The Perfect First (Fulton U, #1)(82)

“We’ve been together since ninth grade. There’s nothing you can do to break us up. He’s never going to find someone who can give him what I can.” She grabbed Dan’s arm, trying to loop hers through his, but he pulled away, taking a step back.

“You lied to me again.” Tears welled in his eyes. “Who was it?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she cooed, like a sweet voice could erase the pain of her cheating.

“Who?” His voice cracked.

“Chad.”

I grabbed my coat. They needed to figure this out on their own. Their voices got higher and I dashed into my room to grab my bag. It sucked being the one to push them to this point, but I hoped it helped spare him the years of emotional abuse she’d heap on him. Maybe it would get her to see the error of her ways, to see that treating people like shit wasn’t a valid way to live her life.

I walked out of my room and he stood by the front door. Alexa switched between coos to placate him and snapping at him, telling him the horrible lies that had gotten her this far.

With my hand on the doorknob, I stared at him over my shoulder. “You deserve better, Dan. You deserve someone who’ll love you and who’ll never make you feel like you’re not enough. She’s out there for you.”

His gaze snapped to mine. Alexa shoved at his shoulder, nearly knocking him over. I tried to get him to believe it with my eyes. You can do it. I can’t do it for you.

He nodded and pulled the door open. Alexa jumped back so she didn’t catch a face full of wood, and Dan motioned for me to go through first. “You’re right.” He stepped outside and slammed the door shut behind him. A loud bang followed us on the way out, but I didn’t care. If she wrecked the rest of my stuff in the apartment, at least I’d helped Dan see the light of day, and if I could help him, maybe I could help my mom too. Then maybe at some point I’d be able to help myself. The distraction from the pain in my heart had helped. Maybe that was what I could do to avoid it, to avoid thinking about Reece—just keep pushing forward and helping other people, and then I wouldn’t have to stop and think about how I hadn’t even been able to help myself.





33





Reece





I threw my car into park near her building after pulling into the first spot I saw. My car hung halfway out, but I’d take a busted bumper if it meant getting to her faster. My heart hammered against my ribs. I’d walked out on the biggest press conference of my life up until now, and that was barely a blip on my radar. That win without her there to celebrate with me was a hollow yawning pit. I wanted her to run onto the field and wrap her arms around me, wanted to plant a kiss on her lips and stare into her eyes. I wanted her.

My dad’s words slammed into the center of my chest. A pro career lasted however long it took for my body to fail, but her love…that was forever—at least it would have been if I hadn’t fucked it up.

She walked out of her building, but she wasn’t alone. Dan stood next to her, looking like he’d walked through a minefield. She turned him and rested her hand on his arm then his shoulder. He nodded along with whatever she was saying.

I couldn’t hear the words, but this wasn’t a talk about what they liked on pizza. This was an intimate discussion. Standing on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he held on to her like she was a lifeline in a storm. His hands bunched her coat along her back.

Swallowing down the racing bile in my throat, I clenched my fists in my pockets and took a deep breath. My sneakers crunched on the thin sheet of ice forming on the ground.

Seph let go of him and smiled, the gentle, kind expression she had for anyone she cared about. The ice cracked under my feet and I wished I were on a lake that could swallow me up. I’d rather have felt the icy daggers of freezing winter water than watch her with someone else.

Her head turned and she spotted me. I knew because her smile faltered and then fell. The knotted pit in my stomach grew.

Dan turned to follow her gaze and his eyes widened. “Didn’t you just win the championship? What the hell are you doing here?”

I lifted my chin, jutting it forward. “I’m here to talk to Seph.”

Dan’s gaze bounced from me to Seph and back to me. “I—I’ll leave you two to talk. Thanks for everything, Seph.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked over to his car, glancing back over his shoulder before hopping inside.

We stood on the freezing sidewalk, staring at each other. The puffs of air from her lips drifted over my face as I got closer.

“You came to my game.” I’d left the ticket there on the off chance she’d show up.

“I promised I would.” She shrugged. The uncertainty in her eyes killed me.

“There are a lot of ways I can tell you I’m sorry, but I thought I’d show you. Will you let me?”

She nibbled her bottom lip like she always did when she was nervous or trying to decide the best course of action. It wasn’t a flat-out no, so I’d take it.

“It won’t take long.” I held out my hand. “A ten-minute drive.”

She stared down at it and walked past me. My heart plummeted. I squeezed my eyes shut and dropped my hand. I’d royally fucked things up.

“Are we going or not?”