Page 14 of Bad Call
“Actually, she didn’t,” he replies. “He told me that he practically had to beg her to do it on his own, saying that he wanted to feel a little bit of normalcy again. I guess she was okay with it, probably because it’s just overnight and he’s traveling with a doctor, anyway.” He chuckles. “I need to meet this girl in person. She seems like a real bulldog.”
I smile, but it doesn’t reach my eyes, my concern shifting from Stella sharing a room with Austin to being alone on his multimillion-dollar property. I’m sure the security system at his house is great, but if he gave me a code, who’s to say he hasn’t given one to all the other guys on the team? I doubt it, since most of them haven’t even been there yet, but what if someone drops by while she’s home by herself?
I watch as the ball sails through the uprights, securinga Renegades win. Anxiety pokes at me more with each passing second, until finally, I decide that when I’m done here, I’ll swing by and check on her. I won’t even get out of the truck. I’ll just pull in, make sure everything is in order, and be on my way.
Nice work, Hayes. Not delusional at all.
FOURTEEN
STELLA
“Areyou made of solid gold, or what?” I mumble to the full-length mirror in the back of my SUV, yanking on it as hard as I can. I’ve been at it for several minutes and have made approximately one inch of headway. Clearly, things aren’t going well.
Austin left for a medical conference this morning, so I spent the early hours perusing the localBuy, Sell, Tradepages. The guesthouse has a single vanity mirror, which was obviously built for a giant—or a six-foot-five professional quarterback—so I haven’t been able to do a proper fit check since I moved in. I pretty much always wear scrubs because they’re comfortable and have lots of pockets, but sometimes it would be nice to see what I look like before I head out the door. This baby spoke to me, with its beautiful, vintage accents and price tag that was well within my budget. So, I messaged the owner and met him in a well-lit public parking lot, where he offered to load it into the back of my vehicle. I was sure I had thought of everything…until I got home. Apparently, antique mirrors weigh roughly a million pounds, and as strong and independent as I like to think I am, I’m struggling.
“Come on, you gorgeous bitch,” I grunt, giving it another hearty tug. “Get in my house and let me love you.”
“Do you always insult inanimate objects to get them to do what you want, or is this new?” A masculine voice says, making me nearly jump out of my skin as I whip around. The shriek of terror that’s ready to rise up my throat—because I’m supposed to be alone—dies as soon as I see Emmett standing there, his hands shoved into the pockets of his black sweatpants. My eyes trail up, passing over the matching Renegades hoodie and backwards cap before locking onto the hint of a smirk that plays at his lips. It’s confusing, but beautiful, all the same.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be so heavy,” I reply quietly, swallowing the nervous lump in my throat. There’s an air of playfulness hidden behind his expression, but I’m too afraid to match it because I have no idea where we stand. The last time I saw him, he went from irritated to caring to…well, I don’t know what, since he left without saying goodbye and hasn’t been back. If this were ten years ago, and we were still the same silly couple we used to be, I’d throw a witty retort his way, and we’d end up laughing until our faces hurt. But the sad reality is that I don’t know Emmett anymore, and that makes me unsure of how to act.
“Here,” he replies. “I’ll get it. Would you mind grabbing the door for me?” He walks past, his arm grazing mine as he approaches the SUV, making my entire bodylight up from the barely-there connection. My head spins, the familiar scent of his cologne pulling me back to another time, where he’d spend hours kissing and caressing my naked skin as I moaned and begged for more.
Fuck, I miss being touched.He knew every button to push to make me melt, fucking me over the edge until I was sure I couldn’t take another second, then once more just to prove me wrong.
“Stell,” he says, the nickname bringing me back to reality.Shit. He asked me to do something, but my mind has gone completely blank, and I can’t remember what. A pink flush creeps across my cheeks, and he raises a brow, repeating himself. “Can you open the door?”
“Umm, yeah,” I rush out, spinning on my heel and scurrying down the stone walkway. With shaky fingers, I punch in my four-digit code, listening carefully as the lock disengages. By the time I push my way inside, Emmett is right behind me, the mirror in his hands like it weighs nothing. I try to ignore the way his biceps stretch the thick material of his sleeves to their absolute limit, bulging more with every move he makes.
“Where do you want it?” he asks.
I close the door, hurrying in front of him to lead the way. “I cleared out a corner in the bedroom. We’ll just lean it against the wall.” We enter my room, and I shuffle aside, sweeping an arm out to direct him. He carefully sets the mirror down, and I bring my attention to the smooth surface just as he moves away from it. I look into the reflection, happy that I finally have a way to check my outfits each morning, but as soon as Emmett steps in, thefront of his body almost touching the back of mine, time stops.
I behold the sight, starting at our feet and slowly dragging my eyes upward. He makes me look so small, just as he always has, his broad shoulders and hard muscles a stark contrast to my petite, soft frame. At first, it’s a comfort to see, reminding me of happier times, when I felt safe and secure. But as I look closer, I notice so many new things. His hands are corded in thick veins from years of hard work on the football field, while mine are unmanicured and dry from excessive washing and glove wearing. Our facial features are older and more tired; the youthful glow we once had faded over time. And the light in our eyes—the one that radiated happiness and hope—has all but dimmed to nothing as our gazes lock onto one another in harsh realization. My expression falls, an apology hanging on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t spit out the words.
“Fuck this,” he growls, turning sharply and leaving the room. I rush after him, getting halfway to the front door before darting my hand out and wrapping it around his wrist.
“Emmett, wait,” I plead. He spins, anger crackling in the air between us like electricity. His eyes are hardened, jaw clenched tightly as his nostrils flare. “What’s wrong? Why are you upset?” His entire body is shaking, the veins in his neck practically pulsing with rage.
“Are you fucking kidding me, Stella?” he seethes. “I know you saw the same goddamn thing I did in that reflection. I’m not about to stand here and be made aware of all the years we lost because you were too selfish towork through a problem that didn’t even really exist. We could’ve experienced life together—growntogether—but you decided to walk away and leave me to do everything on my own. Sorry if I don’t want to face the fact that the girl I would’ve taken a bullet for is a fucking stranger now.”
My brows furrow, frustration simmering in the pit of my stomach at his words. He’s right. My decision was selfish, and we could’ve worked through it. But the fact that he thinks he was the only one who struggled is crazy…and he couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Do you think that was easy for me?” I question. “Because it wasn’t. I tried to convince myself that I was just speeding up the inevitable, but deep down, I knew I was making a mistake. By the time I had come to grips with everything, it was too late. You told me not to come running back when I realized what I had done, and I respected that. But don’t you dare assume that I didn’t spend years crying over it. I would lie awake at night, sobbing because I couldn’t remember our last kiss. I had no idea that I’d never feel your lips on mine again when it happened, and I hated myself for not burning it into my memory like I should have. To this day, I try to recall the moment so I can relive it—so I can go back to the last time I was truly fucking happy—but I can’t. It’s just one of the many ways the world continues to punish me for walking out on you that day.”
He stands there, chest heaving with heavy breaths as my words sink in. I don’t expect them to magically fix anything. I know that the damage I’ve caused can’t be undone by blurting out confessions in the heat of themoment, which is why I’m wholly unprepared when he lunges forward and presses his mouth to mine. My body goes completely rigid at first, but when he uses his tongue to part my lips, delving between them eagerly, I melt. His hands find my cheeks, holding me in place as he kisses me roughly, greedily devouring me and making my head spin with desire. He tastes exactly like I remember. He tastes likehome.
I moan, gripping the front of his hoodie tightly in my fists and yanking him even closer, but still, it’s not enough. I’ve waited so long to feel him like this, never thinking in a million years that I’d get the chance. My heart flips in my chest, scorching hot blood whooshing between my ears to the same beat of the dull ache that’s pulsing in my core. I want to wrap my legs around him—to show him just how wet and desperate I am for his touch. But before I can, he pulls back, making me whimper quietly in protest.
We’re both shaking and out of breath as he presses another soft kiss to my swollen lips, my eyes fluttering open when he stands to his full height. I focus on his expression, expecting to be met with something similar to the fire that’s burning within me, but all I find is anguish behind his beautiful brown eyes.
“I hope that one was more memorable than the last,” he says softly, skating his thumb across my cheekbone before turning away and moving to the door. I want to drop to my knees and beg him not to go, but we’re so raw right now that I’m not sure it would even make a difference if I did. So, I stay quiet, holding in every one of my emotions as he reaches for the knob and pauses, keepinghis gaze forward. “And just so you know, I’d have taken you back, Stell. In a fucking heartbeat.”
I choke on a sob, my hand flying up over my mouth as heavy tears fall from my eyes. He stiffens, and for a moment, I think he may stay, but he doesn’t. Instead, he quietly clears his throat and leaves the guesthouse, pulling the door shut behind him. I stand there frozen as the engine of his truck roars to life in the distance, barely holding myself together until it fades away and I’m all alone, the lingering taste of him on my lips serving as the only proof that what just happened wasn’t a dream. His words play on repeat in my head, awakening something in me that I haven’t felt in a long fucking time.Hope.
I’d have taken you back, Stell. In a fucking heartbeat.
I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my lifetime, but letting go of Emmett Hayes is the only one I truly regret, and I’m not prepared to make it a second time. It won’t be easy, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to prove that I’m not the same scared, insecure girl who walked out on him at eighteen—and that I’ll never break his heart again.
