Page 197 of Challenge Me

Remi

So I will meet them, blade in hand,

No fear, no grace, no plea.

The war they carved into my flesh,

Still fights its way through me.

“What . . .” I couldn’t even finish the question.

There, right in front of the table where this man’s cum stain lived, Amir was kneeling on the floor of my bar. One elbow rested on his thigh while he held a tiny box. When he flipped it open, I put a hand on my stomach, trying desperately to breathe.

“I don’t know if I’m lucky today, but I do know that I want to marry you.”

“Are you fucking insane?” I asked.

“Since the moment I walked into this bar and saw you.”

“You can’t just . . .” I swallowed hard. My head felt off, and I wondered if I’d pass out right here on the floor.

“Of course I can.”

“W-why? What could possess you to quit?”

He tilted his head, as if considering it. “I refuse to let the people I love be dragged through the mud anymore, and I never again want to justify my life to a bunch of people I don’t know. There are only three people whose opinion I care about.”

“Who?” I whispered.

He gave me a disbelieving look, then counted them off on his fingers. “Mal, Avery, and Remi freaking Keane, of course.”

“I can’t . . .” I shook my head, over and over.

He stood and took a step toward me. Flipping my hand over, he placed the ring in my palm. It was a scorched wood band with etchings all around it, like roots and branches. Inside, I saw the same runes I’d written on the letter I’d left for him: Even the broken endure.

Keeping hold of my fingers, he stroked my skin with his thumb. “I can’t change what’s already happened, and I can’t promise things will calm down yet. But fading into obscurity implies something gradual, so maybe you’re willing to fade away with me.”

“You can’t leave baseball.”

“I can, and I am.” His phone buzzed, showing Shawn’s name, but he ignored the call. “See? I’ve made it a fixed point.”

“Are they going to be pissed about the video?”

“Considering it was my official resignation, yeah, I’d say they’re pissed.”

“I repeat: Are you insane?”

“And I repeat: For you, yes.”

I gripped his fingers hard. “What about Avery? Mal?”

“I wouldn’t do this if they weren’t in full support of my decision.”

Part of me didn’t want to believe that. In what world could he up and leave his career behind? There was too much on the line.

“You turned down eighty million for me?” I asked.

“Eighty-five, officially, and not just for you, but I guess I did.”