Changing Hearts Read online

  She was in there, in the process of peeling off her shorts. Quickly, she turned and wrapped my towel around her.

  “Get out.”

  “I will not,” I said, trying to hide my amusement with fake outrage. “This is my room.”

  “Fine.”

  Next thing I knew she was rummaging in my drawers.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Something to wear.”

  “I’m sorry to break this to you, but all my clothes are too big for you.”

  She came up with a T-shirt she held out like the Holy Grail, displaying the school logo on the front. I shrugged and she quickly turned around. It was a shirt I got in freshman year from the cheerleaders. They’d personalize one for each player with our names and jersey numbers to the back. I wondered if Shelly would notice. All thoughts evaporated like water in heat when the towel dropped and she slipped the shirt on.

  When I cleared my throat, she tossed the towel at me, facing me again. It was a good thing. There was no hiding my cock when he wanted to come out and play. The hand towel wasn’t doing the job. The wetness of the bath towel didn’t help because it had been around her naked body. I had to use a hand as to not tent the fabric.

  My shirt on her only went so far. And knowing she was naked, probably wet, from the shower or other things, it didn’t matter. My imagination raced to all kinds of conclusions.

  “Do you have any scissors?”

  I pointed at my desk. Mom had sent me a care package the other day. I used them to open it up. The box sat there empty. Chance had a sweet tooth and had raided the box.

  “What are you going to do?”

  Though I didn’t care about the shirt that much, I was curious. She opened a drawer and I watched in horror when she came up with a pair of jeans.

  “Hey, those are my favorites,” I protested.

  That didn’t deter her. She scooped the scissors up and I watched as she cut them off at the knee. My heart sank. I’d had those jeans a long time. I didn’t wear them often. Only when Ash or someone else had a bright idea that meant being outside for long stretches of time. They were comfortable in a way only time gives.

  Then she cut along the inseam. I had no idea where she was going with it until she snagged a handful of safety pins I had saved in a cup when I’d collected them from odds and ends. She worked, pinning the fabric together in the front and in the back.

  In the end, she turned my jeans into a homemade skirt. I’d admit after she took one of my belts and tied it around the waistband to hold my old jeans up, it had a designer look to it. She’d sheared off more of the length, leaving the ends fraying. Then she tied my shirt to her back in a knot, putting her tits on display.

  She held up hands to either side of her. “Well?”

  As much as I mourned the loss of my jeans, it was a good look for her. “Sexy?”

  Her brows knitted together and her chin dipped. “Will your mother approve?”

  “That’s what this was all about. Mom would have said nothing about you in wet clothes. The stuff she’s seen between my brother and me. Nothing would shock her.”

  “I’m not one of your fan girls.”

  “No, but you could be.”

  I moved closer, unable to help myself. She backed up.

  “Stop. You’re wet.”

  “You could be too. Give me twenty seconds.”

  “Stop.” She held me back with a hand on my chest, laughing.

  There was that. I liked it when we weren’t acting like mortal enemies.

  “You should smile more often.”

  She glanced up and I saw I’d gone too far. I watched walls begin to form all around her.

  “It will balance out your frown lines and you won’t get wrinkles.”

  She batted me away, giggling. But there had been a moment. I’d felt it. A fissure had formed in her hard exterior at least when it came to me.

  I wondered if we’d ever get past that one night. Would she ever see me more than the guy who’d stolen a night from her? Yeah, I’d been drunk that night, but I’d never forgotten it.

  THIRTY

  Shelly

  Sawyer’s parents hadn’t left by the time I made it downstairs. His dad introduced me to his wife. Sawyer’s mother looked like a cover model. She certainly didn’t have the worn lines that crinkled the corners like my mom. She also didn’t have an ounce of fat on her body.

  “You must come to breakfast with us. I want to get to know my son’s girlfriend. You don’t know how long I waited for this moment.”

  “I should change.”

  His father and Ashton gave me an amused look. I inwardly groaned, knowing what they thought. Clearly, his dad hadn’t kept how he found us a secret.

  “You look great. I love your skirt. And the shirt is perfect for a game, right? School pride,” his mom said.

  “Thanks.”

  Somehow I made an excuse that gave me time to run back to my room. It was flimsy considering I couldn’t tell them it was my room. So no changing for me. But there was no way I could go without underwear. The skirt I made was too short for that.

  That thought made me feel almost bad. Sawyer had been in severe distress when I took the scissors to his jeans. After the first cut there had been no turning back.

  During breakfast with his parents, I fell in love with his mother. There was no judging on her part. She asked questions but kept them light without trying to figure out my philosophy on life or how I felt about her son. His father, on the other hand, remained stoic during the entire meal. I could tell he was gauging my responses.

  By the time we made it to the stadium, it was packed. However, with his father’s clout, we parked in a lot close to the entrance. On the way, he got a call, so I walked in silence next to his mother. When we were waved in, his dad lifted a finger.

  “I’m going to see about getting one of those.” His mom glanced down at her shirt. “I really don’t want to look like someone’s mother.” She winked at me.

  I laughed because I was certain there were plenty of guys on campus who’d take her out if she wanted. But I didn’t think that was her motive. I guessed she wanted her husband to look at her and not any girls Sawyer’s age.

  Arms came around my waist and I spun, expecting to find some drunken asshole.

  “David.” I glanced around, but Sawyer’s parents were lost in the crowd. “I told you I’m doing the thing for Sawyer.” When his eyes darkened, I rattled off, “Don’t get pissed off. It’s a favor.”

  “Why can’t he use someone else?”

  “I offered. Remember, he’s giving me a place to stay.”

  “And I told you, you can stay with me.”

  The last thing I needed was to move in with him so early in our relationship. Plus, there were probably frat rules against it. What if I got kicked out? Worse, what if we broke up? Those were all the logical reasons I’d given him that I couldn’t defend.

  “Shelly, who’s this?”

  David’s hands dropped from my waist. I turned and grinned at Sawyer’s dad. “David, this is Mr. Cargill. Mr. Cargill, this is my friend David.”

  “Friend?” Sawyer’s dad’s brow lifted.

  “Yes.”

  He held out a hand. “I’m Jeff Cargill, Sawyer’s dad. I assume you know my son.”

  I glared at David. His smile was tight, but he took the other man’s hand. “Yes, Sawyer. We’ve known each other a long time.”

  “Are you here to watch him play?”

  “Something like that.” David’s smile resembled someone with constipation.

  Sawyer’s mom came over. Instead of introducing her, his father said, “I was just about to tell David here a funny story about Sawyer.”

  His mom’s smile didn’t falter. I guessed after years of living with him, she could read him. I had no idea what he was about to say.

  Though there was plenty of crowd noise when he started to speak, I easily heard him.

  “My wife wanted to invite e
veryone to brunch this morning.”

  I wanted to double over as bile twisted in my stomach.

  “I had no idea Shelly was around and found her and Sawyer in the shower together. My son lacks shyness. He made sure I knew Shelly was in there with him.” He glanced at me. “You were completely embarrassed and I didn’t get to apologize for my intrusion. And though Sawyer has no shame, he did protect your modesty. I didn’t see a thing other than your face.”

  His mom laughed. “Sounds like Sawyer.” She glanced at me. “Sorry about that. Jeff goes where he wants. I’m sure if he’d known you were there, he wouldn’t have come in.”

  I couldn’t mouth anything to David because Sawyer’s mom was facing me.

  “I should get going.” David turned so fast, I felt sick. The incident was mostly harmless. Nothing had happened, but it sounded bad, very bad.

  “Let’s head up to the box.”

  His mom turned, while his dad held me back. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but my son’s trust fund is set up to work perfectly with a prenup.”

  My jaw dropped. Clearly he’d seen enough to know something was up with David and me. I could have just told the truth. But that would make liars out of both Sawyer and me.

  “Are you coming?” his mom asked the two of us.

  He smiled and took his wife’s hand. I was left to follow, wondering how I’d get myself out of this mess.

  Once we were settled in the box, I excused myself so I could frantically text David. I got no response.

  Sharon found me. “Do you want me to get you some food? It’s going fast.”

  I shook my head. “I’m still full from brunch.”

  I’d been starving then and had eaten much more than I should. I still felt the effects because I hadn’t been able to sneak away to take care of the problem. Sharon had kept the conversation going.

  As she stared at me now, my stomach rumbled because the food did smell delicious. There were barbeque ribs and everything under the sun that went with it.

  She followed my gaze and said, “I know what you mean. Pork makes me bloated and constipated.” For a second, all I could think was ewww. But she had a reason for that statement. “That’s why I keep laxatives on hand, if you know what I mean. It’s a dog eat dog world out there. Working out isn’t enough to keep up with the competition.”

  She walked away and I studied her more closely. She had the perfect figure. I’d just assumed she had all the luck. After our talk, I was certain she understood me more than even my own mother.

  Right before halftime, David finally texted me to meet him by the concession stand. I waited for Sawyer’s mom to be alone before I approached her.

  “I’m going to run down and say hi to my friends. I’ll be back before third quarter.”

  She placed a hand over mine. “No rush. You don’t have to stay here with us the whole time. I get you’re young and have friends. Go, we’ll be here.”

  I ducked into the elevator that took me to the ground floor. Thankfully, Sharon handed me my pass so I could come back up when I was done. I waded through the crowd and found David, arms folded over his chest as he leaned on a wall near the concession area.

  I felt like I was in a spy movie as I kept checking over my shoulder to see if I’d been followed. When I made it to David, I could tell he’d had a few beers.

  Because it was halftime, the walkways were filled. I waved David to follow me in search of a quiet spot. Finally, we ducked into a niche where I wouldn’t have to yell to be heard.

  As much as I tried to think of a different opening, I began with, “I can explain.”

  “Shower?”

  It was one word, but I could hear the prison bar clang shut when he said it. I’d been judged and convicted. Worse, I didn’t blame him.

  “It was a mix-up and a very long story I promise to tell you. But it was an accident. I was fully dressed. Nothing happened, I swear.”

  “I want to believe you.”

  “Hey, David.”

  A girl had paused to wave at him. He lifted a hand in salute. She smiled and then frowned at me before walking by.

  His focus remained on me and continued as if we hadn’t been interrupted.

  “I should trust you, especially considering what people say about me, you’ve trusted me.”

  “David.”

  Another female, another wave, and another salute before the smile and withering glare followed it. It happened two more times in a row. I didn’t bother looking over the next few times. My threshold for scathing looks was at its limit. I changed our positions so that his back was facing the opening.

  “You were talking about trust,” I reminded him. I hoped the irony wasn’t lost on him.

  “Truth is I never wanted a girlfriend.” Cue mouth opened wide. “Yeah, it wasn’t in the plan. I had a few in high school, and it wasn’t worth the trouble. But you…you were different. Since school started, though, things have been off between us.”

  I’d felt that too.

  “I know,” I admitted.

  “Add in whatever history you have with Cargill.”

  “History? We have no history.”

  He gave me that seriously look. “The guy has given me shit about you every chance he gets. And his rep is worse than mine. Something has to be going on between the two of you.”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “I honestly want to believe that. I like you a lot. Not just because you’re smart and sexy as hell. I thought we really connected, you know.”

  I did.

  “I want to be a better guy, but I’m not. I don’t like you pretending to be his girl because right now I want to kiss you.”

  His heartfelt words hit their intended target. I lifted on my toes and pressed my mouth to his. He pulled me close and maybe the best thing was to give in and trust him the way he trusted me.

  “This is the last time, I swear,” I said.

  “Promise?”

  I nodded. If Sawyer needed a fake girlfriend again, he would have to find someone else. Although David hadn’t said it, it wasn’t fair to him what I was doing.

  “Will I see you tonight?” he asked.

  I didn’t know Sawyer’s parents’ plans, but I would get out of any obligation. I’d done enough. And hopefully, that was enough. I nodded at David.

  He gave me a parting kiss before disappearing in the crowd. His name was said a thousand times on a thousand tongues, but I didn’t let myself get jealous. He trusted me. I would trust him.

  THIRTY-ONE

  Sawyer

  As the seconds counted down, I tried to be present, in the moment. But my thoughts were scattered having my bell rung so many times during the game, especially the last one. I peeled myself off the turf. The stadium spun. I shook it off when I probably should have stayed down. Cargills don’t show weakness, Dad’s motto. With him and his business partners watching, I pretended I had superhuman strength and it paid off.

  The clock finally buzzed and the crowd roared to life. I was just glad it was over. Teammates knocked knuckles against my helmet, while I tried not to see double.

  “You okay?”

  It was Ash, so I shook my head. No matter what the state of our friendship, he had my back as he catapulted me through the mass of bodies. My head hurt so bad, I desperately wanted to shower and lie down.

  As the crowd thinned and we entered the tunnel, I thought that would be it until I saw my parents with Dad’s potential backers.

  “Son,” Dad greeted.

  Mom and the other men Dad introduced me to stood too close. I forced a smile I didn’t feel and managed to play the game I’d been taught all my life. I found the strength to get through a few more minutes, though I wanted to collapse. Finally, as I made my excuses to leave, I spotted Shelly standing off to the side.

  Something about her being there gave me a boost to walk over to her. My helmet felt heavy in my hand. I managed a real grin for her and ignored every pain in my body.

&nb
sp; “Firecracker.”

  “I would call you douchebag, but your parents are here.”

  I laughed and tried to stay upright just a little longer.

  “There are a lot of things you want to call me like, ‘Oh, Sawyer, you’re so good.’”

  I had my eyes closed, pretending I was her when she punched my chest. When I opened them, I barely made out her mouthing, “Your parents can hear you.”

  Steadying myself, I glanced over my shoulder. Dad was talking to the two suits in polos and khakis. I turned back. “Thanks for doing this.”

  Her smile was hesitant. A clear indication there was nothing good she was about to say.

  “About that, I have to bail tonight. I don’t know if your parents had other plans.” She paused and studied her nails for a second. “I promised David I wouldn’t…”

  She couldn’t look at me, many apologies painted in her grim smile. I tipped her chin up. “It’s cool. You’ve already done enough.” In that moment, I very much wanted to kiss her. She looked like an angel while I felt like death. I bent down as her eyes grew in alarm. My kiss found its mark on her cheek.

  “Thank you.”

  I left her standing there in shock. Ashton stood near Chance and Brie, and nodded when I spotted him. I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. When I made it there, I stumbled into Brie. I played it off like I’d planned to hug her.

  “Oh my God, Sawyer. You got me all sweaty.”

  Brie wiped hands down the front of her clothes when I managed to straighten.

  “You should be good and sweaty already after my boy”—I absently patted Chance, who looked murderous—“got to you.”

  “Not exactly. She wouldn’t let me hug her.”

  His brows shot up as if he wanted to add on, you feel me.

  “Well, now you can.”

  I grinned and left them to hug it out. The tunnel tilted and I stopped, feeling Ash two steps behind me.

  “There he is,” Coach said, tossing me a ball. Because of his good aim, I caught it. My hands had been out and then the ball was there. “Game ball to Cargill, though next time don’t make it so close.”