Page 73 of Playing the Field
I look him dead in the eye, hoping he’ll see my conviction. “Correct.”
“Why, then? Why the dress?”
Through the shock and surprise of learning that he was at the event tonight, a more important realization hits. My heart fills at his touching gesture. “You came to support me?” My voice cracks on the last word as unexpected tears fight my will to push them back. I wipe the at my eyes.
Hunter’s face softens. “Hey, don’t do that. I didn’t mean to…god, I’m an asshole.”
“No. You’re anything but that.” I slide across his legs and straddle his lap, holding his face in my hands. This beautiful face of this complicated man who gets in his own way right when he’s on the path forward.
He looks unsure of what to say, his mouth opening and then closing tight. He shakes his head, eyes closed. When he opensthem, they’re soft, so vulnerable that I have to fight back a new wave of tears.
“I can’t help thinking…” He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “That you should be dating someone like him instead of me.”
Once the words are out, he looks almost relieved. And resigned. Like now that he’s given me permission to leave, I’ll take it.
“Someone smart? Thoughtful? Someone who sees me and makes me feel valued?” A single tear slips down my cheek and he dabs it away with his thumb. “I am with someone like that. I’m with you.”
He swallows hard like there’s a lump in his throat. “It’s nice that you see me like that, but?—”
I cut him off the same way he’s done with me, by putting a finger against his lips. “No buts. It’s happening,” I say, echoing the words he said to me that day on our neighborhood walk.
He looks at the ceiling, but his hint of a smile doesn’t escape me. “It’s happening,” he agrees.
“Hunter, I love that you came there for me. And I’m sorry if it looked like I was trying to get my ex's attention. You’re not entirely wrong, and I’m not proud of it, but I did want him to see how much better I am now without him. But that’s because of you. I love you.”
I haven’t said these words, though I’ve thought them. If ever there was the right time to risk my feelings for Hunter, now feels like it.
His jaw goes slack in my hands, and his brow creases. For a second, I worry I shouldn’t have gone that far, but something pushes me to go further.
“What I realized tonight is that his opinion means nothing. Less than nothing. The only one whose opinion matters to me is you. In the time we’ve been together, I’ve started to trust againbecause you’re trustworthy. I believe in us. Don’t let some guy from my past take that away.”
I lock on Hunter’s eyes and try to make him believe me. I feel like he’ll see my conviction, and that will erase any doubts he has. He seems relieved. Maybe convinced. Definitely emotionally spent.
“Come to bed with me?”
“Yes, please.”
“Let me prove how much I missed you tonight.”
I nod and follow him into his room and try not to dwell on the fact that he may not love me as much as I love him. I try not to worry about what it means for us.
CHAPTER 37
Hunter
The big exhibitiongame against the San Francisco Strikers has been sold out for weeks. Tickets on resellers are going for exorbitant fees. Our teams have different strengths and weaknesses, so basically anything can happen.
In some ways, it feels like any other home game. Fans are tailgating in the parking lot. Lines at concession stands are epic. The roads are jammed with cars trying to get to the stadium before kickoff. But this game is different.
Fans love a rivalry, and this one is legendary. Even though this game doesn’t count because it’s still preseason, people have been talking about it as if it were the World Cup.
We can feel the fierce competitiveness the moment we enter the stadium. Fans are on their feet and shouting before we leave the tunnel. It sounds like an ocean roaring and crashing, and that kind of game lifts me to another plane. It’s electric. My adrenaline races in my veins.
As we prepare to take the field, I swear the crowd cheers louder than I’ve ever heard. They’re waving flags and shaking their fists. Looking up at them always lights a fire in me.
I start feeling the aggressive need to prove something on the field. The fans want a win. I want it more.
The Strikers came out before us, and they’re doing warm-up drills and getting ready for the coin toss.
