“Always be aware of your surroundings,” Jackson said sternly. “You’ve gotta keep your eyes open, kid.”

“I know.”

“C’mon, let’s practice ball protection. This time I’ll sack you for real and we’ll see if you can hold on to the pigskin.”

Danny eyed him dubiously. “You planning on coming at me full-strength?”

He chuckled. “Of course not. I’ve got five inches and forty pounds on you. I’d frickin’ kill you.”

They got into position, squatting so Jackson could snap the ball into Danny’s waiting hands. The second Danny straightened up and got ready to throw, Jackson assumed the role of defenseman and launched himself at the boy.

The two of them hit the ground with a loud thud. Jackson’s body landed squarely on the kid, and he immediately redistributed his weight so he wasn’t crushing him to death. Despite the heavy hit, Danny kept a protective grip on the ball, and his green eyes sparkled as he hopped to his feet.

“Nice job,” Jackson said proudly.

“Thanks. Let’s do it again. There’s no way I’m fumbling the ball again like I did during that last game.”

The intensity in the teenager’s eyes sparked Jackson’s admiration. Mia’s brother had focus and determination, two qualities that Jackson greatly appreciated. He suspected that Danny Weldrick would land a scholarship to any school of his choice—the boy was that serious about going pro, and worked his ass off for it.

After they ran the same drill a few more times, they called it a day and wandered through the field retrieving the various placeholders they’d laid on the grass. Jackson was just picking up the last marker—an empty Gatorade bottle—when Danny approached him with a hesitant look.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

Jackson tucked the bottle under his arm along with the two sweatshirts he’d collected. “Sure.”

“So next week the team is heading up to Irvine for the weekend,” Danny started. “We play a game on Friday against the Devils, then this charity game on Saturday as a joint fundraiser type of thing.”

“Okay…”

He waited for Mia’s brother to continue, but the kid didn’t say a word. He just stood there fidgeting with the sleeve of his white T-shirt.

“Whatcha waiting for?” Jackson said with a laugh. “Spit it out already.”

Danny’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “’Kay, well…here’s the thing. I—”

He stopped talking when a familiar blue pickup sped into the tenant parking lot.

“So?” Jackson pressed.

The teenager shrugged. “Forget it.”

Clearly Danny didn’t want to talk in front of his sister, who’d just parked the pickup and was hurrying toward them.

“Hey!” she said breathlessly. “I’m so sorry I’m late. Bill and Wendy asked me to stay late and clean out the freezer, and it took a ridiculous amount of time. Did you guys already have dinner?”

“Yup,” Jackson answered. “But we left you a plate in the fridge.”

Her eyes flickered with gratitude. “Thank you. I’m starved.” She glanced at the football in his hands. “Are you two ready to go inside or are you still playing?”

“Naah, we’re all done, sugar.”

The three of them entered the building through the back doors and they’d just reached the third floor landing when Danny’s cell phone chimed.

He quickly checked the screen before looking at his sister. “Braden and the guys are going to this all-ages club in the Gaslamp tonight and they want me to come. Is that cool?”

She narrowed her eyes. “How will you be getting there?”

“Sean’s getting his mom’s car. And you know he’s a good driver—you forced him to take you around the block after he got his learner’s permit,” Danny said with a pointed stare.

“I had to make sure he wasn’t going to kill you!” she protested.

“Anyway, they wanna pick me up in an hour. Can I go?”

It didn’t take long for Mia to cave. “Fine, you can go. But you have to be home by curfew, and if you see one of the bartenders serving minors, I want you to leave the club immediately. Oh, and don’t you dare try to con someone to buy you alcohol or I’ll kill you.”

Danny just laughed and darted toward the stairwell door.

“You know you can’t stop him and his buddies from gettin’ loaded,” Jackson murmured as they trailed after Danny. “Teenage boys are gonna experiment with booze sooner or later.”

“Not on my watch,” she vowed.

Jackson grinned. “Good luck with that.”

Once they’d reached Mia’s door and walked into the apartment, Mia instantly disappeared into the kitchen to warm up her dinner while her brother sprinted down the hall to shower and change before his friends showed up. Jackson wandered into the living room and channel-surfed for a bit, then chatted with Mia as she flopped down beside him to eat. She didn’t stay long, though—the second Danny came out of the bathroom, she left to take a shower of her own, leaving Jackson to his own devices.

He felt unbelievably content lying there on Mia’s couch. The entire apartment had such a homey feel to it, reminding him a lot of his family’s ranch house. You could always feel the love when you walked into his childhood home. At least before the rift that had torn him and Shane apart.