I kissed her softly. I couldn’t tell which one of us was trembling. It was a big moment. “The worst.” I looked into her blue eyes and saw love. We said “I love you” last week, but it felt like the words didn’t do justice to the feelings inside me. Three little words weren’t strong enough to describe how she affected me.

“I’m looking forward to this special place that we’ve never been to before even though we’ve been dating for over a month.” She was teasing me.

I loved her so much. I was trying to keep my cool, but it was hard. I found love. I found what my mom and dad had and here I was standing in my kitchen eating a grape and trying not to cry. I coughed to dislodge the lump in my throat. “Me, too. Is there anything you need?”

She touched my cheek. “Just you.”

This emotional roller coaster was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. I kissed her again, tasting her warmth and eagerness. “What are you doing to me?”

“The same thing you’re doing to me. Now let’s go before your dad catches us. The water will cool us off.”

Happy that she felt it, too, I practically skipped out to the car. The swimming hole was fifteen minutes away. As soon as I put the car in drive, Parker reached for my hand and held it in her lap. Warmth radiated from her bare thighs.

“I’m going to warn you now that the water is cold. Like scream at the shock cold.”

She looked at me in alarm. “You know I hate being cold.”

I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “I promise to keep you warm.”

She squeezed my hand. “I know. Even if we don’t go in, time with you is always amazing.”

“What time do you have to be home?” I asked.

“Nine.”

“Oh, my God. I’m surprised they didn’t offer to drive you to Max’s and pick you up.” I rolled my eyes.

Her parents didn’t like me and told Parker to find other friends. She was on the cheer team, after all. I wanted to talk smack about them, but I also didn’t want them to screw up this amazing high I was on.

She squeezed my hand three times. I sighed and instantly forgot about her awful parents. Three squeezes meant “I love you.”

Chapter Twelve—Turnover

Present

“Will somebody find out where in the hell our quarterback is?” Bill’s voice boomed in the giant team room.

Jamal jumped up and left the room to do exactly that. I looked at my phone. I hesitated but pulled up Parker’s number and shot her a text.

Hi. It’s Sutton. Grayson isn’t here for the team meeting. Do you know where he is?