Page 41 of Make Your Shot
He comes out of the dressing room, hair damp from showering as he steps out into the hall. He pauses, his head on a swivel as he looks for the two of us, only stopping when he sees me holding Tella. His gaze fixes on mine, but as he strides over, he drops it down to the floor, as if he’s avoiding eye contact.
“I can take her,” he mumbles, extending his arms to take her from me.
I don’t argue with him. I release her, letting him situate her in his arms. She doesn’t even wake up from the shift and instead settles against his neck, her mouth opening as she yawns. My eyes trail over Caleb’s face, over the cut on his eyebrow and the one in his swollen bottom lip.
“What happened out there?”
He doesn’t look at me as he starts to walk to the exit. “It doesn’t matter,” he replies, his tone clipped and voice hoarse.
He pushes open the door with his foot and I immediately take it from him, squeezing my body between him and the door as I hold it open for him. “Thanks,” he grinds out, skirting around me, as if he doesn’t want to be anywhere near me.
My throat constricts, but I follow after him, heading in the direction of his car. “I can get a ride home, if you’d prefer,” I offer. My car is at his house, but his body language tells me everything I need to know. He doesn’t even want to be in the general proximity of me.
We both stop as we reach his car. He pulls open theback door, his eyes falling shut as he inhales sharply. “Get in the car, Mia.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“Mia,” he breathes out my name. “Get in the fucking car.” His throat bobs as he swallows hard, his eyes slicing to mine. “Please,” he adds, his voice hoarse and just above a whisper.
My chest tightens and I give him a swift nod. “Okay.”
Without another word, I climb into the passenger seat, my heart in my throat as I wait for him to get Tella strapped into her booster. Time stretches and it feels like an eternity as the blood rushes in my ears. Finally, he shuts her door and walks over to the driver’s side, sliding in behind the steering wheel.
He’s silent as he buckles his seatbelt and turns on the car, slowly easing out of the parking space. I swallow again, nervously tucking my hair behind my ear as Caleb drives us in complete silence, heading onto the main road in front of the arena.
I’ve been racking my brain for the last week, trying to figure out where I went wrong with us almost kissing. He said it was his fault, but what feels even worse is the fact that he regrets it and I don’t. He’s iced me out because of it and I don’t know if it’s my anxiety or...
“Did I do something to upset you?” The words tumble from my lips in a rush. I turn my head to look at him. “I’m at a loss for where I went wrong or what I did.”
The muscle in his jaw clenches and I watch the wayhis fingers curl tighter around the steering wheel. “I don’t want to talk about any of this until we’re home.”
I straighten my spine, pressing it back against the leather seat. My anxiety peaks and I thread my fingers through one another in my lap. “Can you just tell me what I did?”
“You didn’t do anything.” He blows out a breath, working that muscle in his jaw once more. “I’m not mad at you.” His throat bobs as he swallows hard. “I’m mad at myself.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CALEB
Mia is silent as she waits for me by the front door. Avoiding her gaze, I walk past, marching into the house where I kick my shoes off and head directly up to Tella’s room. My blood is hot in my veins as it circulates through my body, carrying too many fucking conflicting emotions.
I get Tella settled in bed, pulling off her shoes before tucking her beneath the covers. Mia must have had a change of pajamas at the arena, because somehow Tella was already dressed for sleep when I found them waiting in the hallway.
Leaning down, I pull the covers up to her chin and press my lips to her temple. “I love you, T.”
She stirs in her sleep, a gentle smile cresting her lips as she rubs her head against her pillow. I watch her for a moment, my eyes lingering on her perfect little face before I let myself out of her room. Leaving the door ajar, I head down the hallway and back downstairs. Myheart pounds erratically, my stomach quickening when I don’t see Mia in the foyer.Did she leave?
My strides are long, the anxiety creeping up my spine as I make my way into the kitchen. I pause to search for her. Movement through the glass door that leads out back catches my attention. She’s standing on the pool deck, her head tilted back to stare up at the moon.
My breath catches in my throat as I take a moment to drink her in. The ends of her hair dance along her lower back. I memorize her curves, the way she looks right now as my feet begin to slowly move on their own, carrying me closer, like a man caught in a trance.
I reach for the door and slide it open, taking a step and then another onto the back deck. I try to slide the door shut without making a sound, but the plunk when it connects with the frame is audible. Mia doesn’t turn to look at me, but I don’t miss the way her back straightens a little. The way her chest rises and falls with shallow breaths.
I walk up beside her, letting the silence surround us as I, too, tilt my head back to look up at the moon shining brightly in the sky.
“Are you going to tell me why you were mad?”
My chest deflates as I blow out a breath through my nose in a huff, my eyes momentarily closing. “I’m still mad.”
