Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
As soon as he sees me, he pops to his feet. “Do you want to—”
“Talk?” I fill in with a smile. “Yeah, I do.”
The edges of his lips tilt upward as he jerks his head into a nod. “Maybe we could take a drive?”
“I’d like that.”
Mom smiles as I hold out my hand for him to take. He eats up the space between us before slipping my fingers into his and squeezing them tight.
Chapter Forty-Five
Carson
I hold open the passenger side door as Elle slides onto the leather seat. Our gazes catch before I slam the door closed, locking her inside the vehicle and jogging around the hood. Once settled next to her, I shove the key into the ignition and start up the engine, pulling out of the circular drive and onto the subdivision road.
With my attention focused straight ahead, I slip my fingers around hers. After being apart for this long, I need the physical contact. We’re both silent, simply content to be together, as I pull into the main driveway for our old high school. There’s only one in town, so it resembles more of a college campus with its main building, separate auditorium, and athletic center. The school’s booster club made sure that the football stadium could rival any Division I arena. Playing under the bright lights on a Friday night was always a blast, and I enjoyed all four years spent here. Especially with Brayden by my side. And knowing Elle was in the stands, cheering us on, always forced me to take my game to the next level. I never wanted her to see me doing anything less than my best.
Once in front of the football stadium, I ease into a parking space and kill the engine before squeezing her fingers. “Come on.”
With a furrowed brow, her gaze bounces from me to the stadium before sliding back again. “What are we doing here?”
“You’ll see.” I exit the truck before she can ask any more questions.
By the time I make it around the vehicle, she’s slamming the door shut. I slip her hand back into mine and pull her through the entrance that leads to the bright green turf. Now that it’s November, the high school season is over, and the teams are no longer holding practice.
We walk through the dark concourse before reaching the field. The only light that filters down is from the sky, illuminating the arena. My feet slow before grinding to a halt as I glance around, remembering all the times we ran through the tunnel to the sounds of cheering fans. Some of those memories are as fresh as if they’d happened yesterday. Especially the ones where I’d look up and find Elle sitting with her parents.
Those were good times, but it’s nothing compared to now—because back then, Elle didn’t belong to me, and I didn’t think there would ever come a time when she’d be mine. And that’s the difference.
I tug her into my arms and hold her close. There’s something about her slim body pressed against mine that feels so right. Better than anything or anyone else ever has.
“One of the things I loved most about playing at this stadium is that I always knew where you were sitting. I could glance over at the fifty-yard line and look ten rows up and there you’d be. It was easy to make myself believe that you were there for me, watching me the entire time. That was all the incentive I needed to push myself harder.”
She presses into me, molding to my body. “I always watched Brayden, but I was there for you, too. My attention was always locked on you, cheering you on.”
I drop my forehead to hers, continuing to hold her gaze. “For as long as I can remember it’s been you, Elle. No one else. Even when I didn’t think there was a chance in hell you would ever belong to me, it was you. In my thoughts and dreams, it was you.”
“You have to know I felt the same way. There was never anyone else in my heart.”
My heart swells with thick emotion.
“The only reason I kept you at a distance is because I didn’t want to do anything to hurt Brayden. I still don’t.” I reach up to stroke my fingers over the curve of her cheek. “But I can’t stay away any longer. I need you in my life and by my side.”
When she tilts her face, I brush my lips across hers. “There’s no one who matters more than you.”
“I’m yours, Carson. I always have been.”
My hand slides around the side of her head until I can cup the back of her skull in my palm. “I hope you mean that, baby. Because you’re mine now, and I don’t plan on ever letting you go. I’ve spent enough time without you. I refuse to give up any more.”