At least I don’t have a little brother or sister to worry about, though that would mean I wasn’t in this alone, which might be kind of nice. But then again, maybe it wouldn’t. “Where were your parents?”
“The truth? I don’t really know who my dad was. Some loser who knocked up my mother and then abandoned her when she told him she was pregnant. Not that I can blame him.” She laughs a little, but there’s no humor there. “By the time I was your age, my mom was too busy drinking or off with one of her many boyfriends for days on end. No calls, no hey, I’m over here, so we’d at least know she was alive. She never worried about me and Owen.”
Owen. That’s right. Her brother is Owen Maguire, another retired NFL football player. This family is full of legends. Jake is one lucky fucker. He keeps it up and his dad will help get him a spot on a professional team. At least get him a chance. And that’s all we need, the opportunity to show we’ve got potential. Without that chance, you’re just another talented football player with no one looking at you.
That’s me. That’ll always be me.
“My mom was an absolute nightmare, but I didn’t let her or her actions define me. I realized when I was around fifteen I had to take care of my brother and myself, or else I was going to end up just like her. And my brother would most likely end up in jail because of the kids he was hanging around with. I could already see it, and he was only ten, eleven.” She shakes her head. “It was hard, you know? Reminding myself that I was better than that. That I could get away from it if I worked hard enough. Most of the time, that sounded like a pipe dream. When you’re surrounded by drunks and losers all the time, you start to think that’s your destiny. You’ll never amount to anything else,” Fable explains.
I nod, understanding her perfectly.
“Sometimes I’d find myself tempted to go down that path. Not even sometimes.” She laughs. “More like all the time. It felt like no one paid attention to me. Teachers didn’t care. Girls didn’t like me, and when boys started to notice me, I chased after them. Did you know I was considered a total slut in high school?”
My eyes nearly bug out of my head at her confession, but she doesn’t even notice. She’s too caught up in her story.
“The rumor followed me after I graduated too. I grew up in a small college town, and when I was nineteen and working at a bar downtown, the rumor around campus was that I had sex with every player on the football team,” she explains, like she’s discussing the weather.
What the hell? I really don’t understand why she’s telling me this. This isn’t something you share with a kid you barely know. “Was it—was the rumor true?”
She throws her head back and laughs, like I just cracked the funniest joke. “No,” she says once she sobers up. “I’m going to be real with you right now. I’ve never really confessed this to anyone before. Yes, I messed around with a few of the guys, but not all of them. Not that anyone cared to know the truth. Then one of those football players, one I didn’t mess around with, came to me with an offer I couldn’t refuse. You want to know what his name was?”
“Who?”
“Drew Callahan.” Fable smiles. “He saved me, though he’s always the first to say that I saved him. But he got me out of that world, and he helped get my brother out of that world as well. Drew was rich, and smart, and talented on the football field. And he was damaged goods too. More damaged than me. But we fixed each other. We just—fit.”
I digest what she’s telling me, wondering if Autumn knows her parents’ backstory. They’re living the dream, anybody would want their life, but Fable’s saying that when they were younger, their lives were a mess.
Kind of like mine.
“I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to give up hope. Just like Drew was my ticket out of the hellhole that was my life, you need to know that Drew and I are willing to help you. We’ll be your ticket out of the hellhole that is your life if you let us. We’ll help you with school, with what’s happening between you and your mom and her boyfriend, and if you want, we’ll help you apply for college. We’ll also give you somewhere safe to stay until you graduate,” Fable says, leaning forward so she can pin me with her green eyes. Beautiful eyes that are just like Autumn’s.
“Why?” I ask, my voice raspy, and I clear my throat. “Why do you want to help me? I’m nobody to you.”
“You remind me so much of myself and my brother. I was nobody to everyone back then too, and I wished someone would’ve reached out to me when I was still in school.” She smiles, and her eyes are extra shiny. Like she might almost start crying? Shit, I hope not. “You deserve more, Asher. And we want to help you get what you deserve.”
Right now, I’m thinking I deserve a kick in the head for what I’ve done to Autumn. And what I’ve supposedly done to Rylie, but I’ll go along with what this woman is saying.
“Okay.” I say the word slowly as I’m still trying to digest what she said.
“You won’t want to hear this, but you’re going to need to keep a little distance between you and Autumn.” When I open my mouth to protest, she holds up a single finger, silencing me. “I’m not saying you can’t see her. I know you two like each other.” Like. Such a small word to describe what I feel for Autumn. “Her father and I both saw you two together by the pool yesterday.”
Busted. I thought for sure they weren’t looking out the window.
“You two were awfully close. And I don’t have a problem with that, but you’re going to have to take it slow.” She is now wagging that finger at me. “No sneaking around at night when we’re all sleeping.”
My face is hot. It’s like Fable knows exactly what we’re doing.
“There are cameras outside, all over the property. We have some of the best security money can buy. But we don’t keep cameras in the house, because we don’t want our children to feel like they’re in jail. Don’t do something where I have to make my children feel like they’re living in prison,” she says, her voice stern.
Swallowing hard, I nod my agreement, praying there isn’t a camera that’s aimed at the hot tub. “Yes, ma’am.”
She smiles. “Aw, isn’t that sweet? You just called me ma’am. I’m impressed, Asher Davis. I knew there was a sliver of politeness buried deep inside you somewhere.”
I can’t help but smile in return. I feel comfortable with this woman. Maybe like really does seek out like. “I try.”
“Keep trying.” She leans over and grabs my backpack, then hefts it up—that bitch is heavy—and tosses it so it lands on the edge of the bed. “I’d suggest you start your homework now. I’ll let you know when the laundry room opens up so you can wash your clothes. You’ll want to look fresh and clean for your meeting with Mrs. Adney tomorrow, won’t you?”
“Are you going with us?” I ask hopefully. I know my coach is behind me, though maybe not as much since he witnessed me with my hands all over his daughter. Shit, I really do need to be more careful.
“I am.” Fable stands, resting her hands on her hips, her gaze on me. “You have a lot of potential, Ash. Don’t mess it up.”
“I won’t,” I say earnestly, watching as she leaves the room. The moment she’s gone, I lie flat on my back, staring at the ceiling and wondering at my complete turnaround. Before this woman walked into the room, I was ready to say fuck it to this entire family and get the hell out of here. Where I’d go, I don’t know, but I figured anywhere would be better than this Mary Sunshine bunch of bullshit.
But hearing what Fable said has helped me see that she’s been through this too. I bet she has some wild stories. Sounds like her husband might as well. No wonder they do their best to ensure their kids are healthy and happy.
I wish I had parents like that. My dad meant well, but he was limited by finances and his wife—my mother. And she doesn’t give a damn about anyone.
Maybe, just maybe, if I can do what they say and keep my head on straight, I can make my life work. I’ll graduate high school, get accepted to a D-1 college…