Page 75 of Buzzer Beater

“Actually, I just didn’t put two and two together. Do you remember all the migraines and headaches I would get?”

I cringed. They would make her so sick, sometimes vomiting, but usually she just had to sleep them off. “Yeah I do.”

“Well, that’s because I was eating gluten. It doesn’t make me sick to my stomach like it would if I had celiac disease. With an autoimmune disorder my body is in a constant state of inflammation. Gluten causes even more inflammation which triggers migraines.”

I looked down at the bread. Who knew something so simple could do so much damage? “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

She smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I try not to make a big deal about it and eat what I can when I’m out with people, but since you asked…”

She trailed off and I sat back wondering what else I didn’t know. I’d researched her conditions but obviously there was still so much I didn’t know.

“Any other foods?”

“I limit dairy and no almonds.”

“Almonds?”

She smiled wryly. “Yeah, that was a crazy thing to figure out. I thought I was safe switching to almond milk, but it was a no go.”

Her easygoing attitude about this made me feel worse. She’d been going through this alone. The testing, the trial and error, and appointments.

“I’m sorry, Lucy. I still should have checked.”

She shrugged. She picked up a strawberry. I watched, mesmerized, as she took a juicy bite and licked her lips.

I could lose her after this? I shook my head and looked down. I couldn't let this be the end.

“Lucy?”

Her eyes met mine.

“I was serious about everything I said before. I want us to have a second chance. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen. I’ll request to be traded. I’ll fly to you as often as I can. I’ll fly you over when I can’t, as long as it works for your schedule. I promise, we’ll make this work.”

Her smile dimmed just slightly. “Colin. That sounds nice from here, but I don’t think we can really live like that. I’m not going to let you transfer teams. These guys are your family.”

I sat back and sighed. This wasn’t working. I needed to be clear, direct.

“Lucy, I still love you.”

She froze just staring at me. “What?”

“I realized I never stopped. This week has felt like time hasn’t passed.”

She stayed quiet. I’d have given every penny I had to know what she was thinking. I’d never felt so exposed, vulnerable and each passing second felt like an eternity.

“I know this is a lot to dump on you, but I can’t hold it back,” I said. “We’re running out of time and I can’t let you leave without me saying this.” I paused and waited for her to give me some signal she was listening. Finally, she nodded. “I have loved you for years. I’ve envisioned my future with you since our first kiss.”

There was movement behind Lucy and quiet music began playing. She turned around and gasped.

“Our song?” she said, her voice shaky.

I nodded. “I want us. I want to make this work. I want us to get married. A wedding in the mountains. I know the perfect place in Park City. We’ll move into a house. You said you always liked colonials, so we’ll find something like that. We’ll have kids and spend the rest of our lives together.”

I held my breath, listening to the song play, hoping it was affecting her as much as it did me.

Her expression changed. I could see her shutting down, her arms crossed off over her chest. She was protecting herself, but why?

“Colin.” Her voice cracked. “I can’t.”