24. Zander
CHAPTER 24
ZANDER
Sienna was pretty quiet on the way home. I was trying to keep my tone bright and positive, but it wasn’t working. She was worried. Maybe even scared. I got it. My dad could be an ass. Which is why I’m going to drop her home first. Sure, I’d love her there when I deal with this bullshit about some other quarterback. I can’t believe that! There’s got to be a mix-up. The Coach from Brighton was keen on me. He said so himself.
Maybe this Coach Jones from Kelsey U is just lying because he wants me on his team. Whatever. I’m not moving that far away from my girlfriend. Brighton is the college for me, and I’m not going to let someone else take my spot.
Glancing at my girlfriend, I want to reassure her again that I won’t be leaving her, but for some reason, the words won’t come. Maybe she’s more worried about my dad’s reaction to her birthday surprise.
“I’m gonna drop you home first, okay?”
“You sure?” Her big blue eyes look kinda glassy. Shit, is she fighting tears?
I reach for her hand again. “It’s okay, Sparks. You don’t have to deal with my dad. I don’t want him guilt-tripping you when you didn’t do anything wrong.”
Okay, so she lied for us.
But that’s not a felony.
And she shouldn’t be made to feel bad for doing something nice for me. It was my freaking birthday!
I hope I can talk my father around, but Sienna doesn’t have to be a witness to that fight. I get the impression her family never raises their voices at each other, so it’s best if I drop her home and deal with the shitstorm on my own.
She doesn’t say anything as I pull up to her house. Flashing me a nervous smile, her lips wobble when she whispers, “Good luck.”
“I’ll walk you in.” Jumping out of the car before she can stop me, I grab her backpack, carrying it to the front door.
It swings open before we reach it, and I can tell the second I spot Mr. Erling’s face that he knows what we did.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath, bracing myself for the lecture.
“You are never to see my daughter again!”
“How dare you do that with her!”
“How dare you ? —"
“Hey, Dad.” Sienna rises to her tiptoes, pecking his cheek before brushing past him.
He gives her a closed-mouth smile, then turns to me with a look that’s… well, I don’t know what it’s telling me. Is he about to start yelling?
My shoulders tense, but all he does is let out a sigh and tip his head. “Come on in, kid. We need to talk.”
“Double shit,” I murmur under my breath as I follow him inside and find Sienna in the kitchen with her mother.
The woman has a stern look on her face, but it’s hardly intimidating. Her eyes are too kind and playful—just like Sienna’s. These people probably have no idea how to get truly pissed off about anything.
“So…” Mr. Erling clears his throat, taking a seat at the table and threading his fingers together. “Sounds like you two had an interesting evening.”
Sienna winces. “What did you hear?”
“Well, I got myself a very irate phone call from Mr. Donohue this morning, telling me my daughter was leading her son astray and it’s probably best that I keep you away from him.”
“What?” I bristle, shoving my fists into my jacket pockets and storming toward the table. “That’s bullshit! He can’t make her do anything! And she’s not leading me astray!”
Mrs. Erling raises her hands to calm me. “Sweetie, you don’t need to yell any of that. We know.” She nods, her smile soft as she points to the chair next to Sienna. “Sit down, Zander. It’s okay. Let me make you two some cocoa.”
“I don’t think he has time for that, Mom,” Sienna calls after her, rubbing her forehead and wincing again.
Turning back around, the woman glides back to the table and takes a seat. Looking at her daughter with a sad frown, she gently asks, “Did you really lie to us?”
Biting her lips together, Sienna blinks like she’s fighting tears, then answers in a tiny voice. “Yes.”
“Why?” Her dad sounds so hurt.
I watch his face bunch with disappointment and feel like shit.
Looking to my girlfriend, we share a pained smile before she admits, “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about me spending the night with my boyfriend.” She shrugs. “But I just wanted to do something special for him. He’s under so much pressure, and I thought he deserved a night away. And…” She looks at the table, picking at a dent in the wood. “I didn’t want to share him with anyone else.”
Her mother lets out a soft snicker. “Only-child syndrome. You’ve always been terrible at sharing your special treasures.”
“He’s the most special,” she whispers, glancing at me with a soft blush.
Mr. Erling clears his throat. “How long have you two been sleeping together?”
I balk, my blood running cold as I throw him a jittery glance, then dart an SOS to Sienna.
She bites her lip, her nose wrinkling before she finally says, “About a month or so.”
“Right.” Mrs. Erling nods, eyeing me up and asking, “Are you being safe?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I answer swiftly, my heart pulsing so hard, I can feel it between my ears.
Sienna nods, flashing me a nervous smile. “We use protection.”
“Well… at least that’s something.” She tips her head and looks between us. “And you love each other?”
“Very much,” we say in unison, then glance at each other and grin. It’s so fucking obvious how we feel about each other, and I’m really hoping that’s gonna score us some points here.
I’m still reeling that her dad isn’t losing his shit and fisting my shirt, dragging me out of the house, and throwing me onto the lawn, screaming at me to never come near his precious girl again.
“I still think you’re a little on the young side.” Mr. Erling sighs. “Sex adds a whole new level to a relationship. It ups the emotion in a big way, and if things fall apart, it’s gonna hurt so much worse.”
“They’re not going to fall apart,” Sienna assures them. “We love each other. We’re in this for the long haul.”
“Sweetie.” Mrs. Erling laughs. “You’re only seventeen. How do you know this will last?”
“He’s meant to be mine.” Her blue gaze hits me then, confident with affection. “I can feel it in my bones, Mom. Zander and I are endgame.”
A flash of skepticism crosses Mrs. Erling’s face before she looks at me. “You think so?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I nod, then turn to grin at my girlfriend. “Endgame.” My throat suddenly feels thick, this hot buzz racing down my spine that I don’t understand.
Of course we’re endgame.
She’s everything.
But you guys are so young.
Why our parents’ logic is suddenly starting to hit me, I have no idea. Shaking my head, I rub my sweaty hands on my jeans and rise from the table. “Well, I better get home. The longer I leave it, the worse my old man’s gonna get.”
“Do you need me to come?” Sienna rises as well. Her skin is so pale, her eyes wide with fear.
“No, it’s okay.” I shake my head. “It’s probably safer if I face the firing squad alone.”
“Okay.” She bites her bottom lip. “Well, can you maybe apologize on my behalf to them for… I don’t know… doing something they didn’t like?”
Resting my hand on her cheek, I block out the fact that her parents are watching us and quickly assure her, “ I loved it, and I’m not apologizing for enjoying the best night of my life.” I wink at her, loving the blush forming on her cheeks.
Her dad steps into my line of sight, catching my eye and throwing me a warning glare that makes me swallow.
“Sorry, sir,” I mutter. “I promise I’ve always respected her, and?—”
“He does.” Sienna nods. “We’re all about consent with each other, and?—”
“And I don’t need to hear any more.” He raises his hands. “I don’t want details.”
“Good, because we don’t want to give them to you.” Sienna’s face is all bunched up, and I can’t help a soft snicker.
This is so fucking awkward. My skin’s on fire, my heart is pounding, and I seriously need to get out of here.
Yet I love this family so much.
They’re so calm and open and… they don’t seem to hate me, even after they’ve found out I’m sleeping with their precious daughter.
“Before you go, just do me a favor, all right?” I stay by the table while Mrs. Erling crosses her arms and looks between me and Sienna. “Don’t lie to us again. If you want to go away for a romantic night together… okay, so I probably would have said no, but the point is… don’t lie to me. I hate it. I want to be able to trust you both, so please, next time… just tell us what you’re up to, okay?”
My smile looks no doubt pained as I nod and then softly mutter, “I doubt there’s going to be a next time if my parents have anything to say about it.”
“Well, you’re nearly a big college boy, so their say is going to lose some power soon enough.” She winks at me, and I can’t help grinning back.
“Thank you.” I nod, then turn to Sienna. “Wish me luck.”
“Luck.” Her smile is sweet as she snuggles against my side. I wrap my arm around her and kiss the top of her head.
“I’ll call you after, okay?”
“Okay.” Her voice is soft, her blue eyes kind of sad when I go to pull away.
Taking her face, I cup those pretty cheeks and assure her once more. “Everything’s going to be good. We’ll make this work, okay?”
“Yeah.” Her lips pull into a smile, and I kiss her, right there in front of her parents.
They don’t seem to mind. I check their faces just before walking out the door and wish I could have grown up in a house like this one.
No yelling.
No pressure.
Just quiet conversation and bucketloads of acceptance.
If only.