Going Long (Waiting on the Sidelines #2)(75)

My mom was quiet, her eyes falling now to show her understanding. She smiled softly and patted my hands. “Honey, that boy loves you. He loves you like nothing I’ve ever seen. If that’s what you’re worried about, well, let me just put a stop to that for you right here and now,” she was giving me her best pep talk. And it might work if I didn’t think that she was just doing her duty. I appreciated it nonetheless.

“Thanks,” I just smiled back. I took a deep breath and resolved myself to make the most of the moment. I texted Reed that I’d love to join them, and then held my breath, waiting for him to write back. He finally did, saying that he’d pick me up in an hour, which meant I had an hour left to pretend I didn’t have any worries in the world. I found my grandpa and challenged him to a few more rounds of nine ball, escaping my problems for a little while longer.



Reed hugged everyone in my family when he came to pick me up, even Mike. My family adored him—even my grandpa, who was truly a tough emotional nut to crack. Seeing how they all took Reed in made me feel proud of my family. We were simple and we didn’t have fancy parties or give expensive gifts, but we loved with our whole hearts and without reservations or prejudice.

Millie’s house was only 30 minutes or so away from my grandparents, so the ride was quick. I told Reed about the things my family had given me, and even put on my new knitted hat, which was a bit too tight, but I’d never let my grandmother know. When we pulled into the driveway, my breath caught, causing Reed to reach over and squeeze my hand. He knew how little I enjoyed being in Millie’s company.

When he came around to help me from the Jeep, he stopped me in front of the door, holding both of my hands. “I think my mom is trying,” he said, looking me in the eyes. It was strange for him to admit, even in this small way, to the way his mother treated me. And having him understand actually meant more to me than Millie being nice. I leaned forward and kissed him softly.

“Thank you,” I said, my words more for him, than his mother.

He took my hand, and we walked up the drive through her enormous front door. I followed Reed through the foyer, to the large sitting room. I noticed Dylan and Jason sitting outside on the patio through the large wall of windows. I didn’t think Dylan would be here, given what Jason had said during his fight with Reed yesterday, so I was surprised to see them holding hands and looking at each other across the table.

I just pointed at them and nudged Reed. “What’s up with that?” I asked.

“Hmmmmm, well…Jason’s trying, too,” he said, his face forming a hard smile, and his brow heavy.

As we approached the patio door, I watched Dylan and Jason stand to talk with Sam and Millie, and the way Millie grabbed Dylan’s hand and kissed her cheek like she was her own daughter had me swallowing hard on my own pride. That’s all I wanted. It made me sick to admit it, but I’d give anything for Reed’s mother to show me just half of the acceptance and affection she did Dylan.

I found myself suddenly wishing for super powers—invisibility, flight, time-freezing. Anything that would get me out of this place right here and now would be fine by me. I was smiling a little at my thoughts, when Millie’s curt greeting jostled me to attention. “Nolan, dear. So good to see you,” she said, leaning into me awkwardly to kiss at the air next to my cheeks. I froze at her movement and bunched my forehead, stepping back a little, almost embarrassed for her.

“Uh, yeah…thanks for having me over?” I still wasn’t convinced my presence here was her idea.

“Of course. Nolan, you know Dylan, right?” she said, introducing us, her smile brighter as she touched Dylan’s shoulder. It disgusted me.

“Yeah, we’ve met,” I nodded, more uneasy than I was just seconds ago.

“Oh…” Millie said, looking around for something else to say. When she couldn’t come up with anything, she just turned to Sam and started talking. That was it, my warm embrace by this part of Reed’s family. Yeah, she was trying.

Dinner was stilted and awkward. Sam, thankfully, filled the silence with hunting stories. And despite my complete and utter disdain for the sport, if you could even call it that, I listened intently, hanging on every word. Reed kept hold of my hand under the table, even while we ate; I giggled the few times he dropped food from his fork with his left hand. For such a gifted athlete, he was shit with his left hand. Thank God, his right one healed after the accident.

We all headed to the sitting room for coffee after dinner, a tradition that seemed so bizarre to me. I didn’t really like coffee, but I was just happy to not have been insulted over the last hour, so I sat there and gripped my cup, taking tiny sips of my drink that I loaded with cream and sugar just to choke it down.

Dylan and Reed were talking about Reed’s upcoming press conference, and I was trying to put all of my focus on that when I felt Millie’s polished nails tap at my shoulder, almost like a chicken’s beak. I looked up at her, a bit bothered and I think she was surprised by my boldness. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said, pulling her hands back together and folding them in front of her. “I was just wondering, if I might borrow you, just for a moment,” she asked, holding her hand out to point toward the door.

I looked at Reed, who was still involved with Dylan, and then looked back to Millie, whose face was growing full of impatience. Remembering Reed’s words, that his mom was trying, I filled my lungs and calmed my nerves. I smiled up at her and stood to follow her from the room, looking back once more to catch Reed’s attention. His eyes were wide, and I just shook my head for him not to worry, shrugging a little to acknowledge how strange this was.