Page 7 of The Marriage Rebound

Scrubbing my hands down my face, I pushed the frustrations away as best I could. I had to get myself ready and into the proper headspace to prepare for the biggest game of my life. I’d have to worry about smoothing things over with my wife afterwards.

Back downstairs, I found Sasha curled up on the couch with her furry companion as she scrolled through her phone.

I cleared my throat and adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder. “I’m gonna head out.”

“A’ight, bye.”

She didn’t even bother to look back, or get up to give me a kiss at the very least. Nothing. And no lie, that shit hurt. What could be the biggest moment of my career and not even a fucking good luck. Yeah, she was pissed, but damn . . . that was . . . I had no time to get into anything more with her. Without another word, I left.

In a sea of orange and purple, it was good to occasionally look out at the crowd and spot Cannon blue. The roar in the arena was thunderous. Everyone was on their feet. The game was close, neck-and-neck since tip-off. My heart raced. Adrenaline pushed me forward as Phoenix missed a shot and I got the rebound.

I moved left, then right. Seeing Shae open, I passed to her. She took it down the court, passing to Tina, back to me, then I shot it over to Nina, who was wide open. With graceful ease, she got outside the paint and up for a three that was damn near perfect. Our lead grew to five. The roar got louder. It could’ve been my imagination, but it sounded as if the crowd was chanting our name.

Thirty seconds. My body was tired, everything burned, but I pushed through. For me. For my team. For the fans who’d stuck with us. For what this win would mean. Phoenix made their next shot, narrowing it to a three-point game. There was a fight for the rebound, the ball went wild. A moment of chaos ensued as everyone dove for control. A whistle was blown, and I paced back and forth while the refs conferred. The lead pointed toward our side of the court, indicating we had possession.

Using my forearm, I wiped sweat from my brow, getting into position. Shannon dribbled a few times on the sidelines, looking for someone to pass to. I darted forward with my guard on my heels. She swiped for the ball, but I angled my body, keeping it from her reach. I swiveled right, finding Tina open. She went for a shot, missed, but it didn’t matter, the buzzer sounded.

I leaned forward, resting my hands on my thighs, taking in the moment for a few seconds as excited commotion spiraled around me. Finally, we’d done it. My quiet reflection was interrupted by the jubilance of my teammates tugging me into the celebration. It was surreal; everything happened in a whirlwind, but also in slow motion at the same time. We’d fucking done it. We were champions.

The adrenaline high of the win had me amped, riding the wave, stumbling only when I caught a glimpse of Shae and Doc. Their embrace, the way the two of them were so wrapped up in each other. A pang hit me as I looked to the crowd, knowing Sasha wouldn’t be there, suddenly missing her more than ever. Wishing she was here to share this moment with me.

Why had I told her no? She’d been right, this game was different, and she should have been here.

I should have wanted her here, cost be damned.

The party continued in the locker room. Bottles of champagne were passed around. Music played as some of the ladies danced and generally enjoyed the fruits of our hard work. Even Coach got in on the celebration.

“Yo, Court, where you going?” Tina called out to me as I made my way to the hall.

I held my phone up. “Gotta call my lady back.”

Just outside the door I leaned against the wall, smiling as I listened to the antics going on inside and started scrolling my texts. Mya. Mya. With each new message my heart cracked and my mood plummeted. More texts from Mya and only Mya. Same for the only missed call I had, along with the voicemail waiting. I slid down the wall, staring at my phone in utter disbelief.

Nothing from Sasha . . .

Chapter 4

Courtney

The ambient noise of the plane’s engine whirled in my ears as I stared unfocused out the small oval window. A shadow hung over this momentous accomplishment . . . I hadn’t heard a peep from Sasha since I’d left. I had tried to not let it bother me that she’d left me on read when I’d texted her when we’d landed and again after I’d gotten settled at the hotel.

Normally before away games she’d send me a good luck message with the kiss emoji, and when that didn’t come, I’d put it out of my mind because I had to focus. The team needed me to be completely present when I stepped onto the court. But now . . . her lack of contact—her deliberate lack of contact—it gnawed at me.

“Wha . . .” An elbow to my side pulled me from my thoughts. I turned, scowling at Tina. “Why the hell you assaulting me?”

“Because I’ve been talking to your spacey ass and you ain’t respond. What’s up with you? You been in a mood since . . .”

“I’m good.” I cut her off, knowing what she was going to say. Closing the shade on the window, I fully rested back against my seat. “Just the tired setting in, ya know. Long season. Worth it, ultimate payoff, but . . . just tired.”

She leaned back and stared at me for a long while, then glanced around and I did the same. Some of the players were knocked out, eye masks, neck pillows, headphones, out-to-the-world knocked out. Others were watching movies or other-wise entertained.

“Ah,” she said finally. “You just don’t wanna talk about it right now. That’s cool.”

“What the fuck . . . what I just say?”

She wore a slick smile, and I knew what she was playin’ at. “Some bullshit,” she replied with a laugh. “But like I said, that’s cool. Anyway, you think we gettin’ a parade? I’ve always wanted to be in a parade.” She grinned wide, looking like a kid on Christmas.

Her annoying enthusiasm at least brought a smile to my face. “They better since they damn near shut down the city when the Braves won the World Series. Our accomplishment is just as deserving. Hell, probably more.”