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“Funny. I thought I was your boyfriend.” His words were sour in his mouth.
Susan bit her lower lip. “I thought that if I told you I was pregnant, you’d enter the NBA draft. I never imagined you’d quit the team and get a job.”
“I told you I wanted my degree.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I know. I thought you wanted to play basketball more.”
Years of anger blurred his vision. “So you gambled with my future and I lost.”
Susan breathed in and out again. “I’m truly sorry, Troy. I know that what I did was wrong. It was selfish. I regret hurting you.”
Troy stood and paced away from his desk. Away from Susan. “You did more than hurt me. You made a decision that changed my future.” He hooked his hands on his hips and glared through his office window at the cool waves of the marina and the full bloom of spring on the trees below.
Susan’s voice carried tentatively across the room. “I never should have lied to you. I was wrong. But, Troy, it was your decision to quit the team. And you were the one who said we should get married before we talked to your parents.”
Troy turned back to her. “You told me I was going to have a family to take care of. I couldn’t continue to play basketball. I had to earn a paycheck.”
Susan stood, clutching her rose handbag, which perfectly matched her linen pants suit. “You didn’t tell me you were going to give up your scholarship. You just did it.”
Troy ran his hand over his hair. “It seemed like a logical decision.”
“But it was your decision, not mine.” Susan spread her arms to encompass his office. “And it seems everything turned out fine for you. Your mother said you were happy.”
Troy scanned his office, lingering over the familiar awards and commendations. He was a successful executive working for an organization that was well regarded in the community. He hadn’t needed Andrea to tell him that. But she’d been right to insist he take responsibility for his actions. The realization shamed him.
He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his suit pants. “Yes, I’m very happy.”
“And I’m very sorry. What more can I say?” Susan’s gaze appealed to him.
Now that he could think clearly, Troy realized he was verbally striking out at a college coed who no longer existed. She’d grown into a mature woman whose sincerity he couldn’t doubt. He heard it in her words and saw it in her expression. Troy returned to his desk.
“Please.” He gestured toward her chair. They both sat. “Why was it so important to you to apologize after all this time?”
A blush rose into her cheeks. “I’ve wanted to apologize to you for a while.”
“Why didn’t you?” Troy picked up his pen from his desk and rolled it between his right thumb and index finger. “You could have reached me through the Monarchs. The number’s listed.”
Susan crossed her legs and folded her hands on her right thigh. “After my second marriage fell apart, I took a hard look at my life.”
“It must have been easier with the divorce settlement. I heard you made out like a bandit.” He regretted the dig almost as soon as it was out of his mouth.
Susan inclined her head. “The decision was very generous. I asked the court to stop the payments ten years ago.”
Troy did the math. She’d ended her alimony one year after her divorce. “Why?”
“I wasn’t in love with Sam when I married him. But the divorce still left me with a lot of regrets, on top of the ones I had from our breakup. I wanted to start over.”
“Why didn’t you call me then?”
Susan shrugged. “I was ashamed, so I put the past behind me. It worked at first. I was building my consulting company and taking care of myself. And then I met someone. A couple of months ago, he asked me to marry him.”
“Oh, yeah?” Troy’s su
rprised gaze dropped to her ringless fingers.
Susan’s smile was unsteady. “I told him what I’d done and that I needed to at least apologize to you before I could plan for my future. I’ve already apologized to Sam.”
He heard Andrea telling him that with forgiveness came second chances. He wasn’t going to deny Susan a second chance at happiness. It’s what he wanted, too, with Andrea.
