Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7)(12)

“Thanks, man,” I said. “I missed being here, but I definitely didn’t miss the damn heat. It wasn’t like this in Wyoming.”

Evan chuckled. “I bet not. You’ll get used to it again.”

We were almost at the locker room when Coach Joel shouted out my name from his office. During practice, he hadn’t said a word to me, but I’d known it was only a matter of time. Evan nodded encouragingly and then left me there in the hall. Taking a deep breath, I turned on my heel, slowly making my way to Joel’s office.

Head down, he wrote a few more things in his notebook and then pointed at the seat across from his desk. “Have a seat, son.” I sat down and waited for him to acknowledge me. Coach Joel was a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and lines on his face from too much stress. I was pretty sure players had put a lot of them on there. When he lifted his gaze, he set his pen down and clasped his hands on the desk. “You played amazingly well today for someone who hasn’t practiced in months,” he said.

“Thanks, Coach. While I was in Wyoming, I did work out and train. I didn’t completely let myself go.”

He nodded. “I can tell. What I want to know is if this is truly you coming back. The team can’t afford to lose you again. If you’re not serious about joining us, we’ll have to seek other options for your replacement.”

“I’m ready, Coach,” I replied adamantly. “I’m not leaving ever again. Football is my life. It’s the only thing I have right now.”

His face grew sad. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but the team needs to know you’re here for them. If things get to be too much, I want you to come to me so we can talk it out. I can’t have you leaving again.”

“I won’t, I promise. I want to be back.”

“Then I guess you’ll need this,” he said, tossing me a new jersey. It had my name and the number 59 on it. “Now get out of here and go get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be here.” With my jersey in hand, I walked out of his office with a smile on my face. I was officially back. There were no sounds coming from the locker room, but when I ventured inside, the guys began to clap. I shook my head and grinned. “What the hell is this?”

With just a towel around his waist, Chris started to dance. “You’re officially back. We’re celebrating. Now come over here and give me a hug, sexy man.” Everyone burst out laughing.

“Until you put some clothes on, I’m not touching your hairy ass.”

He rubbed his hands down his chest. “Most women think it’s sexy.”

Evan slapped him upside the head. “Keep telling yourself that.” He walked over to me and reached for my jersey. “How does it feel to have this back?”

“Pretty damn good,” I admitted honestly.

Chris rubbed the spot where Evan had hit him and joined us. “All I can say is that I’ve missed that smart-ass mouth of yours.”

“Got that right,” one of the guys yelled from the showers.

Evan chuckled. “Hey, some of the others are going to the tavern tonight. I have to go by there to check on everything for Summer. Do you want to join me?”

As much as I wanted things to go back to the way they were before, I wasn’t ready yet. Sighing, I shook my head. “Not tonight. I think I just want to go home.”

“All right,” he said. “But if you change your mind, you know where to find us. If I don’t see you tonight, I’ll see you in the morning.”

He held out his hand, and I shook it. “Will do, brother. I’ll see you later.”

As much as being around everyone would keep my mind from wandering, I wasn’t really up for it. Training had literally kicked my ass. After I took a shower and dressed, I headed on my way home. The only problem with going home was that I either had to drive down the same road as the accident or take another route that added twenty minutes to the trip. Ever since the accident, I’d avoided that dreaded road and dealt with the inconvenience. Taking a deep breath, I stopped at the red light, my heart pounding. I could either go straight and take the detour or go left, down memory lane.

“Fuck.” What am I going to do?

The light turned green, and a decision needed to be made. It was as if my body made up its own mind. My fingers pressed down on the turn signal, and I steered my truck left, palms sweating. Memories from that night came flashing back, the sounds, the smells, Brianna’s screams…everything. I was almost at the crash site, but I couldn’t do it. Closing my eyes, I swerved off the side of the road and stopped, leaning my head against the steering wheel. If I looked up, I knew I’d see Bri’s car, crumpled from the crash.

“Fuck, f*ck, f*ck,” I growled, keeping my head down. “I have to do this. There’s no other way to move on.”

Blowing out a shaky breath, I lifted my head and prayed I wouldn’t envision Brianna’s car. Unfortunately, there was a car in the exact place where we ran off into the ravine. I couldn’t tear my gaze away. What the hell was it doing there?

I sat there frozen in place until I saw a woman come into view. She was in the grass, hunched over something on the ground. The second I saw the blood on her hands, I knew something was wrong. My first instinct was to help her. Pressing the gas, I sped up the road, squealing my tires as I slammed on the brakes in front of her car. I rushed out, not knowing what the f*ck I was going to see on the ground. If it was a person, I had no doubt I was going to lose it. Instead, I saw a dog, covered in blood and howling in pain.