“I’ll think about it,” is all I say. My brain is too jumbled to offer much beyond that, and I don’t want to think about anything else until I hug my girl.
“Good enough.” Jeremy salutes me with his beer as Jordan gets up to grab the rest of the takeout from the kitchen. My football career is over, and there are going to be some big decisions and hard days ahead while I work out how to end it officially and what’s next for me. Today was a fucking disaster, but sitting here with these three guys, beers, and an eclectic mix of takeout isn’t such a terrible way to end it. I take a sip of my beer and then set it on the coffee table, knowing that I’m going to be driving later. Because there is no way I’m ending this day without finding Julie. I want to be wherever she is, and hopefully we can figure out all of these next steps together.
Chapter Forty-Five
Asher
Me
You home, Juliette?
Juliette
No, I’m at my parents’ house.
You didn’t go home?
I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay close in case you needed me.
The knowledge that she stayed here, right on my street, because I might need her, has love bursting in my chest, making my heart feel like it’s too big for my body. My arms literally ache to get around her, and suddenly the five houses between us is an unacceptable distance.
Me
Can I come over?
Juliette
You don’t have to. I can cometo you.
I peer out the window and see that the flurries I noticed when the guys left a little while ago have turned into a real snowfall.
Me
Stay put. It’s snowing. I’m on my way.
Juliette
If you insist.
I absolutely do.
Less than a minute later, I’m walking out my front door. I consider getting in the car, but the crisp, snowy February air draws me in, so I set off on foot, my boots leaving the first footprints on the snowy sidewalk.
Rachel Parker opens the front door just as I’m raising my hand to knock. I know immediately that she must know about today because Rachel says nothing, just takes a step forward and wraps me in a hug that settles my nervous system in a way that only a mom hug can. After a minute or so, she pulls away just enough to cup my face in her hands, kissing my forehead and both of my cheeks, before smoothing my hair away from my forehead. I realize that must be the Parker gesture of comfort, and I feel both a wave of longing for my own family and gratitude that it seems like maybe I have a family here too.
“Come inside, Asher—it’s freezing out here.” Rachel leads me into the light and warmth of their entry way. I start peeling off my jacket, but she holds out a hand to stop me. “You’re probably going to want to hang on to that.”
I briefly wonder why she thinks I’m going to need my jacket inside her house, but she is looking at me with a face so full of sympathy that I should probably hate it, but I don’t because it’s so damn comforting. The jacket stays on.
“Julie told Steven and me what’s going on. I’m so sorry you’re hurting, Asher.”
I swallow hard, the frank sympathy a blow to the very questionable grip I have on my emotional control.
“I told you yesterday that if you ever needed anything you could come here, and I meant it. You mean everything to Julie, and that means you’re important to Steven and me too.”
“Thank you,” I force out then clear my throat, trying to maintain some semblance of calm.
Rachel looks at me with understanding. “This is the worst day of your life.”
