Page 84 of For Three Seconds

I didn’t answer.

He pressed his forehead to mine. “I hate her, Scar, I fucking hate her with all I am, but if I let this anger and pain take over me, it’s going to consume me, so I’m going to let justice take care of her and him. And I’m going to make sure that we are okay—that she doesn’t win. It might take time, but with you by my side, I’ll be fine.”

“It hurts so much, Gav,” I whispered, burrowing closer to his touch.

He held me tighter.

“I know, babe. But you’re not alone; you have me.”

Gavin pulled me in for a kiss. Although the wound of my parents was once again fresh, in a way, I felt free of the memories that haunted me. This kiss was refreshing. I had been drowning for so long I didn’t realize what it was like to take a breath of fresh air. Gavin did that. He was my fresh air. He steadied and calmed me. He made all the decisions that led us to this point not hurt.

“I know, Gav. I’ve always had you…and you have me.”

At that, he gave me a sad smile.

“I kind of ruined your victory party,” I attempted to joke to take my mind off things.

“Baby, you could never ruin anything. Besides, everyone went home to get some rest, but I’m sure they’ll be back later. Everyone is worried about you.”

“And you. Your friends care about you,” I told him.

He didn’t deny it. He just kissed the top of my head. “I love you, Scar.”

I was about to answer him, but he cut me off.

“The draft is in the future for me. I know it’s fucking selfish, but I need to know we’re solid. I need to know that no matter all the changes, I still have you in my life.”

I closed my eyes. I was still in shock, and I felt so heartbroken, but if one thing was clear, it was that I wasn’t drowning when Gavin was near. My therapist still wanted me to keep seeing her, and I agreed. Weirdly, I felt…closure. I’d been depressed, on my own, and when I got help the first time it had worked, but then I wasn’t sure what I was getting support for—now I did. Gavin was right. I couldn’t let Gigi win. Three tears fell when I opened my eyes and blinked.

One was for my dad, who’d died on impact.

The second was for my mom, who’d begged for me to be saved.

The third was for the life I was determined to live no matter how much pain it brought me. No matter how much pain it brought me to think of all the moments that impacted my life to get me to the point I was today.

“One kiss,” I started to say, and Gavin tensed. “And you’ve ruined me for everyone else.”

Epilogue

Three YearsLater

The plane landed on time, and like the rest of my teammates, I was ready to get the fuck out and get home to my wife. It’d barely been a year, but it still made me smile when I called her my wife.

After homecoming and all the crazy shit that went down, I was scared I was going to have to be away from my girl for a little while, but as painful as the truth was, it helped her get closure. God, was I proud of my wife for working so hard and getting up again. On draft day, she was right there with my parents, and I was a nervous wreck because she hadn’t mentioned anything about moving with me. I knew she loved me, that we were solid, but that didn’t translate to her moving with me. I didn’t push her; as much as I wanted to, I just let her make up her mind. I got third pick in the draft to Colorado. She didn’t mention anything then, just that she was proud of me. I was patient and enjoyed our celebrations.

On graduation day, we both graduated with business degrees, and amidst all that chaos of people hooting and shouting, she informed me she was moving in with me. Since then, it was mostly happy days.

Except when she came back home with me for Christmas. It was hard for her, but like everything else she did, she took it in stride. A few months later, when Jordan’s family was on vacation, I took her to the lake and asked her to marry me.

Once I was in my car, I took a calming breath and drove home, glad we didn’t get delayed by any press. Things with my team were going phenomenally. I didn’t want to jinx it, but it looked like we were heading to playoffs. The change to Denver was good for us. A change of scenery in a new city brought us closer. Word got out about what went down at the homecoming party, and it made us somewhat famous. People had love for not only me but for Scarlett. My girl was loved.

When I made it to our gated community, I grew anxious. I wanted to see my wife already. One thing that Scarlett had not gotten used to was the money. At first, we fought a lot on all the things I paid for, and, well, fighting led to a lot of pissed-off sex until she saw she could keep losing or do something with it—which she did. She helped fund a wellness center that catered to teens battling depression and addiction.

I was so damn proud of her. She told me she was going to make her parents proud, and I told her she already had.

When I opened the door to my house, Chuck, our Rottweiler, came running at me.

“Hey, boy.” I scratched behind his ear. “How’s Mama? Is she still sick?”

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