“I’m sorry, I didn’t—” I try to apologize, but it’s pointless. No one is listening to me.

“Let me have a look,” Nash says, gently cupping Anna’s face and taking a closer look to assess the damage.

I crane my neck to see, finding the skin around her eye already red and swollen, and I take a step back, clamping my bottom lip between my teeth.

“Can someone get some ice?” Nash yells.

Anna continues crying.

Under any other circumstance, I probably would laugh because, let’s face it, I didn’t even hit her that hard. But she has a wedding in six days. I can’t laugh. I’m not that callous. I feel bad—terrible, in fact—I didn’t mean to hurt the girl, I just got carried away. And this is why I never play sports.

“Jesus, Murph!” Harley hisses coming up beside me. I look up to see him shaking his head at me while trying to conceal his smile.

“I didn’t mean to,” I gasp. “It was an accident.”

“If I have a black eye on my wedding day, I swear to God, I’m canceling the whole damn thing!” Anna sobs, absolutely beside herself with distress.

“It’s okay, baby,” Nash conciliates her. “Let’s just sit down and put some ice on it. You’ll be fine.”

I stand back, watching Nash help Anna as she staggers unsteadily, gripping his arm tight. He flashes me a look, one I can’t really read. I’m not sure if he’s angry with me, disappointed, or perhaps even sorry. Either way, it’s a look I’ve never seen in his eyes before, one that makes my stomach twist painfully in my gut.

“Wow, that looks really bad!” Kevin laughs, coming in closer to get a look. Anna glares at him, and instinctively I whack him in his tactless belly in an attempt to silence him.

I move quickly, running toward Anna and Nash as they head toward the patio steps. “Anna, I’m so sorry.” I reach out, touching her shoulder, but she flinches away from me.

“Murph, just leave it!” Nash snaps, offering me a warning glance over his shoulder while shaking his head.

I pull my hand back looking between the both of them. “I swear I didn’t mean to. I was—”

“You gave her a black eye!!” Beth is on me like a rabid dog, violently pushing me away before hurrying to help her best friend, following them as they disappear inside the house.

As I stand there, covered in mud, feeling all eyes watching me as if I’m some kind of homicidal lunatic, I sigh, looking down to see that I’ve still got the damn football tucked under my arm.

“Are you okay?” Harley asks, suddenly beside me again, his hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently.

I look up at him, nodding once. But I’m not okay. Because, the truth is there’s a really big part of me questioning whether or not I just threw my elbow on purpose with the intention of hurting Anna. But I can’t possibly tell Harley that. He already thinks I’m a complete psycho.