He nods. “I’ll take care of it.”
I don’t have much choice other than to believe him. “Thank you.” I leave without another word and slip into my shared room with Trent. He’s on the phone with Luna, and it's then that I remember I didn’t let Emma know we landed. Pulling out my phone, I see a message I missed from her. I’ve been so wrapped up in my anger I didn’t even notice.
Emma: I love you, Lucky. Thank you so much for bringing my mom here. I can’t tell you what that means to me. You’re incredible.
My heart expands reading her words. There is nothing that I wouldn’t do to make her happy. Nothing. I start to text her back and decide I need to hear her voice. Dialing the phone, she picks up on the first ring.
“Landon.” She sounds happy and for the first time today, I feel some of the anger slip away.
“Hey, freckles. Good surprise?”
“You knew it would be. I can’t believe you did this.”
“I told you we need to get her in the habit of visiting more often. Maybe we can even get her to love it and move closer.”
“I wish. How was your flight?”
“Uneventful.”
She chuckles. “Well, that’s always good I guess. You sound tired.”
“Yeah, I didn’t sleep much last night. I never do when I have to leave you.”
“There you go again,” she says softly. “Saying all those sweet words that make me melt.”
“I mean them, Em. Every single one of them. You’re the love of my life.” I feel like I’m laying it on a little thick right now, but damn it, I want her to understand. She needs to understand this is real for me. I should tell her. The words are on the tip of my tongue. I need to tell her, but not like this. Not over the phone, and not until we talk to Stamper. When I get home Monday, I’ll tell her everything while she’s in my arms where she can’t run or push me away. Fucking Case, I hope he’s wrong.
“Is that Landon?” I hear Caroline ask. “Tell him I said hello.”
“Mom says hi.”
“Tell her I said hello. What are the two of you getting into today?”
“We’re going to go to the beach. Grab some dinner. Just hang out.”
“You’re staying at my place, right?”
“Yeah, we’re here now.”
“Good. I need to get down to a team meeting. I’ll call before bed. Love you, Em.” I almost choke on the words.
“Love you.” Her voice is cheery as the line goes dead.
I need this ended. I hate this feeling of not knowing what’s going to happen. I hate that I’m so far away from her. Most of all, I really fucking hate Bridgett Stamper. I just can’t figure out why she hates Emma. One meeting that was mere minutes and they simply said hello…. What’s her end game with this? I just can’t seem to figure it out.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Joseph’s flight was delayed. He chartered a plane and apparently there was something going on with the engine, so he didn’t get here until today. Saturday. Saturday, as in the deadline that Bridgett gave me to publicly announce that it’s over between Em and me. Something I refuse to do. Consequences be damned.
The entire team is in the private dining area eating dinner. Today has been a lazy day as Coach calls it. We ran through tapes this morning, but other than that, it’s a chill day at the hotel, to get rested up for tomorrow’s game. I scarfed down some grilled chicken and vegetables, but I didn’t taste them.
My time is running out. She said midnight, and it’s already pushing eight. I don’t know if she was bluffing or telling the truth. Something tells me it was a bluff, but it’s risky to not take her seriously. I just hope Mr. Stamper can handle this quietly.
“Landon.” Coach Neil appears beside me. “Got a minute?” he asks.
“Sure, Coach.” I catch Case’s eye from across the table and he gives me a subtle nod. Trent does the same. I broke down and told him last night. It was driving me insane and since we’re rooming together, he knew something was up. I know they have my back, but at the end of the day, it’s Joseph Stamper I need in my corner. I just hope Coach Neil is right, and he’s going to be.
Silently, Coach Neil and I get in the elevator. Neither one of us speaks as it takes us to the top floor of the hotel. I follow behind him and wait as he knocks on the door. “Come on in,” Joseph says. “Have a seat.” I want to tell him that I’ll stand, but I don’t need to piss him off too. I want him on my side. “What’s going on, Neil?” he asks.