Page 115 of Game Changer

He cocks his head, and the other guys head inside with murmured words of support.

Coach is the last one in, patting Harlan on the shoulder.

“I suppose this is where I say congratulations,” I say.

A waiter drifts past, offering champagne, and I wave him off.

“You almost seem like a romantic. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve guessed you were too busy decorating this place and visiting with your family to take LA’s calls.” I glance at his breast pocket, the outline of the phone there.

His eyes crinkle. “I don’t want to trade you, Clay. I believe in you and what you can do, even if I’m the last person you’d want as a cheerleader.”

“I’d say less cheerleader, more puppet master.”

My eyes narrow as I think of his manipulations.

“I know you didn’t appreciate my efforts to intervene in college. But I did it to protect your future. You were having an MVP season. I didn’t want to see anyone get in the way of that.”

The music blurs together in the background.

I look back to the window again. This time Nova’s in there with her sister, and they’re hugging.

“I saw you and Nova dancing.” Harlan changes the subject, and my shoulders tighten under my jacket. “For weeks, I was impressed she'd taken an interest in the sport. Her drawings were remarkable. But it wasn’t basketball that caught her eye.”

I don’t answer.

“I’m sure you know that she got offered her job back in Boston.” My head snaps up, and he can see immediately this is news to me. “She’s had a hell of a time, and it’s the fresh start she wanted. I hope you’ll let her have it.”

I stop the waiter on his return trip to the house and snatch a glass of champagne. “I might have to listen to you when we’re in the stadium, but I don’t take life advice from you anymore.”

“It’s not advice—it’s the truth. She’s never had the chance to stand on her own feet. Her piece-of-shit ex is out of the picture, and she can figure out who she wants to be. She won’t do that next to you.”

The words bury themselves deep in my chest, burrowing like shards of glass.

“What are you talking about?”

“To be truly great, you have to be relentless. To block everything else out. The only family is the other four guys on the court. You want glory, there’s a price.”

I toss the champagne back in one gulp.

Inside, Nova laughs, and seeing a smile on her face dissolves the pain for an instant.

She’s beautiful.

She looks around as if searching for someone.

Me.

It’s me she’s looking for.

I can give her everything.

I’ll buy her an entire studio where she can paint, fly her anywhere in the world to find the perfect tattoo, hold her hand the entire way there.

“Priorities change.” I turn back to Harlan, setting my glass on a table.

“So, basketball doesn’t come first.” It’s a question framed as a statement.

“She matters,” I say instead.

---