Page 141 of A Little Secret
“Since she tried to kiss you, and you rejected her ‘cause she’s akid?” I finish for him.
His head falls forward in defeat. “Something like that. What about you? Why are you avoiding him?”
“Not sure if he’s heard through the grapevine about the baby’s birth father yet,” I mutter.
Jaxon arches his brow. “So?”
“So, I may have bent the truth when I asked to be traded to the Lions so I could stay close to Fin.”
His eyes bulge. “No shit?”
“Yeah,” I mutter.
“Fuck.” He throws his head back and laughs. “You’re in even deeper shit than I am.” His attention shifts back to Henry and his smile falls. “He’s coming over.”
I gulp and sit a little straighter, shame burning through my insides. I’ve been dreading this since before I lied in his office, knowing it would catch up with me, but too selfishand short-sighted to rectify it. Especially now.
“Hello, boys,” Uncle Henry greets us.
Craning my neck, I look over at him and fake a smile. “Oh. Hey, Uncle Henry.”
“Hello,” he repeats.
I search his face for something. A hint. A clue. A fucking lifeline. But just like always, his expression is on lockdown. I shouldn’t expect anything less, but damn if he couldn’t have thrown me a bone for once. It’s not like I’m some stranger he’s doing a business deal with. I’m family. But so is he. And I lied to him.
“You good?” he challenges. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Uh, yeah,” I clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m good. I’ve been meaning to call?—”
“Mind if I take a seat?” The chair scrapes against the polished concrete floor as he drags it away from the table without waiting for an answer.
“Yeah, you know you’re always welcome,” Jaxon interjects. “What are you doing on campus?”
“I had a meeting,” Uncle Henry answers before he turns to me, pinning me with the same stone-cold expression. His mouth twitches. “You’re lucky you’re family, Griffin. Watching you squirm is entertaining, but I’ll put you out of your misery. Your dad caught me up on everything. Would’ve appreciated it if you'd done it yourself, but I understand why you…” He hesitates, lifting his coffee to his mouth and swallowing. “Bent the truth.”
With a quiet laugh, Jaxon looks down at his beverage.
Asshole.
“I know I should’ve been up front about the situation when I asked for the trade, and I’m sorry. Genuinely. I fucked—screwed up.”
Stealing another sip of his drink, he stares at me fromabove the rim. “You did, but I understand why. You should have a little more faith in your family, though.”
“You’re right. I should. You’ve always been nothing but supportive, and…”
“And we've been through this before.” His attention cuts to Jax. “If Ashlyn can do it, you can, too. Of that, I have no doubt.”
Jax shifts in his seat, appearing uncomfortable. I don’t need to ask why. Even with the welcoming arms, part of me still wonders if he views himself as the black sheep. The outsider.
Shifting my attention back to Uncle Henry, I murmur, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, let’s move on to business. I made some calls,” Uncle Henry continues, “and considering the circumstances, the organization thinks you’d be a great fit for the Lions, so we negotiated with the Tornadoes to bring you on. What do you say?”
“I, uh…what did you say?”
“I said we want you to play for the Lions. What do you say?”
Shock. Elation. Confusion. They all battle for the spotlight as I choke out, “Yeah. Yeah, I’d love to. Are you…are you sure?”