Page 54 of Spending Forever With You

We went unmoved until her eyes fell to my glove.

“I will never understand how you play the damn game and still don’t know how to do that right. Here, pass it to me.” She made her way between my legs, her hand stretching for the glove and towel.

“And for someone who has never done more than toss a few balls, you swear you know more than me,” I said not even protesting to hand it over. This was one of our things.

Hollis had trained herself on conditioning and breaking in my gloves over the years when we were together, even going as far as buying my last one before she left me.

“Because I do, duh! And I tossed more than a few. You better act like before the team and the league it wasn’t me in the backyard with you going for hours. Now watch out while I handle this for—” Her sentence cut off and I heard a low audible gasp as she looked over the glove.

It was the same one she’d bought all those years ago. It was a wedding present and the only one I had kept up with over the years besides the fifty dollar wedding band back home in a box of memories of us. Besides my love for her, it was my most prized possession.

In the beginning of our end, I couldn’t bring myself to replace it. It was all I had left of her with me. Then it became a superstition thing, or so I said to make it make sense why I still had a glove that was over ten years old.

“Well, my bad. I guess I have to take back my words. I can’t believe you still have this glove, Luke. How has it lasted this long?”

“My photogenic memory of watching you care for it, and well, of course replacing the strings to help tighten her back up.”

“Her?”

I grabbed the glove, opening it wide so she could see her name I had engraved with a message.

Hollis Deacon ~ Forever Loving You

This time her pulling in air wasn’t missed as she covered her mouth.

“When did you do this and why? I know we’re supposed to be making the world believe us, but this… Don’t you think this was too much?”

“The engraving isn’t new, so no. I did this at a time when my heart yearned to hold you, so I came up with the second best way I knew I could make it happen.”

“When was that?”

“Before I lost you.”

“Why didn’t you replace it then? We had broken up.” she asked in a hushed tone while I watched her run her fingertips over her name.

I paused, debating if I wanted to tell her the truth, my truth, or hold it in. I wasn’t sure if she could handle it or not. When her heavy gaze met mine, I got my unspoken answer.

“Because even with you deciding to leave me, I still wanted to hold you.”

Still do.

“And now?” She whispered this time, but I heard her loud and clear.

“Hershey, my arms will always want to hold you. They were made to cover you in them. Even if you hate me.” She kissed her teeth then put her attention back on the glove.

“Luke, I don’t hate you.” She lied with a silly ass grin on her face, which had me laughing lowly as I took a seat next to her on the bed.

“Bullshit. So we lying to each other now? I mean, it’s cool if you do, shit, not really, but I can respect the part I played to switch your feelings for me. It doesn’t change my feelings for you.”

“I’m not lying. Well, not fully. My hate is growing to dislike more.”

“Aw shit, I’m moving up on the list, huh? What do I have to do to make it to the like stage? I’m trying to move like this after you decide to leave my ass again.” Hollis’s laugh was light as she shook her head.

“Move like what? Sharing hotel rooms and beds?”

I shrugged. “As bad as I want to say hell yeah, no, as friends at least first. Shit, I mean, six months is a long time to share a space. We could at least enjoy each other’s company.”

“Friends? As if we were ever that to begin with. I don’t see how that would work, especially when you just openly admitted to still loving me.”