Page 25 of The Throwback

My phone ringsfrom somewhere in my bag, the sound muffled by the mess of junk it’s buried under. I dive my hand in, frantically rummaging around until I feel the vibration against my palm. Pulling it out, I see Jett’s name and a photo of us from the Super Bowl flashing across the screen. Butterfly wings tickle the inside of my stomach at the thought of finally talking to him after two busy days where our schedules didn’t match up. This happens a lot, especially now that the regular season is here. It’s been over two months since we’ve seen each other, so every one of these phone calls is precious time together.

“Hello,” I say, out of breath from lugging my work stuff in from the car. Ever since my gig with Dia earlier this year, my calendar has been booked solid. She made sure to tell her friends from all over about my services, and they’ve come out in droves to get on my schedule. I’ve even started to consider opening my own spa, or even just freelancing so I’d have more flexibility.

“There’s my pretty girl,” he says, and my heart squeezes in my chest. I miss him so damn much. “How was your day, baby?” I can tell by the tone of his voice that something is off, but I know he won’t tell me until he hears that I’m good.

“It was busy. I got to use my new microdermabrasion machine. It was amazing. Thank you again, by the way. You know I never would’ve bought that for myself.”

“I know,” he replies. “That’s why I didn’t give you a choice.”

“You sound upset,” I say, not wasting any more time. “What’s wrong?”

He sighs. “I got called into the General Manager’s office today.”

Well, that can’t be good. At least not with the somber tone he’s using right now.

“And?” I coax.

“And I’m being traded. They thanked me for my hard work and said they were proud to have me, but their salary cap didn’t allow for a contract extension. My agent told me it might be coming, but I was holding out hope. Unfortunately, they couldn’t make it work.”

“Aww, baby,” I say softly. “I’m sorry. I know how much you love playing for the Blizzard. Where do you have to go now?”

“Cleveland. The Rock City Renegades just lost their best tight end to an ACL tear last week, so they’re offering a pretty sweet deal. I talked to a realtor on my way back from the stadium, and they’ve got a few apartments for me to look at. In the meantime, I’ll beliving in a hotel room. I have to start practice with them the day after tomorrow.”

Wow. That’s really fast. I feel terrible for him. He’s made so many amazing connections with his teammates in Boston. Not only does he have to leave, but he doesn’t even have time to say goodbye or let things sink in. He just has to pack his bags and get on the first plane to Ohio.Alone.

Fuck that.

“I want to go with you,” I blurt, shocking even myself.

“What?” he replies.

I swallow thickly. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m not happy in Tampa. I won’t be happy anywhere without you. I have two months left on my lease. I’ll just pay to get out of it early and do freelance work in Cleveland. I’m tired of going home to an empty bed every night, Jett. I want to be where you are.”

He huffs a laugh. “Holy shit, Bay. Are you serious?” He already sounds like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, and I’m glad I could do that for him.

“I’ll finish out the week at the spa and pass all my clients on to someone else. I’ll be there for your first game.”

“Fuck,” he says on a relieved breath. “I love you so much. This day really sucked, but you just made it the best one I’ve had since that first night in Vegas.”

I laugh. “That seems like forever ago, even though I know it wasn’t. We’ve spent way too much time apart, Jett James. I want to wake up to you every morning and fall asleep with you every night. Even if I end upfantasizing about smothering you with a pillow when you snore.”

He scoffs. “Maybe you should try smothering me with your pussy instead. I bet that would shut me up.”

“Oh my God, do you ever stop thinking about eating me out?” I joke.

“Ummmm, no. Now get here quick because I’m dying for a taste.”

I roll my eyes, not that he can see. Which is good, because that means he can’t see the smile I’m holding back either. “I’ll see you Saturday, naughty boy.”

“Can’t wait, baby.”

We end the call, and I rush to my room, tearing my suitcases from under the bed and tossing in my belongings as if I’m leaving in the next five minutes, instead of five days from now. I can’t help it though—I’m excited to finally be with him for good.

As impulsive as this decision may seem, it’s not. I’ve done a lot of thinking since we’ve been apart, and if there’s anything I’ve learned from our past, it’s that we shouldn’t waste time not doing what makes us happy. You never know when one moment could change everything. That’s exactly what happened to us when we were kids, and then again in that elevator.

I’ll never stop being grateful that fate brought me and Jett back together. And from now on, I’m soaking in every precious minute of the second chance we’ve been given. I’m ready to see what our future holds, feeling blessed beyond my wildest dreams that I get to do it all with him by my side.

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