He worked his jaw. The rest of the room stayed quiet, all sensing the weight of his decision and his determination.

He lifted his gaze to mine and held his hand out. I slipped my fingers into his warm hand.

His gaze softened but couldn’t hide the underlying concern. “I have a story I need to tell you.”

CHAPTER 21

Aiden

Eighteen years ago…

My next opponent’s details ran through my head as I sat with my teammates in a high school gymnasium in Billings. Jason McDonough. Sophomore. Fifteen like me. I hadn’t faced him before. He’d hit a growth spurt and was now in my weight class.

Running through the data took my mind off what was missing about today. My dad had to fly to a meeting in Dallas. My brothers were home doing chores. I’d ridden the bus to the meet with the rest of my team. Grams never came to my competitions and I doubted it would change since DB had passed away. I had no one in the stands.

Mama had never missed one of my matches. Acid clawed its way up my throat as I struggled to direct my attention away from the gaping hole in the bleachers. I couldn’t stop Mama’s voice from flitting through my mind.

You can do this, Aiden.

Don’t underestimate your opponent.

The only thing you have to prove is that you tried your hardest.

She would watch me and support the rest of my team, cheering for them through wins and losses. She’d study the weight class above me in case I wrestled up. Then I’d catch a ride home with her instead of taking the bus and she’d talk strategy.

That wouldn’t happen anymore. It wouldn’t happen ever again.

The longer she was gone, the more DB’s voice infiltrated my thoughts. If you’re wasting time wrestling, you’d better make damn sure you’re winning.

I swallowed hard. Jason McDonough. Ranked eighth in the state. He’d won his last match with a 5–3 decision against Miles City last week. I forced my gaze to the two bodies grappling on the mat. I cheered when the rest of my team cheered, echoing whatever they said, floating through this night on autopilot, like I’d done all last year.

My attention caught on a girl about my age watching the pair wrestling. My gaze drifted away, then returned. She must be a team manager. But there was something about her. Several team managers I’d come across in my time wrestling were girls. Some wanted to wrestle but didn’t want the BS that came with a girl wrestling in the sport. Some were girlfriends of wrestlers on the team. Others just loved the sport and being a part of a team.

This girl was evaluating. The air around her was more serious than the others.