Page 14 of Tight End

I pause, my fingers gripping the cover page of the album before I’m ready to open it. My heart aches as I flip through the pages of Davis and Allie throughout their relationship. I’m in some of them, ones where they came out to see Sin City perform and we posed for pictures afterward. There arepictures of them wandering around wineries in Napa, engagement photos, and pictures of them visiting Italy, Sicily, and Portugal, their last big trip before Allie found out she was pregnant. They called it the babymoon.

My chest tightens at the selfie of them at the Sun Arena concert on the night Davis died.

The last picture they’d ever take together.

“I think it’s perfect. She’s going to love it.” I struggle to get the words out, but I know Allie needs to hear them.

“I’ve been showing it to her every night before bed, pointing out Daddy and telling her all about our adventures.” She raises a tear-filled gaze at me. “I want her to hear everything wonderful about him. And me telling her is the next best thing to her knowing from experience.”

I nod because my throat is too tight to speak. I hand the album back to her and a white envelope falls out. Brows furrowed, I pick it up from the floor and hand it to her.

“Oh,” Allie says, taking it from me. “I don’t know how that ended up in here. It must have been mixed in with the photos.”

“What is it?”

She takes a breath and stares at it. “A letter I got from the person who got Davis’s heart.”

I shoot up off the floor. “From the donor? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“What good would it have been for you to know? The hospital forwarded it to me because they couldn’t divulge my address to him for privacy reasons.”

“So you have the name of the person?” I don’ t know why but I have to see that letter. I have to know who took a part of my brother.

“Yes, but why even think about it now? It’s over. It was a nice gesture and it made me happy to know someone’s life was saved from that tragedy.”

“I want to read it.”

“Brixton, what good will it do you?”

“I just need to read it. Please.”

Allie bites down on her lower lip and waits a hell of a lot longer than I’d like before handing it to me.

I pull the white sheet of paper out of the envelope and scan the contents. My nose tingles, tears thick in my throat as I pore over each sentence.

And then, my jaw drops, the final blow coming with crushing force when I get to the end of the letter. I almost choke on a gasp when I look down at Allie, her eyes pooling with tears.

God blessyou and your family,

Chase Hartley

She knew.She fucking knew. And she never told me.

Chapter 5

Sam

PRESENT DAY

“You had a helluva fucking game, Hartley.” Bryce Maxwell, the star quarterback for the Oakland Saints, claps me on the back as we run through the tunnel at Allegiant Stadium after we just clinched the number one seed in the National Football Conference, beating the Tennessee Raptors 42 to 22. “I think you might be the first tight end in the past fifty-seven years who’s on track to win the MVP.”

I stop short and pull off my helmet. “Are you fucking crazy, Maxwell? You can’t go around saying shit like that. The playoffs haven’t even started yet. How the hell can you even think about the Super Bowl right now?”

“Yeah, well, we won by twenty today. And the Super Bowl ain’t a pipe dream, that’s for sure.” Bryce chuckles. “I’ve got good reason to be cocky. Tennessee choked on us today, and they will be in very good company. Trust me. I’ve got three rings to prove I know what I’m talking about. We’re a shoo-in for the Super Bowl. My goal is five rings before I retire, and you’re gonna help me get the rest.”

Aaron Waller, one of the wide receivers, collides with myother side. “Is Maxwell talking smack again about Tennessee?” He reaches around me and pokes Bryce. “Did you take a big hit to the head? You’re gonna jinx us, man.”

“Today was our day, and I’m confident about the postseason. Sue me.”

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