Page 110 of Not Just a Trick Play

How dare he call my life mediocre? “Without the investment from Gotham Guides, even that’s no longer a possibility.”

He drives his fingers through his hair, stricken at my bitter tone. “I didn’t mean that. I don’t want to lose you.I’llinvest in RhythmRoutes.”

And there it is, Jake being Jake, ready to swoop in like some sort of knight in NFL armor, rescuing me for now, but I’ll forfeit everything anyway when we break up. I’m tired of needing saving.

“I’mnottaking money from a man I’ve known for two months as if I were some charity case girlfriend.”

His expression tightens at my words, but then he takes a deep breath and rubs his face. “It wouldn’t be that way. We’ll figure it out. No need to give up on your dreams. Trust me.”

“How can I? I’m the one watching my dream fall apart day after day,” I explode in a burst of fury, my voice cracking under the weight of it all. “I already tied my future to a man once before. That’s how I ended up here…a failure.” The words tumble out, raw and unchecked. “I can’t—won’t—let that happen again. I’ll become an obligation to you, like I’ve been to everyone else. Another person for you to look after. Until you realize it’s too much. Until you realize I’m not worth the hassle and you walk away. You’ll be free, and I’ll be left with nothing. At least this way, if I go, I get some semblance of what my life was supposed to be.”

Jake’s features contort with pain and frustration as he grapples with my words. “Amelia, how can you even say that? You think so little of me…of us?”

The air crackles with tension. I don’t answer him.

“Are you really giving up on us? Just like that?” His lips twist in bitterness.

I flinch. He doesn’t understand. I tried to make it here. I’ve failed. He’s always had a place, always belonged—with his family, his career, his team.

Jake continues, “Or does none of this,” he gestures between us, “matter?”

I open my mouth to respond, but stop short, looking at him helplessly. It’s not that I don’t want to trust him. But I can’t. Trust has never come easy. The last thing I want is to be thrust upon him the way that Mum left me with Gran, giving her no choice but to take me in.

At my hesitation, realization comes to his eyes. “You never trusted me to begin with.” It’s a death knell. “You didn’t trust that I’d take care of you.”

Jake looks at me in disgust when I can’t answer. “Then what are we even doing here?”

“I don’t know.” I say, quiet.

“Give me a call when you figure it out.” With that, he storms out.

He leaves, and I stare. It’s as if he’s sucked all the oxygen out of the room. My insides twist, as if I’m being strangled from the inside out. Tears sting my eyes, blurring the half-packed suitcases strewn around me. New York—the place of a million dreams. But everyone has to wake up at some point.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

JAKE

So,fast forward a day.

Or is it two?

Ah, who the hell cares? The point is, I’ve somehow time-traveled into the future.

There was no escaping the monthly poker showdown. I folded early, but frankly, who gives a shit about losing a game when a real loss hits so much harder?

I tune out the laughing and ribbing of the people still playing, fixating instead on the fully loaded bar—nothing but top-shelf booze here in the swankiest suite of the Winters Hotel.

Angry and twitchy and uncertain. Yep, that’s me, grappling with unwelcome emotions I’m not used to. Some liquid comfort might take the edge off. Though a blackout in a bottle sounds better.

Amelia’s silence? It says everything.

I snort. Like her standing there, frozen, when I practically begged for her trust wasn’t enough of a clue.

It was a punch in the gut.

In my world, I’m the protector. Not because the women in my life aren’t strong (they could take on anything), but because I’m the cheerleader for their badassery. I celebrate every one oftheir successes like my own, and when things go bad? I make sure to be waiting with a safety net, so they bounce back before they even realize they’ve stumbled.

Because taking care of people I love isn’t just a duty; it’s a privilege. But Amelia…she’d rather nosedive off a cliff than accept my help.

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