Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
Rome
I didn’t mean to say it. The words just came out. I knew once I said them, I couldn’t take it back. I was trying to formulate the best response, make it seem like I was talking about something else, but I panicked. This is Chrissy though, and I should have known better. She said it back, and now, she’s curled in my arms, sleeping peacefully.
I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. The girl of my dreams is finally mine. I love her, and she loves me. What more could a guy want?
The hum of the air-conditioning fills the room. If it were just me, I would have the fan going as well, just for the white noise. Instead, I have Chrissy and her small intakes of air soothing me to sleep. When I close my eyes, worry doesn’t fill my mind and settle in my bones. For once, it’s love, and it starts to mend all the cracks that formed over the years.
The bed shifts when the sun rises. I groan sleepily, not ready to wake up. A pair of lips press into my temple, and her words float into my ear.
“Keep sleeping. I’ll be right back.”
I grumble an incoherent response, and Chrissy snickers.
She leaves the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
I reach for my phone to check the time and groan again. It’s 8:00 a.m., and I’ve been slacking on my morning runs. My palms meet my eyes as I try to wake myself up. If it were up to me, I would sleep until noon, but Coach would have my ass if he knew I’d been skipping my workout routine.
So, I climb out of bed and change into a pair of black athletic shorts and a black sleeveless tank. Looking in the mirror, I ruffle my hair to make it seem like it’s a casual look and not because I just climbed out of bed. When I step into the hall, I hear Chrissy talking quietly. I peer into the living room as I head into the kitchen, and I smile when I see she’s talking with whom I assume to be her mother on a video call.
As they talk, I grab my shaker bottle and fill it with milk and a scoop of my favorite chocolate protein powder. As I shake it, I walk toward the blonde sitting on my couch, making sure I don’t appear on her phone screen.
Her eyes light up when she sees me. I want to bend down and kiss her head, but I’m not sure if she’s ready for her mother to see me. If she wants her mom to know that her daughter has been spending the night at a guy’s house.
Chrissy holds the phone to her chest and lowers her voice. “Do you want to say hi?”
My stomach roils with nerves, but I nod and give her a genuine smile.
Raising the phone again, Chrissy looks at her mom and blushes. “Mom, ready to meet Rome?”
“Yes!” Her mom responds without hesitating, and my smile grows.
Chrissy scoots down the couch so I can sit next to her. I wave at the camera and grin at the woman who looks just like her daughter.
“Hi,” I say, sounding shy.
“Oh my goodness, those cheeks!”
“Oh, here we go,” Chrissy sighs.
“I just want to squeeze them!”
“Mom!” Chrissy scolds, and I chuckle in response.
“It’s Faye, right? I’m Rome,” I say through a hint of laughter.
“Oh, trust me. My husband and I know who you are?—”
“Is that Rome?” a man calls off camera.
Faye looks off-screen and gestures for the man to make an appearance. The first thing I notice is how kind his eyes are. They’re dark blue and smooth, almost appearing matte. He has a few deep-set wrinkles in his brow, most likely the result of raising a troublesome set of twins.
“You look different compared to the photos we’ve seen.”
“Ethan,” Faye mumbles and slaps his arm.
With a chuckle, I say, “I recently cut my hair. The tangles were a bit too much to manage.”
“Oh, we know all about tangles,” Ethan teases, and Chrissy clicks her tongue.
“These curls came from one of you. I don’t want to hear it.”
Faye’s attention is locked on me while her husband and daughter go back and forth. We offer one another a smile, and a wave of pride crashes through me.
I’m not a bad guy. I’m not perfect, but I’m not bad. I have trauma, anxiety, and fear of losing people I love, and that fear overwhelms me most days. Chrissy is helping me heal from that part of my past though. Her love and empathy are the reason she’s on my couch. She’s shown me time and time again that I can trust her.
“Rome has to go on a run now.” Chrissy interrupts my thoughts.
“Wait, I was hoping we could talk about football,” Ethan counters.
“You two can talk about football all you want when you come visit in a few weeks.” Chrissy purses her lips and then offers a small smile.
“Okay, fine. Nice to officially meet you, Rome. I look forward to getting to know you better.” Ethan waves before stepping off the screen, leaving Faye behind.
“Be good, you two, and have fun. But not too much fun!”
“Bye, Mom,” Chrissy giggles. “Love you!”
“Talk to you later.” I grin at Faye as the call ends.
With her phone still in hand, Chrissy wraps her arms around my neck and embraces me. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I choke out as she begins to squeeze the air from my lungs.
“For being you.” She places several kisses on my cheek. “I really do love you.”
With a warm and sincere smile, I place a loving kiss on her lips. “And I love you.”
Sweat beads across my forehead, trickling into my eyes as I finish the last lap around the park by my apartment. It’s the middle of July, and I can’t wait for summer to be over. I’m more than ready for the autumn weather. Hoodies, hot chocolate, cool days, and even cooler evenings. My favorite thing about fall is when football starts. The atmosphere is brimming with excitement for the new season.
The stands in the stadium fill to capacity, and the buzz of anticipation always settles in my bones. I can do without the lingering heat during the beginning of the season, but once a few games are under our belts, the temperature will decrease, and that’s when the real fun starts. Don’t even get me started on playing in the snow. Nothing can top that.
When I reach the end of the block, I raise my arms and do some stretches as “Jungle” by X Ambassadors plays in my earphones. My phone vibrates against my arm. Once I finish my stretches, I free it from the strap and see a text from Malik.
Did you tell Coach about the plays?
No, he connected the dots himself.
I don’t want to deal with this today. I was hoping to avoid this for as long as I possibly could.
He took that task away from me. Do you know how crucial that was on my resume? It gave me a leg up, and you took it away!
I didn’t tell him! I don’t know who did!
Willing to bet you do, and you don’t want to snitch. Fucking coward.
I don’t know, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. Call me a coward all you want, but deep down, you know they did the right thing.
I warned you, Carter. You’re nuts if you think I’m passing you the ball. Just wait for our first game at the end of August. You’re fucked.
“Fuck!” I shout, not caring who is around.
If I could afford a new phone, I would slam this one to the pavement to hear the satisfying crack of the screen. I would watch the bits of plastic fly and disappear into the dry summer grass. But I can’t afford a new phone, and if I want to keep my future intact, I have to kiss his ass.
What can I do to fix this?
What are you willing to give me?
Anything.
I want Chrissy Willows.
My eyes practically bug out of my skull. I tighten my grip on my phone. Is he fucking insane?! First of all, Chrissy is her own person. Why does he think he can use her as leverage? Why does he think she’d not only be okay with being used like that but that she wants anything to do with him? He’s a snake and a camouflaged one at that. I wouldn’t touch him with a hundred-foot pole with a cozy sock at the end of it. Yesterday, when he cornered her, I almost lost it. But Chrissy stood up for herself and some. That woman can handle herself, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do everything in my power to protect her.
Not going to happen.
Then you better freshen up on your American history...