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  Turning to Ty, I smiled and kissed his lips. “I like boring.”

  “We’ll just let everyone think we are boring,” he winked.

  We managed to stay under the radar for the next week. Enjoying our time out of the limelight, we were able to focus on each other and remember why we fell in love in the first place. It was as if nothing had happened, and we were back to our relaxed selves.

  Walking into Ty’s room on Saturday morning, I saw that he was sitting on the edge of his bed talking on the phone. The room seemed small due to the king size bed that was the center focus. The only other piece of furniture that would fit in the space was a small dresser underneath the window. The floral wallpaper that Mrs. Nevel had once hung was now covered with NFL posters.

  “Okay, yeah,” he said. “We’ll head to the airport now.”

  Hanging up the phone, he leaned his head down into his hands.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked as I crawled into his lap and forced his head up. “Where are you going?”

  He let out a long sigh as he pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. “My dad had a heart attack late last night. I have to get back to Detroit to see him.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close. “Is he okay?”

  “I think so, but my mom is a wreck.” He shook his head. “I should have been there to help her.”

  “You’ll get there tonight,” I tried to reassure him. “She knows that.”

  “Thanks, baby,” he kissed my forehead. “I need to get packed so Ed can drive me to the airport. My flight leaves in four hours.”

  I slid off of his lap and watched as he rummaged through drawers and placed items in a small suitcase.

  “Can I help with anything?” I asked quietly, not knowing what to do.

  Zipping up his suitcase, he lifted me to my feet and pulled me into a tight hug.

  “No, I just need to get to that hospital and make sure everything is okay.” Ty lifted my chin and kissed my lips. “I’ll call you from the airport, okay?”

  “Yeah, I wish there was something I could do,” I whispered.

  “Knowing you are here for me is enough.” He leaned in for a final kiss before releasing me from his bear hug grip. “I better go.”

  Watching Ty and his uncle drive away was hard enough, but it was nothing compared to waiting on his phone call where he would tell me everything was okay.

  I had been asleep for hours when my phone finally rang on Saturday night. Fumbling my hand across my nightstand, I grabbed the source of the vibrating noise.

  “Are you okay?” I asked as soon as I hit the green button.

  “Hey,” he replied in a voice that sounded thousands of miles away. “Sorry it’s so late. I meant to call earlier, but everything has been crazy.”

  “It’s fine,” I rubbed my eyes wondering what time it was. “Is your dad okay? Did you make it to the hospital?”

  “Yeah, I made it a few hours ago.” He let out a long breath. “I finally convinced my mom to go to sleep for a few hours which is why I’m just now able to call. My dad is doing okay. He had open heart surgery this afternoon, so it sounds like it will be a long recovery. I haven’t been able to see him yet.”

  “Oh, Ty.” I could feel my eyes fill up with tears. “I’m so sorry this happened.”

  “Thanks baby,” he replied. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back, or how often I’ll be able to call. I promise I will text every chance I get.”

  “Don’t worry about me.” I smiled at his genuine concern for everyone else around him. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

  “We’re staying at the hotel next to the hospital, so I’m going to head back to our room,” I could hear the stress in his voice. “I love you, baby.”

  “I love you too,” I replied just before our call ended.

  The next few days passed by at a snail’s pace. I hadn’t talked to Ty since Saturday night, and he only sent one or two text messages a day. I knew that he was dealing with a lot, but that fact didn’t make my mind stop racing. Leaving basketball practice on Tuesday, I decided to finally call him.

  “Hey,” he answered his phone, instantly calming my nerves. “Sorry I haven’t called.”

  “Hey.” I smiled at the sound of his voice. “It’s fine. I just wanted to check on you. It’s good to hear your voice.”

  “You too baby,” he sounded ages away. “It’s been crazy here, but I think things are finally starting to settle down. My dad is getting released from the hospital this Friday, which means we finally get to go home.”

  “Does that mean you are coming back here on Friday?” I asked with too much hope in my voice.

  “No, I think I’m staying another week to make sure everything is okay. My mom hasn’t handled this well at all,” he replied. “But I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “Oh, okay. That makes sense I guess.”

  He let out a long breath. “I miss you. A lot. What’s new?”

  “I miss you too.” I closed my eyes, forcing the tears to go away. “Nothing much has happened here. We have our first basketball game this Friday.”

  “That’s right!” he exclaimed. “And I’m going to be an ass and miss it. Great.”

  “You have a lot going on right now,” I tried to convince him. “It’s just a game.”

  Just as he was starting to reply, a female voice cut him off and distracted him from our conversation. I tried to listen to what they were saying, but it was obvious that Ty had muted the phone.

  “Hey,” he came back on the line. “Can I call you back in a little while?”

  “Yeah,” I replied. “Is everything okay? Was that your mom?”

  “Um no,” he answered, trying to avoid the truth. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

  Before I could reply, the call ended. I trusted him, and I knew in my heart that he was dealing with a lot of family issues right now. For some reason though, the voice in the back of my head told me that female voice was someone other than a nurse or family member.

  ***

  The week continued to drag on with minimal contact from Ty, so I decided to pour my energy into basketball and our first game of the season. Pulling my red and black jersey over my head, I began to center my focus on the four quarters I would soon play.

  “How are you holding up?” Lexy asked as she sat her gym bag next to mine.

  “I’ve barely talked to him in over a week,” I shook my head. “I’m trying not to think about it.”

  “He hasn’t talked to Colton, either,” she shrugged. “Maybe he’s just really busy since it sounds like his mom is a flake.”

  “Yeah, but too busy to send a text?” I sighed. “I doubt it. He’s supposed to be back next week though, so I guess we’ll see then.”

  Lexy slapped my arm, bringing me back to reality. “Snap out of it. You guys will be fine. For now, we have a game to win.”

  Lifting our heads after we said our team prayer, we huddled together and chanted until we were all jumping and screaming like maniacs. Bursting through the locker room doors, we were met with loud music and fans standing and shouting for victory. We were playing a local rival and Lexy and I were excited to see if our summer practices had paid off.

  After four quarters of sprinting, shooting and defense, everyone in our small town could see that we were serious about this year’s basketball season. The final buzzer rang and showed our twenty-two point victory. I had managed to score twenty-five points, and Lexy had scored twenty-four.

  Running to my side and gripping me in a tight hug, Lexy squealed. “Maybe Ty should miss all of your games. You were on fire tonight!”

  “Thanks, Lex.” I was instantly deflated at the mention of Ty’s name. “You had an awesome game too.”

  Excited about our win, but disappointed that Ty had missed it, I moped in the locker room and took my time changing clothes before heading to the bleachers to cheer on the boy’s team.

  After watching three quarte
rs and knowing that we had another victory wrapped up, I decided to call it a night.

  “Hey Lex,” I elbowed her as I stood up. “I’m heading out. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “You aren’t going home!” she exclaimed. “Everyone is coming to my house after the games.”

  “Have a drink for me then,” I winked as I headed for the exit.

  Driving the five short blocks to my house, I contemplated going to Lexy’s party. It would be more fun than sitting in my room alone. Throwing my gym bag on my bedroom floor, I headed straight for my shower, not noticing the red roses on the nightstand, I screamed when a male voice sounded through my room.

  “Twenty-five points, huh?” I heard a familiar voice say. “And I thought I would be your good luck charm.”

  I turned to see Ty leaning against my desk, holding another bouquet of white roses. I was frozen in place, convinced that I was imagining the entire episode. Before I could react, he walked across the room and wrapped his arms around me.

  “I missed you so much,” he leaned down and kissed my lips. “All I’ve wanted to do for the last week is hold you.”

  “Why are you here?” I asked in shock. “How are you here? You said it would be next week.”

  “So you missed me too?” he laughed as he leaned back and looked in my eyes.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I exclaimed. “Yes, I missed you! Of course I missed you! Lexy basically had to slap me before the game because I’ve been such a wreck since you left. I was coming home now to pout if you want to know the truth.”

  He ran his thumb along my jawline. “Well, now you don’t have to pout. I’m back.”

  Tilting my chin up, he kissed me. Every ounce of doubt and sadness disappeared as I melted into his arms. We continued to hold each other, allowing the past week’s emotions to wash over us.

  “Okay, explain everything,” I said once our lips weren’t locked. “When did you get back? Were you at the game?”

  “My dad ended up getting released yesterday, so once everything was settled at home, I told my parents I wanted to come back here. It wasn’t easy to convince them because they both want me to move back to Detroit and finish my senior year at my old school. I basically told them it wasn’t going to happen and I wanted to graduate from Milton.” Ty sat on the end of my bed and pulled me into his lap.

  “Ty, if they want you to move back, you can’t really tell them no.” I breathed in his scent, hoping he would convince me otherwise.

  “Yeah, I can,” he simply replied. “They’re the ones that shipped me here in the first place. Plus, I told them all about you, so they understood why I was ready to get back.”

  “You told them about me?” I asked in shock. “What about me?”

  “Oh, just how perfect you are and how in love with you I am,” he laughed and kissed the top of my head. “I had them convinced it was best if I came back as soon as possible.”

  I leaned back and looked into his eyes, surprised by his words. “How are your parents doing?”

  Kissing my lips again, he kept smiling. “My dad is a lot better, but it will be a long recovery. Once my mom realized that he was okay, she calmed down. The first few days were rough, but once everything settled down, it was good to spend time with both of them. They think I’ve grown up since coming to Milton. My mom told me to thank you for that.”

  “Oh really?” I laughed.

  “Yep, that’s what she said.” He laughed as he picked me up and threw me back against my pillows. Crawling on top of me, his gaze deepened as he looked into my eyes. “You have no idea how much I missed you.”

  Before I could reply, I was lost in his kiss. We stayed lost in each other’s arms until sleep found us hours later.

  I woke in the early morning tangled in white sheets and Ty’s arms. Unable to fall back asleep, I wiggled my way out of the bed and made my way into the bathroom. Quickly showering, I combed through my wet hair before pulling on a plain white t-shirt and a baggy pair of sweats. If we were going to stay in my room all day, I intended on being comfortable.

  Tiptoeing back into my room, I pulled back the covers and slid in next to him.

  “You are so loud,” he laughed as he pulled the covers back over us.

  “You’re in my bed,” I smiled and poked at his stomach. “Go home if you want quiet.”

  “I guess you aren’t that loud,” he said, grabbing my hands. “Don’t start a tickle war that will wake the entire house.”

  “Good thing I’m the only person that sleeps on this side of the house.” I laid back into the pillows. “The fact that you can sneak in and out should have told you that.”

  “I’m not complaining.” He intertwined his legs with mine. “It’ll prepare us for college next year.”

  “Are you planning on living with me next year?” I exclaimed, completely caught off guard.

  “Eh,” he shrugged. “I guess we’ll see what happens.”

  “Hmmm…” I could feel my face turn red as I pictured myself living with Ty in a few short months.

  “You didn’t call much or text while you were gone,” I said, quickly trying to change the subject. “I kind of felt like you ran off with another woman.”

  “Sorry, baby.” He sank back into the pillows and fidgeted with his hands. “I’m not good on the phone. I’d rather just talk in person. Andrea decided to show up at the hospital. A lot. But I didn’t want you to worry about it while I was gone.”

  “Who is Andrea?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “My old teacher. She kept delivering flowers to the hospital, claiming they were from the school. My parents would have flipped if they had seen her, but somehow she kept sneaking in and out unnoticed. I talked to her a few times when my dad was still pretty bad, but after that I told her to leave the flowers at the front desk.”

  “So that was the woman I heard on the other end of the phone?” I searched his eyes for honesty.

  “Yeah, she showed up the day I got to the hospital. I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but nothing happened, and I think she finally got the hint to leave me alone.” Ty looked directly into my eyes when he talked, so I knew he was telling the truth.

  “Okay,” I said and kissed his lips.

  “Okay?”

  “Should I not believe you?”

  “No, you should,” he answered. “I just… I guess I was prepared to defend myself even though there is nothing to defend. Thanks, babe.”

  “Shhh…” I smiled as I closed my eyes and attempted to fall back asleep in Ty’s arms. “You are so loud.”

  ***

  The next few weeks drifted by like a dream. We spent every free moment we had together. We started running together again, which usually ended with us making out in Ty’s backyard, but I still considered that exercise. We had our Eastern conference basketball tournament in a few days, and my nerves were out of control.

  “Why aren’t you eating?” Lexy reached over the dinner table and poked at my food.

  “I haven’t felt good lately,” I shrugged. “I think I’m just worried about the tournament this weekend.”

  She narrowed her eyes in my direction. “You never worry. Are you sure you aren’t sick? If you can’t play this weekend, I will kill you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I tried to reassure her. “I’ve felt like this for the past week. I don’t know what it is.”

  “You’ve felt like what?” she pulled her phone from her purse. “Let’s type your symptoms into WebMD. They are never wrong.”

  I laughed and shook my head. “No, thanks. I’m not finding out I have a brain tumor from your phone.”

  “Hey, babe.” Ty leaned down and kissed my lips as he took the seat next to me.

  I glared at Lexy, warning her not to say anything about my nonexistent diagnosis.

  “Are you not eating?” he looked at my plate and frowned.

  “Oh, we were just talking,” I shrugged. “I’m starving.”

  I watched Lexy roll her e
yes as I attempted to choke down the greasy cheeseburger. I couldn’t think of a single reason why my favorite food was making me so nauseous. It had been that way for the past week. Anything I ate, I either threw up or sat in misery until the queasy feeling passed.

  “Are you girls ready for the tournament?” Colton slammed his red tray on the table before taking his seat next to Lexy. “I heard the Morgan Bears are out to get you this year.”

  “Thanks for the support,” Lexy pouted as she threw a handful of french fries at his face.

  “You know I’ll be there wearing my girlfriend’s number.” He wrapped his arms around her and laughed. “I just figured you would want to know what I’ve heard.”

  “You shouldn’t talk to so many people,” I looked at him. “They’ve never beaten us at this tournament.”

  Throwing my half-eaten cheeseburger on my plate, I groaned. I hated being sick, and whatever bug this was should have been gone a week ago.

  “Are you really feeling okay?” Ty leaned into my ear, noticing my discomfort.

  “Yeah,” I lied. “I’m just not hungry right now.”

  “If we need to take a sick day, just let me know.” he winked.

  Lexy and I arrived at the basketball gym during sixth period. There were a few of us that had elected to have sixth period as an extra hour in the basketball gym. It allowed us more time to develop our skills and grow as a team.

  “Ugh…” Lexy groaned as she dug through her bag. “I hate being a girl!”

  I laughed at her outburst, not sure what actually caused it.

  “Do you have a tampon?” she threw her bag to the ground. “This is the worst week for this to happen!”

  “I should have one in my purse,” I laughed as she grabbed for my turquoise bag.

  “Why do you have so many in here?” she exclaimed. “Are you preparing for something big or what?”

  “What do you mean?” I grabbed for my bag. “There should just be a few.”