“Thank you.” I turned around. “Should I get a Sharpie so you can sign it?”
“Stop acting like you don’t want to keep it because it smells like me.”
I rolled my eyes but was still smiling as I moved toward the fireplace. I rubbed my hands together, letting the warmth chase away the chill. “You started a fire.”
“Technically, I just flipped the switch.” He pointed to the outlet on the wall. “I figured you would be cold.”
“Thank you.” I took a seat next to him, feeling the cushions dip beneath me.
Now that I was here in his bedroom, I felt awkward and unsure how to act. I tucked my legs underneath me, curling my body into the corner of the couch. “I’m jealous. I would love a bedroom big enough for a cozy sitting area like this.”
“It definitely has its advantages.”
I went to grab the throw blanket off the back, but his eyes widened. He snatched it out of my hands and walked over to the closet. “Let me get you something else.”
“What did that blanket do to offend you?” I laughed as he handed me a beige throw.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “That was my ex-girlfriend’s.”
“Oh.” My body stiffened, hoping he wouldn’t notice. I wished there was a way I could rewind the last two minutes and pretend I never touched the damn thing.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t even thinking,” he quickly rushed out like he had just stepped on some type of emotional landmine andwas trying to stop it from exploding. “I don’t have a sentimental attachment to it or anything. I just forgot it was there.”
I rolled my lips together. “You don’t need to apologize.”
He settled in next to me. “Sorry for killing the mood.”
My fingers toyed with the edge of the blanket. “What happened between you two?”
He rubbed his hands along his thighs. “You really want to talk about this? Now?”
I wrapped my arms around my knees, pulling them into me. “Not particularly, but I am curious.”
He lifted his brows. “This is off the record, right?”
I picked up a throw pillow and shot it at his stupid head. “I can’t believe you just asked me that.”
He laughed. “Sorry, old habits die hard.” He met my eyes. “I just need this conversation to stay between us, okay?”
I nodded. “You have my word.”
He glanced toward the fire and back at me. “My relationship with Lydia ran its course. I don’t know if I outgrew her or if she outgrew me, but our priorities started to shift toward the end of our relationship.”
I tugged the jersey down over my knees. “Did you not end things on good terms?”
He huffed out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. “It ended in a disaster. Honestly, I couldn’t wait to get out of it. It was over before we officially ended it.”
“You were together for a long time, right?”
God, I hoped I didn’t sound too invasive. I didn’t want him to think I was digging and pushing boundaries. I was asking solely for my own personal reasons.
He sighed. “We were. She always said that she understood the challenges of my career, but once she saw how crazy my schedule got, she started complaining that I was never around and football would always come first. I tried,” he added quickly.“Flew home whenever I could. Called every night. Sent flowers, but no matter what I did, it was never enough. She said my fame went to my head.”
I could feel his quiet frustration as he recounted every argument and disagreement they must have had.
“It sounds to me that she was unhappy and was looking for someone to blame.”
“Exactly. So, when I caught her cheating, she blamed it on me and my career.”
