AllFreeNovel
Share Us
No. And it didn’t even hit me until right this moment how un-okay I am. I can feel my stomach twist, my chest tighten, and it’s too loud in this restaurant. Too fucking bright. I glare at the lights, my eyes immediately watering, and I blink back tears. Oh, God. I’m crying. In front of my girlfriend’s family, and who the fuck chose this place?
Oh, yeah. I did.
Stupid.
Why the hell am I so nervous? I’m a professional baller, for fuck’s sake. N.B.fricken.A. I’ve come in clutch on buzzer-beater shots that have won career-making games. I’ve played in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans, done interviews broadcast to millions, spoken on stage, and now this? This is where I break?
How?
Because Ava was by my side through all the things I listed above, knowing damn well that none of it meant anything without her.
My End Game.
And now I’m close to making my dreams a reality, and the two people who can give me that are currently sitting in front of me, staring at me as if I lost my mind, left it on the hardwood at Spectrum Center.
I’d planned out my speech, every word, every damn syllable. Then, on the drive here, I had perfected it, and now… now I can’t think.
Can’t even breathe.
“Funny I mention what?” Miss D asks, and I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“He wants permission to marry Ava,” Trevor says, and I glance over at him, his smug smile splitting his face in two.
The walls close in, and I get dizzy when the room spins and spins and spins, and I…
…pass out.
I’m in a tunnel, a small dot of light miles away, and I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the forehead. There’s a voice at the end but no silhouette to accompany it.
“You scared him!” Miss D says, but her words are distant, and they echo echo echo.
“I was just messing with the kid, Mama Jo.” My hair is yanked, snapping my neck back, and I try to pry my eyes open. I don’t have to work hard when water splashes on my face and I gasp air into my lungs for the first time in what feels like forever.
“Trevor!” Miss D admonishes.
“He’s fine,” Trevor grumbles. “Look.” I don’t move away in time for the next glass of water to be thrown at me.
“I’m good!” I almost shout, slapping at his giant behemoth of a hand until he lets go of my hair.
Love/hate is real, and right now, I’m on the hate train.
“I’m sorry, bro,” he says, moving around the table until he’s back in his chair. He leans back slightly while I use a napkin to dry my face, my hair. “It’s just… I’ve thought about this moment a lot,” Trevor continues, “and I thought I was prepared, and I know you guys have been together for years now, too many, but she’s my little sister, you know? It’s been hard watching her grow up, witnessing everything she’s been through, and now I have to let her go…”
In my mind, the hate train comes to a halt, and I’m quick to hop off.
Through the knot in my throat, I manage to say, “I get it.”
Next to me, Miss Diaz sniffles, and Trevor and I give her our attention. She’s wiping her tears using the end of the tablecloth, and the movements shift the glasses on the table, tipping them over. More water spills and no one seems to care. Besides, what’s more mess added to the one we already created?
“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I had this whole speech planned. Obviously, me passing out at the table wasn’t part of it.” I reach up and run my fingertips along my forehead, where a sharp pain still pulses. A row of four tiny indents greets me. “The fuck?”
“You landed on a fork,” Trevor chuckles. “Lucky it didn’t get you in the eye.”
My shoulders bounce with my silent laughter, and I rub my eyes. “God, I’m a mess.”
“No, you’re not,” Miss D coos. “You’re perfect, Connor, six-six, and nothing in this world would make me happier than for you to marry my daughter.”
I smile at her, loving how the harsh lights somehow soften the scars that made her the woman she is today. I settle in my chair, let go of any expectations of what today was supposed to be, and just give it to her straight. “You know, when I first met you, you wouldn’t leave the house, too afraid of how this shitty world has and would treat you,” I tell her, my voice cracking with affection. “You’ve changed so much in the years I’ve loved you, Mom. I am what I am because you are who you are, and I remind myself of that every time Ava writes your name on my hand before every game.” I drop my gaze, suddenly too aware of all the emotions swirling inside me. “I appreciate you so much, and I’m forever grateful you trust me with your daughter’s heart, but…” I pause for a breath. “It’s not you I’m worried about.” I chance a peek in Trevor’s direction. “It’s him.”
