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"My hair It’s wet," she sounded so defeated, so melancholy I pulled the towel froh it I laid the towel across her pillows and then pulled her big blanket back

"It’ll be okay Here, just lay on this," I said, easing her back and tucking her under the covers I pulled my jeans off, and left my boxers and T-shirt on as I slid in next to her and pulled her close I stroked her face until her eyes finally grew heavy, and I heard the faint hu about it all seeh this alone ht was, it was also important It had to happen, and I couldn’t find a way to do it on ht have just saved us I know she saved Nolan There was only healing from here; I’d make sure of that

Chapter 16

Nolan

"How do you feel about yourvoice It wasn’t her fault she was such a stereotype I suppose her demeanor was just part of the job description I liked her, actually Quite a bit And I think in many ways she was responsible for my academic turnaround this semester Reedto sit with e But I couldn’t bring this to her Not because I didn’t think she could help; I was sure she could But it would also devastate her And I wasn’t sure I could survive the look on her face, knowing I’d lost a child, her grandchild I didn’t have enough strength left inside to handle that

"Nolan?" Dr Ashford asked

"Hht and rolled my shoulders back to attention to listen now "Midterood to hear," she nodded, folding her notebook in her lap and clicking her pen closed "You’re heading hoht?"

"Yeah I get to be a brides At least, first that I can reers in ht?" she asked, as if Reed’s draft hadn’t been the center of every conversation we’d had for the lastit out heavily, with a shrug "What have we learned, Nolan?"

I sighed again I know she"That I don’t need to wasteabout what ifs," I said, internalizing ht in my little act

She just reached forward before she stood and patted my folded hands "I know you still worry It’s human, and it would be weird if you didn’t But…you need to try to rationalize with yourself before you let it take over everything When you recognize your anxiety, re has happened to cause it," she said, s to her feet in her tall black puood six inches

I stood and shook her hand, grabbingit sideways across ave me one more piece of advice

"Oh, and Nolan?" she said "Try to have a good ti if I deserved the good ti to be late Sunday night out at Winter’s Barn Rosie had made the food herself, prepped it, and hired a few servers to set it up on the wedding day Everything was country-themed, with a local honky-tonk band and fiddlers for the cere Sarah, Sienna and I spent the afternoon stringing lights across the barn, and throughout the porch and outdoor dancing area I couldn’t wait to see it at night

Buck and Reed were in Tucson for several interviews after Friday’s draft selection Reed didn’t win the Heiso, just like Dylan had predicted h she would never be so a friend She was smart, and a real advocate for Reed Her father, however, was unbelievable I was in aatching hi call after call, and hanging up on offers he didn’t think orthy of even listening to, only to get call-backs immediately with better terms A lot of the selection came down to the team’s needs and how the players fell in the order But there still was negotiating to do, especially off the books--about understood resigning agreeuarantees and performance bonuses It was all kind of shady, but part of the business, I supposed