Page 96 of Tight End

“And you didn’t think to look at your phone at all?” he asks. “I stayed with you since your injury to make sure you were okay. And you didn’t even have the decency to let me know not to come over yesterday.” His eyes narrow. “I’ve given up a lot to be there for you. I’m not a fucking doormat, Sam.”

I swallow a laugh. What a sick twist of irony.

After weeks of willingly being a doormat for Brixton, I’ve turned Jack into the same damn thing.

“Were you with him?” Jack asks, his voice dripping with disgust. “Is that why you were dodging my calls?”

I scrape a hand down the front of my face. “I wasn’t trying to dodge anything. I told you, I just needed to get out?—”

“You didn’t answer my question.” Jack’s eyes spit flames. “Or maybe you just did.”

With a roll of my eyes, I stab the floor with the rubber bottoms of my crutches. “Fine, I was with Brixton. But it’s not what you think. He saw me outside Play It Forward. I really did go. But he asked if I wanted to take a ride to his sister-in-law’s house. I figured, why not?”

“Why not?” Jack lets out a biting laugh. “Why not? Really?”

The hairs on the back of my neck prickle. “I’m sorry, when did I give up the right to choose who I want to spend time with?”

“The guy is a fucking mess. Everyone knows it, except for you. And I get it. You feel bad for him. You feel like you owe him. But he doesn’t give a shit about you. He only cares about himself. And he makes that clear all the fucking time. Don’t you remember the press conference?”

“He was going through a rough time?—”

Jack shakes his head. “Jesus, you’re such a fucking bleeding heart. Sometimes there isn’t any good, Sam. Okay? Sometimes, it’s just bad, through and through. Open your fucking eyes and see what everyone else does.”

“When the hell did you become so cynical?” I growl. “Can you blame me for wanting to help him?”

Jack paces in front of me. He lets out a groan. “Oh, for Christ’s sake. Are you gonna let yourself be indebted to him forever because of what happened? It was out of your control. You had nothing to do with what happened to his brother.”

“It hit home,” I hiss. “It was my brother who almost died. And to know Chase was saved because of his brother, it’s not something I can just blow off. It means something to me. And fuck you for being so callous. Maybe you’d have done things differently if you were in my position, but guess what? You’renot. And I’m handling it the way I feel I should. I don’t give a damn what you or my parents think.”

Jack pauses, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Sam, I didn’t come here to fight with you. There is a reason why I signed with Oakland, why I’ve been at Play it Forward so much, why I’ve been by your side since your injury. It’s because I want to be with you. I didn’t want to push things, but you have to know that you’re why I came back to California.”

He walks toward me, locking me against the wall. “I had other offers. I chose to be close to you so we could try again. I hated the way we left things when I moved out east. I never wanted to lose you. But I can’t compete with Brixton Scott. I won’t. So if it’s him you want, tell me now and I’ll walk away.”

“I’m not with Brixton,” I say. “And I won’t ever be. But that’s not why you and I won’t work.” I grip the sides of the crutches, wrapping my fingers tight around the metal. “When you got signed by New York, I was excited for you. It was a great opportunity. But I knew then that we weren’t going to make it. Not because of the distance. I got tired of being one half of a pro athlete power couple. I want more out of my life. I’m not the same guy I was years ago. I have different goals, way beyond my football career.”

“And you think I can’t support those new goals? That I’m a superficial hockey player whose only focus is the limelight?”

“You love hockey. But you also loved the attention we got when we were together. I think part of you wanted that back once you signed with Oakland. There’s nothing wrong with liking the limelight, but when the lights dim and you’re left without the cameras, then what do you have left?”

“I thought we’d have each other.” A pained look flickers in his gaze.

“Would that have been enough for you?” A sad smile lifts my lips. “Would you be happy hiding in the shadows with me?You’re a superstar. Teams are clamoring for you to play with them, throwing money at you from all directions. You’re on top of the world right now and you deserve someone who wants to be up there with you. But I’ve learned in the past couple of weeks that being the center of attention is the absolute worst place for me. It’s not what I want. I work with nonprofit organizations because the people who need help are the ones who deserve the attention. I don’t want it wasted on me.”

“You’re an amazing guy.” Jack runs a hand down the side of my face. “And you were always enough. I’m sorry if I ever made you think you weren’t.”

“We just want different things. It happens. It doesn’t change the great times we had. And I really hope that one day we can be friends. I don’t want to lose that.”

Jack nods and turns away. “Wow. I didn’t expect to have this conversation when I came down here today.”

“I should have been honest with you earlier. I figured if I gave it a shot, maybe we could rekindle things. But I’m just in a different place right now. I’m sorry.”

“So this is what it feels like to be dumped,” Jack muses, stroking his chin. “Not loving it.”

“I’m sure it won’t be long before you find a hot puckboy who can take away the pain of losing me.” I waggle my eyebrows.

“Yeah, I won’t grieve for too long.” He winks at me. “No offense.”

“None taken.” I push off the wall and settle back on the crutches. “But since you’re here, I could use a ride…”

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