The Hazards of a One Night Stand (23 page)

“You’re not going to introduce your boyfriend?” Colton smiled.

“They already know you.”

“But do they know me as your boyfriend?”

“Come here, Colt.” Annie hugged him. “I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks.” Colton pulled me down onto his lap. I wiggled off into the space next to him. We all moved down a little to make room for Annie and Greg.

Annie leaned over Colt. “You look perfect together.”

Colt beamed. “We do, don’t we?”

“It took you long enough to land her.” Greg smirked.

“Yeah, well, some things are worth waiting for.”

The crowd got loud again, and I struggled to hear as they announced the starters. I heard Davie’s name and jumped up. “Wooo hoo, yeah, Davie!”

Juliet laughed. “That’s some serious brother love.”

“I’m so proud of him.”

“Just wait, girls. It’s going to get worse.” Colt pulled me back down to sitting and squeezed my hand. “I told you you’d be glad you came.”

I smiled to myself, but then responded to his first comment. “Hey! I’m allowed to cheer for my baby brother.”

“Baby? That’s no baby.” Cara looked down on the field at Davie.

Aaron raised an eyebrow. “Do I really need to worry about you ogling high school football players?”

I shook my head. “No. No, you don’t. No one will be ogling my brother.”

“Proud and protective.” Reed smiled. “I think Cara can hold it together for a few hours.”

“You’re not worried about Juliet?” Cara asked.

“Nope. Juliet always goes for the older guys, even the losers,” he teased. We all knew exactly who he was referring to. Luckily, Dylan had graduated and was no longer on our must avoid list when we went out.

“Mallory obviously likes younger guys.” Colt put his arm around me.

“You’re only a few months younger than me.”

“So you say now. You weren’t saying that this summer.”

Juliet laughed. “You are so hung up on details, Mallory.”

Annie leaned forward to see my other friends better. “Yeah, she used his being a grade under us to avoid dating him in high school.”

I groaned. “I did not.”

“You so did. You had a crush on him before and after you were with Jack.”

“Stop.” I glared at her. Who knew who was listening to the conversation?

“Leave her alone, Annie.” Colt pulled me against him. “All that matters is she finally came to her senses.”

The game moved quickly, thanks mostly to the fact that we always play an easy team on Fall Fest. It’s kind of like Homecoming. You never want to lose that game. Still, it was fun, and I couldn’t believe how much fun my friends seemed to have. Davie was definitely the star player. He threw three touchdowns and ran for another. We won 42-7.

“That was really fun.” Cara was still bubbly by the time Colton pulled into my parents’ driveway.

“It really was.” Juliet opened her door.

“Call me in the morning?” Colt asked as he walked me up to the front door.

“You mean you and your guests won’t be too busy to answer the phone.”

“Remind me again why you can’t just come home with me instead?”

“Because Rob would kill you, and I don’t want your mom thinking I’m a slut.”

“She wouldn’t think so.” He put his hands on my hips.

“Then focus on the Rob would kill you part.”

“Okay, okay. I get it. I can’t wait until I can get my own room next year.”

“Thinking that far ahead, huh?” It didn’t actually bother me. Picturing myself with Colt more long term was easier and easier to do. I was falling hard for him whether I was fully admitting it to myself or not.

“Definitely. And so are you.”

“Sleep well, Colton.” I kissed him gently on the lips.

He smiled. “Same to you, pumpkin.”

He walked back to the car as Cara and Juliet met me on the top step.

I still had the house key on my key chain so I unlocked and pushed open the door. I was a little surprised Rob hadn’t come out to interrupt us. He was good at that.

“I’m so tired I could fall asleep standing,” Juliet said as she kicked off her sneakers and left them in the front hall.

“Me too. It’s been a long day.” I took off my shoes, ready to go up to bed.

“Mallory?” Mom called from the kitchen.

I walked in and my stomach dropped. “What are you doing here?”

Jack stood up from his seat at the kitchen table. His light brown hair was shorter than the last time I saw him, but otherwise he looked the same. He’d chosen the same seat he’d always sat in when he stayed for dinner when we were dating. “I was hoping to catch up at the game, but it was too crowded.”

“Why?”

“Mallory.” Mom gave me a warning glance. She of all people should have understood how little I wanted him in our kitchen. Suddenly, the familiar kitchen wasn’t so comforting.

I looked around for Rob. Surely he would have kicked him out. “Where’s Rob?” I’d had to beg him to stay out of it when Jack dumped me. If I hadn’t, he probably would have punched him. He’d threatened him pretty bad though.

“He’s still at the game. He ran into some high school friends.”

I nodded. “That still doesn’t explain why Jack is here.”

“I already explained that.” Jack strode toward me. “I wanted to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“We haven’t seen each other in over a year. You’re dating my little brother. Of course there’s stuff to talk about.”

“I’m going to give you kids some space.” Mom left the room. I would have complained about her ditching me, but at least I had my friends with me.

“Are you here to tell her you have an STD or something?” Juliet asked.

I just looked at her with my mouth hanging open.

“Of course not.” He gave her a disbelieving look. “Would you two mind giving us some privacy?”

Both Juliet and Cara looked at me and saw the clear message in my eyes. Cara turned to Jack. “No can do. Anything you have to tell her can be said with us here.”

“And here I thought you’d grown up.” Jack’s crystal clear blue eyes settled on me, setting off the self-doubt I thought I’d finally pushed away.

“I have.”

“Yet you’re afraid to talk to me without your friends. Very mature.” He shook his head.

“She’s not scared of anything.” Juliet got in his face. “We just love her and don’t think you deserve a moment alone with her.” I loved Juliet even more than usual in that moment.

“Why does this have to be such a big deal? I just wanted to tell you I wish things hadn’t ended so badly. It’s a regret of mine. We had too much history to just trash it with no closure.”

Cara crossed her arms. “I bet it’s a regret. Mallory is amazing and you’ll never meet someone like her again.” I had the best friends in the world.

“That’s great and all, but I still need to talk to her. Please, just for two minutes.”

“Why?”

“How many times do I have to say it?” He yanked at his hair.

I sighed, being around Jack was even more uncomfortable than I expected. “Haven’t you already said everything you need to say?”

“No.”

“You have five minutes.” I looked at my friends. “I can give him five minutes.”

Juliet and Cara left the room, both giving Jack threatening looks. I’d barely told them anything about him, but they knew the way things ended had hurt like hell.

“What else do you need to say?” I crossed my arms, determined not to let him know how hard this confrontation was.

“I’m sorry.”

“You couldn’t say that in front of my friends?”

“Damn it, Mallory. I’m trying.”

“Sorry, but I don’t have anything to say to you.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Okay. Here’s one thing. I’m surprised you’re not married already. I thought you’d met a girl within days of breaking it off.” That was one of the worst parts. His need to rub salt in the wound. Without my parents, brother, and Annie, I’m not so sure I would have made it through the end of my senior year.

“I lied about that.”

“Lovely.”

“Listen.” He put his hands on my arms. I tried to jerk away, but something in his expression had me frozen. “It wasn’t what it seemed.”

“Then what was it?”

“I can’t tell you, but I regret it every day.” He seemed torn. Like he didn’t really know what he should be saying.

“I forgive you. Is that what you need to hear?”

“Only if it’s true.”

“It is. I’ve fully moved on.”

“With my brother?” He turned away.

“I’m sorry. Colt promised you didn’t care.” I wasn’t going to let him make me feel bad about it. He’s the one who dumped me, and it had been years. And he’d given Colt the green light, right?

“Don’t apologize. I get it, and I’m happy for you guys. At least, part of me is. It’s hard to watch though.”

“Watch? You saw us?” Then it dawned on me. “Wait, at the game?”

“Yeah. He can’t keep his hands off you.” Jack looked down. “Not that I blame him.”

I refused to apologize again.

He stepped toward me. “I miss you, but I screwed up.”

I nodded. “Maybe, maybe not. If we weren’t meant to be together, then you did us both a favor.”

“What if we were meant to be together?”

What was he saying? “I’m with your brother.”

“I know.” His eyes locked with mine. “I just wish I could go back and change things.” He exhaled loudly. “Listen, I have to ask this or I’ll always regret it.”

“Ask what?”

“Would you want to try us again? See where it goes?” Was Jack asking me to go out with him again?

I took two steps back and knocked into the counter. “I’m with Colt now.”

“I know.” He seemed torn once again. “But that’s not just because he’s the closest thing you thought you could get to me, right? Because if that’s the case, you should let him down easy and come back.”

Anger filled me. Was he that conceited? Was his opinion of me so low that he thought I’d do that? “I’m with Colt because I want to be.”

“I don’t believe you. I don’t believe you can switch your feelings off for me that easily.”

I coughed. “Switch them off easily? You dumped me almost two years ago. No. You didn’t just dump me, you shattered my heart into five million pieces and it’s taken me years to put them back together.”

“And I regret that every day, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try again. We were always so good together.”

I closed my eyes, using every ounce of strength to stop the tears that threatened to spill. “I’m with Colton. I want to be with Colton.”

I heard the door open and within moments Colt’s arm slid around my waist. “What are you doing here, Jack?”

“What are
you
doing here?”

“I’m here to see my girlfriend. You can understand why I was more than a little surprised when Mom told me you’d come over here.”

“She was mine first.” Jack’s sneer had me leaning into Colt’s side.

“And you gave her up years ago. You told me you didn’t mind if we dated.”

“Because I never expected it to go anywhere.” Jack stepped toward us. “I figured you’d get over your stupid crush and that maybe it would give me a chance to see her again.”

“What?” I stuttered out in shock. “You thought that my dating Colton would someone end with us back together? Are you crazy?”

“Maybe. Maybe I am crazy, crazy about you.”

Colton laughed dryly. “Oh. This is just great. I finally get Mallory and now you’re trying to sabotage it because you can’t handle me having anything you don’t. You’re such an asshole.”

“I’m the asshole? You’re the one who stole my girlfriend.” Jack lunged for Colt. I pulled away, feeling completely helpless to do anything to ease the situation, but I had to try.

“Stop it! This is ridiculous.”

Neither listened, and I was close to panicking. Luckily Reed picked that moment to intervene. Evidently he’d come over with Colt. He stepped between them, pushing each of the brothers to the side. “I think Mallory’s trying to tell you both something.” He nodded to me.

“This fight is stupid.” I turned to Jack. “We had our chance, and it didn’t work. I’m not going to feel bad about my decision to date Colt, because I know you’re not in love with me.”

Jack glared. “How can you say that?”

“Because I know it. You’re just jealous, and even though I’m not the kind of girl who could make a guy act crazy over her, that’s exactly what’s happening.”

“What do you mean you’re not the kind of girl a guy would act crazy over?” Colt had calmed down, and he’d once again taken his place at my side. “You’re exactly the kind of girl to do that.”

Reed laughed, and that seemed to ease the tension a little. “Yes, Mallory can make us all a little crazy.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Reed.”

“Anytime.”

“Jack, I think you should leave.” Saying those six words felt empowering.

“Are you sure? Is this really what you want?” Jack’s shoulders slumped.

“Yes.” The tables had turned, and as much as I hated to hurt him, I knew I was doing the right thing.

“Whatever. Have a nice life.” Jack stormed out of the kitchen.

Mom, the girls, and Aaron walked in right as I heard the front door close.

“Wow. That was intense.” Juliet gave me a “oh my god” look.

I turned to Colt. “I’m sorry.”

He pulled me into a hug. “Stop apologizing.”

“Should you go after him? He’s your brother. I don’t want you guys fighting. I’m not worth it.”

He looked me straight in the eye. “Of course you’re worth it. Don’t ever doubt that. And Jack had his chance. I asked him more than once if he was cool with us dating and he told me he didn’t care at all. He can’t suddenly change his mind now. There’s no going back for us.”

For a moment I forgot about our audience. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his head down to mine. Our lips had just met when my mom cleared her throat.

My friends laughed.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Why don’t you guys go pick up some ice cream for everyone, we’ll stay here.” Mom gave me a smile and nodded toward the door.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, but don’t be gone too long.”

Colton didn’t waste any time. He took my hand and led me out the front door and to the car.

He pulled out of the driveway, picking up my hand as soon as we reached the street. He parked the car around the corner. Neither of us said anything. I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed over the console onto his lap. His arms slid around my waist, and I leaned down to kiss him. Our lips said everything we couldn’t say with words. The fight with Jack changed things. I was completely ready to move on, and Colt was exactly the guy I wanted to do that with.