Chapter 67
***Cash***
“You’ve known you want to blow off football for years and never thought to mention it?
What the fuck, Cash? We share everything but this?
This is the thing you decide to keep to yourself?
You let us think we were all going pro together.
” Hayes rubbed his face and then looked away.
“I don’t get it. You love football. At least I thought you did. ”
“I love playing football for fun with my brothers. The rest of it? I don’t care about it. I’d be happier opening a shop and mechanic-ing.” I looked around and frowned. I’d been so focused on facing the truth with my brothers that I hadn’t noticed everyone leaving. “Where’d Savannah go?”
“Opening a shop? What the fuck are you talking about?” West scowled. “Since when do you know anything about being a mechanic?”
“Since I took shop in high school and realized I was good at it. Who the fuck do you think has been changing your oil, West?” Frustration boiled inside of me “See, this is the shit that makes me mad. You’re pissed that I didn’t tell you I hate playing football but would it have killed y’all to fucking notice something about me? ”
“Oh, you’re suddenly the king of noticing shit?”
I glared at Hayes. “I’ve spent the last year noticing everything about the two of you.
I’ve been there through every drunken rage and every silent freak out.
I’ve sat through hundreds of hours of misplaced anger and taken hit after hit from you two.
I felt like shit the whole time because I knew I should’ve been the one who got hurt.
I would’ve traded places in a fucking second.
I wanted to tell y’all that I was done with football but I couldn’t.
I felt like it would’ve ruined us if I’d admitted that I was voluntarily giving up the thing that was almost stolen from y’all and that you were fighting to get back. ”
They were both quiet as they took in what I’d said.
It was a nice change from how they’d both been shouting at me.
It gave me the chance to notice just how silent the room was, though.
I looked around again and saw that it was only Sam left in the room and he was sitting at the head of the table, smirking at us while smoking a cigar.
“Savannah left?”
He laughed. “Oh, yeah. Once you three start shouting at each other exclusively they left.”
The three of us all realized the same thing at the same time. My stomach knotted more than it already was. “Where’s Cassidy?”
Sam’s laughter grew louder. “Oh, she left even before they did.”
Hayes swore. “When?”
“About the time you announced that everything between y’all was fake and said you fuck plenty of women without loving them.
I can’t imagine why that would’ve upset her but she looked like such a sad little broken doll when she ran out of here.
” Sam grinned and tapped his cigar out in a crystal ashtray.
“I have to give my boys credit. You fucked her like a whore and still managed to convince her she could mean something to y’all.
Looks like you’re a chip off the old block after all. ”
I yanked him out of his chair by this throat and slammed him into the wall. “Not a fucking chance. We love her.”
“Cash.” Hayes, ever the voice of reason, grabbed my shoulder and tugged me away.
“Don’t protect him, Hayes. He-” I cut myself off when Hayes pulled back his fist and hit Sam. The sound of the punch was loud in the otherwise silent dining room. “Well, shit.”
Hayes shoved Sam away and shook out his hand.
“You’re finished speaking about Cassidy.
This is done. Don’t call us here again, don’t expect to sit in the family section, don’t expect shit from us.
You were always a shitty father but whatever shit you’re pulling lately has been too much.
You’re not going to continue talking shit and hurting Cassidy. I-”
“I’m the only one in the room that didn’t hurt that girl tonight, you little shit.
Your fucking mother was right to leave when she did.
You’re nothing but a bunch of ungrateful little bitches who cry over every little thing.
In my day, we were fucking tougher. We didn’t fall apart over pussy.
You-” Sam stopped to spit out blood. “You know I still have the footage of your whore.”
“You’re an aging man who’s probably never been loved by a woman in his life so what the fuck would you know?
You’re pathetic. I mean, look at you. You’re married to a social media influencer who just showed the world what an embarrassment you are.
Good luck. You’ll need it when she realizes she can get more attention and money by leaving you and doing a dirty tell-all.
” West roughly patted Sam’s face. “As for the footage of Cassidy? I think if you look, you’ll find that it’s fucking gone.
All of it. Having friends can get you far in life, asshole. ”
“H-How?” Sam jabbed his thick fingers at his phone and then threw it across the room with a roar. “This isn’t over. I’m not going to let you and some cheap slut from LA beat Sam Ford.”
“You already did. You should watch what you call Cassidy, by the way. Pretty soon, she’s going to be America’s football sweetheart.
Just as soon as people see her for who she is, no one will be able to touch her ever again.
” I backed away and blew out a harsh sigh.
“Let’s go. She couldn’t have gotten far. ”
We silently drove towards campus, searching for any sign of Cassidy but never finding any. By the time we were parked outside of her house, the tension in the truck was painful.
I scrubbed my hands down my face. “Goddammit. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking saying that shit. I don’t even know why I said it. I just… I fucking saw her look so heartbroken over Cole and… She’s not over him, is she?”
“We all saw her face and how upset she was when she saw him.” Hayes stared at the house. “Maybe she wasn’t even upset over us.”
“It pissed me off, too, but she’s over him.
She told me she loved me and she meant it.
” West sat forward and ran his hand over his mouth.
“She loves us. She was just attacked by the assholes she thought were her best friends until last year and our sister. She wasn’t expecting to see those fucks and she reacted better than she could’ve.
And then we fucking said it was fake. I said we didn’t have to love her to fuck her.
I said it in front of the guys who were calling her names and treating her like shit.
I told her to expect more from the men she gives herself to and then I just shit all over her. ”
My gut twisted. “What now?”
“I don’t know.” He sat back in his seat and then nearly jumped out of the truck when a palm slammed into the window beside his head.
It was Jolene. We all froze but West somehow managed to roll his window down. As soon as it was low enough Jolene shoved her hand into the truck and smacked him.
“Why the fuck is my baby in there sobbing her head off? I know what a woman looks like when she’s crying over a man so tell me what the fuck you three did.
” She looked like a feral Dolly Parton and it was terrifying.
“I swear to god that I will come to your house, sneak into your rooms while you’re sleeping like goddamn Santa Clause, and I will cut off your dicks when you least expect it. Tell me what happened!”
We all flinched as she screamed the last bit at us. Hayes leaned forward and cleared his throat. “Does she know we’re here? Could we talk to her?”
“Are you stupid? No, you can’t speak to her!
She’s curled up in her bed and soaking my second favorite mattress with her tears.
She can’t stop crying for long enough to tell me what happened.
I don’t know what you assholes did but you need to leave.
At this point, it’s for your own safety. I feel particularly psycho tonight.”
“It was a miscommunication. We can make it right.” I hoped to god we could make it right.
“You’re in extra danger of being murdered because I liked you three for her.
I thought you’d be the men to give her the care she deserves.
I don’t like being disappointed.” She smiled as the sound of metal being scratched filled the night.
Dangling her keys in front of West’s face, she hissed. “Oops.”
West leaned away from her. “Accidents happen…”
“You’re fucking right, they do. Remember that.” Jolene stepped back and motioned us forward. “I suggest you run home before I decide letting you leave isn’t enough to soothe my rage tonight.”
“Yep, yep.” Hayes hit West’s leg. “We’re leaving.”
All three of us shuddered as she stood in the street watching us leave.
“We deserved that.” Hayes suddenly punched the dashboard. “It’s killing me to think of her hurting because she thinks we don’t love her. I fucking do. I love her.”
The back of my eyes burned and I had to press my palms into them to keep myself together. “Of course you love her. We all love her.”
“We’ll fix it.” West stopped at a red light and grabbed his phone from the center console.
“She doesn’t have to go the rest of the night thinking we meant what we said.
We’ll call her. Or text. Or leave voice notes.
We’ll do whatever it takes because she can’t hurt because of us. I can’t be another man who hurt her.”