Page 69 of Bite Your Tongue

I know right then that, someday, she is going to come home. We just have to make it through the whole long-distance thing until that happens. Right now, I’m on the road for games so much that maybe it won’t be that bad.

Maybe.

As Gemma walks Smith toward security, I push Saylor’s chin upward with my finger. “I love you.”

She smiles, her eyes lighting up. “I love you too, Pretty Boy.”

“Sure wish I could bury my dick inside of you one last time before I got on the plane.”

“Not a chance, babe.” She sighs. “There’s no time.”

“I guess a naughty FaceTime it is?”

Her eyes widen, and she grins mischievously. “In that case, I’ll have my phone on an extra-loud ringtone.” She winks.

I wrap my arms around her, giving her one last hug and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. All the other times we’ve parted, we were either supposedly just friends or trying to figure our shit out. This time, we’ve finally figured our shit out. I’m not ready to leave her though, and I hate that I have to.

Dropping my arms, I sigh. “I’ll call you later.”

“I’ll consider answering,” she teases. “Safe travels, Ry.”

As I turn away from her, Gemma heads toward me. She doesn’t look overly sad, but why would she be? She’s traveling back home in a few days to be with Smith again. With Saylor, I have no idea when I’ll see her again. All I know is, I’m already counting the days.

“Hey, thanks for making her hear me out,” I say, jerking my chin upward.

I know Saylor being there and talking to me after the game was Gemma’s doing, even if no one told me that.

“Hey, you’re welcome,” she says cheerily, but then her face turns cold. “Hurt her, and I’ll chop your dick into a thousandpieces and feed it to you like a toddler sitting in a high chair, pretending the spoon’s a fucking airplane.”

My eyes must grow wide, and my steps slow.

Sweetly, she smiles, waving. “Have a nice flight!”

She continues to walk past me, and I crane my neck to see her standing beside her best friend. They sling their arms around each other before turning around and heading toward the exit.

I’m damn glad Saylor has someone as strong as Gemma Jones in her life. And I’m thankful Gemma has a woman as incredible as Saylor in hers too.

As I watch them walk away, I know one thing to be true: I might be lucky enough to be her boyfriend, but I will never be her person. That role has already been filled.

Idrive through downtown Portland, passing the waterfront, where a few homeless people are gathered. I know I need to do more for this community than I do, and I’m going to make a plan for what that is. I’ve tossed around helping to fund a new homeless shelter because the city desperately needs one, but life always seems to happen, and then I never do it.

“Did you even hear me?” My mom’s voice through the speaker forces my stare away from the homeless man before I can read his sign. “Lewis, I don’t even think he’s listening to me.”

She talks to my dad because, yeah, they are at the age where, suddenly, they both need to be included in conversations and talk on speakerphone, even when they aren’t driving.

“Heidi, cut the boy some slack. He was probably up late last night with that pretty little thing who’s been all over Facebook with him.” I can hear the grin in my dad’s voice. “Chasing your best friend’s little sister, Ry? Nicely done.”

“Lewis!” my mom scolds him. “Cut it out.” She sighs. “Are you seeing Saylor, Ry? Because that’s what it sure seemed like in those pictures. But last time I saw her, she was dating that … what was his name? Rowan?”

“Yeah, she did date him,” I utter, my back teeth instantly grinding. “But that’s been over for a long time.”

“Thank God. I never liked that boy. He always had an attitude with the coach,” she grumbles. “So, what does thismean? Are you two dating now? And I don’t just mean thathooking upbusiness, Ryder. I mean, is she your girlfriend?”

I chuckle into my empty truck cab. God love my mom, but she can be a lot sometimes. The second I tell her we are together, she’s probably going to be on the first flight here to meet Saylor as my official girlfriend.

“Yeah, she is,” I answer proudly. “Don’t scare her off, will ya?”

“I would never,” she scoffs, and then, quickly, her attitude shifts. “I can’t even believe it; you finally have a girlfriend instead of those random women you seemed to enjoy so much.”

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