Page 42 of The One I Want
“I’ll be right there, baby,” he says.
He looks back down at me, regret written all over his face.
“I should go,” I say, hurrying up from the couch. Just as I’m about to make a beeline for the door, he stops me, grabbing me much like he did the first night we met.
“What?” I ask.
“I’m sorry.”
I shake my head, which is really just me trying to hold back the tears that are forming. “Nothing to apologize for. Take care of Mags. I’ll see you in the morning.”
And before he can say anything else—or see me cry—I walk away.
Chapter17
Wes
“Doesanyone have any questions before we move on?”
Coach McAvoy looks around the room to his team. No one raises their hand or even breathes what could be misunderstood for a question. One, because at this point in the season, we’ve become a well-oiled machine when it comes to the playbook. Two, because no one is going to be the guy who keeps the meeting going longer than it has to. Team meetings and review sessions are an important part of football, especially the night before a game. They are also the most tedious part of the job, and no one wants it to go longer than it needs to.
“All right, moving on. Defense…”
I let myself zone out for a second, which I normally don’t do. I haven’t played defense since high school, but it’s still important to know what’s going on. But tonight I have barely listened to a word Coach has said.
It’s been two days since I’ve talked to Betsy, and it’s been eating me up inside. God, I almost fucked everything up. I don’t know what came over me. But at that moment, the only thing I could think of doing, the only thing that felt right, was to kiss her. And I was close. So fucking close. I could nearly feel her lips on mine before Magnolia came down the stairs.
I couldn’t sleep that night, and that wasn’t because Magnolia insisted on sleeping in my bed after she claimed she had a fever, which she didn’t. All I could think of is what a huge mistake I almost made. Because it would have been a mistake. As much as I’m attracted to Betsy, and no matter how much I care about her, I can’t cross that line. I can’t risk the kids losing her because I decided to have an impulsive moment of weakness.
I was ready to talk to her on Friday until I remembered that she had the day off. When she came over this morning, I was running late to get to the airport for the team plane. But even if I had time to talk to her, I don’t know how I would have since she could barely look at me.
And it fucking killed me inside.
How could I be so dumb? I mean, I know why. As much as I want to deny it, or tell myself that it’s wrong, the more time I spend with Betsy, the more I want her. Yes, it started with just a pure attraction. I could fight off attraction. But it’s more than that. It’s her smile. It’s her laugh. It’s how she has made my kids, who are going through the roughest time of their lives, seemingly forget the bad stuff. It’s the way she looks at me when I tell a dad joke. It’s the way she makes me calm and balanced with just a simple touch.
I fucking want her. I know I shouldn’t. I need to get over it.
But I don’t know how.
Just as I hear the coaches move on to special teams, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out to see a FaceTime request from Betsy. I quickly look at the clock in the hotel meeting room that we’re currently gathered in to see that it’s eight o’clock.
I signal to Coach McAvoy, pointing to my phone. He nods his head in the direction of the door. I don’t know many coaches who would be as accommodating as he has over the past few months. I asked him the first weekend we traveled if it would be okay if I ducked out if my kids called. He didn’t even hesitate. He told me the kids and family came first, especially now.
I close the door behind me and open FaceTime to see three smiling faces looking back at me.
“Hey, you guys,” I say as I sit on a bench in the hotel hallway. “How was your day?”
“Great!” Magnolia says. “I made rings!”
I look over at Emerson. “Translation?”
“Betsy had us each pick out Christmas craft projects today. Magnolia made a Christmas countdown of red and green rings.”
“That’s fun,” I say. “What did you make?”
She holds up an ornament. “I made ornaments with beads. I’ve already hung two on the tree. I’m giving two to Betsy because she says she doesn’t have ornaments yet for her tree and she needs some.”
“That’s nice of you,” I say. “What about you, buddy? What did you make?”
