And after all the times I’d stood up to her family for her, done what was best for her, and what she wanted. And that look on her face. She’d been paralyzed, and I hated being the cause of that look.

  Rory was right. I had crossed the line with Echo. More than once. But I fucking loved her. Shit. What? That little mental revelation was the last thing I needed.

  I was her coach, and I should not be sleeping with her. The fact that we had before we officially met didn’t excuse it now. Whatever Echo and I had, I couldn’t really blame her for not stepping in when Rory went after me like that, because I wasn’t exactly her boyfriend. But now, whatever we did have, whatever we might have been, Rory had just tainted it.

  24

  Echo

  I was speechless as I watched Bryce lead Cole down the hall and out to the garden.

  “Excuse me,” I muttered to Duke Rankin before I slipped off after the two men.

  My grandfather was puffing his chest in the hallway, and had the nerve to mutter something about it serving Cole right as I approached. I wanted to slap him. Honest to God. To yell and rant at him, but I knew better than to make a scene, and I’d rather reassure Cole than give Gramps the time of day. I glared at him, my jaw tightly clenched, as I brushed past.

  I got to the door leading into the garden as Cole was disappearing around the corner of the house.

  “What the hell happened?” I asked Bryce. “What did Gramps say to him?”

  “Calm down, Echo,” Bryce urged me gently, but I wasn’t in the mood.

  “Why the hell can’t Gramps just leave well enough alone? Why does he always have to butt his nose in where he’s not wanted?”

  “Echo,” Bryce said calmly. “I didn’t hear the whole thing, but I think Gramps accused Cole of…crossing the professional line and interfering with your career.”

  “Interfering? Because Cole was acting as my coach instead of just giving into Gramps’ ridiculous delusion that I might have a shot at winning a marathon? Forget the fact that I have said, more times than I can count, that I have no interest in running the marathon competitively.” I dragged in ragged breaths, my voice rising as I let vent more and more of my pent-up anger and frustration.

  I did my best not to direct it at Bryce, but I was sick of everyone letting Gramps get away with his shit. “You know, no one ever actually asked me if I even wanted to try to run at the Olympics!”

  “Echo!” my mother scolded behind me. She and my father had slipped out of the house moments before, careful to close the door behind them. I could see Gage frowning and Fox whispering something to him, while Dax, who must’ve just arrived with Asha, was pushing through the door with the other two close behind. “You mustn’t forget that we have guests right now,” Mom continued, glancing over her shoulder and sighing with relief at the fact that there weren’t more than half a dozen people watching them from the house. “If there’s something to discuss, it can wait until after the party.”

  “No!” I shouted. “You’re always saying that things can wait, things can wait, it doesn’t matter right now because there’s something that’s more important than whatever you’re doing or whatever you want to do,” I raved. “I am done with keeping your secrets and doing your bidding on everything. I have had it. I’m going to live my own life now and do the things that I want to do. You wanted me to race in the Olympics. You hired Cole without even asking me. As—as—as what? A reward for keeping my mouth shut about Dad being sick?”

  My mother paled as my words registered with everyone. My father was pale to begin with, but now he went a little green.

  “I don’t know why you’re so worried about me saying anything to anyone,” I continued. “It’s not like you’ve told me what’s going on. No, I just have to cover for you all the time. Make sure no one knows about the doctor’s appointments and the tests, Echo. Be perfect, Echo. Cover for us, Echo. Don’t stress anyone out, Echo. What was wrong this morning that you had to take Dad in to have the doctors check, but wasn’t enough for you to cancel a party? Heaven forbid you reschedule a party! No, you dropped the bomb that dad was sick and you needed my help when I was getting ready to tell you about getting into design school. Yup, just put aside my hopes and dreams to help you out and you can’t be bothered to tell me what the hell is going on.”

  “Echo, that’s enough,” Brent said quietly.

  “No, it’s not enough. It’s too much for one person’s shoulders.” I took a few deep breaths, uncomfortably aware of all the eyes that were flitting between me and my parents, waiting for someone to apologize or make a denial.

  “Is it true?” Dax asked Mom quietly.

  All eyes turned to her, and I turned and fled the garden, bumping into Gramps as I headed back through the house to the garage. I needed to get away. I couldn’t face them knowing what I’d just said. That I’d ruined the party. Worst of all, I didn’t regret a word of it. I wanted to feel bad for causing a scene and not finding a gentler way of saying what needed to be said, but I didn’t. As I pulled out of the garage, narrowly avoiding the guests’ vehicles, and headed down the drive, I felt the urge to laugh taking over.

  I had tried so many times to be gentle and easy on them, and they had used that as an excuse to ignore me and talk over me.

  I’d been a buffer for so long, I was relieved to finally have some breathing room. Could my parents even handle discussing something like my father’s illness with everyone, without me there acting as a go-between?

  And just like that, the euphoria passed. I still didn’t regret it, but the pain of having been put in that position still burned. I still didn’t know what was wrong with my father, or how serious it was, and the thought hit me hard. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I drove… Where? Where could I go?

  I wanted Cole, but after what Bryce had said about the scene with my grandfather, I doubted he wanted to see me. At least for now… I hoped.

  There was really only one place I could go. The same place I could always go—Jen’s. She was supposed to be at the party, but hadn’t shown up yet…or at least, I hadn’t seen her yet. It didn’t matter. I needed my best friend, and would sit on the floor outside her apartment for however long it took for Jen to find me. Because there was no question that Jen would find me.

  Cole

  * * *

  I thought about going to a bar or something, but my friends had other plans, and I was not in the mood to be social with strangers. So I went to the liquor store and bought a six-pack, then headed home to drink it. But when it came down to it, I spent at least ten minutes sitting on the sofa staring at the first unopened beer can.

  I left it unopened, and went to get the paperwork and research I’d accumulated in devising my coaching plan and training strategies for Echo. Reminding myself of all the legwork I’d put into the last few months was a better way to tackle the sting of Rory’s accusations of unprofessionalism. How many people at that party might have heard what the old man had said, and how many were already contacting media outlets with the story?

  My professional reputation was going to be dragged through the mud before I’d even had a chance to build one. I wondered how long it would take for Brent and Julia to call and fire me. And Echo. Fuck, what was this going to do to Echo? She didn’t need this.

  There was a knock on the door. Even though I was pretty sure I would regret it, I crossed the apartment and opened it.

  Bryce Coulter stood on the other side.

  “Go away,” I said, before closing the door in Bryce’s face. Bryce stuck his foot in the doorway so it wouldn’t close, clenching his jaw against whatever pain the door squeezing his foot caused him.

  “No. You are going to hear me out,” Bryce insisted.

  “After the way your family has treated me today? Fuck off.” If I was going to be cut loose by the Coulters, why not make sure it was for good?

  “Gramps is a manipulative son of a bitch who’s used to getting his own way on shit, and he goes too far,” Bryce said. “If you think you’re the first person he’s acted like that toward, you’re mistaken, and if you let him get away with chasing you off like that, then you’re an idiot and don’t deserve someone like my sister.”

  I was taken aback by Bryce’s bluntness, and loosened my grip on the door enough for Bryce to push his way into the apartment. I reluctantly let him through and closed the door.

  “Did Echo send you?” I asked.

  “Actually, my wife suggested I come talk to you. Tami was busy giving Gramps a piece of her mind about his habit of butting in on the rest of our lives. You know, the first time I invited Tami to a party to meet my family, Gramps had invited every ex-girlfriend of mine he could find to try and get me back together with one of them. Like I said, he’s crossed the line before. I don’t know how much of it is him actually being a bully and how much of it is him testing the rest of us. And oh boy, does he know how to test us. But Tami refused to be intimidated. Though she had plenty of reasons to walk away. And I think you’ve got it in you to give as good as you get.”

  “So you’re telling me she didn’t like being called a golddigger? Having people say she was using you and your fame to get famous herself?” I threw out.

  Bryce just laughed. “No, she didn’t. She did everything she could to make sure people knew she wasn’t after my money, and all it took was a few matches before people saw that she didn’t need me to make her famous. She had the talent for that on her own.”

  “So why’d she put up with your family?”

  “She loves me,” Bryce answered with a prideful smile. “She doesn’t let the Coulter name define her. Doesn’t use it at all, actually. She still goes by Ivey. And let’s not get started on the racist shit he still says about Asha. Now look, it’s clear that something has happened between you and Echo—”

  I started to shake my head, but Bryce’s expression stopped it before it started.

  “The fact that you’re worried about it getting out shows that you care—about yourself, about her, whatever. But I promise you it isn’t as big a deal as you think it will be. And if you do like her, or maybe more than just like her, you deserve to be as miserable as you will be if you let Gramps drive you away. That’ll be on you.”

  “What makes you think she even cares at all?”

  “You missed the telling off she gave to everyone after you left,” Bryce chuckled with a somber smile. “She, uh…she reminded us of how much we can take her for granted. Especially Mom and Dad. I guess she’s been bearing more from them than any of the rest of us knew. Or maybe we were just too thick to see what was really going on…or didn’t want to see it. I guess…I owe her. And you mean a lot to her, so that’s part of why I’m here. On behalf of my grandfather, I would like to apologize to you for his…wildly inappropriate and unwarranted behavior.”

  “What do you think the odds are that he’ll ever apologize to me himself? Not that I don’t appreciate your embarrassment on his behalf, but…”

  Bryce nodded appreciatively. “I get it. And honestly…if Echo wins a medal, you probably will get that apology. For whatever that’s worth to you. But fuck what he thinks.” Bryce grinned.

  I snorted. “Yeah, I guess it isn’t worth that much.”

  “But Echo is.”

  I sighed and flopped down on the couch glancing at the unopened beer.

  “Or is that…part of the problem?” Bryce asked, his tone unsure.

  “I’m not using her to make a name for myself, if that’s what you’re implying. It was certainly one of your grandfather’s concerns,” I said hastily.

  “You clearly have some…issues with people of wealth, people who have had certain…opportunities or…advantages that not everyone does,” Bryce spoke carefully. “And you’re not wrong about a lot of it. There are definitely people with money like our family that don’t always appreciate what they have, or who let it go to their heads. But you also know we aren’t all like that and you know Echo isn’t, so…maybe you’re feeling a tad…insecure? Or maybe just guilty for having assumed that about her?”

  When I shot him a dubious look, Bryce laughed and held his hands up in mock surrender. “Hey, you’re the psychologist. You figure out what your issue is so you can get over it. Echo’s going to need someone to be there for her, and if you can’t figure out what’s going on with you…”

  “She’ll be fine for the games. Any coach could take over with her at this point and she’d stand a good shot at winning something. Especially in the 800-meters.”

  “I was talking about our father and his health,” Bryce informed me, catching my attention. “Apparently, he’s been sick for a while, and the only ones who knew were Mom and Echo. They roped her into helping them keep it from the rest of us.”

  I stayed silent, staring at the beer and kicking myself. “You’ve been good for her so far,” Bryce continued. “She’s never stood up to anyone in the family quite as effectively as she did today, so that’s definitely something.”

  “I just…I don’t feel like I belong at things like the party today,” I confessed. “This guy started talking to me about consulting on sports drinks…I don’t know how to do that. I’m a coach. I work with runners. I don’t…” I let out an exasperated sigh.

  “You’re way overthinking it. Sure, you’re not comfortable with that kind of thing now, but it’s something you should be able to learn if you give it a try. You didn’t just become a coach without taking classes first, or develop Echo’s training strategy without doing a bit of research first.” Bryce pointed out. “And these parties are stuffy snooze fests. Come to mine and Tami’s place. Booze, music, dancing. That’s the real party.”

  I rolled my eyes as I laughed at myself. Bryce apparently shared Echo’s knack for making me feel like an overthinking and yet oblivious idiot, though I didn’t feel like I was being judged for it.

  “Echo will help you get to a place where you’re comfortable, if you let her, that is.”

  I opened my mouth to reply, but another knock on the door interrupted.

  25

  Echo

  I sat on the floor outside Jen’s apartment for a while before Jen reappeared to let me in. She must have arrived at the party just before I left, or maybe I’d driven past her on my way over.

  “Dude, I heard what happened,” Jen said, as I rolled onto my knees and used the wall to help raise myself from the floor. “Tami, Dax, and Asha filled me in on…well, probably not everything, but enough. You okay?”

  As soon as the apartment door was closed, I melted onto Jen’s sofa and let loose an impressive round of frustrated tears. “It was horrible. I was horrible,” I sobbed. “I can’t believe I told them all about Dad like that.”

  “Echo, you’re being too hard on yourself,” Jen insisted, sitting beside me on the couch and rubbing my back, while I turned to lean on her. “You didn’t ask for them to put so much pressure on you. Honestly, if I were in your position, I would’ve said way worse and a lot sooner.”

  “I’ve been sleeping with Cole again.” I confessed. “Gramps somehow found out, and he said things to Cole…I don’t even know all of it, but it’s my fault, and when he stormed off I just…”

  “I don’t think your grandfather is the only one who suspected there might be something between you and Cole,” Jen said carefully. “But as for how he found out or what made him so sure…that might be my fault.”

  “What?”

  “He called the other night, looking for you. He said you’d hung up on him, and he wanted me to talk sense to you,” Jen explained. “It was late and I was tired, and it took me a minute to catch on to what he was talking about and cover for you, but he must’ve known that you weren’t here, and from there…”

  “I shouldn’t have hung up on him,” I lamented. “I should’ve been patient with him. I know how he can be; I know better than that.”

  “It is not on you how he chooses to act,” Jen scolded. “He knows better and does it anyway. You were perfectly right to put your foot down like that. And with your parents, too. Standing up for yourself is not a bad thing. If they are mad at you, which they have no right to be after the way you’ve been treated, they’ll get over it.”

  “How am I supposed to go home and face them?”

  “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. You know you can stay here with me. Just…move in. The couch is yours until we find a bigger place,” Jen said. “Being out on your own like that would be good for you. Good for them, too. They need to realize how much they’ve been relying on you. Your brothers have done it.”

  “But they don’t mean to, and I don’t want to be selfish if they really need me.”

  “Stop. This is your future we’re talking about, not a party on some weekend you’d rather go to or skipping a movie or something. Your career, your love life, your happiness.” Jen pushed up from the couch and began pacing. “It’s not up to you to take care of them all the time. You have four brothers who could share the burden. And being supportive of your dad while he’s sick doesn’t mean lying to people and putting yourself in an awkward position like you’ve been doing. It’s…making sure he knows how much you love him, and…chicken noodle soup, asking how he’s feeling and offering the level of help you’re comfortable with—not being imposed upon to the point of having nothing to call your own.”

  I struggled to see the sense I knew was in Jen’s words, but I was too used to feeling the guilt of letting my family down to find much comfort in my friend’s support. The prospect of spending time away from them, of living away from them, was more than appealing. I had lived on campus in college, but the university I attended was so close to home that I spent about as much time at home as I did living at school.