I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 99: Logan

Ellie and I chewed silently through most of our Sunday morning breakfast. By the way her eyes darted to her cell phone, which she'd kept turned off since she'd left the bar, I knew her thoughts swirled around the fact her parents left this morning. While I hoped I'd given her enough of a distraction last night, Ellie and her Dad looked like they brought out the worst in each other.

In the silence that filled our apartment, my recall of last night's events resurfaced. The last words I'd caught from Ellie, when she told her dad she wouldn't have cared if he died, sounded nothing like Ellie. By her mom's gasp in my ear from where she and I stood near the bar's door, she sounded just as surprised as Mr. Harrison looked. While Ellie's words probably weren't true and her restraint obviously snapped, Ellie was justified in being upset.

In my mind at least.

I'd never gotten close to Mr. Harrison but he definitely cared about Ellie and wanted her protected, even if he was really shitty at how he expressed that. In his eyes, especially the suspicious glares he sent in my direction, no guy was good enough for his daughter but I wasn't going to be pushed aside this time.

Which is why I had no problem telling him to his face last night.

After I wished Jake good night and dropped some money on the table, Mrs. Harrison and I stopped next to Mr. Harrison outside the bar. After one shared side glance with Mrs. Harrison after Ellie walked away, Ellie's mom and I joined her Dad's side.

"Dale," Mrs. Harrison spoke up first, with one hand palmed on his shoulder. "It'll be okay, she's just upset and didn't mean it."

He muttered quietly, "She just won't listen -"

After a slow, deep breath, with as much restraint as I managed because my place was with Ellie and a pinch of discomfort only grew the more steps she took, I interrupted him, "Mister Harrison, with all respect, you're not listening to her."

At that moment, I felt sorry for Ellie's dad. His face was pale, he stood completely rigid, and silently watched as she left. While I wasn't sure he'd even heard me, his eyes looked up at me, empty with defeat.

"And if you can't see how she works harder than anyone I've ever known, how far she's come, how hard she's trying to stand up for herself, then you're going to lose her," I added gently even though a hard reminder from the last time I'd witnessed Ellie's beyond ridiculously stubborn father built up in my chest.

My chest heaved with another slow, deliberate breath and my fingers twitched at my sides. I shifted my eyes between Mr. Harrison's, which now flooded with mixed and unfamiliar emotions that I hadn't seen in him, and Mrs. Harrison's, dark and glossy with tears. "Maybe not yet but losing Ellie hurts like hell. I lost her for two years and won't do that again. I'm damn lucky to be in her life again and want you two to work this out for her sake but I won't let you put a wedge between us this time."

Before he answered, I pressed my limits here and added, "I'm not going anywhere that isn't by her side, Sir."

Mr. Harrison's only answer was he stood silently with his eyes fixed on me and mouth pressed into a firm line. I knew from one look that my place wasn't to fight Ellie's battles for her but told him as I left, "Unlike me and my dad, she wants a relationship with you, to move forwards. Whatever you're holding onto, I think she's already forgiven you."

"Nice seeing you both again... Thanks for coming to the game." While I stepped quickly after Ellie's retreat, I hadn't waited for their response. Despite a slight curiosity, I never looked behind me because all I cared about was straight ahead of me.

"I know I'm being petty," Ellie's mumbled confession broke me out of my memory. "They came all this way and I can't believe I told Dad I wouldn't care if he dropped dead."