Page 17 of Goal Line Love

“Okay, get some rest. Hopefully, it’ll be gone by the time we’re back home.”

I don’t answer. I close my eyes and feign falling asleep until I actually do.

A tear falls where he can’t see it and I promise myself it’ll be the only one.

13

HARRISON

In front of Bergan’s building, I park and pull out her bag. Before I can ask if I can take her out to dinner or see her tomorrow, she grabs her bag and without a smile, a hug, or a kiss, she says, “Bye Harrison.” With a quick spin, she turns and walks away.

I don’t even get called Harry? No kiss? Nothing?

She’s inside her building and a car honks behind me for double parking, pulling me from a cloud of confusion. I can’t run in after her. I hop in my truck and leave, trying to figure out what happened.

The next few days have been torture. I’ve been working hard at practice, making sure I don’t fuck things up there, too. The next game needs to go off without a hitch. It also helps that it makes for a great way to get out my aggression. I’ve been texting and calling Bergan between practice and press events, but she hasn’t responded even once in the three days and she hasn’t been in the stadium to watch our practices.

I crack my neck as I work the tense muscles. What the hell happened? Everything was better than great and then it’s like a relationship bomb blew up in my face.

We were so good together. She convinced me I wanted to stay. I saw the beauty of Colorado through her eyes. I saw her beauty more profoundly than just from my initial physical attraction.

I tighten the laces on my skates a little rougher than normal. I’m surprised I didn’t snap them in half.

Sure, she told me we wouldn’t be together, but after the connection we had…

I would’ve been crazy not to think that it couldn’t happen.

We are a rare connection that I doubt many people get to experience. I didn’t believe her because I never could have walked away from her.

Guess she’s a woman of her word because she didn’t lie. Which I’m even more disgusted with because it makes me only admire her even more.

I lean back and hit my head against the metal cubby of my station in the locker room.

Alexie throws some items into his as he sits down and ties up his skates. “Did you see today’s Denver Daily?”

“I don’t read,” I say with the heartsickness I’m feeling.

“You can’t read?”

I smack him over the head. “No numbnuts! I just don’t like reading the paper. There’s too much bad news out there.”

Alexie narrows his gaze and shoves the paper against my chest. “Well, dickwat, tis good news and you should read the sports section.” His Russian accent gets even thicker when he’s pissed, and I take notice.

I grab the paper before it falls to the ground and open it to the sports section. My eyes immediately land on the headline at the top of the page: Harrison Briggs’ Big Heart Matches Big Game.

Bergans’ name is listed in the byline and my breath speeds up as I read through her thoughts about me. She discusses the fundraising I do and how much she admires me for what I do for others. The words are factual and nothing flowery, a true genuine human relations piece. She explains how I’m not the person the tabloids and gossip rags make me out to be and how I spent the last weekend at an auction when I could’ve been doing exactly what everybody gossips about.

“Briggs is constantly working at raising funds for the less fortunate, even for the ones close to his heart. Childhood cancer is a passion project that he takes seriously and wishes for more people to do what they can to help the families involved. This reporter witnessed him first hand take action to make sure this special cause stays in the forefront of people's minds.”

I read the article slowly to make sure I don’t miss anything and after her sudden departure I didn’t know what to expect from her, but it certainly isn’t this. I want to feel touched and seen but I only feel… more fucking confused!

“Seems you have made a fan in Ms. Rosten, eh?” Alexie smirks and lifts a brow toward me, wiggling them back and forth.

I don’t pay him any attention. I’m annoyed by his insinuation and work not to throttle him. Everyone is always in everyone’s business around here. And whose business is it if we are or are not together? No one’s. Bergan’s a hard-working person and she deserves all the good things she’s accomplished, and more.

Wanting to set the record straight, I stand up and whistle loudly.

“Attention everyone!” I shout when there’s murmuring still going on. The room quiets and all heads turn toward me.

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