Page 141 of Unmasking Love
I watch her throat work through a swallow. She doesn't try to pull her hand back. She keeps eye contact with me. Her breathing increases and I watch her jaw clench and release.
"I love you, too."
We both let our admissions sit between us for a beat. Then she launches herself into my arms and I crush her body against mine.
I want to kiss her desperately but I won’t put her at risk for catching the virus I’m battling. Instead I hold her head against my chest and press kisses to her shoulder. Her fingers grip into me and I whisper “I love you so much” into her hair.
She lifts her head and wipes away the tears on her cheek. “I’m sorry,” she says quietly and I decide not to fight her on it. I don’t think she has anything to apologize for but I can see in her face she feels responsible.
“Me too.” I agree instead, shouldering some of the blame for this collection of miscommunications. Learning that Harper needs to hear what I’m thinking before her mind has the chance to, incorrectly, fill in the blanks.
“When can we get your stuff?” I ask her and she swallows and looks away. “Do you have a really busy day?” I ask and then I catch the time on the stovetop clock. It’s almost 9:30am and she usually would have been at the office already. "Late start today or something?" I ask.
"Or something."
"Harper," I pull her shoulders square to me, she takes her sweet time turning her head to face me too and then another second before she brings her eyes to mine. "What happened?"
"I quit."
"What?" It's only been two weeks since she was living with me and leaving for work every morning. Loving her job in a way that kept her working long into the night. She was frustrated with me for not sharing the assists tracking with her but this is major life news that she's only telling me because I caught her out. "When?"
"Three days ago."
"Why?" I ask as calmly as possible. She’s been through so much and I wasn’t there to help her. I didn’t even know about it. Did Wes? He never said a word.
"I found out that they had taken me down from the website so I wasn't getting new inquiries. And they'd taken me out of the lead rotation for cold calls that come in. So I quit."
I can tell there is more to this story. There is something she's not telling me. My gut isn't wrong about these things very often, if ever. But we've shared a lot in the last hour and I'm going to let it go in favor of rebuilding the relationship we let get off track.
Deciding to ease up on the intensity of the conversation I ask her questions about how she’s stayed busy as I brush my teeth. Then I text my parents and tell them to come by whenever.
An hour later, Harper is chatting with my parents as she makes savory oatmeal with smoked tofu and avocado. She insisted I stay on the sofa and rest. The team doctor calls and tells me that I can’t play or practice for five days. They’ll see where things go after that.
The morning continues with the woman I love and my parents getting to know each other. The guys all check-in via text or phone calls and I assure them I’ll be back to health soon.
My parents head out for another sightseeing tour and Harper and I crawl back into bed. We drift off together and when I wake with her in my arms I know it’s real. I don’t need to twist my nipple to confirm anything.
Chapter 42
AIden
Still a Betting Man
FivedayslaterIget solemn nods from a few of the guys as I walk into Coach Bradford’s office.
I’m not feeling very playful but fuck it.
Let's play a game.
I’ve been called into the coach or GM’s office enough times in my career to know how this is going to go.
If I can predict everything my coach is about to say to me, I win and you can just close this book now. What’s the point of continuing?
If I lose, then you have to keep going and take me with you because that would be the surprise of a fucking lifetime.
Okay, first he’s going to check on my health. Mike Bradford is a good guy who cares about his players and he’ll want me to remember that before trading me away.
“Aiden, good to see you back on your feet. How are you feeling?”
