Page 86 of Overtime Goal
“No. I want to know everything you feel like sharing.”
He nodded. “Things got worse as I went along. That’s why I decided to play in juniors instead of holding out for college. When the Paladins offered me a spot, I jumped at it. Oshawa’s a long way from Delaware.”
“Sounds like it saved your life.”
“Maybe literally.” He glanced at the sky. “I went home the first summer, which was the worst decision of my life. Theyweren’t used to having me around anymore, so they were meaner than ever. Mom was horrible, and Dad stopped using the belt. It was too much trouble, so he switched to his fists.”
My stomach turned, and for a horrible second, I thought I was about to vomit.
Riles continued. “I went swimming with one of my old teammates, not realizing I had fresh bruises on my back. Scott saw them and told me to stay at his house that night. The next morning, his parents invited me to live with them for the rest of the summer. I went home to pick up my stuff and never looked back.”
“Thank God they asked.” I forced the words past an enormous lump in my throat. “Not that… I mean, not that it was good to have to?—”
“I know what you mean.”
We were quiet for so long, I thought maybe he was done. Then he said, “Scott’s parents called CPS because I was sixteen. Dad denied everything, but Mom got scared and told them about the beatings. They arrested him, and he had a heart attack and died in prison about a year later.”
I was almost afraid to ask, “What about your mom?”
“She died in a car crash not long after Dad. It was during the season, so I was in Oshawa.”
A powerful tremor shook Riles before he spoke again.
“I remember when my billet mother told me about Mom. The first thought I had was being glad that terrible part of my life was over.” His voice cracked. “I wasn’t happy they’d died, but I was relieved I’d never have to see them again. Or flinch when the phone rang, which it only did when they wanted to yell at me even though I wasn’t at home. I was free, but I felt guilty for being relieved. I still don’t know what that makes me.”
A muffled sob caught hard in his chest. I tried to comfort him even though I knew nothing could fix what had happened.
“It makes you human,” I said. “You were a kid, Ade. It was their job to protect you. You survived something horrible, and you still turned into the best damn man I’ve ever known. They missed their chance to be prouder than they ever dreamed of. That’s tragic, but it’s on them.”
He leaned against me, breathing deeply. “You know that old line, ‘Life’s hard and then you die’?”
I didn’t have it in me to laugh. “I’ve heard it.”
“Well, fuck that. I decided a while ago not to let it be my story. Life might be hard sometimes, but I’m going to live the hell out of it.” He sat up and faced me. His eyes were wet, but he looked as determined as I’d ever seen anyone. “Now that we’re together, I know I’ll be okay. You make me feel like I can have everything. With how I grew up, I didn’t think that was possible.”
Emotion surged within me, too big to hold back, and I kissed him as tears ran down my cheeks. Riles wasn’t quite twenty-four, so the abuse wasn’t ancient history for him. “We’re going to build thebestlife,” I whispered against his mouth. “And I’ll spend mine doing everything I can to make you happy.”
“I will too,” he said. “You’ve changed so many things for me from the day we met. I don’t know where I’d be if we hadn’t become friends. You feel like home.”
“I love you so damn much, Ade.”
“I love you too, and that’s why I’ve made a decision.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
He looked into my eyes. “You’re the most important person in my life, and I want to be the best version of myself. We both deserve that. I want our life to be amazing, notdespitewhere I came from, but because I dealt with it. So, when we get home, I’m going to find a therapist.”
My heart leapt. “That’s wonderful, babe.”
He nodded. “I’ve thought about it before, and now I actually want to do it. I need help making sense of everything, and like I said, I want us to have the best life possible. That starts with me being okay in my head.”
I smiled as I traced a finger across his lips. “I’m already proud of you, and this only makes me love you more. It’s a big step, and I’ll be with you every inch of the way. Do you have someone in mind?”
“Maybe. Remember when we went to Harpy and Luca’s last fall? Luca talked about how much his therapist had helped him. He said she’s incredible.”
“I remember.”
“I’ll ask him for her details. If she doesn’t have room for another patient, maybe she can recommend someone.”
