Page 102 of See You at the Finish Line

I don’t think I’d be able to stay here if she doesn’t come back. The house that holds so much potential for my future—my future with her—seems too big.

I call Mateo so I don’t have to be alone.

“What’s up, man? You back?”

“Yeah, just pulled in.”

“I’ll be over in thirty with pizza.”

True to his word, Mateo soon arrives with pizza and beer. When I raise my brows at the six-pack in his hand, he shrugs.

“You sounded like shit on the phone so I figured we may need a little extrahelp.”

I can’t argue there.

“So?” Mateo prompts a little while later. The pizzas are demolished and I’m on my third beer.

My head hangs in my hands. “I think I’m moving to Utah.”

“What?”

I tell him as much as I can without breaking Paige’s confidence, but the real key to the story is that damn text.

“She texted the wrong number?” Mateo’s face looks exactly how I felt when I realized what had happened.

“Yup. So all this time I thought she hated me and she thought I didn’t text her back.”

“Rough.” He shakes his head in disbelief.

“Tell me about it.”

“And she can’t leave her sister behind.” It’s not a question.

“Don’t ever let anyone tell you you’re not smart,” I say, pointing a finger at him.

He scoffs. “Does that mean I have to move to Utah too?”

“What? No!”

“So you’re going to leave me behind while you ride off into the sunset with your dream woman?”

“Do you want to move to Utah?”

He looks at me like he thinks I’m crazy. “Hell no, and neither do you.”

“No, I don’t, but I’m not going to live without her again.”

Mateo hesitates, bringing the beer to his lips as if weighing what he wants to say.

“Just say it,” I tell him, rubbing my hand down my face, my scruff scratching my calloused palms.

“Does she know that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Does she know you’re planning to move to Utah?”

“No. I don’t even know if she wants me to.”

---