Page 15 of Sneak Attack

He whipped his head back to the lake, shoulders slumped.

I vanished into the dark, got back to Marley’s, and drank the bottle of wine before I stumbled to bed.

Nightmares plagued me, but I deserved them, every single one.

CHAPTER6

COLE

“Ican’t forget either.”

I hadn’t seen Eden’s face when she said the words, but I heard the pain in them. It took me back to all those years ago. I’d always hated to see Eden sad even if I was the cause for most of it. She had no reason to blame herself for what happened. I was the cocky teenage asshole with a full ride to Tennessee ahead of me and my dream of making the NFL within my grasp if I kept working hard. I was the small-town football star with the pretty girl on my arm who I’d cared about but couldn’t ever seem to break up with because hurting Hilary was like making a puppy cry.

I was the asshole who’d been so cocky and so used to winning everything I thought I could figure it out. I strung Eden along, unable to stay away and did it while trying to be the good guy, but unlike being the hero on the football field, I was never the hero in our story.

I was the villain and had been from that very day I kissed Eden, knowing I was going to take Hilary back the next day. I didn’t cheat on her, not with my kisses or my touches despite how desperately I’d wanted to after we got back together, but the day Eden’s family rolled to town, Hilary never had a chance of holding on to my heart.

“Mom!”

Jasper shouted so loud in our booth at the diner he shook the table, almost knocking over our water glasses. I grabbed them, water sloshing over the rims, but I saved the workbook sheets he’d been working on.

Selma was all about him doing schoolwork to prepare for kindergarten. I thought it was insane, but Jasper didn’t mind them, so I kept my mouth shut. Sure, it was only writing letters, but he was going to have twelve years of school. Selma didn’t need to push too fast.

“Hey darling,” Selma called. She headed toward us, where Jasper was now flying out of the booth, and into his mom’s arms as she crouched down for him, even though she’d just dropped him at my place a couple hours ago. “Miss you already. Having fun?”

“Yep. Daddy says I get dessert at the creamery after this.”

“That’s great!” She kissed his head and set him back to his feet to get to hers and grinned at me, the table covered with our food we’d just received. “I hope this is okay,” Selma said to me. “I needed to come talk to my dad about some things around the house and thought you two would be here.”

I absolutely minded. For more reasons than one being I still hadn’t bothered to talk to Selma about whatever she confronted Eden about. Wasn’t sure I wanted to either, because it was sure to cause problems, but also because we didn’tdothis.

We co-parented well. We shared holidays and we were always flexible due to both of our schedules, mine especially during the season. But meals together as a happy family and in town for everyone to see?

We’d always avoided this, even if I brought Jasper to his grandparents’ diner frequently for dinner so they could spend time with him, too.

“Yes! Mom, see?”

Jasper tugged her into this side of the booth before I could answer, but my silence was enough for Selma.

She flashed me a smile that I was pretty sure was more victorious than sincere and settled down next to our son.

If she was expecting me to ask her what needed to be done around her house, I wouldn’t. We definitely didn’t do that kind of thing. I wasn’t her handyman or the guy she called when the plumbing went haywire.

I’d despise the one night I spent with Selma, would have kicked it from my memory long ago if I could, but it’d also brought me Jasper. If it wasn’t for him, I doubted I would have ended up getting my shit back together and focusing on school and the game and my dreams. He was the one who eventually saved me, which meant I could never hate his mom, even on the days I really,reallywanted to.

I shoved a bite of burger into my mouth and chewed while Jasper did his worksheets and Selma praised him for every perfectly straight or curved line. Together, we made him pause to eat his chicken strips and applesauce and try his vegetables, and by the time dinner was done, I was exhausted from trying to keep a smile I didn’t feel on my face.

“There’s my little girl and my favorite boy in the world!” Irv’s voice was booming loud, always had been, and like my parents didn’t think a whole lot of Selma, but I was pretty sure he thought less of me.

Then again, I was the twenty-year-old who knocked up his daughter and then didn’t do the right thing and marry her. That didn’t even have to do with the hatred he had for my parents, that failing was all on me – like so many other things.

But considering I was the NFL quarterback still living in my hometown and the media thought I wore a halo beneath my helmet, he couldn’t say crap about it. Especially since I’d hoped like hell for a contract with the Steel so I could stay close to home. I’d never made that a secret.

I was also the former, emotionally wounded football standout who gave up a full ride to Tennessee for football to stay local and play for Vanderbilt once Hilary died, so in the eyes of the media, I was the angel.

The perfect boy.

No one knew my halo had thorns dripped in blood.

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