Page 46 of Second Down Scrooge

“Mr. Graham, good morning.” Lily’s voice comes loudly through the car speakers. “I'm calling with some news.” Her tone sounds clipped, which is surprising for a dude who has no reason to be concerned about his test results.

“Go ahead,” I prompt.

“The results are showing an anabolic steroid in your system.”

“What?” I practically yell as my chest tightens. “That’s not possible. Check it again.”

“Your test results came back positive for Nandrolone.”

“Is this some sort of joke?” I ask.

“I'm afraid not, Mr. Graham,” she says. “Mr. Dalton would like to see you in his office immediately.”

“I didn't do anything,” I say.

“The results came back and are showing a different story. We need you here in the office.”

I don't even know what to say. “There's a mistake. The lab made a mistake.” My tone is coming out more desperate than I intend to, but I feel Kelly's gaze on me.

The thought that maybe she doesn't believe me kills a little part of me.

“You can take it up with Mr. Dalton. He's waiting for you.” Lily cuts the call, and my heart sinks.

Everything’s been going so well, so goddamn perfect. I knew it was too good to be true.

I didn't do anything.

I pull into the spot at the airport where I have to say goodbye. I put the car in park, and she’s in a rush to get out of the car. We’re running late. We don’t have time for this conversation.

“I didn't do this,” I say. “You believe me, don't you?”

She barely even looks up at me, and I'm scared that that means it's one more reason for her not to trust me. One more strike against me to make me look like a bad guy when I'm not. At least, I’m not a bad guyanymore.

But when you live your life a certain way for as long as I have, of course people are going to believe the worst.

Fuck.

“We need to go,” she says.

“Just…please tell me you believe in me. Tell me you trust me.”

She sighs. “I know you changed over the last few months, and I want to believe you. I want to believe you've turned over a new leaf and you're not the guy you used to be anymore, but right now we don't have time to have this discussion because we have to go.”

Shewantsto believe me. That doesn’t mean shedoesbelieve me.

She gets out of the car and grabs Mia from the backseat, and as much as I want to hold her bags hostage until she gives me the answer I'm looking for, I know I need to support the fact that she is a nervous flyer right now. I know I can’t get into this with her even though it kills me not to.

It should be one more signal that I've changed since I'm putting someone else first over myself and my own needs, but she's too caught up in her traveling nerves to acknowledge that.

“Well, travel safe.” I grab Mia from her arms and kiss her face as my chest tightens with fear.

Close.

So goddamn close.

It was within my grasp to have more time with my little girl, more time with the woman I love. And now it feels like someone's pulling the rug out from under me.

It's as if my mistakes from the past are catching up with me, and I'm getting punished for them now. Maybe it’s because I never got punished for them before. My entire life felt like a punishment in different ways. Some might even call this karma.

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