Page 25 of Scoring Chance

“Tell me about the simple woman you are. I feel a bit exposed with you knowing my deepest insecurities.”

He had a point. The night of the party he’d opened up to me. It was likely a result of being in the right place at the right time, but still, he trusted me with his secrets and I had a gut feeling I could trust him in return.

“I’m not going to lay it all out like you did, but I’ll share some things with you.”

His cocky grin slipped. “That was a rare moment for me.”

I leaned forward and took another chip. “I could tell. That’s why I kept it to myself.”

“Thank you.”

I stuffed a chip into my mouth, hoping to delay the conversation. Telling Madi about my past had resurfaced the feelings I thought I had dealt with, but it still hurt to think of Martin’s betrayal.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

He didn’t say it as a joke. His intense stare made me believe it. He really wanted to know everything about me. It should have felt intrusive or intimidating, but instead I felt drawn to him. I wanted to trust him and confide in him.

“Well, I was born on a cold night in—”

His laugh stopped me. “You can skip forward a little bit.”

I pretended to think about it. “In second grade, I fell on the playground.”

He put his hand up. “Maybe a bit more.”

I smirked. “You just want the good stuff.”

“For now. We have time for all the nitty gritty later.”

I liked the idea of spending more time with him more than I should. My brain was warning me that this needed to be a platonic relationship, but my heart stuck out its tongue and told my brain to shut up.

“I graduated from Baylor at the end of the summer. I had every intention of staying in that area or Houston, but plans changed.”

“Why?”

This was it. The moment I either told him the truth or skimmed over the facts. Something told me to lay it all out. If he wasn’t running by the end, I knew I could rely on him.

“Well about a year ago I met Martin…” I told him the whole horrid story. He barely reacted, so I wasn’t sure what he was thinking. I told him about the call from Madi and how a week later I was moving in with Elena.

He was quiet, looking torn. “Amelia. I’m so sorry.”

I tried to smile, but it fell flat. “It was really hard. I never wanted to leave Texas, but I had to. My reputation was destroyed.”

He shook his head. “I hate the way you got here, but I can’t say I’m not glad that you are.”

My cheeks warmed, and I looked up at him through my lashes. “Oh really?”

Heat filled his eyes. “Yes. You’re the first person I’ve met here that I feel like I can be myself around.”

I looked down, remembering what he told me on the balcony. He was struggling, with the team and himself. I understood feeling like you didn’t belong, and I hated that he was experiencing that.

“My coach talked to me today. He told me they’re worried about me affecting the team. He gave me specific grievances the guys have had with me. I know I’ve said and done dumb things, but it feels like the guys will never let it go.”

The sudden change of topic was a relief since it took the focus off me, but I could see how much he was hurting.

“Have you talked to any of them about it?”