Chapter 23

Callie

The week had gone by so fast, it was hard to believe I hadn’t stepped foot in my house. Dallas had a way of convincing me to stay with him. Plus, it was nice spending time with Lacey and talking about medical school. Justin was still being an ass, so the only brother I’d talked to had been Corey. At least I had someone who was supportive of my relationship with Dallas.

“Hole in one!” Lacey squealed, running to fetch her ball. Everyone on the miniature golf course heard her and laughed. I’d seen several people stare at us, obviously recognizing Dallas and Braeden, but no one approached.

Braeden sighed and wrote her score down on the card along with Dallas’s and mine. Lacey was in the lead, while I steadily moved closer to last place. Putt-putt was not my forte. Although if they wanted to play hockey or tennis, I could kick some ass.

Lacey bounced over to Braeden and looked over his shoulder at the scores. “Damn, I’m good.”

Braeden winked at her. “Only because I let you win.”

She bumped him to the side with her hip so she could come to me. “He’s lying.”

Braeden shook his head behind her and I laughed. “I believe you, Lacey.”

We finished the last couple of holes and turned in our putters. A group of high school kids came up to us, two boys and two girls, holding their phones in their hands.

One of the boys held out his hand to Dallas. “Dude, I can’t believe you’re standing here right in front of me. Can I get a pic with both of you?” he asked, glancing back and forth from Dallas to Braeden.

Dallas shook his hand and grinned. “Sure deal, bro.”

Braeden shook both boys’ hands and they all posed for a picture, while the two girls they were with took them on their phones. Lacey and I stood back with them.

“Are you Dallas’s girlfriend?” one of them asked me. She had really long chocolate-colored hair with a dash of freckles on her nose.

Her eyes twinkled and I smiled. “I am.”

“Thought so. I was there that game when Dallas made you kiss him. I thought it was sweet.”

I snorted. “At the time, I didn’t think so.”

Chuckling, Dallas walked over and threw his arm around my shoulder. “She didn’t know what she was missing. Now she’s come to her senses.”

Clutching her phone, the girl held it up. “Can I please take a picture of you two and put it on my blog? The people at school won’t believe this.”

Dallas lifted his brows and I shrugged. “I’m good if you are,” I said to him. Then I waved for the girl to join us. “Why don’t you get in it, too?”

Her eyes lit up and Lacey took her phone. “I’ll snap the pic.”

The girl stood in the middle and Dallas and I both put our arms around her. I could feel her shaking and thought it was the most surreal thing. I’d seen people scream over my brother on numerous occasions, but it was another thing to see it up close. Dallas’s fans loved him and I could totally see why.

When Lacey was done, the girl turned to us. “Thank you so very much. My name’s Abbey.”

“It was nice meeting you, Abbey,” I said sweetly. Dallas hugged her and I thought she was going to pass out. They all went inside and we went to our cars.

Lacey leaned up against Braeden’s truck. “I swear, it never gets old seeing the excitement on people’s faces when they see you guys.”

“It is pretty cool,” I agreed.

Dallas put his arm around my waist while Braeden leaned against his truck beside Lacey. She put her head on his shoulder and I thought they looked cute together. Dallas didn’t seem to think anything of it.

“You guys ready for the last game tomorrow before the playoffs?” I asked.

Dallas squeezed my hip. “You know it.”

Braeden nodded. “It’ll be a good game. At least we get a long weekend after it.”

“Speaking of the weekend,” Lacey said, lifting her head. “I hate to do this, but I have to head back to New York in the morning. You guys won’t miss me too much, will you?”

I held up my hand. “I will. I was getting used to spending time with you.”

“Well, shit,” Dallas grumbled. “I wish you didn’t have to go. Do you want me to take you to the airport in the morning?”

She nodded. “If you don’t mind.”

“Since we have a long weekend,” Braeden announced, turning his attention to her. “I was thinking about heading up to New York to see my parents. Think you’ll be around to hang out?”

Her face brightened. “Definitely. You can stay with me like you always do and help me study.”

“All right, you two, I need to get this one home,” Dallas said, pulling out his keys. Since I was getting off early from work to make it to his game tomorrow night, I decided to go in earlier.

I hugged Lacey tight. “You have my number. Keep in touch.”

She squeezed me back. “I will. Once I graduate, I’ll be back.”

Dallas and I said our goodbyes to Braeden and then started on our way to my house, leaving Lacey with him. “They must be really close,” I said curiously.

Dallas chuckled. “Who? Lacey and Braeden?” I nodded and he smiled. “They’ve always been.”

“And you don’t care? I didn’t think you’d want her involved with your teammates.”

He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “They’re not involved like that, angel. They’ve been friends for years. When he goes to New York, he helps her study. You might not know this, but he’s extremely smart. He was accepted into Harvard, but he chose to play hockey.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. I never would’ve known.”

“Most people don’t. One of these days, I think he’ll regret not going. Not unless he goes when he retires.”

I shrugged. “That could still happen.” I’d known lots of people who went to college later in life.

A few minutes later, we arrived at my house and Dallas fetched my bag out of the trunk. “Want me to walk you inside?”

The open garage door revealed Justin’s car inside. Sighing, I shook my head. “Not tonight.”

He handed me my bag. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Holding his hand to my cheek, he leaned down and kissed me. “If you want, you can call me later.”

I held his hand on my face and kissed him again. “I might just do that.”

His hand slid down my cheek and then he got back into his car. I watched him disappear around the corner before going inside the house. Music played from the living room, but there was no one in sight. I went straight up to my room and dropped my bag on the bed.

“You still remember where you live?” Justin said, his voice sounding low and tired. He walked into my room and sat on my bed. My heart ached just looking at him.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been here. You haven’t exactly made it easy on me.” I sat down beside him and faced him.

He nodded. “I know. That’s why I want to apologize. I’ve missed you, Callie. We’ve always been so close.”

Tears ran down my cheeks. I could see the sincerity in his eyes. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I hugged him tight. “I’ve missed you, too. It killed me not being able to talk to you.”

I let him go and he smiled. “Same here. Is it too late for you to forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. All I want is for you and Dallas to get along.”

His smile slightly faded, but he agreed with a nod. “I can do it for you. It’s obvious you really like him.”

My stomach fluttered. “I do.”

Sighing, he stood and helped me up. “If he hurts you, I will beat his head in.”

“I’m sure he already knows that.” I laughed.

Putting his hands into his pockets, he looked down at the floor. “So . . . what’s the deal with your friend Lacey?”

“What do you mean?”

His lips pulled back into a smile and he lifted his gaze. “I mean, is she dating anyone?”

I burst out laughing. “Are you seriously asking me about this?”

His brows furrowed. “Why wouldn’t I be? She’s hot and she’s your friend. I figured you could put a good word in for me.”

Shaking my head, I couldn’t contain my giggles. “Out of all the women in the world, it’s just your luck to pick the one girl you can’t have.” I turned around and emptied my bag of clothes onto the bed.

“So she is seeing someone?”

“Nope.” I smiled at him over my shoulder. “She’s Dallas’s sister.” He gaped and his eyes widened in shock. “And I don’t think it’s a good idea to pursue her right now. She’s leaving to go back to New York in the morning.” I also didn’t want him getting involved with her because she had a past with Maddox.

A surprised chuckle escaped his lips. “Didn’t see that coming.”

Picking up an armful of my laundry, I turned around and winked. “I’m pretty sure you don’t need my help getting a date. Besides, Dallas might be an ass to you like you were to him if you go after his sister.”

I started for the door and he tossed one of my dirty socks onto my head. “Ha-ha,” he called out as I headed down the stairs. “I told you I was going to stop being a dick to him.”

“Good. It’s about damn time.” I loved my brother and I wanted to see him happy, but Lacey Easton was off-limits.

Throwing my laundry into the washing machine, I hurried back to my room just in time to hear my phone beep. It was a text from Hannah: I found this on the Internet. You two look so cute!

She’d sent a link along with a picture of Dallas and me, one that was taken when we played miniature golf. It wasn’t one of the pictures the high school kids took. It was one with Dallas and me kissing, completely oblivious that our photo was being taken. Clicking on the link, it took me to a tabloid whose headline read: easton’s new flame looks like the real thing: will it stick?

I didn’t even bother reading it. Although I had to admit, I loved the picture.