Page 102 of The Curveball

All night, Parker slept here, assuring me everything would work out.

Somewhere along the delirium, I slipped and told Parker the entire story with Wren.

I laughed through exhaustion or heartache, and I spilled everything. The slip up with her dad, how Marti overheard, then her desire to keep the ruse going for our foundation. I told him how it led to so much more. Something so real, I don’t think anything else could ever come close.

“I knew something was weird,” Parker said.

“You did not.”

“There was no way Wren Fox would’ve fallen for you so quickly. Knew it was off.” I glared at him, but he’d only laughed before he left me alone. “I wish you luck man. Let us know when the wedding is.”

“What?”

“I remember when my sister and Bridger pretended to date too. When all those rumors were running wild about him, remember? His PR team wanted to fix his reputation.”

“I forgot about that.”

“Yeah.” Parker winked “How’d it turn out for them?”

After he’d left, I thought about it. The way it turned out for them was getting married and becoming parents to a toddler. What I’d give if our story could unravel in the same way.

See, the thing is, I’d need my girl to be here to make it work, but she won’t speak with me. Now with my mom struggling, I’m slipping into the shell again. I don’t want to talk or laugh. I’m worried, and don’t have a solution to fix any of it.

Nothing feels good.

I go for a run, shower, and still can’t stop moving. Yet, my body aches. All I want to do is sleep. It’s as if a piece of me has been surgically removed and left to rot in the sun.

I’m scrubbing the counters for the second time when my traitorous brain thinks it hears the softbeep, beepof the keycode. But I thought I heard it all night, and every time I looked up, hoping to see Wren come through the door, I was left wanting.

I scrub harder, until my forearms ache.

“Griff.”

The world falls to a standstill. I hold my breath and turn around slowly. She’s standing in my kitchen. Like a fist to my chest, it hits how much I’ve been barely holding myself together. Her eyes are red, her hair is pulled up in a high ponytail, and her chin quivers.

Wren takes a step closer. I blow out the air in my lungs and hold up a hand. “Wait.”

She stops, a desperation in her eyes that breaks my soul in two.

“If you’re . . . if you’re not staying, I don’t know if I can have you touch me. I don’t know if I can do that.”

Wren’s shoulders start to rise and fall a little faster. She shakes her head, then beelines it at me. I’m hardly ready, but I pride myself on my reflexes, so when she jumps, I’m there to catch her.

Legs around my waist, arms around my neck, she clings to me. I gasp a few times. Deep, rushed breaths I can’t control, and crush her against my body. I burrow my face in the sweet, honeysuckle hint in her hair.

“I’m not leaving,” she whispers, choking me a little more. “I don’t want to be anywhere but here. I love you, Griffin.”

The dam breaks. I shudder, holding her tighter. My legs start to give, and I slowly slide down the wall until we’re on the ground. Wren doesn’t let me go. She straddles me and clings to me.

I kiss her neck, her shoulder, back up to her jaw, her cheeks. I kiss her lips, sweet and raw. Her tears fall onto my cheeks. I only kiss her harder. I’m positive tears are dripping from my eyes too.

I take my first deep breath, squeezing her closer when I exhale.

We stay on the floor of the kitchen for a long time. My legs tingle with numbness by the time Wren pulls away.

She brushes her hands over my face. “I love you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here. Are you okay? Marti told me about your mom.”

I press my forehead to hers. “I can breathe now.”

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