Page 11 of Rookie's Redemption
I wash down my food with a gulp of the gut-health brew. "Nah, I can't. Got shit to do at home."
"Let me guess..." Blake doesn't look up from his phone, but his mouth quirks into that smirk we know all too well. "Cleaning up dog crap again?"
"Or just hoping Mia needs someone to lift a fifty-pound bag of kibble with his shirt off," Logan snorts.
The guys laugh, and I force myself to join in. I shove another forkful of pancake into my mouth instead of answering.
"You know," Connor says, leaning forward, "if you're serious about this girl, maybe spending all your free time with rescue mutts isn't the play."
"What would you suggest?" I ask, genuinely curious despite myself.
"Take her somewhere. Dinner. Movie." He shrugs. "Normal people shit."
"She's not exactly talking to me," I admit. "And anyway, she loves those 'rescue mutts.'"
"Wait, wait, wait..." Blake's eyes grow wider and he drops his phone in his lap. He glances at Connor and they're both wearing those shit-eating grins that make me squirm in my chair. "She'snottalking to you?"
"Yeah. Hold up. Our resident dog whisperer is giving you the cold shoulder?" Connor inches forward on his seat, looking way too interested. "Why? Haven't you been there every day for like—" He rolls his eyes and makes an exaggerated gagging noise. "—forever. Cleaning kennels, lifting bags, probably writing sonnets to rescue puppies or whatever it is you do."
"Look, I fucked up, okay?" I blurt out, slamming my fork down. "I left for the draft and just… dumped her. Didn't even say a proper goodbye. Just... left."
The guys stare at me, and then Connor bursts out laughing. Blake joins in, nearly choking on his egg whites. Even Logan, Mr. Stone Face himself, cracks a smile.
"You've been volunteering at an animal shelter forweeksand she still hates your guts?" Connor wipes at his eyes. "Man, that's dedication to a grudge."
"It's not funny," I snap, heat rising to my face. "I broke her heart. She trusted me and I just... I walked away like a fucking idiot, man."
"Relax, rookie." Blake holds up his hands. "We're not laughing at you. Well, notjustat you."
"Easy for you all to say. You've never fucked up something that mattered."
I push my plate away, appetite officially gone.
The laughter dies down. Connor leans forward, elbows on his knees.
"Listen, Scott. You can't undo what happened. But I don't think cleaning up dog shit is gonna fix it either."
"What Connor means," Blake cuts in, shooting Walsh a look, "is that you need to stop tiptoeing around her. You're not the same kid who left. You're a man now, not some high school dork with a crush."
Logan sets his fork down. "The dipshits are right, man. Show her who you arenow."
I blink at him, surprised he's speaking at all, let alone offering relationship advice.
"But what if who I am now isn't enough?"
"Then at least you'll know," Blake says. "But right now, you're just the guy who left her hanging out with some rescue dogs."
"I'd start with an actual apology," Connor adds. "Not puppy eyes and volunteer hours."
I nod slowly, considering their words. They're right. I've been playing it safe, hoping proximity would be enough. But Mia deserves more than that. She deserves the truth.
"Thanks," I mumble, feeling the weight in my chest shift slightly. "Even if you're all assholes about it."
"That's what teammates are for," Blake says with a grin. "To call you on your bullshit."
I finish up my food and leave the arena half an hour later, taking the winding back roads to my house, letting the Jeep eat up the curves.
Blake's words rattle around in my head.Show her who I am now.
