57. Nolan
57
Nolan
I slept off and on throughout the morning. My dad had brought me everything from food and drinks, to heating pads and pain medication. The tightness in my thigh was starting to release, though it was definitely injured. Not that I was worried about that.
What had Bailey done to my father?
The food and drinks he brought me could still be seen as healthy. Aside from… I stared at the pack of mint Oreos on the nightstand. Mint was Nick’s favorite, but at least he had tried. I ate half the damn package and got no lecture. I talked about going for a walk or jog to stretch out the muscle, and he instantly declined, telling me to rest it for today. He never would’ve said that before.
Had he let go of Nick? Was I supposed to let go of Nick? Everything inside of me was conflicted. I didn’t want to, couldn’t emotionally, let go of my brother. But the release of obligation was a relief.
No. I couldn’t do this. I had to go to my father and tell him to stop this epiphany he thought he’d had and go back to normal.
I stood up from my bed, almost falling into the wall as my thigh seized. “Ugh. Damn it.” I grabbed the muscle and tried to massage it, hoping it would relax. I had double games this weekend; this couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t let the team down.
After a few moments, the muscle did release, and I was able to limp down the hall. I was halfway down the stairs when I heard my father talking on the phone.
“I thought he was dead,” he said. “I know, Angie.”
He was talking to my mom. My breath hitched, and I found myself lowering to the step, listening in on their conversation.
“He looked just like Nick when they carried him in… No, he’s okay now. Some soft tissue damage… You don’t have to remind me, I know. I went too far. I went too far with Nolan, and I went too far with you.”
Before Nick’s death. That was the only time my parents had talked to each other without yelling or fighting. I leaned my head against the railing and closed my eyes, listening to them talk. I could only hear Dad’s side of the conversation, but I imagined my mother’s voice, knowing what she would say and how she would respond. It wasn’t long until Dad started asking about her, how she had been holding up, what she was up to. My dad still loved her—I could hear it in the rise and fall of his voice. In his laughter, which had been all but absent until today.
“Bailey,” Dad said, the name making my eyes flash open. “She’s on the team, the halfback. She’s a decent player.” He paused, then laughed at something my mom said. I wanted to hear. I wanted to know what my mother had to say about Bailey. “Listen, I’m a big guy, and that little girl had me up against the wall, nearly pissing my pants. I thought she was going to take a swing at me. Well, she did, just not in a physical sense…”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out.
Lachlan: video message
I clicked on the video and watched as Hersey did a homecoming proposal to Bailey in the cafeteria. He had flowers and chocolate, and a couple of players were holding up signs, urging her to say yes. Everyone clapped, but Bailey hid her red face. She looked like she was fighting with herself, not sure whether she could say no in front of the audience. The video cut out before she gave her answer.
Nolan: What’d she say?
Lachlan sent the shoulders shrugging emoji.
Nolan: Why haven’t you guys asked her yet?
Lachlan: Not sure which one of us will be the spokesperson. Maybe we should rock, paper, scissors. Competition is ramping up, though…
I looked at the time, school would be letting out soon. This video was from lunch.
Nolan: I’m on my way.
I stood up and limped down the rest of the stairs and into the kitchen, where Dad was preparing a snack. “Nolan,” he said, and I froze for a moment, just from hearing him say my actual name. “Your mom’s on the phone.” Dad put her on speakerphone. “You’re on speaker, love.” The pet name seemed to slip out of his mouth.
“Hey, Nolan!” Mom said, not mentioning what Dad had just said.
I just shook my head. “I need to go to school,” I said quickly.
“What?” Dad looked up at the clock. “It’s nearly finished. What about your leg?”
“My leg is fine, Dad. I need to see Bailey.” I turned around, grabbing my jacket and slipping it on, checking the pockets for the keys to my motorcycle. Dad followed me into the garage.
“She will be back soon. She can come here.”
“You don’t get it!” I didn’t even get it. “I have to see her now!” I grabbed my helmet and Nick’s, which now wasn’t Nick’s…was it? It was Bailey’s helmet. “Other guys are asking her to homecoming, and I have to get there now to, to, to ask her. I thought I couldn’t do it. I thought we were just rushing into it all. I didn’t want everything going on around us to force my choice, but if I don’t make the choice now, I can’t stand not having her.”
Dad just stood there, staring at me, completely confused.
“Rob, honey, he’s in love,” my mom said from the speaker.
I took a deep breath because that was it. I was in love with the girl that broke my nose and stole my heart. “I have to—”
Dad hit the button on the garage door, opening it up. “Go get her, son.”
I didn’t wait any longer. I slipped onto my motorcycle, pulled my helmet on, and took off.
One stop at the side of the road, and it wasn’t long before I was pulling into the empty school parking lot. Bailey sat on the tailgate of her truck, eating chocolates with Chase and Lachlan while Ethan leaned against the bed.
Her head snapped up the moment she heard the motorcycle engine, and she smiled. Would this always be my thing? Every time she heard the roar of an engine, would she think about me? I sure hoped so.
I pulled up to them, cutting the engine, kicking the stand into place, and slipping off. I pulled my helmet off, and her eyes went to my hair. I knew it was a disheveled mess, the way she liked it.
I took a step toward the tailgate, and when I caught the grins on the faces of those dirty bastards, I got the message loud and clear. “How’s your leg?” she asked. “Are you okay?”
“Please tell me you said no to Hersey.”
She frowned. “What?”
“Please. Tell me. You said no to Hersey.” Bailey raised an eyebrow. I took a step toward her. Damn, she was hot as fuck, her amber eyes shining as she watched me with a grin. This girl lit up everything inside of me, and I knew I couldn’t let her go. “Go to homecoming with me.”
She crossed her arms. “I’m not sure if I’m going. I have a thing against parties.”
“I won’t let you out of my sight.” I took another step toward her.
She shrugged. “I’m not a good dancer.”
“Neither am I.”
“I kind of have these three following me around everywhere.” She nodded to Lachlan, Chase, and Ethan. “That can be a big deal breaker for some.”
I shook my head. “Not for me. See, I wasn’t sure how it was going to work. I like them and all, but part of me does want you to myself. I didn’t think I could handle it, but then I realized something.”
“What?” she asked, those sweet eyes staring right through every barrier I’d made in the name of Nick and seeing me, Nolan.
“The thought of not having you at all hurt far worse than the thought of sharing you.” Her lips parted ever so slightly. I turned around to the motorcycle, pulling the bunch of wildflowers I’d picked at the side of the road from the storage bag. I walked right up to her. “Bailey McCormick, I know you are the most beautiful, the most gorgeously talented halfback any team has ever had, but would you consider allowing this humble quarterback to take you to homecoming?”
Her eyes shone as she looked at the wildflowers. She pulled that lower lip between her teeth as she nodded her head yes, words failing her. I reached up, pushing her lip from her teeth and capturing it with mine. There were whoops and hollers around us as I kissed the girl that held every single broken piece of my heart, even the parts I hadn’t realized were fractured.