Page 105 of Love at Second Down

“He loved football first,longbefore you ever entered the picture.”

My heart aches as his words take purchase, hitting their target. I want to say it’s not true, to insist his love for me?our love for each other?surpasses everything and anything else, but I can’t. The niggling seed of doubt in the back of my mind won’t let me.Because what if his father’s right? What if the truth came out and it killed his career? Would Damon come to resent me? How would he handle a life without football? Of knowing his dreams were ripped away from him because of something horriblemyfather did?

Was I naive to think love conquers all?

“He deserves to know,” I say, thinking back to the conversation I had with Damon after I told him the truth. “He deserves to make a choice for himself about what he wants. At least let me tell him. Let him choose.”

“That’s not an option.” Vinny shakes his head, his expression thunderous. “Because the one thing I’ve learned is that he’s a fool when it comes to you. His judgment is clouded. He’s not thinking clearly, and I won’t allow him to make this mistake.”

“He’s twenty-one, not twelve,” I snap, hating the man standing before me.

Vinny heads for the door, brushing past me while my heart threatens to pound out of my chest.

Panic claws up my spine as I follow behind him, knowing I’ve lost. One way or the other, I’ll suffer the consequences of my father’s actions. “Don’t do this.”

“Keep this little meeting between us, and end it for good by the time he steps foot back on campus, and I won’t do anything. Your father’s secrets die with me.”

“And what if he chooses to stay?” I arch a brow, forcing my shoulders back and my voice steady. “What if you go to the authorities and Damon still chooses me?”

Something dark and ominous flickers through his eyes as he turns, his hand on the door. “Once the news breaks and he sees the writing on the wall, he’ll want to be as far away from you as possible.” A cruel smile coasts over his lips as he adds, “But if you care about him, if you really love him like you say youdo, you’ll make the decision for him. You won’t let him risk everything he’s ever worked for.”

He’s manipulating you, trying to play the upper hand. When you decided to win Damon back, you knew this was a possibility. You knew the risks.

But not at his expense . . .

“You’ll do the right thing,” Vinny says, breaking through my thoughts. “Just like you did two and half years ago.”

Chapter 31

AVERY

Iwake early the next morning, wanting to get a jump-start on packing my bags before I meet Damon for breakfast. The girls and I have a flight out this afternoon, and while our time here was incredible, I’m more than a little excited to return to AAU where I can experience campus life on Damon’s arm.

That is, if he still wants me after his night out with his father.

By now, Vinny must know we’re back together. Even if he hadn’t known about my transfer to AAU, I have no doubt Damon mentioned me at dinner, and if my mother was telling the truth, what will he think when he finds out we’re back together? Will he try and convince Damon he’s better off without me? Will he go to the press with everything he knows?

I shake my head, not wanting to get ahead of myself. Chances are my mother is exaggerating the truth. This is a power play—just another way to control me, to get what they want. And what they want is for me to return to Harvard.

But what if she’s not lying? What if she’s telling the truth?

The niggling thought picks at my brain. After I got off the phone with my mother, I’d researched the collapse, cross-referencing the list of victims with the NFL commissioner’s last name, but I couldn’t find a match. The only way she was among the dead is if she’d taken another surname name?something which is not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

I lift the pajamas I changed out of just this morning and press them to my nose, remembering my night with Damon. The silk still smells like him—like cedar and spice—and it makes my heart clench.

Placing them inside with the rest of my clothes, I zip my carry-on shut, then head out into the living room, keeping quiet so as not to wake the girls. They got in late last night, and I expect they won’t wake for another couple of hours.

Sliding my phone from my pocket, I check for any texts from Damon, but it’s still early, and I’m disappointed, only to hear a knock on the door a minute later.

With a giant smile, I cross the room and swing the door open, sure it must be him. “Look who’s up—” The words die on my lips, and my mouth clamps shut at the sight of Vinny Huhn hovering in the doorway to my suite.

“I’m guessing I’m not who you were expecting,” he says, a dark glint in his eyes that chills my bones.

A prickle of unease creeps up my spine. Stepping closer, I search the hallway for signs of Damon but find none. He’d told me his father was staying at a different hotel nearby. “How did you get up here?”

Vinny raises his hand, a key card clenched tight in his grip. “Some people are really careless with these things.”

Did he take Damon’s or find someone else’s?

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