We sang second.
And I realized that I was falling in love with Dean Lassiter.
ChapterThirteen
Dean
“Come on, pal. Be straight with me. Tell me the truth.”
With an exasperated laugh, I spread out my hands. “Iamtelling you the truth, Will. When have I ever lied to you?”
Her forehead puckered, she bit her bottom lip, and I knew that she was thinking, searching her memory for a time when I might not have been totally truthful. I was confident, though; of all of the people in my life right now, Willow knew me better than anyone else. She was the one person from whom I had no secrets.
“Well, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head,” she finally admitted. “But I cannot believe that you—you!!—didn’t have a better offer for tonight.”
“Why do you say it that way—me?”I imitated her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Just that a guy like you probably has women scrambling to take them out any night of the year, but most especially on New Year’s Eve, which is arguably the biggest date night of the year.”
“A guy like me? What are you talking about?” I pretended to be confused. “You mean the dude who is currently busting his ass to raise his class ranking so he has a better shot of choosing an awesome first posting?” I tapped my chin. “Or the man who can’t get his date for tonight to agree to watch the greatest movie ever made?”
“Oh, pal, you are so going down.” Willow smiled, and my heart ached in that oddly particular way I’d come to associate with her. “First of all—and we’re not going in any particular order, just so there’s no confusion as to the importance of my points.” She held up one finger. “You are the quarterback of Army’s winningest football team in years. You beat freaking Navy.” She paused as though to let that sink in before adding another finger. “You are a cadet who is in incredible shape physically.” One side of her mouth tipped up. “Not that I’ve noticed or anything.”
“Of course not,” I agreed, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning. Willow liked to play it cool, but I was a healthy, red-blooded male who couldn’t help noticing when the female of the species might find him appealing. I remembered a couple of weeks ago when I’d come over to see her. I’d been in my dress gray uniform, but in the relaxed atmosphere of her house, I’d shed my gray uni top. Seeing the expression on Willow’s face as I’d worn just my fitted white T-shirt had made every push-up and chin-up I’d suffered through totally worth it.
“Third, you’re kind of fun to hang out with.” Willow lifted one shoulder.
“I mean, as conversationalists go, you’re not bad.”
“Stop it, Will, you’re going to make blush.”
She ignored my sarcasm. “And finally, this is not a date. This is—” She stopped speaking, her forehead wrinkling again. “This is a nice guy taking pity on a boring baby mama by not making her sit home alone on New Year’s Eve.”
I noticed that she didn’t refer to herself asmybaby mama. Willow was always careful not to associate me with the baby she carried, and I knew it was because she didn’t want me to feel any pressure or obligation. I appreciated that, but there were times—more and more, actually—when I wished she would let me play a bigger role in this whole process. But since she still hadn’t made a final decision about whether or not she was keeping the baby or giving it up for adoption, I was afraid that pushing the issue might be hurtful to her.
“I’m not taking pity on anyone, least of all you,” I retorted. “I didn’t come over tonight because I didn’t have anything else to do or because I feel sorry for you, Willow. I came over because I enjoy being with you. If you haven’t noticed that—I like your company.” I paused. “I likeyou.”
Those green eyes that hid almost nothing from me clouded for a minute. “That’s really nice of you to say, Dean,” she murmured finally. “I like you, too.”
“Good.” I settled back into the deep cushions of the big comfortable sofa the Caseys kept in their finished basement. Over the last months, this had become our unofficial hangout. I liked the old-time rumpus room vibe that Willow’s mom had created down here; the walls were covered with old movie posters mixed in with collages of family photos. In addition to the couch, there were a couple of worn recliners and an extra-wide coffee table which was perfect for eating a full meal in front of the big-screen television.
Since I’d stayed at the Academy over Christmas break, I’d been able to spend much more time with Willow and her parents. Her younger brother Todd had gone home with his girlfriend, so Mrs. Casey had cheerfully assured me that I was helping them out by sharing the holidays with them. It had been oddly pleasant to spend Christmas with the Caseys, to join in their laughter, their meals, and most especially to be with Willow more regularly. I almost felt like part of the family.
Tonight, Coach had taken his wife out to a big football-staff party at the Thayer. That whole crowd had a lot to celebrate this year: thanks to our winning season and our spectacular defeat of Navy, Coach Casey had been offered an extension on his contract. All of his assistants and other staff were also staying on, with some nice bonuses. I was sure they were going to have a blast at the party.
As a matter of fact, before they’d left, Coach had pulled me aside.
“Lassiter,” he’d begun gruffly. “Listen. I’m not a blind man. I can see how you look at my Willow.”
“Sir—” I began, but he shook his head.
“You don’t need to argue with me, son. Like I said, I have eyes in my head.” His lips pressed into a tight line. “This isn’t—Jesus, it’s a crazy time. She’s having a baby and she doesn’t know what she’s going to do next. Patty keeps telling me not to push her, not to ask her about—well, anything.”
My throat had tightened. “Yes, sir.”
“I asked you to be a friend to my daughter, and you’ve been that and more. I’m really grateful, Dean.”
I ducked my head. “Not necessary, Coach. I like Willow. She’s fun. It’s been—” I searched for the word. “Being with her--it’s brought me some kind of . . . I don’t know, like a break from everything here at the Academy. When I hang out with Willow, I can relax.”
