Chapter 19
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
AVA
I groan and grab my stomach, wishing I hadn’t eaten quite so much.
When Myles said they were having a cookout, I’d imagined a little barbecue with sausages and burgers and a vat of chili on the fire.
And there were those things, but there was also a hog roast and these amazing potatoes that were somewhere between steak fries and baked potatoes, and I ate way too many of them.
The cookout is taking place by the lake, a little further down from the brothers’ cabins.
From here you can see the house at the top of the hill, as well as the seats and wedding arch that have been set out for tomorrow.
Down by the water there are trestle tables where we’ve been eating.
In all there are about forty of us. I guess it’s small for a ceremony, but a big crowd for this house.
The air is filled with chatter and the twangs of the country band that’s set up on a deck in the corner.
“Flag football time,” Eli says, laying a pile of fabric squares on the table in front of Myles.
“Now?” Myles glances at his watch. “It’s getting dark.”
“Perfect time to play.” Eli lowers his voice. “Deandra told me to keep Brooks and Linc occupied. I figure we can wear them out.”
“Put them on the same team,” Myles says. “That way they won’t try to beat the shit out of each other.”
“Already got it. They’re on your team.” Eli grins mischievously. “I get Liam and Holden.”
“Can I play?” I ask, and they both turn to look at me with horror. “What?” I say, amused. “Can’t stand competition from a girl?”
Myles shakes his head. “It gets… violent.”
I eye him carefully. “I can take it.” And I need to run off this food if I want to get into my dress tomorrow. “Anyway, I thought flag football was supposed to be no-contact.”
“It is,” Eli says, his lips twitching. “But by five minutes in, everybody forgets that.”
Eli wanders off to find the other brothers, and Myles leans in to whisper in my ear. “I don’t want you playing.”
“Why not? Are you afraid I might beat you?”
“No, I’m afraid you’ll end up with two black eyes. I’m trying to be chivalrous here.”
“I know how to dodge somebody running for me,” I tell him. “I did it enough times with the cops growing up.”
He holds his hand up. “I’m going to park that thought for a minute. We’ll come back to it later, because I want to know why you were running from the cops.” He takes a deep breath. “If you play, you’re on my team and you keep close at all times.”
My lips curl. “You’re a sexist.”
“I’m not. I have every faith in your football prowess. I just don’t have faith in my brothers. The rivalry gets fierce.”
“I’ll bear that in mind.” The truth is, I’ve never played flag football. I’ve never had enough family around me to make one team, let alone two. But this is fun and I want to be part of it, if only for a few days. Myles shakes his head and smiles, exasperated.
We manage to recruit another three players, so there are five on each side. On ours there’s Myles, Brooks, Linc, Julia’s friend Sara, and me. Liam leads the other side, with Holden and Eli – who I really think are our biggest problem. They also have two of Julia’s cousins to even things up.
I’m so excited for this game it isn’t funny. I start warming myself up, shifting from side to side and Myles shoots me an amused stare.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting limber.” I shift to my right leg.
He rolls his eyes and hands me a flag, and I tuck it into the back of my jeans. When Liam tosses a coin, Myles calls heads and we win, and I let out a whoop.
“Your team spirit is impressive,” Eli tells me. “Have you played before?”
“Never.”
Myles blinks. “But you know the rules, right?”
“Throw the ball, advance up the field, and if the other team is on offense, grab their flags.” I shrug. “Simple.”
“And stay behind me at all times,” Myles says. Spoilsport.
Brooks takes the ball to start, with Myles behind him on the right and Linc on the left. Sara shoots me a smile. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I say. “I’m Ava.”
“I know. Everybody’s talking about you.”
Oh that’s weird. I open my mouth to ask what they’re saying, but then the whistle blows and Myles is throwing the ball between his legs.
The next minute is filled with running and shouting, the ball flying through the air at lightning speed.
It goes from Myles to Linc to Brooks, who makes a run for it, but Eli is fast and grabs his flag.
“Gotcha, sucker!” Eli taunts.
“Fuck you,” Brooks says, looking petulant.
“It’s fine. We’ve advanced.” Myles takes a deep breath. “Let’s go for the second down.”
The next ten minutes follow the same pattern. We throw and run and Eli’s team runs us down. We’re ten yards from the end zone when Myles calls for a huddle, and we gather around him.
“You’re doing great,” he tells us, and damn if Brooks and Linc don’t light up like Christmas trees at his praise.
I’ve noticed the same thing with all of his brothers this evening – they all stare at Myles like he’s some kind of god.
It’s the same way they look at their dad.
And maybe that explains it, because for a lot of their life it sounds like Myles has been their quasi-father.
They obviously adore him.
“Brooks and Linc, there’s no way they’re gonna let you score a touchdown. Eli and Holden are on you at all times,” Myles tells them.
“Yeah, and they’re on you, too,” Brooks says. “It’s like Liam’s glued to your side.”
“So we need to throw to Ava or Sara,” Myles continues.
“Oh no, not me.” Sara holds her hands up. “I’m only here to even up the numbers. And I’ve seen how fast Eli can run.”
Four sets of eyes turn to me. “You want me to try to score?” I manage to squeak.
“Yes,” Myles says. “That way we can take them by surprise. Stay on the left and Brooks and Linc, you stay on the right. I’ll throw to Brooks and everybody will think he’s either running or throwing to Linc.
When they head to Brooks, be ready for his throw.
And when you get the ball, run like hell, Ava. ”
I catch his eye and nod, my face serious. “I will,” I agree. I’m trying not to laugh at how seriously they are taking this. God only knows how competitive they’ll be when their Olympics start. What is it about grown men and sports?
My heart is pounding as we go back into our formation, Myles at the front, Brooks and Linc behind him, Sara and me beside them. Liam’s team is watching us carefully, their faces set as though this is the most important football game in the world.
There’s a crowd watching us now. The music has stopped and everybody is silent. I can hear the blood rushing through my ears and feel the speed of my heart as it clatters in my chest.
Then the whistle blows and we’re off. Myles snaps the ball back to Brooks and then we all run forward.
Brooks calls Linc’s name and Linc shouts something back, but I can’t hear it because of the roar in my head.
Instead, I watch as Brooks lifts the ball and it hurtles through the air toward me.
My breath catches in my throat as I hold my hands up, and as if in slow motion, watch the ball land smack dab between my palms.
There are more shouts, but I start running like hell, my breath short as I see the end zone they’ve created out of sweaters. Somebody’s chanting my name – is it Myles? – and other people are laughing and clapping, but my eyes are trained on the prize.
A stampede of feet is only a yard or two away, and I know this is my one chance to score. Somebody fumbles at my back and swears as though they’ve missed the flag, and I arch away and throw myself toward the end zone.
But instead of landing on grass, I feel a mass of muscle collide with my body, sending me up in the air until gravity does her thing and I fall back to the ground, the wind knocked out of me.
I land on the grass with a dull thud, my head thwacking the earth, and for a moment I see stars dancing in front of my eyes.
“Ava!”
Tentatively, I wiggle my fingers and toes. They’re still working. Does that mean I haven’t broken anything?
“Ava,” Myles says again, his voice hoarse. He drops down and touches my face. “Christ, are you all right?”
“I’m so sorry,” Eli says, and I assume he was the wall of muscle that caused the collision.
“You should be. You’re twice her size, you asshole.” Myles sounds furious. I try to sit up, but he pushes me back down. “Wait a minute,” he murmurs. “I want to check that you’re okay.”
“Did I score?” I ask.
He gives the softest of chuckles. “You dropped the ball before the end zone.”
“Damn.” I frown. “I nearly had it.”
“Forget about the ball, does anything hurt?” Myles asks.
“I don’t think so,” I manage. “Just my pride.”
“It was a foul,” I hear somebody – it might be Brooks – say. “She still has her flag. We should get a penalty.”
“Nobody’s getting anything. I’m taking Ava back to the cabin.” Myles’ voice offers no dissent.
“I can play on,” I argue. “I think.”
He touches my head. “Do you have any pain here?”
“No.”
He runs his fingers down my face, then feels my neck. “I’d be happier if we got you seen by a doctor.”
“I just fell over, it’s no biggie,” I tell him. He has this concerned expression on his face that makes my stomach do a little flip. “Let’s not make a fuss, please?”
He presses his lips together and nods. Then he leans back and helps me up to sit, telling me to take a breath before pulling me to my feet. “If you get any twinges, you tell me, okay?”
Eli steps forward and swallows hard. “I’m really sorry, Ava.”
“It’s not your fault. I was so busy thinking about scoring a touchdown I didn’t see you there.”
Myles lets out a harrumph, but says nothing.
“Seriously,” I tell Eli, who looks guilty as hell. “I’m fine.” Or I will be once everybody stops looking at me. Myles is hovering around me as though he’s afraid I might pick up the ball and make a run for it.
Eli gives me a tight smile. “I should have been more careful.”