Page 13 of The Secrets We Keep

“Yeah,” I grunt. “You can go in, I’ve got him.”

Axel shoots me a questioning look like he’s not sure if I’m serious and I give him a nod that I am. He turns around and goes inside, leaving me with Sophie’s son.

“You like the swings?” I ask, unsure of what to sayto him.

“Yeah,” he says with a grin. “I like going high up.”

I smile. “Me too.”

I take a seat on the empty swing next to him, and we sit in silence for a while, just enjoying the swings. When Asher stops, I do too. He looks over at me with the same blue eyes his mother has, and it makes my heart stop for a minute.

He catches sight of something behind me, and I turn around to see what he’s looking at. “You like football?” I ask as my eyes land on the discarded ball.

“Yeah,” he says. “I love to watch football. Mama lets me watch it every Sunday when it’s on.”

I chuckle. “Your mama always did like football.”

“How do you know her?” He asks.

I face him. “I’ve known your mama my entire life. We grew up in this club together. Our dads were both members. Sophie wasn’t just my friend; she was friends with my siblings as well. She was more like family, really.”

Ashers face falls. “I wish I had that,” he admits softly.

“Is it just you and your mama?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry. But now that you’re here, I think you’re going to make a lot of friends,” I tell him.

“You think so?” He asks hopefully.

I nod and give him a smile. “I know so. Do you want to throw the ball around?” I ask him, gesturing toward the football.

“Yeah!” He cheers, jumping from his seat and running over to the ball.

I spend the next few minutes showing him how to hold the ball and how to throw it properly. He’s a quick study and has a pretty good spiral going.

“How did you get so good at football?” He asks me when I throw the ball to him.

“I used to play in high school. I actually had a scholarship offer to play in Alabama, but I didn’t take it.”

“Why not?” He asks, but I don’t miss the snick of the door closing or the way his gaze lands on someone behind me. I know it’s Sophie without even turning around.

“Well, sometimes in life there are things bigger than your dreams. I loved football but there were other things that I loved more. I couldn’t see myself moving a few states away. I couldn’t choose football. Football could have only led me to a career that lasted a decade if I was lucky enough not to be injured. My future was here. My future was supposed to be a lifetime,” I say as I lock eyes with Sophie.

“What happened to your future?” Asher asks softly.

“It left me in the dust.”

10

SOPHIE

My heart is in my throat when Grayson brushes by me to walk inside. Not just from hearing Grayson’s words, but from seeing Grayson and Asher together.They have never looked more alike than in that moment.

The same dark hair and tanned skin, the same smirk. Asher is Grayson’s spitting image. The only trait he got from me was my blue eyes. I need to tell Grayson.I need to come clean.

The thought truly terrifies me, though. What if he hates me? What if he doesn’t believe me? What if he doesn’t care about Asher? I’m more worried about what this will mean for Asher than I am for myself.

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