15. Chapter 16
Chapter 16
CHRIS
I turn the key on Charlotte’s beater Honda, and just like I expect, the engine rumbles to life, purring like a kitten.
A swell of pride fills my chest as I glance up at her in the doorway from my seat behind the wheel. Fixing broken things never gets old.
Lettie’s dark hair is a disheveled mass framing a flushed face with a smudge of grease on her cheek.
Damn, she’s cute like this.
“You wanna take it for a test drive?” I ask.
“You want me to be the guinea pig?” She crosses her arms in front of her chest, and the look she gives me is so defiant, and so perfectly Lettie, it makes my heart grow inside my chest. “How do I know you didn’t rig this thing to explode a mile down the road?”
“Because,” I drawl, rising to my feet in front of her, “then I wouldn’t get my date, now, would I?”
A barely perceptible smile haunts the corners of her mouth as she hums under her breath, a raspy sound I feel deep inside my chest.
I take a step closer, breathing in the soft, floral scent of her as my gaze drops to her mouth. Considering she hasn’t shoved me away or cut me with one of her biting remarks, I wonder if maybe I’m making progress.
Her cocoa-dusted eyes lock with mine, her pupils widening with my proximity. Tension stretches like a rubber band in the space between us, the air suddenly thick.
I reach out and smooth her rumpled locks, and when she closes her eyes at my touch, I know what she expects?for me to close the gap and take what I want from her, again. And though I want nothing more than to kiss her until she forgets her name, I kind of want to wait.
Even if waiting is torture, I want her to make the next move. I want her to want me.
It’s with this in mind, I call on my self-restraint and drop my hand, taking a step back as I do.
Her eyes blink open, widening in surprise at the same time a loud clatter erupts behind us, causing her to jump.
Charlotte turns toward the sound, her brow creasing in confusion as I follow her gaze to find my younger brother, Tyler with a massive wrench at his feet.
A crease forms between my brow as I wonder what he’s doing here, but then he turns back to the office, poking his head down the hall and cups his hands around his mouth as he yells, “I told ya it was Chris! And he’s with a girl!”
When he turns back toward us, a smile stretches his freckled face.
I offer him a wry smile. “A wrench? Really, Ty?” I ask.
He shrugs, drawing closer. “Tucker thought an intruder had broken in, even though your car is literally sitting out in the lot.” He rolls his eyes. “I swear, the kid is afraid of everything. Who’s the chick?” He tips his chin toward Lettie with a grin.
“This is Charlotte Baker.” I motion toward my brother. “And this twerp is my little brother, Tyler.”
“Dude, I’m not even that much younger than you!” he says aghast before he turns that signature Collins’s smile on Lettie. “You’re hot,” he says, his smile growing.
“Um, thanks?”
“You single?” He winks.
“How old are you?”
“Age is nothing but a number, baby,” he says, and I laugh my ass off at Lettie’s wide-eyed stare.
“He’s fourteen.” I reach out and ruffle his hair as he cusses me out under his breath. “Behave, would ya?”
Charlotte glances between us, then says, “Wow. He’s like a miniature version of you.”
“Only I’m much more charming, right?” I say.
Charlotte purses her lips. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Chris!” Tucker, my other brother’s voice echoes in the cavernous garage as he rushes inside and crosses the room, flinging himself toward me and wrapping his arms around my legs.
“And this here is Tuck. He’s ten and still sweet,” I say, hugging the little rugrat back.
“What are you doing here? We were riding our bikes and saw your car out front. Are you coming to visit?” Tuck asks, blue eyes bright.
My gaze flickers to Lettie. “Our house is only two blocks from here,” I offer by way of explanation.
“What do you think he was doing?” Tyler scoffs and motions to Charlotte’s sedan. “Fixing a car, dummy.”
“I’m not a dummy!” Tuck spears him with a glare, but Tyler just snorts. “Well, if you’re done, can you come back to the house to hang out?” he says, talking a mile a minute. “We watched your game yesterday. Saw the touchdown you scored. They showed you pointing into the stands, and all the announcers were talking about it. They said something about how they thought you were dedicating your touchdown to a girl, but Ty didn’t think so. I was so sure, though. That seemed like something you would do,” Tucker says, talking animatedly.
“Yeah, I told him no way ’cause that’s lame and you have more game than that,” Ty says.
My mouth flattens into a grimace, and one glance at Charlotte’s shaking shoulders tells me she’s suppressing a laugh.
“Hey,” I nudge Tyler’s shoulder in an effort to change the subject, not wanting to put Lettie on the spot, “I hear Coach switched things up and you started this week as the QB for JV. Congrats.”
“Yeah.” Tyler’s green-blue eyes shine with pride. “It was pretty cool. I wish you could come catch some balls for me. I keep trying to practice with Tucker, Quinton, and Bailey, but they’re useless. Can’t catch a ball to save their lives.”
“Nuh-uh. That’s not true.” Tuck’s hands fist at his sides while Tyler mouths behind the cover of his hand, It’s true .
I pinch my lips together to keep from laughing. “What about Joey?” I ask, referring to the second oldest, who’s sixteen.
“Ha! Nice try. Ever since he got his license he’s never home.” Tyler rolls his eyes. “At least you never forgot about us when you got older.” He huffs. “Hell, I probably see you more than Joe.”
“So, will you come home or not?” Tucker asks, a subtle whine to his voice. “Just to play with us for a bit? Please, Chris?”
Tuck’s puppy dog eyes stare back at me, and I stifle a groan. If it weren’t for Charlotte, I’d stay in a heartbeat. The truth is, I miss these little guys.
I glance at Tyler, and he shrugs. “I mean it’d be pretty cool, I guess.”
I exhale, hating to disappoint them, but I’m not the only person to consider here. “You know I would, guys, but I have to go back with?”
“No,” Lettie interrupts with a wave of her hands. “Please, you don’t have to go back to school on account of me.”
I shake my head, staring at the concrete by my feet. “I don’t want you driving back by yourself.”
“So, we’ll both go.”
My head jerks up, unsure if I heard her right. “Charlotte, you don’t have to . . .”
“I know I don’t have to.” A soft smile touches the corners of her mouth. “I want to.”
My brows rise, a well of hope spreading inside my chest. “You want to go home with me and meet my five brothers?” She shrugs, like she’s too shy to admit it, which is unlike her. “They’re wild. I mean, when they’re all together, they’re like a pack of wolves.”
“We are not?” Tyler starts, but I palm my hand over his face to mute him.
“Give me a second, shrimps,” I say, casting a warning look before I take Charlotte’s hand and gently pull her out of earshot. “I can see them next weekend. You don’t have to do this.”
“You have an away game next weekend. You’ll be on the road until sometime on Sunday.”
I stare at her, impressed. “You memorizing the schedule, Baker?”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “My best friend is dating your best friend, remember? All I do is listen to her lament about it when he’s gone.”
I grin, unconvinced that’s the reason when she huffs out a breath and adds, “It’s sweet they want to hang out with you so much.” She glances back at them, a longing in her eyes I’ve never seen before. “I never had that. It was always just me, and I think it’s pretty special that they want their big brother around, so if you have the opportunity to spend some time with them, then you should take it.”
I place my hands on my hips, staring at her in awe.
If I hadn’t been half in love with her before, I am now, and I wish more than anything I had seized the opportunity to kiss her when I had the chance.
What a dumbass I am.
Reaching out, I take her hand in mine, brushing my thumb over her knuckles as I say, “I hope you know what you’re getting into.”
#
The sun hangs lazily in the sky, its golden rays pouring over the makeshift football field in our backyard?the same miniature field where my father taught me the fundamentals of the game. Patches of grass are worn to dirt from years of sibling skirmishes and illegal tackles into the mud, the boundary lines long since faded and redrawn.
The air buzzes with energy as it comes down to the wire. After more than an hour of play, my team is tied with Lettie’s. It’s me, Tyler, and Quinton against Joey, Tuck, Bailey, and Lettie. The win all comes down to whoever scores the last goal as my brothers line up. We Collins brothers are anything if not competitive and unsurprisingly, Lettie fits right in.
The air buzzes with energy as I face off with her.
She cracks her knuckles with an exaggerated flair while I fight the chuckle that rumbles in the back of my throat. “You’re going down pipsqueak.”
“Oh-ho-ho, don’t let my size fool you, Collins.” She shifts her weight side-to-side, hair swishing around her face. “I might be small, but I’m mighty, and we’re about to make you weep.”
Joey readies himself to the left, lifting the whistle—an old kazoo someone found in the junk drawer in the kitchen—to his lips.
My hands twitch as I crouch down with a smirk. “We’ll see about that.”
The whistle blows, and chaos erupts.
Tyler snaps the ball to me, and I easily dodge Tuck’s clumsy attempt at a tackle and take off, my shoes kicking up small clouds of dirt and bits of grass as I zigzag toward the end zone with Lettie on my heels.
Turning around, I run backward with a taunting grin while her eyes lock on me like a hawk zeroing in on its prey. If I run at full speed, I’ll completely gas her. But what would be the fun in that?
“Think you can catch me?” I tease.
“Oh, I know I can,” she shoots back, and just when I’m about to spin around and take the ball over the goal line, she surprises me by diving for me, wrapping her arms around my legs and bringing me down with a triumphant whoop.
The impact over the hard ground loosens my grip, and the ball tumbles from my grasp and bounces directly into Tuck’s waiting hands.
Tuck freezes for a heartbeat, looking like a startled deer.
“Run, Tuck!” Charlotte yells, jumping to her feet and flapping her arms like a windmill. “Run!”
Snapping out of it, Tuck clutches the ball tightly to his chest and bolts, but it’s in the wrong direction, right where I’m lying, sprawled out like a starfish in front of the goal line.
“Wrong way!” Joey and Bailey shout in unison.
Realizing his mistake, Tuck spins around, but it’s too little, too late as Quinton barrels toward him like a human freight train. For twelve, he’s built like a brick shit house, and with a dramatic leap, he collides with Tucker, sending both of them sprawling into a pile of leaves at the edge of the field.
“Fumble!” Ty yells as he grapples for the ball, only for Joey to swoop in and scoop it up.
“Shit!” I jump to my feet, launching down the yard toward Joe like a missile. I manage to grab his arm, but Joe whoops and spins around me in a move I taught him, causing me to lose my grip and stagger to the ground.
“Touchdown!” Joey shouts as he skids into the makeshift end zone—a line of overturned buckets and an old garden rake?where he performs an elaborate victory dance that involves finger guns and questionable hip thrusts.
“That doesn’t count!” I argue, scrambling to my feet, trying not to laugh at his defunct version of twerking. “You stepped out of bounds!”
“Did not!” Joey replies, his tone dripping with mock innocence.
“Did too! The rake was in!” I point.
“It’s always the rake with you.” He scoffs.
“And it’s always blurring the boundaries with you,” I clap back.
Joey scoffs.
“Whatever. It’s okay, Joe,” Lettie says, coming to stand beside him. She swings an arm over his shoulder, and I narrow my gaze on the point of contact. “We can still beat ’em,” Lettie says, her tone smug. “How much time is on the clock?”
I close in on her before I check the timer on my phone. “Two minutes. Plenty of time to take you down.” I wink.
“You mean, plenty of time for us to score again , fair and square.”
“In your dreams, Lettie girl. Tell you what? Forget the time. First one to score wins.”
“I’ll take that challenge.” She hip checks me as she passes, sexy curves swaying as she goes, and I force my hands into my pockets to keep from grabbing her and pinning her to the ground in a move that won’t be PG enough for my youngest siblings.
We reset at the faux line of scrimmage while Lettie, Joey, Tuck, and Bailey form a huddle.
After another ten minutes of play, no one has scored.
Our breathes come in short gasps. Dirt streaks our clothes, and Quinton’s once white shirt is now a patchwork of grass stains that I know my mother will be cursing me for long after I’m gone.
“What’s the plan?” Tyler hisses. “We can’t let them win.”
I narrow my eyes on our enemies, noting the way Joey grins down at Charlotte all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, like he’d do anything to please her.
Little bastard better not get any ideas. He may only be sixteen, but I’m not opposed to beating his ass.
“We’re pulling out the secret weapon,” I whisper.
Tyler grins. “You mean the—”
“Yep. They’ll never know what hit them. Ready?” I bump fists with both Tyler and Quinton, then line up.
Bailey blows the whistle this time, and the play begins.
Like I expected, Joey hands the ball off to Lettie while Ty, Quinton, and I spread out, forming a human wall in the narrow backyard and effectively cutting off her path.
Her eyes widen as she tries to get past us, but we shift, blocking her each time she makes a move.
“Pass it!” Joey yells.
Lettie hurls the ball toward Tuck when I turn to Quinton and shout, “Now!”
With a primal scream that curdles my blood, he runs directly at Tuck, squelching and flailing his arms like a deranged octopus.
“What the heck?” Tuck falters, distracted by Quinton’s shrieking, and completely missing Tyler who’s following closely behind.
In his moment of hesitation, Tyler swoops in, snatching the ball mid-air, then spins on his heel and dashes toward the end zone.
With a laugh, I pump my fist in the air while Joey runs after him. “Go, Ty!”
“Get him!” Lettie screams like a battle cry, but it’s too late. Tyler’s too fast. He dodges Bailey and jukes past Joey when he makes a play to grab him, and with one final burst of speed, he crosses the bucket-and-rake line, slamming the ball down with a victorious scream. “Touchdown, baby!”
Quinton goes wild, slamming into his brother in a celebratory hug while I turn to Lettie and shrug. “That’s called winning, baby,” I say, mocking Tyler.
Tucker sprawls on the ground in defeat, groaning theatrically. “I can’t believe we lost to that .”
“Yeah. What the heck was that?” Charlotte asks, waving a hand toward a grinning Quinton.
“ That was called a special play designed by yours truly. The octopus,” I say, barely containing my laughter.
“Don’t feel bad,” Joey tells Tucker as he helps him up and brushes him off. “I mean, Chris does play division I football at AU. They should’ve crushed us, and they barely won.”
Tuck cocks his head as if considering it. “That’s true.”
“Hey, I was distracted,” I say, grinning at Charlotte when she meets my gaze. “I can’t be held accountable when I have her staring at me from the scrimmage line.”
“Sounds legit,” Joey says, giving her the once-over.
“Eyes off.” I scowl, pointing at him, and he laughs.
“Plus, Quinton definitely got me with an illegal elbow to the ribs,” Bailey says, rubbing his side.
“Did not!” Quinton stomps toward him, clearly offended.
I press my mouth together stifling a laugh while Charlotte meets my gaze.
“Plus, that touchdown of ours was totally in,” Tuck chimes in. “We should’ve won ten minutes ago.”
“Alright, alright,” I say as Charlotte’s smile spreads, and I keep my eyes locked with hers. “Why don’t we call it a tie?”
She arches a brow. “A tie?”
I shrug. “That touchdown may or may not have been in.”
“I knew it!” She steps forward and jabs me in the ribs, but I catch her hand, holding it to my chest.
“Wanna settle it with a wrestling match?” I ask, my tone husky.
“You don’t wrestle,” Tuck says beside me, scratching his head.
Tyler groans. “He doesn’t mean that kind of wrestling, you dope.”
Charlotte smashes her lips together, stifling her smile.
“What kind of?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Joey cuts him off as he ushers my brothers toward the house. “Let’s get you rugrats cleaned up for dinner. Mom will be home soon.”
The slam of the garage door follows, letting me know we’re finally alone. “So . . .”
“So . . .” Charlotte smiles. “Your brothers are a riot.”
“Oh, yeah? I thought you didn’t like kids?”
She lifts a shoulder, her cheeks pinkening. “ Most kids, but they’re special.”
I try not to let her see how much her words affect me, but warmth floods my chest at her comment because my brothers mean the fucking world to me. “It’s chaos here,” I admit, glancing around me. “But it’s also pretty amazing. Now you see why I was running home every chance I got during the summer.”
“Yeah, I guess I would have too if I had this.”
I watch as her gaze rakes over the muddied yard and the torn-up grass, a wistful look in her eyes that speaks of a sadness I’m not privy to, and I wonder if she’s thinking of her mother, if she’s comparing her own family to mine. Whatever it is that’s ghosting across her face, I want nothing more than to erase it.
Screw waiting to kiss her.
I’ve regretted not seizing the opportunity ever since we left the garage with my brothers, so I reach out, placing my fingers beneath her chin as I tip her face to mine.
When our eyes lock, my heart thrums in my chest, a fine-tuned engine as I dip my face to hers. I’m determined to make this kiss even better than the last, a damned hard task if there ever was one, because our first kiss was fucking perfect.
The warmth of her breath fans over my face as my lips hover just above hers, testing the waters and giving her time to pull away.
I can practically taste the cherry Gatorade on her tongue, feel the warmth of her touch, when a familiar voice shatters the moment. “Chris, is that you?”
My stomach sinks as I drop my hand, cursing as I take a step back.
I don’t expect my mother to have a problem with my pursuing Charlotte. She’s a reasonable woman who wants nothing more than for me to be happy, but it’s also not something I want to discuss at the present moment. Not when I still have a long way to go before making her mine.
I turn, catching the way my mother’s steps falter when she notices the girl beside me. “Charlotte?” she nearly squeaks out.
Charlotte smiles, blushing as she raises a hand and gives her a little wave. “Hi Mrs. Collins.”
“Please, call me Barb, remember?”
Charlotte nods. “Barb.”
Mom rounds the side of the house and draws closer. “The boys mentioned you were here, but they didn’t say anything about a guest.” Her eyes shine as her gaze darts between us, and I wonder if she can tell how into her I am. Mom’s always had a knack for calling all of us boys out on our shit. “It’s so nice to see you. Will you stay for dinner?” she asks, motioning toward the house. “I just got home, but it’s taco night, so it won’t take long.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Charlotte shakes her head, her eyes wide as she glances between my mother and the house. “I wouldn’t want to intrude. We were just?”
“Oh, no! It’s not intruding at all. We’d love to have you. An extra seat at the table is no trouble, really.”
Charlotte bites her lip, saying nothing as my mother steps forward and takes one of her hands. “Please, Charlotte. You’d be doing me a favor. I could use a little estrogen around here with all these boys.”
“Is my father . . . ?”
“He’s not coming,” my mother answers, knowing what she was about to ask. “It’s just us.”
I watch this register and Charlotte’s guard fall as she glances up at me, a question in her eyes.
“We can go if you need to get back. It’s no problem,” I say, giving her an out.
She inhales as if making a decision before turning back to my mother and saying, “Okay, we’ll stay.”