AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yup.”
“Anymore questions?” My mouth curves up with amusement until I notice that she’s still as somber as before. “What’s wrong?”
“How’d it go?” she whispers.
Confused, I wrack my brain for whatever the hell she’s talking about.
“The game?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “The meeting with Lucian Steele.”
“Oh.” Resting my elbows on the granite counter, I answer, “Really good, actually.”
“And?” Her gaze darts over to me.
“And he offered me a position.”
She gulps. “Doing what?”
“Being an assistant coach.”
“Are you going to take it?” she whispers, staring at the nearly empty glass in front of her while avoiding my gaze again like a champ.
Apparently, it’s one step forward, two steps back today.
“I want to,” I admit.
Her shoulders hunch as if my response is a physical weight I just placed on them. I lean closer and nudge her gently. “Why are you sad?”
“Are you even going to invite me to come or ask my opinion on the matter? Or are you just going to pack up and leave again? What’s the plan, Owen? Where do I fall on your priority list this time? Huh?”
As if I’ve been slapped, I jerk away from her before swallowing back my frustration. Lifting her chin to make sure I have her full attention, I murmur, “Is that what you think?”
She squeezes her eyes shut. “You tell me.”
“I think I should probably tell you what team Lucian was referring to.”
“It doesn’t matter––”
“Trust me, Saylor. It really does.” I place my hand on top of her trembling one, then squeeze softly. “It’s for the Tornadoes.”
With a gasp, her lips part. “As in…?”
“The university that’s about thirty minutes away? Yeah. That’s the one.”
“S-so you wouldn’t be moving?” Her confusion is damn near palpable and makes me want to shake her.
“Why the hell would I move?” I demand. “I love you, Say. My son loves you. Your family’s here. Your career’s here. Your life is here. And other than Grady, you’re my life. My family. My future. I don’t give a shit about a career that would put us at risk. I tried that before, remember? Let me tell you from first-hand experience. It’s not worth it. I want you. I want us. I want this.”
Chewing on her thumbnail, she finally finds the courage to look me in the eye without me forcing her to. Her insecurities shine back at me, but it only makes me fall for her more. Because I can see her battling them. I can see the trust that I’ve worked so hard to build peeking its way through all the shit from our past. I can see it all.
“You’re sure?” she breathes.
“Of course, I’m sure. Saylor, I’ve known for years. Haven’t I made that clear? Do you know what I was doing before I moved back?”
“Last I’d heard, you were helping LAU recruit new players.”
“Yeah, and I was miserable. Not because I didn’t love my job or analyzing high school football games, but because you weren’t with me.” Scrubbin
