Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 125852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
“Is your mom’s side a bunch of assholes?” Brady asks.
“I have no idea.” She looks off, seemingly lost in thought. “My dad told me my mom had no family. He either had a good reason to lie to me or he didn’t know.”
Neither Brady nor I comment. Like the twins and Chase, the two of us also came from full, loving homes with more support than we could ask for.
I don’t think Paige lacked love from her dad. If I remember right, Noah said they were really close, and it couldn’t have been easy to only have one person in your life you could depend on. It had to be even harder to then lose that person. But her mom, I know, was a different story, so it must be hard to learn she had family out there she never even knew about.
“Anyway, I might make the party after the game, but I won’t know for sure until the time comes.”
Mason and Ari walk up, and Chase rejoins us, his frown still present.
“All right, let’s go eat before all the good shit is gone.” I reach back, smacking Brady on the butt. “Giddy up, horsey.”
Brady looks to the boys. “Last one to the steps has to save the table and gets their food last?”
Mason smirks and bends at the knees, and Ari instinctively hops up on her brother’s back. “You’re on, Lancaster.”
We all look to Chase.
His gaze snaps between his friends, settling last on Paige, who chews her lip and looks the other direction. His eyes narrow on the tiny blond. “She’s wearing a dress.”
“So cup her ass. Nothing will show.” Brady laughs and I smack him on the arm.
Chase stares at Paige, and finally, she gives a little shrug.
He drops our bags onto the grass and pulls a hoodie out of his, gingerly wrapping it around her waist.
“I could do it,” she says softly.
Chase ignores her and ties it low across her belly. He turns, silently lowering to one knee.
Paige climbs on and he pushes to his feet as if she weighs less than a butterfly.
Brady grabs my bag and Chase takes his once more. “On three?”
“One.”
“Two.”
All three guys cheat, breaking out in a full sprint before the count is finished, and we can only laugh.
This.
This happy-family feeling is the one I want to hold on to.
But there’s a pattern that seems to be following me here at Avix U.
Everything I try to hold on to…I have to let go.
Let’s hope this year it’s not something I can’t live without.
CHAPTER THREE
Cameron
“Yes, Mason, I made sure to swap out the scratchy blanket he fell asleep with to the soft one from his bag.” I prop my phone between my shoulder and ear, shoving my textbooks in my bag and setting it on the counter. “You act like this is my first rodeo. Little D and me are like best buddies at this point.”
“I know, but—”
“But for some reason, he likes the scratchy one and fights his sleep without it. Again. We’re best buddies. I know all the things.” I laugh, waving at Junie, my boss—or, I guess, professor—at the child development center on campus. “He’s good. I’m God given, and you and Payton are so lucky to have me here with him for two hours a day. I know. You don’t have to say it.”
He chuckles and my smile blooms wide. “All right, all right. I’ll leave you alone.”
“Until Monday, you mean,” I tease. My phone beeps and I reach up to pull it back and check the screen. I sigh, fighting a grin. “Well, gotta let you go, whipped boy. The one who holds your leash is calling now.”
“Don’t tell her I called again—”
I hang up on him and answer his girlfriend’s call. “Well, hello, Payton. Your son is sleeping like an angel and had a fantastic day, and I just reported to Daddy Mase.”
Hauling my backpack onto my back, I snag my watered-down iced coffee and head out the door.
“Have I mentioned how amazing you are lately?” she sighs.
“Literally every day, but as I told you guys a thousand times, it’s no big deal. I have a million hours to put in for here, and doing a little each day is so much more manageable than two or three full shifts. Honestly, it’s the best change I could have made to my schedule. I ended last year with double the hours I had my first year.”
“Thanks, Cam. I don’t know if I could have committed to moving here full-time without someone I trust being there with him.”
“Uh, yes, you would have. And the reason is a six-foot-ish, dark-haired quarterback who would have probably talked his mom into moving here to be your sitter just so he could have you and little man with him.”
“Yeah.” She lets out a second happy sigh. “That sounds about right.”