Page 145 of Faking the Pass
“I’ll call the lawyer,” I said. “Maybe he can get it delayed.”
She nodded rapidly, but her expression was full of fear. Her eyes started filling with tears.
“I hope I haven’t caused you to miss out on playing this season. What if it drags out? What if you miss your chance at the record?”
The possibility sat in my gut like a rock, but I wasn’t going to show that to Rosie.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I drew her against my side.
“If it does, it does. There’s always next season,” I said. “And anyway, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Maybe we can get a delay until the season ends or something. They do that kind of thing, don’t they?”
“I don’t know. I hope so.”
Rosie’s tone was filled with self-recrimination. “I should never have dragged you into this. If you miss the season, it’s going to be all my fault.”
“Hey.” I stopped walking and turned her to face me. “It’s not your fault, okay? It’s Randy’s fault. This whole mess is Randy’s fault. And I wasn’t dragged into anything. Publicly violating the NDA and getting married was my idea, remember?”
Rosie nodded half-heartedly, and repeated the one word that should never have left my mouth.
“Itisa mess.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I said. “I misspoke. This whole… thing. Situation. Whatever. But ultimately, I’mgladhe did what he did because if he hadn’t, you’d be married to him now, and I’d never have found you again.”
I paused for a second, studying her woeful expression and sad eyes. She didn’t believe me.
Gripping her shoulders lightly, I squeezed them, trying to impart the depth of my sincerity.
“I’m glad we’re married, okay? And this lawsuit and the football thing… they’re going to work themselves out. And the Super Bowl record? What’s it really worth anyway?”
As I said it, my heart contracted painfully. I still wanted it.
But did I really need it? I wasn’t sure anymore.
One thing I was sure of… the girl I loved was standing in front of me, looking like she had lost something irreplaceable, and it was killing me.
“Everything,” she answered quietly. “It means everything to you. It’s all you’ve ever wanted.”
“That’s not true,” I argued. “We’re going to get through this, okay? It’s all gonna work out.”
She nodded and rolled her lips inward, obviously struggling to keep tears at bay. I hated to see her cry.
I hated that shewantedto cry, that Randy Ryland was still in our lives, hurting her and threatening what we had.
I’d never truly hated another person or wanted to kill someone. That was pretty extreme. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Rosie, not in maximum security on murder charges.
But I wouldn’t have shed a tear if the man happened to step out in the street in front of a bus or something.
We resumed walking toward the house, and when I took Rosie’s hand, her fingers curled loosely around mine.
“How much will the call to the lawyer cost you?” she asked.
What?That was what was going through her head?
“I have no idea, and it doesn’t matter. I want you to stop thinking about stuff like that, okay? It doesn’t matter. You’re worth it all.”
Rosie nodded, but I could tell from her leaden steps and subdued body language and the way she refused to meet my eyes, she wasn’t convinced.
Once we were inside the house, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her, trying to impart with my lips and touch that she’dbecome the most important thing in my life—far more important than any record could ever be.
