Page 49 of Tangled with the Tight End

“Hey.”

“I thought we weren’t seeing each other.”

“You said we weren’t seeing each other. This is a phone call, and I don’t have you on video chat.”

“You have a valid point.” When she doesn’t hang up on me, one corner of my mouth arches upward. “How was your day?”

“Busy. Very busy,” I sigh and sink into the seat. The pitch-black sky makes it feel like I’m encased in a void. A void with just me and Norah’s voice. I’d settle for that if it was my only option.

“Your knee?” Her voice is hesitant as she asks.

“It’s good. I know Marco is worried about my long-term health, but the doctor said it’s good to go, and there’s no increased risk of reinjuring it.”

“I’m glad to hear you don’t have permanent damage.”

The flight attendant glances at me and looks away as if she senses I’m taken. I’m taken? I swallow hard over the lump in my throat. I’m not taken, but I want to be.

How did that even happen? And what in the hell am I going to do about it? How can I convince her to agree to a long-distance relationship? It would only be for a few years, and I’m only required to be in Kansas City for half of the year. A lot of the players and coaches live somewhere else during the off-season.

“When do you go back?”

“A couple of weeks.” Would she come to my game? She could bring Gino. To have them both in my corner for my comeback would be perfect.

“I see.”

“I talked to Gunner about getting someone to watch Gino when I’m back in KC. He’s going to mention it to Jackson. His wife was his nanny for a bit before they got together.” But I’m holding out for my other plan to come through. It would be perfect for Gino.

“Okay.”

Each of her statements has grown shorter and more distant the longer we talk. Not that I blame her. We’re talking about me leaving. At least, for several weeks. The season is over in under two months, depending on how we do in the playoffs, and then Gino and I can stay near Norah.

“How was your day?”

“It was fine. I met with Marco to discuss business plans.”

“Is he thinking rationally?” The first time my brother mentioned our plan from years ago, I thought he was crazy, but now… Now, I see the appeal. It’s a great plan for retirement. “Yes, but you’ll have to discuss it with him. Gino was with him.”

My heart warms at the thought of Gino and Norah together. “Was he happy to see you?’

“Yes.”

Seriously? That’s all I get from her? It’s like pulling teeth. “Anything else interesting happen?”

I rake a hand through my hair as tension settles in my bones. The longer we talk, the more distance between us I feel. Even though I’m only twenty minutes from touching down in Nevada and then another thirty-minute drive to her place.

“Sawyer proposed.”

The laptop flies off my lap as I straighten in my chair. I had to have heard her wrong. My heart hammers in my chest.

“He did what?” My voice is a low growl as the words are forced from my lips.

“Sawyer asked me to marry him.”

The cabin spins in front of me. The fuck if she’s marrying that douchebag. What in the fuck is wrong with her? My hands ball into fists.

“Can I have your attention, it’s time to put down our electronic devices, snap on our seatbelts, and prepare for landing.” The pilot’s voice breaks through my hysteria, saving my cell phone from being crushed in my hand.

“We’ll discuss this later,” I bite out through clenched teeth. “I have to get off the phone to prepare for landing.”

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