Page 85 of Calling the Shots

Deep-down, I know he’s right. There isn’t much he can do at this point, the damage is done. My heart’s a bit mangled, my ego bruised.

Still, I have questions.

I take a shuddery breath, raise my eyes to his. I need to know details.

“Who broke it off?”

Mack’s jaw ticks and he shoves a hand in his pocket, drops his gaze to the marble floor.

“She did.”

All the air’s sucked from my lungs at his admission. I thought for sure Mack was the one who broke things off, left her behind without so much as a glance back.

But no.

Tinsley dumped him.

“Why? What happened?”

A deep furrow forms between his brows, and he shifts his weight from foot to foot. Somewhere in the distance a clock ticks—tick, tick, tick—and the noise is deafening in the silence stretching between us.

Finally, Mack clears his throat.

“We got engaged my senior year of college, and she had big plans. I was supposed to join the league and we’d get married during the offseason. After graduation, though, I didn’t go pro. Things between us got rocky, but we stayed together. I started law school and we were in a decent spot. But the day I quit law school, she dumped me. Said I had no drive and she didn’t sign up to spend her life with a loser.” He raises his eyes to meet mine. “Exact quote.”

Oof.My heart hurts for Mack, even as angry as I am.

“That was it. She gave me back the ring and I left town. We haven’t really spoken since, except for the occasional run-in.”

“I’m sorry.” The words come out a whisper.

Mack rubs the back of his neck, shakes out his arms as if to clear his body of negative energy.

“I should have told you all of this earlier. Sit down. Please. Let me explain.” He gestures at the sofa in the living room and I give in, taking a seat beside him. Even though I’m pissed, I can’t help but feel sorry for him right now. Mouth turned down, worry lines marching across his normally relaxed brow, he’s defeated.

Not the Mack I know at all.

“It’s fine.” He sighs. “All for the best. I’m glad I saw the person she truly is. Way I see it, I dodged a bullet. Tinsley was never right for me. At the time, I thought I was in love with her, but I absolutely wasn’t. We were together more out of expectation.”

“I never, ever felt half of what I feel for you about her. Not a second goes by when you’re not on my mind. I love every little thing about you.” He laces his fingers through mine and locks eyes with me, his pupils dark and deep. “You’re my entire world, Gracelyn. I don’t think about Tinsley. Ever. I barely know her anymore. And I don’t care to. Why would I when I have the most beautiful, sparkling, amazing woman next to me?”

Tension releases from my shoulders, the tightness in my chest loosening. Mack’s right. All of this is history. Still, I’m not too thrilled I haven’t heard about any of this before today.

Mack rubs his thumb up and down my fingers, his callouses rough on my skin.

“Not that it makes any of this right, how I handled things. But I hate where I come from, Gracelyn.” He glances away, staring out at the pool for a long minute. “Everything about this place. My name, all the stupid rules, the etiquette, the mind games everyone plays. I didn’t want any of it to touch you, touch what we have together. You mean the world to me and I didn’t want my family and all of their petty bullshit to affect us.”

“Mack…” I whisper, squeezing his hand. I’m still stunned by the level of things I didn’t know about him, but I’m beginning to understand why he kept so much hidden.

“I didn’t mean to keep secrets from you, baby. I just wanted to protect you.” He meets my gaze, his eyes sad and serious.

I make a choice right then and there to choose forgiveness over pettiness.

“I forgive you. But please don’t let there be a next time, Mack. Tell me—right now—if there’s anything else I should know. Any more exes going to crash the party?” I purse my lips together.

He shakes his head, a wavy curl flopping onto his forehead.

“No. Only the one. You know everything now, right down to my terrible given name.”

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