Page 24 of My Brother's Teammates

To a pair of eyes staring back at me. “Son of a bitch!”

Mateo is lying down, facing me on the floor, his soft brown eyes searching mine. “What’s up, buttercup?”

If I had any energy left, I’d flee into my bedroom and die of embarrassment. But I can’t. I can’t hide this. He’s seen me, heard me, and he’s lying on the floor in front of me.

Pushing up off the floor, I curl my arms around my knees after sweeping the tears off my cheeks. “I got fired.” There’s no use lying or hiding it from him. They’ll find out soon enough when I don’t leave for work tomorrow morning.

He frowns, sitting up to face me, and scoots closer. His knuckle grazes my cheekbone, catching a few stray tears, and for just a fraction of a second, my heart stutters. “Do I need to break a few kneecaps?”

I shake my head.

“You sure?” His fingers trace along my jaw, his touch light, comforting.

It’s tempting to say yes, to give in to anything he wants right now, but I’m not going to be the first to break the rules. Instead, I lean into his touch and let him comfort me, if only for a moment. “It’s okay. I just need to figure out what to do next.” A shard of panic spears my chest, and the tears threaten to fall once again. “I’m sure it’s not too hard to find a teaching job in the middle of the school year. I’ll figure something out, honest. I won’t be here long. I swear.”

He covers my lips with his finger, and it takes every remnant of strength not to suck his finger into my mouth. Jesus. I really need to move out. These guys are clearly messing with my brain. “Easy, Red. These things happen. You’re safe and welcome here until you figure things out, whether that be a week, a month, or six months.”

“But Jace…” My words are mumbled against his finger.

“Fuck that guy. If he says anything to you, send him to me. I’ll take care of him.” He winks and boops my nose. “Did you like it?”

“Like what?”

He sweeps a curl out of my face, his fingers trailing lightly through my hair. “Your job. Teaching. Did you love it? Can you imagine doing anything else?” The way he studies me with such intensity sends my exhausted body into overdrive. “Did it set your soul on fire?”

No one has ever asked me that before. The easy answer is yes. But is that really the truth? My mom was a teacher, and her mom before that. It was kind of just expected of me. And since I didn’t have a better idea of what I wanted to do with my life, I rolled with it. It makes my mom happy.

Don’t get me wrong, I do like my job. I love working with kids, but I’ve never felt like teaching was what I was born to do.

I nibble at my lip as I shake my head. Admitting that my mom’s dream isn’t mine is scary as fuck.

“Good girl. It’s hard to be honest with ourselves sometimes, especially when shit’s hitting the fan.” The tenderness with which he strokes my cheek makes my whole body ache. It’s like he can’t stop touching me, and I’m finding it really hard to resist.

My lip trembles as my eyes fill with tears. If I’m not supposed to teach, what the fuck am I going to do next?

“Hey.” His voice is sharp, demanding. “Stay with me.”

I blink back the tears. Mateo is the jokester, the fun-loving playboy. I’ve never seen him like this before and I… I like it.

“Sounds like you need to figure out what the hell you want to do with your life, Red.”

“I have no idea what I’m going to do, Teo.” The fear that sentence provokes from inside my chest is visceral. A sharp gasp leaves my chest as another piece falls into place. “And you have to promise me you won’t tell Harrison.”

TEN

Mateo

It’s right there on the tip of my tongue. I’d love to tell her no, I can’t keep any more secrets from Harrison, but then another tear slips down her cheek, and I find myself nodding. “I won’t tell your brother, but I think you should. He loves you, Red. He’s only going to want to help.”

“How do I let him help me if I don’t know what I want to do?” She looks at me like I have all the answers, and dammit, I wish I had them. I wish I could fix this for her, but it’s not like I’m an expert on happiness.

“I feel like my entire life has been a waste. If I’m not teaching, then what do I do with my life?”

“You’re twenty-seven, not ninety-seven.”

When she frowns and those teary blue eyes narrow on me, I quickly add, “You have your whole life ahead of you. It’s hardly been a waste.”

“I guess.” She doesn’t sound super-confident, but I’ll take it.

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