Page 124 of Imperfect Player

I ignore the bite in his tone and continue. “I’ve missed you. How are—”

“I’m fine. That’s what you wanted to know, right? Well, here I am, I’m fine. Now . . . go.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He needs to know—to understand—that just because he’s an alcoholic, it doesn’t mean I’m abandoning him. Not after what we went through to get here.

“I don’t want you here.”

“Face me and say that,” I tell him, knowing damn well he’s not looking out the window for the scenery. He’s doing it because he doesn’t believe in the words he’s saying. He doesn’t want me to go. He needs me as much as I need him.

Slowly, I make my way to him, my hand touching his shoulder. “I’m not—”

Ethan whips around. “God damnit, Everly, I said, leave. I don’t want you here.”

“You don’t mean that.” Despite my words, tears sting my eyes at the anguish his harshness brings me.

“Oh, I mean it, all right. I tried to be nice. Gave you what you wanted. But now you need to get the fuck out.”

“Ethan.”

His hands grip my arms, and he forces me to walk backward toward the door. “What is it going to take to get through to you? I don’t want you. You were a drunken mistake. Nothing more. The fog has lifted, and I’m done.”

Refuting his words, I shake my head. “You weren’t drinking when we met.”

“You sure about that?”

“I know what you’re doing, and it isn’t going to work.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you think you know. I’m here to get myself in position to play ball again next year. That’s it. End of story. You didn’t fix me. This isn’t some grand love story.”

“I know you love me.”

“You know the words I said to get what I fucking wanted. That’s it.”

“Asshole.”

The word files out of my mouth despite the fact that I don’t mean it, that I know there is no truth behind it. This is nothing more than him pushing me away. I just wish I knew why. To protect me? To protect him?

“Exactly.” He folds his arms as he stares me down. His words say he doesn’t care, his eyes say the opposite.

“Fine. You can have it your way. For now.”

“For now?”

I nod. “I know you’re going through hell. I know you’re trying to push me away. And for now, I’ll let you. I’ll step back. By no means does that mean I am giving up on you.”

“I’m not yours to give up on.”

“Really? Because the way I see it, you’ve been mine since the moment you ran into me. You’ve been mine since you wouldn’t—couldn’t—walk away. If you want to think this is any different, that you can just end things with me, you’re wrong. I know you, Ethan. I know that you can’t live without me, just like I can’t live without you. So yeah, for now, I’m going to give you space. Let you heal. But I will never, ever, give up on you.”

Even though he’s the one pushing me away, the one that supposedly doesn’t care, he watches every step that I take toward the door. Grabbing the handle, I yank it open. “Good luck, Ethan.”

Chapter 38

Ethan

Everly steps through the door, and it slams with a thud behind her.

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