrong, Nick—”

“I know, I know. I shouldn’t have hit him.” I put both hands on my face, tired of hearing this over and over again.

“Oh no, he deserved it, but you didn’t have to be so smug about it.” I whip my head around to face my best friend in shock that he said that.

“As much as I do not like that guy, you shouldn’t have hit him. Be the bigger man; walk away. You gave him what he wanted,” my sister voices.

Shit, she’s right. He was looking for me to hit him to prove to her that I’m not good for her. I should have handled it better. I should have handled it with my words. No woman should see a fight, period.

I fucked up. Badly.

It’s like playing cat and mouse with this guy. I’m being set up to look like a dick while he plays the victim. Haley’s right, I gave him exactly what he wanted.

I walked into his trap and he won this game. I can’t let him continue winning this. It’s ruining me in her eyes.

I need her to come back to me.

I need my Carter back.

As we arrive back to the house, we open the door and let ourselves inside. The lights come on as we enter. There is nothing but silence from all three of us. We all just think about what happened back at the club and how stupid I was to walk into his trap.

I should have been the bigger man, and walked away from him and his juvenile games. Now, I look like a kid.

I run my hand down my face as I think about what to do next. How should I fix it? How can I make this right again? My thoughts are interrupted by the door bell chiming.

Quizzical looks are shared between us as TJ pushes Haley back behind him to protect her. It’s a little late to have a visitor at this hour.

As he opens the door, his frame blocks the mysterious visitor outside.

“Hey,” he says and steps back out of the way to reveal her. Once our eyes meet, I can see they’re upset. I can see the pain streaming through them as we connect. Her eyes are puffy, like she’s been crying, but she still looks like the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on.

“We need to talk,” Carter speaks plainly, and I feel my heart sink.

This is it.