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“I’m pretty sure she’s going through something, but she doesn’t want to talk about it, and I don’t ask any questions,” I say. “I’m not sure this thing with us is going anywhere. In fact, we both agreed that it wouldn’t. I might have to let her go.”
He nods. “Or you hold on tight and help her through it. This job isn’t easy. Our schedule sucks during the season, and to start a relationship right now isn’t ideal. But if you feel something for her, you should go with it instead of pushing it away.”
I nod, but it’s a step I’ve never taken, and that scares the shit out of me. “You just said you let yours go.”
He huffs. “That was different. Like I said, we were young, and she had dreams she’d never fulfill alongside me trying to fulfill mine in hockey. My parents died young, and I was raised by my grandparents.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.” I frown.
He nods. “Yeah, but my grandparents enrolled me in the Big Brother Big Sister program, and Reed, the big brother who was assigned to me, took an active role in my upbringing. I was lucky to have him. I’m not sure where I was going with this…oh yeah, she’s his stepdaughter and was my best friend until our teenage hormones took over.” He chuckles, but it’s forced. He clearly loved the girl. He pats me on the back. “Anyway, if you want to talk it out, I’m here. Regrets can live with you forever, but if you take the chance and fail, at least you know the outcome. That’s what got me through this process of finding a spot in the league. I didn’t want to let her go, but I would’ve regretted her staying here and never figuring out the person she was meant to be.”
He walks toward the doors of the locker room. I hang my head and blow out a breath before standing and picking up my duffle bag.
My phone vibrates from inside with a text from my agent.
Endorsement is all set. Ten o’clock on Saturday and plan for the entire day. It’s all three of you.
I put a thumbs up and scroll to my text thread with Leigh. The last picture is a glimpse of her black thong, but I really wish it was her smiling face.
On my way.
See you soon.
I stare at the three words, and my stomach clenches. Henry’s right. The sex is off the charts, but deep down, I want more than just her body. I want the part of her she’s closed off from me. I want to be the one to take care of her wounds and heal her scars. And that just complicates things. The question is, does she like complicated?
Twenty-Five
Kyleigh
While I waitfor Rowan at my apartment, my phone rings on the coffee table. I lean forward from where I’m sitting cross-legged on the couch and see my mom’s name on the screen. Anxiety zaps through my veins with the intensity of a bolt of lightning. What does she want?
I should answer it. Just get it over with. Rip off the Band-Aid like Ruby says, but I’d rather let it go to voicemail and not deal with her. Then again, I had the strength to tell my dad, and I did confront her when everything first happened. I can do this.
I snatch my phone off the table and swipe the screen to answer. “Hello?”
“Kyleigh.” My mom says my name with the exhaustion of a parent who’s been trying to reach their daughter all night because they didn’t know where she was.
“Mom.”
“You told your father?”
I’ve been good, Mom, thanks for asking. Yeah, I am still upset about everything you did, I appreciate your concern. I’m sorry you ruined our family too.
“I told you I would.” I get up and pace in front of the television.
“I was going to do it, but he had that big case. It wasn’t the right time. If you would’ve given me?—”
“Mom, you had almost a month. And should never have cheated on him in the first place. A good wife would have ended the marriage before sleeping with someone else. Or talked to her husband and tried to fix whatever was making her unhappy.”
She scoffs. “You think you’re so smart, Kyleigh. You’re twenty-five years old. You don’t know what it’s like to be in a long-term relationship.”
I suck in a deep breath. “I know not to cheat on someone. Someone you supposedly love. Someone you market to the masses as the love of your life. Someone you say you can’t live without.”
She’s quiet, but I hear her moving around. She’s a pacer too, so I stop moving. I don’t want to be like her in any regard. Then I walk in a small circle around my chair. The chair my dad sat in only a few nights ago when I told him the truth.
“It’s complicated, and I don’t expect you to understand. To you, we’re just Mom and Dad. You don’t see your father’s faults. The hours he works?—”
“Just stop.” I squeeze my eyes shut. “He’s my father, and I’m not going to listen to you defend your actions. What you did is unthinkable. There was a way you could have dealt with being unhappy that I would have understood. I’m not some naïve child, Mom. Yes, I am twenty-five, and I understand you see that as young, but I know not all marriages are rosy and perfect. But you get out of the marriage or try to fix it. You don’t deceive someone.”
