Beg You to Trust Me (Lindon U #2)(111)

The room is quiet. Deafeningly quiet.

It’s me who decides to break it after the tension is too thick to bear. “When I go back, I’ll talk to the campus police.”

“One of us will go with you,” Dad says.

Mom nods. “I think that’s for the best.”

I nibble the inside of my cheek. “I’m going to spend part of the break in Boston.”

More silence.

Serena clears her throat. “Are you going to see Danny?”

I manage to nod despite the look Dad gives me, who doesn’t seem thrilled over the idea of me leaving earlier than planned. “He had his shoulder surgery and once he recovers, I’m going to spend time with him.” I look to Dad, then Mom. “I’ll spend Christmas and New Year’s here and then go there for the rest of break.”

Dad swipes a hand through his gray hair. “Do you think that’s a good idea? Adding a boy into the mix after the semester you’ve had is—”

“A good thing,” Serenity cuts him off, challenging him with a deadpan look. “I think it’d be good for her. I met him. He’s not bad.”

I gape at her. I mean, obviously he had to give her the card to pass along to me somehow, but I’ve been too shocked over having the tickets to think about how the exchange even happened.

“And he didn’t even flinch when I threatened to chop his dick off if he hurt her.”

“You did what?” I shriek.

She shrugs casually. “It needed to be said. You were upset and I didn’t know if he was the reason or not. But he seems like a good person and it’s obvious he cares about you.” When we lock eyes, her lips lift slightly. “Deeply.”

I blink a few times, taking that in.

Serena pipes in with, “I agree. I think Skylar should enjoy some time with him. She deserves to be with somebody who’s on her side and makes her happy.”

Sienna nods, looking to Mom as if her vote in this will sway Dad. And she’s right. Even though most of us have him wrapped around his finger, it’s Mom who’s always been the decision maker when it comes to them.

When Mom relents with a soft sigh, she pecks my cheek. “Does he make you happy?”

It doesn’t take me long to respond. “Yes.”

Her thumb dries what’s left of my tears. “Please be careful. With him. With yourself. With your heart. You’ve always had such a big one and I’d hate for anybody else to take advantage of it.”

Dad’s expression is grim as he drops whatever argument he has against me going back to the east coast. “If anybody does anything to you—”

“I’ll be okay,” I assure him, offering a small smile to prove it.

Serena claps excitedly. “Let’s book you a flight then!”

A dramatic sigh comes from Sienna. “Our little sis is growing up so fast.”

Our mother laughs lightly and kisses my forehead before walking over to our father. He pulls her into her side, and it reminds me what Danny always does with me.

It isn’t until just this moment that I realize how badly I’ve missed him and his little touches and cheesy jokes and everything in between. I like when he holds my hand and plays with my hair and attempts to paint my nails even though he’s really bad at it.

I’ve been unfair to him when he hasn’t deserved it, so I know this trip is exactly what I need to prove to him that I’m willing to put in the effort. To show that I’m all in.

If he’ll still have me.





CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE





DANNY





“Are you sure one of us shouldn’t check on Grandma?” I ask Ma for the umpteenth time from where I’m lounging on the living room couch. “I thought she’d be back by now.”

The feisty woman left over an hour and a half ago to grab some things from the store. It never takes her this long.

“You know your grandmother,” Ma tells me, kissing my head and passing me a cup of hot chocolate. “She probably saw somebody she knows and stayed to chat with them.”

She sits down beside me and watches the ESPN reels playing on the screen from a different college game. “Why do you do this to yourself?”

“What?”

Ma points toward the screen with a shake of her head. “I know how much you love football, Danny, and I know how much you’re upset that it’s over. I still think you’re doing the right thing, but I’m worried because all you’ve wanted to watch is SportsCenter.”

My leg starts bouncing, so to stop it I drape my crossed ankles onto the coffee table. I know I’ll get away with it this time because I’m still recovering. But give it a week or two and Ma will be smacking me upside the head and telling me to take my feet off her furniture.

“I just want to stay up to date on things.”

“Your friends will do that for you.”

I scratch the side of my neck. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” I finally tell her with a heavy sigh. I cross my arms over my chest and sink into the couch. “Coach Pearce cares about making a name for himself through others. There’s a lot of shit going down with the team because of Wallace. The new QB. Remember how I was telling you about his little extracurricular activities?”