“What’s it to you?” There was something weird about the way he was watching me. He obviously wasn’t a scout or anything.
“I’m a friend of Emily’s. The name’s Austen.”
Austen. This was the guy who lent her money. “A friend?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “A close friend.”
I saw Cole out of the corner of my eye, and hoped he’d stay away. Whatever this was didn’t concern him.
“Is there a particular reason you’re here?”
“What are you doing with her?”
“Excuse me?”
“What do you think you’re doing with Emily?”
“I must be hearing things. Why would anyone be questioning me about my relationship with my girlfriend?”
“She’s not just a girl you can screw around with.”
I took a step toward him. I wasn’t going to let this guy mess with me. “Trust me, I know that.”
“What about Noah?”
“What about him?” I scowled.
“What’s he to you?”
My initial reaction was to punch the guy, but that wouldn’t help anything. I just didn’t like anyone implying I shouldn’t be with Emily and Noah. “How is any of this your business?”
“Her brother isn’t around to do this, so I’m doing it for him.”
“Why isn’t he around?” Emily hardly ever talked about him, and when she did it was only about when they were kids.
“She hasn’t told you?”
“Told me what?” I tensed. I just knew something bad was coming.
“He died our sophomore year of college. Emily was never the same. That’s probably why she got messed up with that idiot Tim in the first place.”
“What happened?”
“Drunk driving accident. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. The rest of us were fine.”
Fuck. How had she never mentioned that to me?
“He was my best friend. I owe it to him to take care of her.”
“Owe it to him? You mean in his memory or something?”
“No.” His face turned to stone. “I owe it to him.”
“Who was the drunk driver?” Was Austen responsible for his best friend’s death?
“He was.” His words shocked me.
I didn’t say anything at first. I didn’t know what to say.
“We were all trashed, but it had been my idea to go to that party in the first place. He’d just wanted to stay in that night. I was the one who made him drive my car because he seemed the most sober.” Austen kicked a rock. “Did she ever tell you who Noah was named after?”
“No, but I think I can guess.”
“Her brother.” Austen shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Noah was a really cool guy. I practically grew up in their house. Emily was always the annoying little kid, but she grew up to be really pretty and surprised us all. Noah was always viciously protective of her. He’d probably have had them move in with him if he were alive.” Austen didn’t cry, but he might as well have been. The raw emotion on his face was intense.
“You’re not in love with Emily.” Watching him standing there awkwardly, I knew he wasn’t a threat in that way. If he felt anything for her, it was out of some sort of obligation.
“I’m crazy about her. I love her.”
“But you’re not in love with her.”
He looked down at the ground. “I could be. I’ve always been attracted to her, and I know I could give her what she needs, and she’d do the same for me. The rest would come.”
“Why are you here?”
“I need to know she’s going to be okay. I saw her last night, and the way she looked when she talked about you—she’s falling for you hard, and I don’t know if she’ll survive getting jerked around again.”
“I’m not going to hurt her, but Emily’s stronger than you give her credit for.”
He shifted his weight between his feet. “She needs to be protected. She needs someone to take care of her.”
“I can and will take care of her, but she’s strong enough to take care of herself. She’s done one hell of a job on her own before me. I’m just going to make sure she doesn’t have to.”
“She doesn’t need another loser in her life.” His words were sharp, and they got me where it hurt.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I know your story. You got a DUI. That’s how you met her, isn’t it? She was pretty tight lipped about it, but I figured it out.”
“Did you do a background check on me?”
“Nothing that drastic, I just asked around.”
“Then you’d also know I haven’t touched a god damn drop of alcohol since I met her.” It was true. I’d walked into Gill’s once, but I couldn’t even do that anymore. I lasted an hour before I had Cole drive me home.
“Do you think it’s a coincidence she didn’t tell you about her brother? She likes to save people. She likes to feel needed. But she needs someone to fix her, to take care of her for a change.”
“Coach Mathews, can I talk to you?” Jamie, the starting quarterback, stopped a few feet away.
“One second,” I said to Jamie before looking back to Austen.
“I’m going to take care of her.” I refused to let Austen see what effect his words had on me, but I felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach. Was Emily lying to me about why she wanted to be with me?
“Don’t hurt her.” It sounded like he was pleading. He was done with his macho act.
“I won’t.” It was more likely she’d hurt me. I turned and headed over to Jamie. I answered his question about off season training before making the mile long walk I’d promised myself I’d never make.
Why hadn’t she told me? Was she afraid of my reaction? Or was it worse. Was she only with me out of some warped need to feel closer to the memory of her brother or something? It just didn’t add up. I couldn’t handle it, and there was only one thing that would help.
***
I poured myself a glass of whiskey. It had been far too long since I’d had one. I’d stayed away for months, but for what? For a green eyed girl who’d been lying to me the whole time? Who cared that just the sight of her drove me wild, or that she was the first girl to actually get my sense of humor? She might have made me feel whole, but at the moment I needed to forget her. I brought the brown liquid to my lips, unwilling to spend more time thinking about the one thing I wanted more than the drink—Emily.