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"Let me guess. Seven told you this?" he asks, his eyes narrowed.
"No… it was more of a team effort from all the people there who care about me."
I think over Rita, Cammy, Maria, and Seven. They all helped me to see that I don't need a fix-me list.
"Can you slow down for a second? Before I left, you were practically in tears watching me pack my bags for Australia; now you're kicking me out of the apartment."
"I'm not kicking you out. You can stay until you find something, but I want to take our relationship slow and casual and that will be easier if we don't live together."
He stops me. "No, it's fine, I don't need the guest bedroom. I want to make this work, so if space is the quickest way to get us back on track, then I'll find a couch to sleep on. I know a couple of guys in the law firm who would put me up for a month or two. I'm serious about us, Brynn. I'll be better from here on out, I promise. I love you," he says, pulling my hand up to his mouth and kisses it.
I appreciate that he's willing to stay somewhere else while we work on things and that he agreed to slow things down and date for a little while, as if we're starting over fresh.
"Does casual mean that you're going to date Seven, too?" he asks.
"No," I say simply.
He looks over at me, but I don't see his eyes. Because the truth is, after this conversation and the last two days with Daniel, if I have to pick between Daniel or Seven…
…Daniel doesn't stand a chance.
Chapter Twenty- Eight
Seven
Three weeks later…
"You ready for our first home game tomorrow night?" Lake Powers says, starting the treadmill next to me and jumps on.
He messes with the speed until he falls in perfect rhythm with me, matching my stride step-for-step. His eyes reach up to the large screen TV that has the sports channel on.
"The team looks tight out there. It won't be an easy win tomorrow, but as long as we play like the team practices, we'll put up a win."
I'm glad to be back to work. I need the distraction to keep me from thinking about the one thing that continues to play on repeat in my head—Brynn's answer to my last question.
If we hadn't been standing at the airport with her flight about ready to take off and Daniel lurking around, I would have pressed her harder on it, though I don't want to force her answer. I want her to give it to me freely.
"Tessa talked to ticket sales, and we're sold out for every game this weekend. We'd better give them a good show," he says, his breathing starting to labor just slightly.
"Don't we always?" I smirk.
I've played for the Hawkeyes for longer than anyone else on this team and there hasn't been an opening weekend that we haven't sold every single ticket. Still, it's reassuring to see that the fans still want to come. Without them, none of us have a job.
The program on the TV takes a break and the weather report comes on.
"Rain expected tonight with possible thundershowers later in the evening," the meteorologist says.
Immediately, I think of Brynn.
I haven't talked to her since she left for Seattle with Daniel, but I know that Cammy has been in touch.
I'm tempted to text Cammy and ask her to reach out to make sure that Daniel is in town tonight but the shit I already get from Cammy about how I didn't fight harder for Brynn will only earn me more backlash. If I so much as bring up Brynn's name in the presents of my daughter, she'll start her rants all over again.
After hitting the showers and then heading out of the locker room, I check my phone for the weather to see if anything has changed in the last thirty minutes. Obviously, it hasn't in that short of a time.
I'm angry with myself for keeping the blinds to my apartment shut since the day I got home. The last thing I want to witness is Brynn in her apartment with Daniel, moving on like nothing between her and I ever happened, but now I have no idea if he's there to comfort her tonight.
The memory of Brynn on my guest bedroom floor, cradling her legs in her arms and shivering from a panic attack, has me about ready to swallow my pride and text Brynn myself to at least warn her about tonight.
