Chapter 5 Matt
FIVE
MATT
One kiss and I can’t push Noelle from my mind.
The memory of her lips haunts me. What else haunts me is seeing her in this condition at the party.
Noelle’s friend used her phone to call Greyson, and Greyson called me, desperate for someone to pick her up immediately.
Greyson and J.D. had taken their family to visit their grandmother.
He tried Parker first, but he was M.I.A.
, and he didn’t want to involve their dad.
I put the address into the GPS, drive over, and pick her up.
Change her out of her reeking clothes. I try and fail at not letting my eyes linger on her body.
She’s fit and athletic, and when the back of my hands brush against her silky-smooth skin, it’s impossible to ignore.
It’s been a week, and I’m betting that she doesn’t remember that I’m the one who picked her up.
Unless her brother filled her in. I’ve been avoiding the subject with Greyson by stating, “It’s none of my business. ”
Today is her graduation. Her family is throwing a party at Sloane’s, the fanciest spot in their little suburb outside of Austin.
I tuck her present into my pants pocket, throw on my gray suit jacket and my black felt cowboy hat, hoping to shield my eyes from Noelle and her family. I don’t want them catching on to my feelings, so a little shadow over my eyes should do the trick.
The restaurant has plants adorning the entrance, cascading from the ceiling like a waterfall. “Good afternoon. The graduate appreciates you being here. Your name?”
“Um, Matt Stricker.” Damn, this is more formal than I expected.
“Sir, you’ll be sitting at table four.”
“Thank you.”
I step into an oasis of twinkling lights strung in every direction and throughout each tree. The chandeliers aren’t the typical ones you would find in old mansions; instead, they’re made of light-colored wood with curvy, bubble-like faceted crystals hanging from several branches.
J.D. and Greyson wave me over to the bar, which glows with golden lights and amber liquid arranged on the shelves. Some bottles are sitting on books, some angled like photos.
“Glad you could make it,” J.D. says as he shakes my hand. He’s the head coach of the Austin Armadillos, making him my boss and a friend.
Pressing my lips together, I smile. “Wouldn’t miss your sister’s graduation. How’s she doing?”
Greyson’s brows furrow. “What do you mean?”
“About Brooks. She came by when I was house-sitting. She seemed down. Said Brooks was…”
I don’t have a chance to finish my sentence when Sutton, Greyson’s wife, flings her arms around me.
Sutton is also my boss since she’s the general manager of the team, but she’s become more like a sister to me.
We hit it off from her first day on the job, and she’s responsible for Greyson and me becoming best friends.
“Matt! You’re looking handsome.”
“Don’t I always?”
I wrap her in an embrace when I notice Noelle over her shoulder in the distance.
The wind is knocked from my chest—she’s wearing a white, strapless short dress.
Her hair is half up, flowing down her back, and the hem of her dress hits mid-thigh.
My eyes travel down her legs, and I mentally scold myself for even thinking about her in this way.
Why is my dick twitching?
“Hey, thanks for picking up Noelle last weekend,” Sutton whispers in my ear.
“Anytime. I’m here for the O’Ryans.”
We break the hug, and Greyson says, “You never really told me what Noelle said that night. All she told me was that she got drunk.”
“She passed out. Her roommates weren’t home, so I put her in bed and put some water by her bed. Did she tell you why she was drunk?” I ask, looking between them.
“Nope. She holds things close to the vest when she doesn’t want people to know.” Greyson sighs. “Noelle wants people to believe she’s this badass, but our mom’s death affected us all in different ways. She wants to be like Mom instead of being herself.”
“Are Brooks and her still broken up?” I inquire casually.
J.D. and Birdie join us, with their baby girl Henley on J.D.'s chest, swaying from side to side. “Broken up? Really? When?”
“That’s what I was getting ready to say. When I was dog-sitting, Noelle came by. It was obvious she had been crying. We played some video games, and finally, she told me that Brooks was cheating on her and she broke up with him. Maybe that’s what spurred the drinking binge.”
Greyson listens without interrupting. It’s his gift. He understands why Noelle would come to him with her problems, but he realizes she never told him anything about it.
He twists his lips and finally opens his mouth, only to close it again. He gives us a head nod to look behind me.
“Guess they’re back together,” Sutton says, her tone full of disappointment. “But she must make her own mistakes, Greyson O’Ryan. If you demand that she does one thing, she’ll do another.”
Greyson marches in their direction, and I follow to keep him from ruining his sister’s graduation party.
He loves Noelle with all his heart, which is why I’m ashamed of kissing her.
When they are within earshot, I hear Noelle say to Brooks, “You’re here.
” I can’t tell if she wants him to be or not. Her face is expressionless.
Brooks grabs her hands. “I wouldn’t miss your graduation. You mean the world to me.”
Greyson takes another step, but before he can erupt, Noelle shakes her hands loose and crosses her arms over her chest. “Leave.”
“No, baby. We hit a snag, but we can work it out. Look, I bought you this.” He reaches into the purple gift bag he’s carrying and pulls out a diamond necklace. He’s obviously gotten his signing bonus with New Orleans.
Her eyes go wide, and I assume that’s all it’s going to take for her to take him back. We stand waiting for her response. She closes her eyes and says, “I’ve moved on. Please leave.”
He jerks her arm, and I lunge for him, grabbing his elbow. “Get your hands off her, or I’ll break them.”
Brooks shakes me off and says, “What’s wrong with you, old man? You want what I have?”
Yes.
“What did you say, motherfucker?” I grab him by the shirt. He has a few inches on me and is probably on some illegal supplement.
“Stop. Both of you. And for your information, Brooks, I traded up. Matt and I are dating,” Noelle adds.
I stand there, my hands flexing at my sides, heat rushing through my chest so fast I almost don’t register what she says until it’s hanging in the air like a live wire: “Matt and I are dating.”
Time stops. Brooks blinks, shock flickering into something ugly.
Noelle’s brothers—Greyson and J.D.—are stone-faced, like boulders ready to roll.
Her other brothers are behind Brooks. Parker smiles like he’s enjoying the show, and Witt is expressionless.
Her dad’s jaw clenches so hard I hear his teeth grind.
For a heartbeat, nobody breathes. I catch Noelle’s gaze. Her eyes are level, daring me to contradict her, but something almost pleading shimmers there—a silent apology.
Brooks laughs, humorless, the sound splintering the hush. “Are you serious right now? You’re with…him?” He jabs a thumb at me, his knuckles white. “What, you break up with me and go straight for your brother’s quarterback coach? You’ve got serious daddy issues.”
Greyson starts forward. “Watch your mouth, Brooks.” His voice is like gravel, and J.D.’s knuckles are turning white, his nostrils flaring. To be honest, I think it’s more at me than at Brooks.
Her dad, Mr. O’Ryan, just stares at me, betrayal and disbelief twisted across his face. “Matt?” His voice is a low warning. “Is that true? With my daughter?”
I swallow hard. Part of me wants to set the record straight, but Noelle is standing there with her chin high, her arms wrapped around herself like armor. Her eyes beg me to go along with the charade, so I nod. “Yeah. It’s true.” The words land heavy, as real as the pounding of my heart.
Brooks’s skin turns redder than a hot pepper.
“Un-fucking-believable,” he snaps, his fist closing around the necklace.
“You really are a liar, Noelle. And you…” He glares at me, his voice breaking.
“You’re pathetic.” He tosses the bag at her feet and storms out, shoving past Greyson so hard the doors rattle behind him.
She picks up the necklace and throws it across the room.
For a breathless moment, the room is silent except for the echo of Brooks’s exit and their grandmother popping champagne in the background. She steals the show at every family event I’ve been to, but not this one. No one can top what just happened here.
Noelle holds her hand over her heart, and I take my place beside her. Her brothers exchange looks—Greyson is furious, J.D. is betrayed, and both are looking at me like I’ve just punted a puppy off the porch.
Mr. O’Ryan steps between us—tall, broad, and protective. “Matt, this—this is wrong.” The words cut deeper than I expected.
Noelle hugs herself tighter, trembling but silent. I slide my arm around her back and whisper, “It will be okay.”
Greyson rounds on us, his voice low and cold. “You’ve got to be kidding, Matt. I trusted you. You’re my best fucking friend.” I’ve never seen Greyson’s face as hot and red as it is right now.
I try to speak, but I need to let them get their anger out.
“I don’t want to hear it.” J.D. glares at me. “You know better, Matt. She’s just a kid compared to you.”
The disappointment in their eyes stings like nothing else.
Noelle looks down, her shoulders slumping. For a second, I wish I could disappear. We end up cornered in a quiet dining alcove when the uproar dies down. Noelle’s shaking and won’t look at me.
“Can we all go into the private dining room? I promise I’ll tell you everything. Please,” Noelle begs.
Her immediate family and I go into the other room, her brothers fuming. “What the hell is going on?” Greyson asks, his voice taut, laced with fury. “Matt, I swear I’m going to kick your ass.”