The End Zone (Atlanta Lightning 2)

I chuckled. “I believe you added that last part. I don’t think you wasted your life at all, no matter what you decide. But that wasn’t that long ago, and you were going through a midlife crisis before that. Maybe this is partly because of your relationship status changing.”

“Some friend you are. Call me on all my shit, why don’t you?” He ran a hand through his hair, the muscles in his biceps flexing as he did.

“If there’s one thing you need to know about your friendship with me, it’s that I’ll never lie to you. No matter what. I don’t do well with liars,” I said, and Jeremy frowned. Liars made me think of my biological dad. There was some heat behind my words, and he must have noticed. Fuck, I was being weird tonight. “You gonna come to my game this weekend?”

“Am I going to fly to Minnesota just to watch you play?”

When he said it like that, it sounded ridiculous. I wasn’t even sure why I asked him. Still, I didn’t take the question back. “You know where my first game of the season is. Aw!”

“I like football.”

“You like me. I’m your straight best friend.”

“You’re my dumb best friend.”

I grinned. “You just called me your best friend.”

“Shit.”

“No take backs!” I teased, and he laughed. “I can get you a ticket.”

“I do like football…”

“It’s a date, then.” Well, not a date date, but I figured I didn’t need to explain that to him.

“It’s a date.”

I yawned. “I should go. Night, Angel.”

“Good night, Troublemaker.”

I was about to end the call when he said, “Wait.”

“Yeah?”

“I would have gone, even if I had to get my own ticket. What are friends for?”

I smiled, an unfamiliar warmth inside me. “What are friends for.”

Chapter Seven

Jeremy

I’d gotten on a plane and flown to Minnesota to see Darren play. I told myself it wasn’t a big deal. I’d traveled for football games before. I liked sports, damn it! Why wouldn’t I want free tickets to a game? I had miles, so the flight was free too. But the real reason I went was that I liked Darren.

As a friend.

He was my friend.

And as much as that had come to mean to me, it was clear it meant something to him too.

I got a hotel room not far from the stadium. The only reason I knew he could get tickets for away games was because Anson often got them for West. When he could, West would fly out for some of the Lightning games, even if he flew back home straight afterward. He sported his Hawkins jersey every time, proud of the man he loved.

It made me think about Bobby…how we hadn’t made time to see each other that way. It wasn’t just his fault. I’d missed important events of his, just like he’d been too busy for mine. It had been like that less in the beginning.

There wasn’t anything West wouldn’t do for Anson, though. As much as he loved You Belong, he would leave it all behind if Anson needed him to. Bobby and I had never loved each other that way.

For a moment, I wondered if West would be there, but then I remembered he’d had to make a trip of his own for a speaking engagement. I found myself oddly thankful for that. A part of me also hoped Darren didn’t tell Anson I was there. It felt almost like letting them in on something I wasn’t prepared to share yet. Not that they didn’t know we were friends. We’d toilet papered their house for Christ’s sake, but I wondered if West would try to see something that wasn’t there if he knew I’d come. I worried he would think along the lines Bobby had and assume I was feeling something I shouldn’t.

I sure as shit didn’t want him to know I’d purchased a Darren Edwards jersey.

I hung around the hotel until it was time to go to the stadium. Darren had said my ticket would be at will call, and I only had to show my ID to get it. I used a car service to get there. It took a while to get through security and all, but holy shit, had he gotten me a good seat.

Nerves suddenly set in at the base of my spine, a tremble that started there and traveled up to cause stiffness in my neck.

This was weird, right? Darren inviting me. And the fact that I jumped on a plane and flew here for his game. Or maybe it was just me.

I ordered a beer because…well, beer and football went well together, but also because I was suddenly stressing out.

That all started to melt away with introductions and Darren’s big, smiling face on the screen. His and Anson’s too. West was basically a brother to me, which meant Anson was the same.