Page 188 of The Locker Room

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“Nothing"s pretty. I don"t notice the smell of the air, and I don"t

care what I eat for breakfast. It"s like… like—” Oh God. He was really

going to say this. He had to say this. “It"s like the world is dead without

162 Amy Lane

you, Chris. I… the only time I even see in color is when I"m on the

court. I… just, if you ever wonder which one"s more important to me,

the game or you, don"t, okay? This is temporary. If this was permanent,

if there wasn"t a way out, I"d cash in everything we had, take the dogs,

and go teach history in some obscure school in bumfuck Egypt, okay?”

Chris grimaced, and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes.

“God. You think you know a guy, right? Xander… Xander, I swear…

the next reporter who calls you Cave Man is going to have me ripping

his tonsils out through his asshole. That is the most goddamned beautiful

thing I think I"ve ever heard. I love you too. And don"t ever doubt it. I"ll

see you at the All-Stars, right?”

“Right.”

“But now… baby, I heard your alarm there—you"ve got to go.”

And he did. It was time to sign off and go.

HE THOUGHT that Audrey was the only person home when he got

through the door after his road trip. She was curled up on the couch in

the living room with a schoolbook, and he was glad—it meant she hadn"t

gotten a job yet, and he felt good about that. Everyone needed help,

right?

Anyway, he invited Tim in for a soda (he declined), said hello to

the dogs, and left them alone while he hobbled up to his room to change.

He was tired and heartsore: they"d won four out of five of their away

games and he"d scored the bulk of the points, but Chris wasn"t there to

celebrate and his foot hurt like a sonuvabitch. He wanted so badly to go

out to the running loop, the sanctuary, and spend time with his babies

that he put on his running shoes and told his pain to shut the hell up, he

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