Page 106 of Against The Boards

“Relax, man, it’s all speculation, but I wanted to give you the heads up…”

I stopped listening to Steve because I remembered a conversation I had with Riley that I brushed off. He said Rox would go ballistic if she found out I asked for a trade. Especially after I told her I wanted to stay in Philly for her.

FUCK!

I heard the front door slam, and then the bedroom door opened with another angry slam. Rox walked in with a look that could strike me dead.

“Look, man, I have to go,” I told my agent in a rush and hung up on him. I threw my phone down on the bed at the same time Rox started throwing my clothes at my head. “Angel.”

“You fucking lied to me. I can’t believe I trusted you!” she screeched and started pacing back and forth.

There was a wildfire in her eyes but not the sexy kind I loved. More like the old Rox, where she looked at me with complete disgust. Like one wrong move and she would stab me in the throat. A stone dropped into my stomach at her looking at me that way.

I slid out of bed and walked over to her. I grabbed her arms, but she pushed me away. “Roxanne, it’s not what you think,” I said.

She glared at me. “You lied right to my face.”

“Will you let me explain?” I asked, exasperated.

“Did you or did you not ask for a trade to Boston?” she seethed.

“Well, kinda, but—”

“GET OUT!” she screamed, but I saw the tears welling in her eyes. It broke my heart to know that I caused her this pain.

“Let me explain. It’s not—”

“GET OUT! I never want to see you again!” she screamed and turned away from me.

I started pulling on my clothes, but I stood there in the doorway, staring at her. She sank down on the bed with her back to me, and I saw her shoulders shaking, so I knew she was crying.

“Rox, please,” I begged.

“Just go!” she snapped at me, but she didn’t turn around.

I turned to walk out of the room, but then I stopped.

I wasn’t letting this woman go that easily. I wouldn’t let this misunderstanding break us up. I told her I would never let her go and never stop fighting for her. If I left now, I would let her down. I would be going back against my word, and I never did that.

I stomped across the room and bent down onto my knees in front of her. “Rox, come on. Talk to me.”

She shook her head. “I told you to go!”

I slid my hands into her hair and kissed her hard. She didn’t kiss me back, so I knew I had to do a lot of groveling. “Angel, please…” I begged.

Her tears fell down her face, and I wiped them away with my thumbs. My heart ached that I had caused her to feel this way. She still wouldn’t look at me, so I moved to sit next to her and pulled her into my chest. She didn’t pull away this time as I wrapped my arm around her back and stroked her hair. The sound of her sobs in my chest felt like a stab to my heart.

“Roxanne, let’s talk about this.”

“No!” she snapped.

“Angel, look at me,” I urged, but she shook her head and continued to sob into my chest. Fuck, maybe I was an asshole. “Roxanne, I’m not going to leave. Not by choice.”

“I thought you loved me,” she sobbed into my chest. “Why does everyone either cheat on me or leave me? Am I so unworthy of love?”

I rubbed comforting circles on her back. “Angel, my contract isn’t no-trade. If the team wants to trade me they will.”

“Okay, but why did you ask for a trade?”