Page 3 of Love at Second Down

I wince at the bite in her tone. I knew I’d have to explain myself, but I hadn’t put much thought intohow.

“Um, I’m not sure I know how to answer that,” I say in a desperate bid to buy myself time.

“First, you don’t come home for Christmas or New Year, and then I have to hear from the McGinnises that you never returned to Harvard and instead, transferred to Ann Arbor without asingle word to me or your father? Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing? You’ve made a life for yourself . . .”

I flinch at the frantic pitch of her voice, holding the phone away from my ear while she rants into the void. Several students pass, staring as they do. One girl gives me a commiserating look before I sigh and press the phone back to my ear. I may have kept my transfer request a secret, but I knew this day would come. Telling my parents the truth was inevitable.

“. . . I swear to God, Avery, if this is about that boy?”

“Damon, Mom,” I say with a flicker of irritation. “His name is Damon. Stop acting like he’s a one-night stand I met at a bar.”

“I just don’t understand why you would throw away the life you had in Boston. I thought you were happy. You were getting great marks. You had friends, a social life, a beautiful apartment, and a membership at The Club, everything you could ever want there.”

But I didn’t have him.

“You’re right. And it sounds great on paper. But I wanted more.”

“What could you possibly . . .” She trails off before she sucks in a breath. “So, thisisabout him? Please tell me you didn’t transfer to Ann Arbor for that boy.”

I grind my teeth, trying really hard to keep my cool.

“I thought you decided you were better off at Harvard like we planned. That your future was brighter without him. I thought?”

“No, Mom,” I snap. “You andDaddecided I was better off without him. You decided my future was brighter without him. Or should I say Dad’s future. So stop pretending like my breaking up with him was my idea.Youwanted me to move on.Youwanted me to go to Harvard. That was never the life I wanted for myself. Or is your memory so poor that you’ve somehow forgotten?”

Silence. Of course.

I shake my head and turn, staring in the direction where Damon had gone, and thinking once again of how I never should’ve left him.

“You can’t be with him. Avery, you know this. It’s not an option. It’s not safe for any of us.”

I bite the inside of my cheek until I draw blood. “Maybe I don’t care anymore.”

A breathy gasp falls over the line, and I can picture my mother, hand over her heart, forehead creased with worry as she tries to think of a way to manipulate me into doing what she wants. “You can’t be that selfish. Youknowwhat the repercussions will be. It’s not as simple as what you want. This isn’t just about you. Sometimes in life, we have to make choices for the greater good of our family. Sacrifices because we care more about others than ourselves.”

I swallow her words like jagged little pills. At one time, I agreed. It’s the reason I wound up at this stage of my life in the first place?miserable and desperately in love with a man I dumped two and a half years ago.

Maybe I am selfish. Maybe I shouldn’t be here, but the time I’ve spent apart from Damon has been torture, and it seems unfair that I should have to sacrifice the one thing I really want?him?while they change nothing.

My father made a mistake, and now I’m paying for it. Where’s his sacrifice? When is it his turn to be selfless? Why am I paying for his sins?

Instead of saying this, I clear my throat, hoping to make her see reason. “Chances are nothing will happen. Damon’s college football career is thriving. He’s little more than a year away from graduating, and once he gets drafted next April?and I have no doubt he will?nothing else will matter. He’ll have made it.He’ll have his shiny NFL career, so who he’s dating will be a nonissue.”

My mother scoffs. “And if it’s not? If the press takes an interest in the fact he’s dating an Astor, daughter of one of the largest hoteliers in the country, and they start digging, then what?”

“Even if they did, it’s not like they would find anything.”

A tired laugh crackles over the line. “Would you bet your father’s career on it? His life? Everything that we have? Your sister’s future? Because that’s what you’re doing, you know.”

My heart throbs at the mention of my sister. Katie’s my whole world, and the idea of her getting caught in the crosshairs hurts.

“Vinny Huhn worked for your father at the time of the accident. He was one of the lead builders, who just so happened to start asking a lot of questions after.”

I inhale, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves. “You’re just being paranoid. You and Dad might have been able to intimidate me at eighteen, but you can’t now. I’ve grown a lot since I started college, and I won’t let you scare me into staying away from him for even a minute longer.” I pull my coat tighter around me to ward off the cold. “I should go.”

“Avery, we’re not done talking about this. Trust me when I say it’s in your best interest to stay away from that boy.”

I choke out a laugh at her referring to Damon as a boy for what feels like the millionth time since picking up. If she saw him now, she’d see he’s all man.

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