Page 80 of Heartbreaker
“Okay, from the top then. Casey, fill Hannah’s spot for now.”
I adjust my baseball cap further over my eyes and shove my hands into my windbreaker, taking a step back to watch the routine. How in the hell did I get here? I went from main-eventing the biggest nights in sports entertainment to…this. Most days, I wonder if it’s worth babysitting high schoolers so I don’t have to face what I left behind. Because if I ever want to step foot in the world of Elite Wrestling Entertainment again, Iwillhave to face it…Facehim. It’s been over two years. You would think I’d be able to move past it by now, but…I’m not sure I ever will. Some days are easier than others. I won’t think about him at all, and then something will happen, and like a tidal wave, everything comes crashing down, sweeping me away in a sea of memories.
I’ve kept my distance from most things EWE, but I know it will never leave my life completely. Not only is my best friend still an active member of the roster, but the Williams boys have continued to get together on Monday nights and every other Thursday to watch. They tried to hide it from me, moving their viewing parties from our parents’ house to Crew’s house. I guess they didn’t think I’d notice when everyone went missing twice a week. About a month after I moved back home, I walked in on them watching Battle of Champions, and all five of them—my brothers and Papá—froze like a deer in the headlights.
“You don’t have to hide this from me,” I said. “Just because I left doesn’t mean I don’t want you to watch. I just…I need some time before I watch again.”
After that, they returned to their regularly scheduled get together centered around our childhood living room, despite Mamá’s protests that it was insensitive to me. But I truly didn’t care. They could watch if they wanted to, and after a while, I started to join them on occasion. I wanted to know what everyone was up to, but every time, I would find myself missing the ring…the people…him. So, I stopped because it was the only way to (somewhat) ease the ache in my heart. To fight the call in every fiber of my being to return to the ring.
However, it was hard not to watch when I walked into my parents’ house three nights ago. My brothers were watching the end ofMonday Night Rage, and they were pissed. They justknewthey were about to witnessBrody WilderandBrooks Taylorget screwed out of the EWE World title.AustinSpencerhad inserted himself into their match, making it now a triple-threat match at Capitol Punishment scheduled to take place later in the month. From what my brothers said,Spencerhad been getting in the middle ofBrooks’s shit for a while now, and the writing was on the wall.
They’re going to get Viviana involved next, was the first thing that came to mind, followed by:She’s lucky I’m not there.
“Heads up!” A voice rings out, catching my attention right before I’m nailed in the head by an oncoming soccer ball. I stick my arm out, deflecting the rogue ball, and send it soaring off the field. When I glance down the field, a boy stands near the goal with a sheepish grin. “Sorry, Coach Skye,” he yells. Coach Skye, not Coach Williams, because on my first day, some of the girls had been a little too excited thatSavvy Skyewas going to be their new cheerleading coach. And I didn’t have the heart to tell them no when they asked if they could call me by my ring name when they seemed so excited. Gathering the ball, I drop-kick it back down the field and wipe my hands on my thighs.
A soccer ball to the face is the last thing I need right now. This weekend is Crew’s wedding, and Amara is already freaking out. I don’t need to add a bruised bridesmaid to the list. Speaking of, I’m surprised I haven’t heard from anyone in the last twenty minutes. That’s why I was late to begin with, helping Mamá and Amara with some last-minute wedding errands. Today might be the only day since my first month of coaching that I was happy to leave for practice.
You’ve got to be kidding, I think when my phone begins to vibrate inside my jacket pocket.Jinxed myself. Digging it out of my pocket, I almost drop it when I see the name on the screen.
When I call out to my assistant coach, she perks up immediately. “I, uh…I need to take this. Can you handle this for a minute?”
Jana laughs. “Wedding crisis?”
“Something like that,” I say, picking up my pace to get away from the chaos on the field. I take another look at the name just to be sure I’m not imagining things. I could let it go to voicemail, but knowing him, he wouldn’t bother to leave one. He’d call me back in a day or two, instead, or not at all. But after what I saw a few days ago, I’m too curious not to answer. “Hello?”
“Savannah!” His gruff voice rings out. “It’s Amos Rafferty. How are you?” He introduces himself as if I don’t already know.
“Amos,” I breathed, still wondering if I’m imagining the whole thing. It’s good to hear his voice again. “I-I’m good. How are you?”
“Great, great. I hear your brother is getting married this weekend.”
How does he know about that?
“Yeah, he is. High school sweetheart.”
“That’s great. I’m sure it will be a beautiful day. Give them my best, will you? Hey, listen, I was hoping to catch up before the festivities begin. Do you have a minute?”
My stomach tightens. It can’t be this simple, can it? “Sure.”
“Look, Savannah, I’m just going to cut to the chase. We want you back.” Hearing the words, my already racing heart leaps out of my chest. “I know things were a bit…tense when you left, but I think it’s the perfect time to bring you back. You’ve been gone long enough to reset and recharge, to let things go and—”
“You want me to come back?”
“Yes,” he says immediately. “We want to re-sign you for at least two years, if not—”
“Amos—“
“You don’t have to give me an answer right now. But if you’re at least open to the idea, I’d like you to come sit down with me, Noah, and Brian on Monday.”
He wants me to come back. Every fiber in my being screams outyes, but there is still a small sliver of doubt in the back of my mind. What am I going to do abouthim?
“Knock, knock,” a deep voice rings out, following the arrivaldingof the elevator. I knew I should’ve gotten that damn key back. What in the hell is he doing here? This is the first Thursday I’ve been off since my return late last April, and of course, my best friend would decide he wants to spend it with me, because apparently, we don’t see enough of each other at work. He should be taking his better half out to dinner, not showing up unannounced at my condo. “Yoohoo, Brooksy, you home? We come bearing gifts.”
We? Who in the hell iswe?
With a sigh, I twist the knobs of the grill, extinguishing the flames, and walk back inside to find Wolf in the kitchen leaning over the breakfast bar. He doesn’t seem to notice me, eyes glued to the stone countertop, his mind a thousand miles away. That’s how it’s been with him lately; he might physically be present, but his head is somewhere else. I feel bad for the kid. Granted, I don’t think anyone, except for him, is surprised by what happened. He never wanted to hear what we had to say about Harper, and eventually, that refusal came back to bite him in the ass. They got married last January on a secluded beach in Hawaii, with only their immediate family present, and planned to host a big shindig after Wrestlefest for the rest of us. But two months after saying “I do,” he found her in bed with another man. Not just any man. Our coworker Grady Chandler. And now, Wolf has to see her sucking face with him every day at work.
“There you are!” Brody struts down the hallway from the master bedroom. “I was starting to think maybe you’d gone out tonight.”
