‘No practice today.’ I take an aggressive bite of roll to shut myself up before I can say something stupider than that. Fuck. What’s so special about practice? We’re supposed to be in a relationship. How the hell would I not know how she is? Damn it, Colt!

‘He’s so secretive,’ Ma teases, nudging Pop, who swings around from the stove with a skillet in hand and a smirk on his face.

‘You know, Colt,’ says my dad as he serves me my steak, ‘I was the same way when I started dating your mom. Right in this very town, you know. Reluctant, quiet, didn’t wanna admit what was happening between us. Say what you like, but magic happens in Prosperity. It’s a good thing you came back.’

Sav, out of the corner of my eye, rolls hers dramatically. I resist the urge to flip her off. She’s the one who stayed here for college. ‘Colt Bradley, homecoming king,’ she singsongs sarcastically. ‘Ooh, damn. That reminds me. You’re lucky you weren’t here for homecoming. They would have paraded you and your girlfriend around like nobody’s business.’

‘Shut up,’ I mutter with all the energy I can muster.

Savannah and I have always been at odds. It’s kind of a sibling thing, but it’s kind of also a thing that’s made worse by distance, especially during your sister’s formative years. I missed her prom for a New Haven home game, but made it to her graduation – so technically I have been back in Oklahoma since I left – but it all moved so fast. The only reason I didn’t miss that, too, was because I had training in Houston the next day. I flew into Oklahoma City, drove straight to the high school, sat for the ceremony, took a few pictures, and went right back to the airport to catch a tiny domestic flight to Houston. But then I missed her freshman year move-in because I was playing in New York City. I honestly wish May would be as outwardly angry with me as Sav is about the whole skipping-town thing. It would hurt a hell of a lot less than the disappointment.

‘Well, make sure you’re treating her right,’ Ma chides me. She’s using her professor’s voice. ‘Walk her to class. Buy her dinner. Listen to her when she tells you how her day’s been, how she’s feelin’. Bring her around here at some point. We’d love to have her. And for crying out loud, go to her games – that one ought to be easy – but Colt, you left that girl on her own for years. You’re lucky she’s even talking to you. You have a lot of lost time to make up for.’