Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Hey,” Noah says as nonchalantly as possible. I don’t know if I could be him right now. I’d have to know what the fuck that dude was doing here during our practice time.
“You can ask,” Peyton tells him. He shakes his head, leans down and kisses her.
“I love you, P.”
I know I should be used to seeing them like this, but I feel like I’m in the middle of something I shouldn’t be. I grab my bag and head toward the facility. Inside, Coach is yammering about something and tells us we have five minutes to get our asses onto the field. This, coupled with the anxiety I feel over the images isn’t going to make for a very good walk through.
I’m fucking exhausted when we finally get to the hotel. Once I’m in my room, I flop onto the bed and sigh dramatically enough that Riley asks if I’m okay.
“Yeah,” I tell him. “I gotta go downstairs and make a phone call though.”
“Want me to leave?”
While that would be ideal, it was my choice to room with the kid and it would be unfair of me to ask him to leave because my life took a sudden turn.
“Nah, man. I appreciate it though.” I pull my phone out of my bag and see that the notifications haven’t stopped. “Jesus,” I mutter on my way out the door. Instead of taking the elevator, I use the stairs, and head right outside. Thankfully, it’s warm out, which is definitely a benefit of being on the southern side of the East Coast.
I put my earbuds in and then press Kelsey’s name on my screen. It rings three times until she picks up. “Hello.”
“Hey, Kels. It’s me.”
“So says the caller ID.”
I shake my head and inhale. “None of that sassiness, okay? I didn’t do anything wrong.”
She breathes in. “I know. I’m sorry. The articles are worse now than this morning,” she says. “I don’t know why I keep looking, but I do. Some keep repeating the same story and using the same image of Maggie with an engagement ring on.”
“It’s not from me,” I tell her. “I never proposed to her. You know this. I thought about it, but things changed, and looking back now, it would’ve been a mistake. I wasn’t happy with her. Not like I am with you.”
“We barely know each other,” she says quietly.
“That’s not how I feel, Kels. I know you spend your day reading romance, and all those happily ever afters might leave you jaded, but I have some big feelings for you. Sometimes, the media can be assholes, but most of the time they’re cool. I honestly think this is all spearheaded by Estelle. She has a lot of connections, and she clearly had an agenda last night.”
“I didn’t do anything to deserve this.”
“None of us did. But it happens. You have to ignore it and not let anyone see that it bothers you. If they know they get to you, they’ll be relentless.”
“I’m not Maggie. Being in front of the camera isn’t my job.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’m not asking you to be Maggie. I want you to be you, Kelsey. I’m not trying to replace my ex nor am I asking you to be someone you’re not.”
“I know. This is just unexpected. I wasn’t prepared.”
“Neither was I. It’ll get better.”
“Promise?” she asks quietly.
How can I promise her something that I can’t control the outcome of? “I promise,” I tell her. “Because we’ll be together.”
We hang up and I finally read the other messages. My mom is curious about Kelsey, so I fill her in and tell her how much I like Kelsey and enjoy spending time with her. My sister, on the other hand, is concerned about Maggie. That is, until I tell her about Kelsey and how she’s my girlfriend, and that I need her to be on my side with this.
When I get to Maggie’s message, I read each one and don’t feel the need to answer them until I get to the last.
Maggie Gardner
Well since you haven’t called, I’ll just tell you here. I’m coming back. I’ve accepted a job as director of philanthropy at the hospital. Looks like we’ll be spending time together again. Can’t wait to see you. I miss you, Alex. I miss us. Xoxo
Congratulations on the job, Maggie. I wish you the best. I’m with someone now and I’m happy. I need you to accept this and tell your friends to leave her alone.
I send the message and then send a message to Kelsey.
I forgot to say thank you for the pics you sent of us. You looked so fucking gorgeous last night, and now I can look at you anytime I want. I’ll see you on Monday when I’m back.
After I send the message, I turn my phone off. If anyone from the team needs me, they know where to find me. Everyone else can leave me alone for a few hours while I try and decompress this ridiculous situation and try to figure out a way to help Kelsey navigate this type of bullshit. The thing is, she shouldn’t have to. I’m a professional athlete for Christ’s sake. People like me are a dime a dozen. No one should care who I’m dating.