Page 10 of Love at Second Down

“What the fuck are you getting at?” Jace snaps.

West’s eyes widen, then meet mine. “As in the Astor Hotel Group?”

“The largest fucking hotel chain in the world?” I smirk. “That’s the one, alright.”

“Holy shi?” Brandon starts, but Chris cuts him off with: “And she was going out with you?”

I glare at him before continuing, “By our junior year, there was no hiding our relationship, even from her asshole father. We were joined at the hip. There wasn’t a place I went that she didn’t follow, and vice versa. We were each other’s firsts.” I shrug. “And I sure as fuck thought we’d be each other’s lasts.”

“Damn. So, what happened?” Brandon asks.

“Avery was adamant about attending the same college. She applied to all the ones who’d expressed interest in recruiting me, and when I committed to AAU, it was a joint decision. I’d head to Ann Arbor in the summer, and she’d follow two months later in preparation for fall semester. We had our whole future mapped out. First Ann Arbor, then the draft, marriage, and babies. The whole nine yards. Fuck, we went as far as dreaming up what kind of house we’d live in, to what kind of dog we’d get, and what kind of parents we’d be.” I stare off into the distance as I remember. “But the weeks went by, and between the long distance and my acclimating to life as a college athlete, we only saw each other a couple times before August. When moving day came, I made the four-hour drive to Pittsburgh to pick her up, but when I got there, she didn’t even want to come to the fucking door. She had her parents tell me she wasn’t going to school in Michigan.”

“Brutal,” Jace murmurs and I nod in agreement, because itwasfucking brutal.

“I refused to leave, and her parents threatened to call the cops, but I made such a scene in the street, she finally came out to face me. Told me that she’s sorry, but her feelings had changed. She said they’d been changing for a while, but she didn’t know how to tell me, and the time apart over the summer gave her clarity. She wanted her own life. One without me. And that’s exactly what she got. I went back to AAU alone, shell-shocked,and licking my wounds, and she started at Harvard the following week.”

By the time I finish and find the courage to glance around at my teammates, their expressions are a combination of shock and sympathy.

“Fuck.” Jace crosses his arms, and the others nod in agreement, all of them somber.

“Damn, bro, that’s . . .” Brandon shakes his head, his blue eyes as dark as the denim of his jeans.

“Savage,” Chris finishes for him.

Beside me, West clasps a hand over my shoulder in silent support while the muscle in my jaw twitches, trying to contain my emotions. The familiar ache behind my ribs every time I think about that day is back, only it’s stronger than it’s been in a long time. Because Avery is back and threatening to crash through my life like a wrecking ball.

“So why the hell is she back now?” Jace asks, as if reading my thoughts.

“Hell, if I know.” My jaw tightens. “But you can see why having to face her again might be fucking with my head.”

Brandon frowns. “Did she say what she wanted to talk about?”

“No, not that I gave her the chance.” I sigh, sinking back into the couch, my thoughts reeling. “But it doesn’t matter.”

Jace arches a brow. “Doesn’t it?” he asks, like I’m full of shit.

“As far as I’m concerned, it has nothing to do with me.”

“What if she wants you back?” Chris asks.

My heart skips a beat, but I shake my head. “Even if that were the case, there’s not a chance in hell.”

“I guess that answers the question about whether or not you’re still pissed,” Brandon says.

Jace scoffs. “Was that ever even a question?” he says, waving a hand toward me. “Of course he’s still pissed. Have you met him?He’s jaded as fuck. He hasshe broke my heart and destroyed my belief in lovewritten all over him.”

“I’m not jaded.” I frown.

Chris snorts while Brandon laughs.

“Yousoare,” Jace says, snatching his sports drink off the table. He unscrews the cap and then mumbles, “Damn, I wish this was a beer.”

“Or a fifth of whiskey,” I grumble.

“Has she reached out to you at all before now?” West asks.

I turn to him, brows furrowed. “You mean, since she smashed my heart into a million fucking pieces?” When he nods, I answer, “No. Which is why I think it’s unlikely she wants a second chance. She’s had plenty of opportunities to reach out to me. It’s not like you can’t find me if you want. I’m right fucking here. My name is in the sports section every week from September through December.”

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