The Bet (Book 1 in The Deception Series)

Chapter 23: thankful for Garrett

Taylor

~~~~~~~

I put some last-minute clothes into my suitcase before I heard the doorbell ring.

"Garrett's here!" I yell to Lily as I run to the front door.

I open the door and see my boyfriend smiling at me.

"Hi." I smile.

"Hey." He says before pulling me by my hip and kissing me.

God, I love his lips.

"Ew, stop." I hear Lily's voice.

Me and Garrett pull away and see Lily giving us a dirty look.

"Hi, Lily." Garrett says.

"Hi, Garrett." She rolls her eyes.

I laugh before walking off to my room with Garrett right behind me.

"Are you all packed?" He asks as he falls onto my bed.

"Yup, I just need to grab my toiletries." I say.

"I'm gonna miss this amazing bed that smells like my amazing girlfriend." Garrett says as he stuffs his face into my pillow.

I frown at him.

"You do know that we will be coming back, right?" I tell him.

"Shush, I'm having a moment with your pillow." He says as he looks at my pillow.

I roll my eyes at him.

"I love you, don't forget that, my love." He says before he starts making out with my pillow.

"Garrett, ew!" I say before I jump on the bed and try to pull my pillow away from him.

He starts laughing before pulling the pillow from me and tackling me on the bed.

I laugh as he blows raspberries into my neck.

He chuckles as he tickles me and I go nuts, scream laughing.

Once I finally get him to stop he just nuzzles his face into the curve of my neck.

I sigh as I run my fingers through his hair.

"We're gonna be late for our flight." I tell him.

"It's fine. I like it here, with you." He mutters.

It falls silent as we lay there together.

"Are you ready to see your father?" I ask.

"No, I can't stand him. I'm only going for my mom." He says as he looks at me.

"Are you sure it was smart to invite me?" I ask.

"Oh yeah, my mom will love you, especially because you're the first girl I brought home to meet her. And my dad will be pissed that I'm not all about hockey now." He explains.

"I don't wanna make him mad." I say.

"No, you do. Trust me. He's so funny when he's mad. There's a vein in his forehead that pops out." He chuckles.

I giggle.

"Why do you hate him so much?" I ask.

He sighs before sitting up. I frown as I follow him and sit up too.

"You don't have to answer." I say.

He looked at me and I could see there was more to the story behind his relationship with his dad.

"I have an older brother. And we were really close until I got to highschool. My dad has a really bad temper and when he'd get angry, he'd take it out Conrad, my brother. So, the second Connie turned 18 and graduated high school, he dipped. Packed his things and left." He explains, "After he left, I was next. He took his anger out on me, if we didn't win a hockey game. It was all my fault, so I tried and tried. I worked my ass off to please him just so I wouldn't get hurt by him. But the older I got the more I realized that I wasn't playing hockey for him. I was playing for myself, because it was what I enjoyed." He goes on as he stares down into his lap.