Page 86 of Thoroughly Innocent Intent

I clear my throat. “And Colt? You think I’m the reason he stepped out of his comfort zone?”

“I do, Sam.”

“Why didn’t you say any of this before? You listened to me complain and told me I was right to be hurt and upset.”

“That’s what you needed from me then. This is what you need now.”

“So, you’re saying this might really be a giant misunderstanding? That I need to hear him out?”

“That’s what I’m saying,” she responds, which is how I ended up standing outside the reception for Colt’s ex-wife on Valentines Day, trying to muster the courage to go inside.

Colt

Epilogue

“What’sthatallabout?”My beautiful fiancé finds me just as one of Jen and Anthony’s friends, Jason, up and bolts from the chair next to me.

“He’s gonna go chase after his woman.” Apparently he and the redhead from the wedding might be back on.

“Offering love advice again?” Sam finds it endlessly funny that I’m pretty good at offering relationship advice despite the fact that I nearly blew ours by not telling her I loved her as soon as I should have.

“Is that so hard to believe? I have a good track record, you know.” I stand and pull her to me for a hug.

“If that’s true, how come you haven’t been able to help Delaney find someone?” She wraps her arm around my waist.

“I didn’t say I was good at matchmaking, I said I’m good at helping people who are already matched stay that way. Delany doesn’t make it past the third date.”

“She is hard to please.” Sam gives me a little squeeze. “You ready to go? We’ve got a lot to do yet today.”

“I just need to say my goodbyes.”

We find Anthony and Jen near the grill and thank them for including us in Wes’ graduation party. Since their wedding, we’ve been spending more time together, and the kids have been hanging out at my house more and more. Sawyer and I have found more common ground to connect on, and I spent the last few months helping Wes prepare for the college ball he’ll be starting next month.

My relationship with the four of them has never been better, and I credit most of that to Sam. Yeah, I had committed to being a better parent before meeting her, and I’d been flirting with the idea of life after ball, but I was still placing too much emphasis on the game.

It wasn’t until she came into my life that I realized how much I wanted to find a life outside football. Once I started putting energy into people and things outside the game, I realized I could do just as much good off the field as on. For a guy who thought his value was tied directly to his performance on the field, that was a huge wake up call. It gave me a whole new perspective about what’s important in life, one that I’m eager to share with my family and teammates once things are finalized.

We find Sawyer and Wes lingering by the cooler of soda and exchange hugs. Wes is a bit stiff, either because he’s nervous about leaving soon or because of the heart-to-heart we had earlier today, but I reassure him I’m here if he needs anything at all. We make plans to keep in touch, kid’s got a bright future in the game, and make our exit.

When we’re finally driving away Sam reaches for my hand. “Did the team come up today?” she asks softly.

“It did. I talked about the new kid, told everyone he’d be a great addition.” I give her hand a quick squeeze, letting her know I’m okay.

“No second thoughts?”

“Nope.”

“But this could be the year. I don’t want you to miss out on it.” She tugs on her lip with her fingers.

“We’ve talked about this, beautiful.” I bring her left hand to my mouth and give it a kiss. “I’ve given enough of my life to the game. I’ll miss it like hell, but I’d miss you more.”

“It’s only eight-to-ten months…,” she starts.

“Too long,” I finish for her. “I’m not going to be separated from you that long. Besides, building a global organization to educate women in impoverished areas is a huge undertaking. I want to be there to support you.”

When Sam was approached to lead this initiative to improve the lives of women worldwide, I could tell it was the kind of thing she dreamed of, and I damn sure wasn’t going to stand in her way. However, I didn’t know how to let her go, even temporarily. So, I decided not to.

“The project could take years. You’d have plenty of time for one last season and still have time to support me.”

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