Page 32 of A Game Plan for Love

“I like tall girls,” I say. “My teammate's wife is also tall. But also, fuck Bryson.”

“Swearing!” Nora yells, holding out a palm. I slap a hundred-dollar bill into her palm. That should hold me over for a while.

“You can’t say that about a five-year-old,” Addie chastises beneath her breath, but there is no venom in it.

“You were thinking it. Don’t even lie.”

Her lip twitches, and I steal a glance at Nora, who is focused on the hundred-dollar bill, holding it high in the air. I seize my opportunity, reaching out to drag my thumb along the seam of her lips.

The gasp she releases is a symphony to my ears.

“I may not know everything about you, Addie, but since you came into my orbit, getting out of bed has been easier and life has felt less burdensome. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is. And when the universe speaks, I listen.”

“What’s it saying?”

There’s something here. Chase it.

It’s Alan’s voice.

“It’s saying I’m on the right path.”

CHAPTER 9

Matilda – Harry Styles

Addie

Thethreewordsonthe screen haunt me.

Mom: We miss you.

The first text in over a year, but it’s still the same visceral reaction when her name appears on my screen. Clammy hands. Rushed breath. Nausea. I slip the phone into my pocket and try to squash the shaking in my hands before I meet with Ben.

She has no right to say she misses me. And the fact that she didn’t include Nora in her message doesn’t escape me. To know someone, you have to meet them, and my parents have never met her. Their choice, not mine.

Why she’s texting me now is beyond me.

The last text she sent was on my twenty-sixth birthday, over a year ago.Happy birthday, Adeline. We love you, always.

Just the thought of my parents makes my stomach churn. Once my greatest supporters, they now know nothing about me or their granddaughter. I only told them I was moving to Seattle as a courtesy, but even then, they seemed distant and unaffected.

I’ve never responded to any of her random messages, but this one eats at me. I’m still waiting for Ben, so I pull my phone out, type a response, and hit send before I can change my mind.

Me: You made your choice five years ago. And now we all live with the consequences.

I sat on the old, beatdown couch in my childhood home and told my parents, with tears in my eyes, that I was pregnant and I was having the child, and they shunned me. Told me it was a mistake, thatNorawas a mistake. To prioritize my career.Why throw it all away when you’re so close to achieving your dreams?

The two people who were meant to support me—to love me unconditionally—chose mypotentialover me.

Mom: Your father and I have many regrets. Would you be willing to talk to us?

Me: Why now? Why not five years ago, or four, or three?

Anger and despair swirl in my chest. How many times before Nora was born did I hope they would call? I begged for them to come when I was in labor—threw away my pride because I needed my parents—but they ignored the voicemails.

I’ll never shake away the bitter disappointment I felt when I realized they weren’t coming to the hospital; that I was going to give birth alone with no one to hold my hand.

A charge nurse from labor and delivery stood by my side for all twenty-two hours of the birth. Even after her shift, she stayed. Fed me ice chips, pressed a cold towel on my forehead, told me I could do it when the pain was so sharp I could barely open my eyes. Lorraine, the nurse, has done more for me than my parents. She still checks in on Nora’s birthday and mine, even though I no longer live in Nebraska.

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