Page 61 of The Comeback

“Maybe you don’t get to choose when you fall in love or who you fall in love with. And even if you moved from city to city, you’d be there for your family. Just like you are for Piper and me. I think you should keep your room until you know what’s going to happen after training camp.”

I flop onto the sofa and stare at the fire alarm. The red-light blinks steadily over my head. “Why did you stay with dad?”

“I didn’t.” She smiles as if she’s remembering him. “Your dad stayed with me. I gave him an ultimatum to make more money than we had. He would’ve stayed in a factory job, but I wanted better for you kids. I guess I’m like you. And I hate to see you do the same thing I did.”

I sit up as chaos swirls in my brain. “He wasn’t traveling to find different women?”

“No.” She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Your father loved me with all his heart. We talked on the phone every night. I had no idea you thought we were apart.” She shakes her head. “I should have realized a kid your age wouldn’t have understood and explained it to you.”

“I had no idea. I thought he left us.”

She shakes her head. “This explains a lot. My choices colored your views of the world. I wanted you to get the best education and play football. We both did. So, we sacrificed our time together so you could succeed. And I’d do it again.” She sits down beside me and touches my arm. “We’d both do it again. I was devastated when your father died, and I miss him every day. He was my soulmate.”

“I thought you were too disillusioned to ever fall in love again.”

“No.” She smiles with a soft, wistful look on her face. “I was too in love with the man to fall in love again. I’m waiting for grandbabies to spoil.”

“That might not be in the cards.”

“Give it time, honey. Give it time. When it’s right, you’ll be willing to sacrifice everything. No matter what the cost.”

What would Charlotte give up for me? Nothing at this point. What would I give up for her? Football? My stomach churns. Football has always been my stability. Can I walk away from that? To offer her what? A man who works a nine-to-five job.

She fell in love with a football player–not a regular man.

The wistful look on my mom’s face grows deeper, as if she’s remembering their past together. “Did I ever tell you that my parents hated your father?”

“No.” I shrug. “But I kind of picked that up when they talked about him.”

Her eyes narrow into slits. “I should have limited your contact with them, and we might not be having this conversation at this point in your life.”

“I’m not going to lie. They talked about him and how your being with him was something you regretted.”

“Baby, I never regretted one minute of my time with your father.” She bites her bottom lip and stares at the blackened TV. “The first time I saw your father, I knew he was the one. It was love at first sight. He was three years older than me and worked at a factory in town. When they found out I was seeing him, they forced me to break up with him.”

“What happened?”

“I snuck off, and we got married instead. We had no money, so he worked two jobs to get us a decent place to live. It wasn’t much, but we were together. Then, after Piper was born, we wanted something better. And this amazing opportunity came up where he could travel and make four times as much money as the two jobs combined.” The love in her eyes makes my stomach flop. That’s a dream come true love. A once-in-a-lifetime love. That’s what I felt when I met Charlotte. God, I’ve fucked this all up.

Chapter Thirty-Two

The Next Morning

Charlotte

I swipe the back of my hand across my cheek. I’m so fucking tired of crying.

Damn it. I don’t cry. I roll my throbbing head in a circle and straighten my back.

This is why I didn’t want to date a football player. They put their needs above everyone else’s. They put football above everything else. I was stupid. How could I have been so naïve?

I pace the dance studio floor as I berate myself for falling for the wrong guy. Shit. I don’t have time for this. I have a class in thirty minutes and then I need to study for a test. Helping people overcome their injuries needs to be what fulfills me. Not some man.

After I stomp into my office, I collapse onto the chair and throw my head back against the cushion. Then why do I feel so empty? I loved the idea of working past people’s hang-ups and helping them break beyond invisible mental barriers–like Weston. He’d struggled for months not getting back to his previous form and now look at him. He’s performing better than he ever has–because of me.

Fuck. I jerk forward and stab the ctrl, alt, delete buttons on my keyboard. The screen whirls as the fan kicks on. I feel hollow because my greatest success story prefers football over me. And I was willing to relocate to be with him.

Never again. I won’t sacrifice my happiness for a man. Not like my mom did. Following my dad around everywhere like a lost puppy dog looking for a scrap. It’s humiliating. Embarrassing. Those are not the actions of a strong, resourceful woman.

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