Silver (25 page)

Celia took Stacia’s arm and moved her away from Bryna and Lawrence, who had immediately reverted into father-daughter mode. Bryna never spent enough time with her dad, and it was clear Celia knew the importance of that.

“It’s so good to see you again, dear. Too bad it’s under these circumstances, but we’ll take what we can get,” Celia said with a wide smile. “Now, tell me what happened. You look like you’re in shock.”

“It’s good to see you, too. We were out after the game, and Boomer, another guy on the team, hit his girlfriend.”

“How disgusting!” Celia cried.

“Some of the guys called him out on it, and it got ugly. Pace ended up hitting him, and then it turned into a brawl. I guess someone posted it online or tipped off the police or something because they showed up so fast. And then the guys were taken here. We’ve just been waiting ever since.”

“Well, I’m glad you were here at least. Always good to know that Pace has someone in his corner, looking out for him. Now, I’m just going to go pay, and then I’ll sic Lawrence on them to try to speed this all up.” Celia gave her a playful laugh. “Part of me wants to leave Pace in there overnight for being such an idiot, but apparently, he was provoked. So, I’ll post the bail, and then we can all put this mess behind us.”

Stacia nodded as Celia disappeared to talk to the officers. Lawrence followed her a few minutes later, and as if switching a light, the officers completely changed their demeanor. The famous Lawrence Turner got things moving at record speed. Money was exchanged, and then Pace was discharged, just like that.

Pace walked out of the back room and stopped in his tracks when he saw everyone waiting for him. “Took you long enough.”

Celia swatted him. “If I ever have to do something like this again, so help me God!”

“Hey, cool it, Mom,” he said, scooping her into a hug. “Just an excuse to see you.”

“Don’t ever use this excuse again. A call every now and again is fine!”

Pace acknowledged his stepdad with a curt nod and then drew Stacia into a hug. “Hey, Pink. You look exhausted.”

“From waiting for your dumb ass to get out of a holding cell all night. You had to fight him, didn’t you?”

Pace shrugged. “Yeah, I did.”

“What is he doing now?”

“Don’t give a shit. I hope he rots in there.”

“I checked,” Bryna said. “He can’t post bail, so he’s in talks with a bondsman.”

“How did you find that out?” Pace asked.

Bryna arched an eyebrow. “I’m very persuasive.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Lawrence said. “Let’s get everyone home. You all go on out to the car. I’ll have the jet set up for tomorrow morning, so we can get you all back to Las Vegas on time.”

“Oh! The private jet, Daddy!” Bryna cried. “My favorite.”

“Let’s go, digger,” Pace said, nudging Bryna toward the entrance.

As Pace stepped forward to talk to his mom, Stacia trailed behind. She glanced over her shoulder as Lawrence approached the officer again. She could just hear him ask about posting bail for another gentleman. Stacia’s head snapped back around, and she frowned.

Was it right that Lawrence should pay Boomer’s bail? Could he possibly be that considerate? Or was he doing it to gain leverage? Did he want to have his stepson’s enemy in his favor? Or did he truly care that someone less fortunate was in a bad situation, had probably been in a bad situation his entire life and needed a leg up?

What would the bond cost Lawrence Turner anyway? A drop in the hat. Bryna could spend more on shoes in one trip. He was going to fly them to Las Vegas on a private jet.

But, to Boomer…it could mean everything.

Stacia’s frown deepened as she considered that maybe Boomer’s circumstances had led him to this life. And though she didn’t like him any more than she had before, she maybe understood him a bit better.

“Fuck!” Pace cried on Monday morning. He threw his helmet down into the back of Stacia’s SUV, which Trihn had agreed to drive back for her.

He had just walked out of the sports complex after his morning meeting with Coach Galloway. Stacia had agreed to go to campus early with him for moral support and to meet up with Whitney to get the notes she’d missed while in LA.

“What happened?”

“I’m out.”

“What?” Stacia shrieked.

“You heard me! I’m out. He’s suspending me for the next game.”

“I can’t believe this! The charges were dropped!”

“Yeah. Well, Coach is forcing Boomer and me to sit out the next game. Luckily, it’s a fucking cakewalk game, but god-fucking-damn it, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this! I only have two more regular season games in my college career, and I’m fucking suspended. How will that look to the NFL recruiters?”

“You’re incredible. They’re still going to draft you,” Stacia insisted.

“Yeah? You’d know something about that, wouldn’t you?”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? Don’t throw that in my face.”

“I’m not. Fuck. I’m just…” He balled his hands into his hair and glared up at the sky, as if it had done something offensive to him. “I’m so fucking pissed. I’m screwing up everything. What the fuck will happen if I don’t get drafted, Stacia?”

“You’re going to get drafted. Stop talking like that,” she said. “Your career is not on the line for one suspended game. People have done worse shit than you, and they are fine.”

“Like Kent Baxter?” Pace threw out.

Stacia took a step back. “Are you seriously just determined to piss me off? I’m trying to console you, and you’re being a dick.”

“I know. Fucking fuck. I’m sorry.” He reached out and brushed her hair back off her face. Then, he dipped down and softly kissed her. “I don’t mean to take this out on you. Apparently, I’m just a dick today. Maybe you should study with Whitney and Simon tonight while I cool down.”

“One, are you asking me to leave? And, two, did you really tell me to go hang out with Simon?”

“I’m not telling you to fuck him,” he said with a gruff laugh. “But I trust you. And the dude has no chance anyway.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Plus, I could never ask you to leave. I’m just going to try to chill the fuck out.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “But don’t break anything.”

He laughed. “I love you.”

Stacia froze with his hands on her face. They’d said it the night when they got back together, but those words hadn’t passed his lips since then. She had thought it was too fast for them to say it in the first place even if she had used it in the past tense, but this was something else. Their relationship had moved beyond the past tense.

“I love you, too—even when you’re a dick.”

Pace bent down and rested his forehead against hers. “That’s good, as I don’t think that’s going to change, nor is how I feel about you.”

Stacia leaned back against her car with a smile, reveling in her boyfriend’s adoration.

But too soon, she had to leave to catch up with Whitney, as promised. Whitney had heard about the fight, and she was sad to hear that Pace had to sit out a game. But they had gotten the prompt for their final assignment while Stacia had been out on Friday.

So, for the next week, Stacia was too busy to even stress about Pace missing the game. She was holed up in the library and the tutor center with Whitney and Simon, who had seemed to finally hit it off in her absence.

The only break Stacia took was to go to the game with Pace. He stood on the sidelines in street clothes next to Boomer to appear in solidarity even though she knew they wanted nothing more than to rip each other’s faces off.

Luckily, the team pulled it off without their two stars, but it wasn’t a pretty game. What should have been an easy game going into the last game of the season had nearly been a disaster. And, with only one loss, they still had a chance to make it to the national title game—something everyone was whispering about, but no one openly spoke about, in fear that their dreams would be crushed again.

With the last game fast approaching and her final paper due shortly afterward, Stacia had been hesitant to go home for Thanksgiving break. It ended up being a relief because Derek forced her to slow down.

“You cannot work on that paper today,” he said, closing her MacBook. “It is my only day off this week. You will make a pumpkin pie with me or else.”

Stacia threw her hands up in surrender. “Fine. Pie, it is.”

She followed him into the kitchen where her dad was hard at work on all of his famous recipes. He’d become an excellent cook, due to being the only parent in the house. For a while there, they’d only had Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and SpaghettiOs. But things had turned around when he got a cook to come in, and instead of leaving it all to her, he’d actually learned most of her recipes. It had been nice on the nights when he wasn’t working.

“Hey, honey,” Curt said. “Will you hand me that spoon?”

Stacia picked it up and passed it to her dad just as his phone rang.

“Come stir. Come stir,” he encouraged. He passed the spoon to her and then took the call out of the room.

“Work on Thanksgiving?” Stacia grumbled.

“You’re one to talk,” Derek accused.

“Hey now!”

“I’m kind of glad I have you to myself. I, uh…invited Jordan over for dinner. He should be over any minute.”

“You did?” Stacia asked, surprised.

“I know you introduced Pace to Dad. I thought…I’d introduce Jordan to him,” Derek said softly.

Stacia beamed. “Really? That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you.”

“Yeah, well, wish me luck.”

“You won’t need it.”

The doorbell rang just then, and Derek rushed to go answer it, but their dad got their first. “Can I help you?”

“Hello, sir. I’m Jordan Sapp. I’m a friend of Derek’s.”

“Oh, yes, of course. Come on in. I’m Curt.” He offered Jordan his hand, and they shook.

Derek rushed to Jordan’s side, and Stacia watched from the kitchen, silently offering him her support.

“Actually, Dad,” Derek said, clearing his throat, “this is Jordan…my boyfriend.”

Everyone in the room stopped moving. All the air had been sucked out of the room, and Stacia waited on pins and needles for her father’s reaction.

“Boyfriend,” Curt repeated.

“Yes. We’ve been together since April, and I thought it was time to introduce you.”

“April is a long time.”

“It is,” Derek got out.

“I understand why you didn’t tell me sooner,” Curt said. “But I’m glad you told me now. Come on in, Jordan. Why don’t you tell me all about yourself?”

And, just like that, everyone started breathing again. It wasn’t perfect. Her dad wasn’t perfect. They all stumbled around the new way of things for a while, but like anything, it was just an adjustment. Nothing to be ashamed of or alienated for.

Jordan stayed for dinner, and they were all settling in with bourbon when another knock at the door startled everyone.

Her dad jumped up first. “Oh, right, I forgot,” he said. “I told a friend of mine that he could come over for a short talk.”

“Work, Dad?” Stacia complained.

“Brief. Very brief, honey.”

She sighed. It was always work with her dad. Even on a holiday.

Her dad opened the door and asked his friend to come inside. That was when Stacia realized she recognized the voice. Her head whipped around, and in walked Jude Rose.

“WHAT THE FUCK?”
Stacia said under her breath.

Derek looked at her with questions in his eyes, and she nodded her head toward the door.

He followed her direction and shrugged when he saw who it was. “Isn’t he a sports agent?”

“Yes. And a big fucking dick.”

“Did he represent Marshall?”

Stacia nodded. “Among other things.”

Jude glanced into the living room where they were all still enjoying their bourbon. Stacia could admit that she’d had one too many, but it was relaxing, hanging out here with her family. She would work some more on her paper tomorrow, after Black Friday shopping, and then drive home for the last game of the season on Saturday. But that liquor was not doing anything good for her temper as Jude’s eyes flickered to hers.

He smiled with a triumphant look, as if he had found the prize he had been looking for.