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I shake my head and blow out a breath, giving her a look like she’s crazy.
“You mope around all the time unless you’re on the field. I gave you a full month and until this game to figure your shit out. And even then, only because Miles told me to, but this is your do-or-die moment. If you don’t go to her now, I guarantee you’re going to lose her forever.” She pokes me in the chest.
“Jesus, control her, Cavanaugh.” I look over at my teammate.
“No, because I agree with her.”
“So do I.” Adeline raises her hand around where Damon is covering her eyes. “Damon, I’m not Clover.” She tugs on his arm.
“You’re not going to see other guys’ junk,” he says.
“Damon’s afraid ours are bigger,” one of our teammates says to Adeline.
“Hell, get the fucking rulers out. I know where I stand in this group, but my wife isn’t going to see it.”
“This is ridiculous,” Adeline says, and if I could see her eyes right now, I bet they’d be rolling. “Cooper, please listen to Bryce. We were with her last night. She misses you the same as you miss her. You think we can’t see it, that you hide it, but it’s there. The win today isn’t as sweet, is it?”
Damn Adeline.
“There’s no way it is. She’s always been the first person you look for after a win. And I should know, I’ve been sitting next to her for years during your games.” Bryce keeps coming at me. Every step I take back from her, she takes two toward me.
“Jesus.” I lean in close. “She doesn’t want me,” I say through gritted teeth.
She looks behind me, hopefully cluing in that I don’t want this entire locker room in my business. I’m their fucking captain, the leader on that field, and I don’t want them thinking I’m some lovesick puppy dog.
Searching the area, she grabs my arm and tugs me into a room off the hallway. Miles, Damon, and Adeline follow, Adeline being led by Damon. Once we’re behind a closed door, Adeline pulls away from him.
“That was highly unnecessary,” she tells Damon, and he gives her some kind of look, and they grow closer as if magnets can’t keep them apart. “Congratulations,” she coos at him.
“Why won’t you people leave me alone?” I ask, sitting in a chair.
“Because we love you,” Bryce says, sitting down across from me. Miles is right next to her.
Adeline and Damon are in their private world in the corner.
“She doesn’t want me, not the way I want her.”
“And how is that?” Bryce crosses her arms.
“I don’t want conditions on how I love her. If I want to see her, if I want to surprise her, I don’t want to think about whether it’s my night to see her or not. We just had different ideas of what it would mean when we got together, I guess. Hell, I’d marry her tomorrow and start a family the next day.”
“And you don’t understand why someone might get scared of moving so fast, especially when they waited so long to be with you?” Bryce asks, concern marking her features.
“If she loved me like I love her, she’d want those things too.” I lean back in my seat, completely aware that might be ridiculous.
“Okay, I’m going to make this simple. We’ve both known Ellery for a long time. And what does she need in her life to feel safe and secure?” Bryce asks me like you would a four-year-old.
“Control,” I say and roll my eyes.
“And to feel like she has that control, what did she become?”
“I know all this, but it’s me, B, me.” I jab my chest with my finger.
“Just answer,” she says.
“A perfectionist.”
“So, is she going to let you guys finally embark on a relationship only for it to capsize a month later?”
