She turns, saying something to him, and I see her point.
My eyes follow, landing on the back of my dad’s head, and everything in me goes cold.
No, no, no.
My stomach churns, and I take a step forward without realizing it, but Mason’s palm on my chest halts me.
She won’t. She wouldn’tdare.
Would she?
She starts walking again, this time faster, her hand still in his, and they are goingright for my dad.
He’s going to have to see the woman he devoted his life to with another man. The woman he still loves with all his fucking heart, even though she took him for everything he had.
After all she’s already done, how could she do this?
She lost the right to be here, to speak to my friends. My dad.
She lost the right.
“Chase!”
I spin.
Mason has two feet on the field, his helmet halfway over his head. “Come on, man.”
Fuck.
My eyes snap to the stands once more, and I run onto the field.
My leg is fucking bouncing, fingers wiggling at my sides as we huddle, Mason delivering the play. It’s a slant right, not designed for me, but the ball always goes where the opening is. And the opening is me 90 percent of the time, so I get fucking ready.
I check in with the ref on my position, then look back at my best friend, waiting for him to snap the fucking ball.
The snap is made, and I move on autopilot.
She’s got a lot of nerve, showing up here today.
I’m half-surprised she even knows this season’s schedule. I sure as hell didn’t send it to her.
I cut left, deep into the twenty.
Mason sends the ball flying, and it’s coming right for me.
I chase its direction, but I overread, and the safety flies in front of me, the ball falling right into his hands.
Fucking interception.
“Fuck!” I bite down on my mouthpiece, shaking my head as I run off the field.
My teammates try to dap me up, but I ignore them, yanking my helmet off, glaring up at the stands.
She’s reached him.
She’s right fucking across from him, tickling Deaton in his mom’s arms like she has any fucking right.
My dad is stiff beside Noah, and when I look to his face, he tries to smile.