TouchDown- book one The Bradford Series

Chapter 28

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Chapter 28

Aiden

I have a lot to think about. Jim's words have stayed with me through the night. I need to do what's best for me and Riley. I need to follow my gut and figure out if she's the one. How do I do that with everything going on with my family?

Between my Grandma being in the hospital, having a serious surgery and my dad and his agenda, how do I think about Riley and what I want? There's one person I need to talk to about all this. The one person who I know will understand how I feel and the position I'm in.

"I don't know what to do." I told Uncle Blake after unloading everything that's bugging me onto him. I know he's really the only one who can relate to me now.

He's watched my dad screw with my mom and I for years. He saw him cheat on her, knew that my dad was hurting us and he was there for us. Blake saw that his dad and mine were made from the same cloth. He knows where I'm coming from, and how I feel about all of it.

He scratches his cheek and presses his lips into a thin grin line. Those emerald eyes that match mine are bright and sharp as they look into mine. Thinking about everything I've said, Blake is cautious about what advice he is about to give me. I know Uncle Blake won't let me down. 

"It sounds like you really are falling for her." He's right, my feelings are heading down that road. I give him a single definitive nod. "Look Aiden, I can't tell you what to do. My situation was different from yours. My dad pressured me to stay away from Em from a young age. I had your Grandma to encourage me to follow my heart. No one is going to tell you to stay away from Riley." I know Blake and Emma had a rough time before they got together. Emma dealt with a lot of shit to finally see how much Blake loves her.

"Dad's tried." I remind him. "It isn't like I don't want her. I do. I just don't want to hold her back. I'm going into the NFL, she's got another year yet. How do we make that work?"

"You mean how do you know that you won't do something stupid or that Riley will find someone better than you?" He knows me too well. Blake lifted his brows waiting for me to admit the truth.

"Both. I'm not exactly the best at long distance relationships and I don't want to hurt her. I really don't. And what happens if she meets some guy who's here and I'm not? How do I know she's not gonna decide he's the better deal?" The questions roll off my tongue and I'm right back to being the unsure kid I used to be.

I'm not uncertain about myself usually. I'm smart and talented and yeah, I've got the Bradford looks going for me. I've also got girls left, right and backwards ready to stroke my ego, among other things, whenever I want. I've got guys who admire my skills on the field and wish they had my way with girls, who are determined to be my friend.

In a way, Hunter and I have that in common. I've just gotten good at picking out the phonies faster than she can. I don't get invested in others like Hunter tends to do. Our family is plenty big enough for my best friends to be my cousins. My sister to be my friend and my uncle to be my idol.

Blake leans against the wall and takes his time to give me the right answers. It's important to him that he gives me the right answers to my questions. Blake has always been cautious about what advice he gives so that I don't make the same mistakes he did. And I know he made some doozies.

"You try to make sure she's secure enough in your relationship and that she trusts you enough to know that nothing can make you cheat." Breyden walked over and sat with us. I forgot him and Laney went through a lot too. "Laney was a year behind me too. She stayed with the family while I went on the road with the team. She was secure knowing that the family had her back."