Page 67 of First Down Promise

“I mean, I kind of figured that. More or less. Did I hurt your love life?” I ask, picking up the crust.

Pete shakes his head. “No way, Ab. It was for the best to cut back. Not trying to be someone’s baby daddy, you know?” I wrinkle my nose at the thought.

“Oh my God. Okay, new topic,” I say.

“What do you think of the guys?” Pete asks.

I swallow the bite of pizza and lower my plate to the coffee table. “Um, well, Coop’s a sweetheart. I knew Josh and Dane before I met him, but he was my first friend in Nashville.” I should probably make more of an effort with him. Between the squad and everything with Josh, I’ve been a shitty friend lately.

Pete chuckles under his breath. “I always thought he had a little crush on you.”

“Uh, Dane told me at Josh’s party that he did.” Pete’s brows furrow at my wording. “Oh, sorry. I mean, Dane told me Coop had a crush on me, but it sounded like it was over.”

“Oh, I was like, there’s no way Dane has a crush on you.”

I press a hand to my chest. “Why not? I’m a real catch, if you haven’t noticed, Pete.”

“You are, Ab, but Dane’s not the type to invest much time in liking someone and would make a move a lot faster. He’s a little too old for you, anyway.” My stomach dips.

“What? He’s like six years older,” I argue. And Josh is two years older than Dane.

“Yeah, that’s a bit when you’re only twenty-two. Anyway, that brings us to Josh.”

“Josh is…” I glance down and laugh under my breath. “Josh.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean.”

“He’s always there for you. He was there for me my first morning in Nashville. He’s the best,” I answer.

“But he’s so sad, too. He always acts like everything’s fine, but he’s gone through some real shit,” Pete says, and I narrow my eyes at him. “Just with his mom and dad and stuff.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. His dad is a piece of shit, and his mom died when he was a freshman at A&M,” Pete says. My heart aches as I search my memory. He’s mentioned very little about his parents so far. “He loved meeting our parents at that first Family Day.”

Warmth spreads through my chest at the memory. Josh in that Stallions ball cap, the black eighty-one T-shirt, a smile that wouldn’t quit. The feeling that came over me the moment his eyes met mine for the first time. I can still feel his first handshake—firm but gentle.

“Yeah, I was there,” I reply.

“That’s right. You still had your braces,” Pete teases.

“Must you remind me of every embarrassing thing ever?”

Pete pops the last bite of crust into his mouth and grins.

“I’m your brother. It’s kind of my job, sis.” The joke lands heavier than it should. If only he knew.

“And you brought him back to Wisconsin.”

Now, it’s Pete’s turn to narrow his eyes at me. “Mom must have told you that. I don’t think it’s ever come up,” Pete says with a light laugh.

“Actually, Josh told me during bye week.”

My pulse quickens. All this time, I thought Josh would slip up, but it was me. Pete dusts the crumbs off his hands.

“Oh, yeah. He came over before the party. Why was he here again?” Pete asks.

Goosebumps rise on my arms. “Because he’s always here,” I say with a nervous laugh. Pete stares at me, completely straight-faced. “What?”