Second Chance: A Military Football Romance

Tara’s mom hung out with my parents sometimes, but she’d always felt more like a big sister. When it came to fashion, she was far less conservative than my own mother, and she had a flair for bright colors, big purses, and gaudy jewelry.

“Now, I don’t want to meddle or anything, but is this something maybe I should try talking to your parents about? Tara filled me in a little on the details, and the whole thing sounds like it’s a bit blown out of proportion.”

“You don’t have to,” I said. “I appreciate the offer, but at this point, I don’t think there’s anything you could say that would change my dad’s mind, anyway.”

“Your dad can be awfully stubborn. Here, let’s leave your bag here. Tara’s out back.”

I left my duffle bag in the big front entryway and followed Melanie out to the backyard. Tara was lying out by the pool. She sat up when she heard us.

“So what on Earth is going on?” she asked.

“They don’t want me to see Graham anymore.”

“The man from the tattoo place?” Melanie asked. I nodded. “I think I’ve seen him before, actually, when I was walking by there. He’s got a beard, right? He’s a nice-looking guy.”

“My parents don’t think so. Well, my dad doesn’t, I think my mom would be willing to give him a chance. He actually came over a few days ago, but that went horribly. So now my parents just want me to stop seeing him. And they said if I didn’t, then I’d have to leave the house.”

“Oh, my.”

Melanie gave me a sympathetic look. “You really are welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like. And again, I don’t want to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt if I said something to your mother. I see her around a lot.”

“I can’t believe it,” Tara said, shaking her head. “They really haven’t even given him a chance.”

“They just don’t like him. They don’t think he’s the right person for me, they think that I’ll be heading down the wrong path if I keep seeing him.” I felt my anger start to flare as I spoke; were they really that closed-minded? And how long did they plan on not talking to me for? If Graham and I ended up together, would they just simply cut me out of their lives forever? “But it’s not up for them to decide how I live my life, and since I’m not doing anything to hurt anyone, and since Graham is not a bad person ... they don’t get to dictate this.”

Melanie patted my hand. “It’s never easy for a parent when they think their kids are doing something that’s not in their best interest. But, I know both your mom and dad, and they’re smart people. Hopefully they just need a little time to think about things and then they’ll change their minds.” She gave me an encouraging smile. “Anyway, I’ve got a hair appointment I have to get to, so I’ll leave you girls to chat. And I mean that, Chloe—you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like. Though I have a feeling you’ll be back home sooner than you think.”

“Thanks, Melanie,” I said.

“Kicked out of your own home,” Tara said. “I can’t believe it. You rebel, you.”

“I’m still kind of having a hard time believing this happened. I mean, it did really happen, right? That’s why I’m sitting here, that’s why there’s a bag of my clothes in your front hallway?”

“I’m sure your parents will come to their senses. They probably can’t believe that you decided to leave, either. But for now, you can at least enjoy a transient existence for the next couple of days. Which is about as long as something like that is fun for.”

“Well, I appreciate you letting me stay here.”

“Of course. It’s the least I can do, considering how you guys came to my rescue the other night and that whole thing with Michael.”

“He always kind of creeped me out, if I’m going to be honest. I couldn’t let you go meet him by yourself.”

“I do feel kind of embarrassed about how that all went down. I really don’t think that Michael would’ve done anything, but ...” she shrugged and tried to laugh, though I could see that she was a bit troubled by what could have potentially happened. “So ... I really am glad that you decided to tag along, and even more so that Graham showed up.”

“You know I couldn’t let anything bad happen to you,” I said. I kept my tone lighthearted, but I was immensely relieved that things had turned out the way they had and not worse. Tara might not be willing to admit it out loud, but I suspected Michael was the sort of person who would have no problems holding someone hostage for as long as he felt like, just because he was so used to getting his way.

“And yes, I realize that it was stupid of me to want to make him jealous in the first place. Graham even said something about it to me, but I didn’t listen. He’ll probably give me a lecture the next time I see him, or at least an “I told you so,” and I totally deserve it. But I learned my lesson. God, what was I thinking, anyway? I realized when I saw him how glad I was that we weren’t together anymore. And then I was just sitting there, wondering why I’d even agreed to meet up with him in the first place. I just ... I don’t know, I realized that it wasn’t worth it. But yeah, I feel like a fool.”

“We all make mistakes sometimes,” I said, wondering if I myself might have made a mistake by walking out the way I did. I hoped I hadn’t, but there was a small part of me that felt uncertain.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Graham

“So, you’ve got a girlfriend.” Todd shook his head slowly, brow furrowed in an expression of pure perplexity. We were out on a ride

and had stopped so Todd could demolish a package of energy chews. I hadn’t planned on mentioning anything to him about Chloe, but then he asked if I was still hanging out with Chloe or if I’d started sleeping with other girls, too. “Didn’t we start this summer with you swearing off getting laid? How does this happen?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s just one of those things that happens when you’re not expecting it?”