Secret Catch (14 page)

I never thought it was possible to shit a brick, but I think I have to check the kitchen floor because I’m pretty sure that just happened.

“Um, hey Mom,” Sam says, drying her hands off. I’m still stuck in the soapy water because I’m not sure what to do. What time is it? Can I act like I wasn’t here all night?
Tyler, get a freaking grip!

“This is Tyler. He’s a… um… friend?” Sam slams the towel against my chest, and I finally move, dripping water down my shirt.

“Friend?” Her mom folds her arms and tilts her head at me. I know it’s ballsy, and I’ve never done the meet the parents thing, but it seems like there should be some sort of protocol here. And I don’t want to start off by lying to her.

Moving around Sam, I stick my hand out. “Tyler Koontz,” I say, praying my voice doesn’t crack. “And I’m dating your daughter.”

Instead of shaking my hand, she braces herself using the counter. Her eyes are a bit tired, like she’s been up all night or really hung-over. But she’s not swaying or holding her head so I’m thinking it’s the former.

“Did you start the coffee?” she asks Sam, not looking at me. Actually, I’m not sure if she’s looking at anything.

Sam does this cute as hell “o” with her mouth, then starts fumbling over the coffee maker. Josh pokes his head into the room and barks, “Koontz! This ain’t a restaurant. It’s field time.”

“Josh…” Sam somewhat scolds, but I’m watching her mom still, wondering if there could be any more awkwardness in the room.

Her sleepy eyes pull to mine and everything Sam said earlier hits me hard. I’ve never dealt with a depressed family member. I think the closest I’ve gotten is when Dad gets pissing drunk when his team doesn’t win the Super Bowl. That hardly counts. Ms. Nolan’s eyes look empty, as if she’s looking past everything and everyone in the room. I take a step closer to Sam just to get in reach of her hand and give it a squeeze.

“Koontz?” her mom says, then pinches the bridge of her nose. “You’re the one teaching my son football, right?”

I attempt a smile. “I’m pretty sure he’s teaching me.”

“That’s right,” Josh says, stomping across the kitchen and tugging the bottom of my shirt—or technically Sam’s shirt, since she’s getting it back as soon as I have something to change into. “And we’re wasting daylight.”

“It was nice meeting you,” I say, letting Josh think he’s got the upper hand in strength as he tugs me out the door. Sam gives me a half-hearted smile as she presses the start button on the coffee maker.

I don’t get a second glance from her mom, and I tell myself to make sure Sam gets the hug of her life when she comes outside.

“I’ll play quarterback today,” Josh says like it wasn’t abnormal in there. I punch him lightly in the shoulder, ready to toss him over mine and spin him around. This kid lost his dad, and his mom isn’t exactly mentally present, and I just want to show him how much I respect how tough he is. ‘Cause damn, I don’t know how I’d handle this shit at seventeen…let alone six.

“Yes, sir,” I say instead of tossing him. I’m sure he appreciates it more anyway.

We get to Sam’s car and I help him in the booster in the back.

“Hey Coach?”

“
Captain
.”

“Right. Sam watches you a ton, huh?”

“Yep.” He nods, twirling his football in his hands. “Mom sleeps a lot.”

“That’s cool that you get to hang with your sister.”

He tosses the football up and catches it. “Yeah. Sam takes me to school, reads me books at night, and makes me dinner. And Mom spends time with Dad.”

“When she sleeps?” I clear my throat and check over my shoulder. Sam’s place suddenly looks a lot different.

“Yeah. I see him too when I sleep.”

He tosses the ball again and I swipe it midair. “Will you tell him hi for me next time you see him?”

“Yep.” He snatches the ball back. “He says you need to work on your hand-offs. That’s why
I’m
quarterbacking today.”

“Shoot,” I mutter under my breath as I ruffle his hair. Just when I get the back door shut, hands wrap around my middle and Sam rests her chin on my shoulder, kissing the back of my neck.

“I’m sorry. That was really weird in there.” Her breath warms my skin, but gives me chills all at the same time.

My gaze is still locked on Josh in the backseat, tossing that ball and talking to himself—probably running over plays he thinks I need to work on. Shaking my head, I turn around to wrap Sam in a hug I’m pretty sure she needs.

“Don’t worry about it.” Because I get it. They’re all dealing with losing a father and a husband in their own way. It’s not an excuse by any means, but I do
get
it.

If I only saw Sam in my dreams, I think I’d want to sleep all the time, too.

***

Sneaking out is ten times easier than sneaking back in. I can hear everyone in my house before I even get to my driveway.

Parker barrels out the front door, tripping on her oversized high-heeled shoes.

“You were supposed to take me to the park this morning.” She pouts and socks me in the thigh. “Give me a good reason not to tell Mom your secret.”

I rub the spot she hit. “Because you love me?” My head tilts a little, and she slaps a hand over her eyes.

“No. You don’t get to use that face on me again.”

“I’ll take you this afternoon.”

Her fingers spread enough to give me a questioning glare. “Just me and you? No football?”

I cross my heart, and she drops her hand.

“Fine.”

A grin spreads on my face, and I toss her over my shoulder. She’s squealing in my ear and kicking my stomach, but I don’t let her down till I get to the couch in the living room. She flops on the cushions, hair getting stuck on the glitter lip-gloss she smothered her mouth with.

“Again!”

I put a hand on my back and fall to the floor. “I can’t. You broke me.” I go limp on the carpet, closing my eyes just enough so I can still see her, but it looks like I’m asleep. Her bright pink skirt is the only thing I see before fifty pounds comes crashing onto my stomach.

“Oomph!”

“Get up, you wimp!”

“Damn, everyone’s always calling me that.”

“Ty, you don’t cuss in front of girls.”

“Sorry, ma’am.” I reach out to tickle her tummy, but Mom comes in the room and the look of death she shoots my way stops my hands midair.

“Parker, can you go upstairs for a few minutes?”

“But Mom, Ty and I are playing.”

Mom moves the death look to my sister, and Parker snaps her mouth shut and gets off my lap. She slowly makes her way out of the room, dragging her heels across the floor.

I get to my feet, but quickly take a seat on the edge of the couch when Mom points to it.

“Anything you want to tell me?”

From watching my older brothers deal with the Mom wrath and not knowing what
exactly
she knows, I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut.

Her eyebrow rises, and she takes a spot in the chair, crossing her legs and folding her arms. “I’m
this
close to suspending you from the team myself.”

“
What
? Mom—”

“I’m tired of the rivalry stuff, Tyler.”

Okay… I think I’m getting to where she is.

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t sneak out all night and just get away with ‘I’m sorry.’” She rubs her eyes and sniffs. “I don’t care what sort of retaliation you were planning with the team, you don’t do that to me. Ever.”

Whoops, I’m off. I thought she knew about the fire and syrup, but at least she doesn’t know about Sam.

“I know.”

“So should I tell your coach you won’t be playing Friday?”

“No,” I rush out in a panic. It’s been a month without the game; I’m more than ready to get back to it. “I won’t sneak out again,” I say, but the second the words are out I’m not sure if they’re a lie or not. “I’ll do chores. Ground me. Take my cell. Please.”

Her lips purse, and I’d pull the dog face I give Parker if I thought it’d work, but I know it won’t. I wait with baited breath, and she finally relaxes her position, nodding at me.

“I’m sorry,” I say again, but all she does is point to the stairs. I scurry out of there before she changes her mind.

Hunter’s in our room, doing sit ups at the foot of his bed. He laughs as I strip off my shirt and chuck it at the laundry basket.

“Man, next time you sneak out don’t make so much noise.”

“Piss off,” I growl, slumping on my mattress.

He swivels to face me, wiping the sweat from his brow with the bottom of his shirt. “Did you at least get some?”

“What?”

“Oh come on. Mom thinks you were doing rivalry shit, but I know what went down at the Skyhawk field, and no way in hell would you risk Bean taking you out of the game on Friday. You went to see some chick.”

“She’s not some chick,” I blurt out before I think. Dammit, I don’t want to talk about this with Hunter. He’ll use it for blackmail, I guarantee it.

Not that Parker isn’t blackmailing me, but at least I can handle her forms of torture.

“Who is she then?”

I want to say no one, but I can’t. Sam isn’t “no one.”

“Leave me alone, Hunter.”

He laughs, going back to a sit up position. “Yeah, you definitely didn’t get any. You’d be in a much better mood.”

I don’t know what happens, but I’m on my feet and shutting the door before I know it. My mouth shoots off and my brain checks out.

“I didn’t sneak out to get laid. That’s what
you
do, and it never works, so stop taking it out on me.”

“Whoa, I didn’t mean…”

“I snuck out because I can’t spend time with her in the open. We have to sneak around
everywhere
. I can’t even talk to her without getting shit for it. So yeah, I was out in the middle of the damn night just to see her. And that doesn’t make me a pussy, so don’t even start—”

“I didn’t say you were a pussy, Tyler.” He sits up. “And damn… if you’re saying what I think you’re saying… she’s a Skyhawk?”

I should give my brother more credit. Running my hands over my head and interlocking my fingers behind my neck, I say, “Forget it.”

“No one else knows?”

I don’t answer, slamming back down on my bed. That tiny confession left me a little bit more relieved, and I didn’t realize just how much I want to talk about Sam to someone. And it pisses me off, because I should be okay with hiding it. But maybe I’m less okay with it than I thought.

Does Sam feel that way, too?

“Tyler,” Hunter says, jolting me from my head. He gets to his feet and wipes more sweat from his face. “If she’s a Skyhawk, I mean… you gotta ask yourself if a piece of ass is worth it.”

Heat prickles up the back of my neck. “I’m not doing this for a piece of ass.”

“Then what are you doing it for?”

“Because I
love
her.”

Hunter coughs and sits on the edge of his bed as if I knocked him senseless. I take a few breaths as the reality of what I just said sets in. I’ve never said it out loud before. I felt like if I did it would ruin us or someone would find out. Or I’d freak out because it’s too soon and I’m too young or some shit like that. But the words sink into me, and I say them again because I mean them.

“I love her.”

Hunter nods. “I heard you the first time, bro.”

Yeah, he did. The first time I say the words out loud and they’re to my
brother
. I laugh at myself for being so messed up and scared about this when I shouldn’t be.

“I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

He rubs the back of his neck and shrugs. “Man, I don’t know. I thought I was in deep when I fell for my best friend. But this? How’re you gonna deal if the team finds out?”

“They won’t.”