“It’s so damn good to hear your voice.”
I smile. “You just talked to me, what, two days ago?”
“Two days too long. How are you?”
“Good. Hunter and I are getting ready to go shopping,” I tell him, smiling at Hunter.
“How’d you con him into that?”
“I didn’t. He volunteered.” He’s quiet so I change the subject. “How’s the new condo?”
“Good. I need some furniture still, but it works. That’s actually why I’m calling. I’m having some guys from the team over on The Fourth. I was hoping you could come up? Dustin is coming, and Nix and Tessa are going to try to make it as well. I know she’d love to see you.”
“Aw, really? I’m sorry. I already have plans.”
“Plans? Cancel them.”
Oh, how I wish he would have called twenty-four hours sooner. “I’m going with Hunter to his parents’ house in Florida.”
“You’re meeting the parents?” he asks.
“Yes.” I laugh nervously. I am, and I was good with it, but now I want to come and see you instead.
“Reese, I miss you.”
“I know. It’s been too long. I’ll come visit before training camp starts.”
“That’s like three weeks from now.”
“Okay.”
“It’s been months since I’ve seen you, Reese.” I can hear the sadness in his voice.
“It’s been three weeks, Coop.”
“Three weeks that feels like three years.”
“I thought you said months?” I laugh.
“With each minute, the time grows farther away.”
“Stop it. You’re too much. I’ll be there to visit the week before training camp. How’s that?”
“Fine,” he grumbles. “Just you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you bringing him with you?”
“I don’t know.”
“I prefer you didn’t. I need my Reese time.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“I miss you, Reese.”
“Me too,” I say. I feel uncomfortable telling him that I miss him in front of my boyfriend. I shouldn’t, but my heart still remembers, and that causes me guilt. I miss my best friend, but I also miss him, and the thought of what I hoped we would one day be.
“Talk to you soon.”
“Bye, Coop.”
“Everything okay?” Hunter asks.
“Oh, yeah, it’s fine. He’s having a few people over to his new condo and wanted me to come. Tessa is going to be there.”
“Oh.” The nice guy in him wants to tell me it’s okay. I can see it on his face.
“We have plans. There will be other get-togethers.” His shoulders visibly relax.
“Good. Go get ready so we can go.”
He grabs his phone and begins to scroll, completely unaware of the fact that my heart is racing and feels as though my chest might explode. He doesn’t know that my palms are sweaty or that when I stand from my place on the couch, that my knees are weak. I want to go see Cooper. It took everything in me to tell him no. I miss him something fierce. I know I did the right thing, but my heart, well, my heart just doesn’t understand.Chapter 23CooperMy new condo has food covering every surface in the kitchen, and it’s filled with bodies. Some of the guys from my new team, Dustin and a girl he’s been dating, as well as Nixon and Tessa are here. It’s good to see my friends, but they’re not Reese.
I fucking miss her. More than I ever thought that I would. I can’t tell you how many times throughout the day I want to call her just to tell her what I did or show her something I bought for the condo. Then I remember that she’s at work. And at night, when we FaceTime, sometimes he’s there. I hate it. No, I fucking loathe it, but there is nothing I can do about it. She has to live her life, like I’m living mine. If you call what I’m doing living.
My parents helped me move into my condo that’s just a few miles from the stadium. I’ve had countless meetings with my agent and financial planners and coaching staff. It’s not that I’m not staying busy. I am. It’s just that everything in my life, circles back around to Reese. Something she would find funny or food she would love, or a story that I need to tell her. I don’t know how to stop it. I don’t know how to not need her in every facet of my life.
“Nice place,” Nixon says, joining me on the patio. “Have you talked to her?”
I pretend I don’t know who he’s talking about, and we both know I’m full of shit. “Who?”
“You’re sulking. This is your party and you’re sulking.”
“I’m not sulking.”
“You are. What happened? Did the two of you have a fight?”
“Like you don’t already know. I know she and Tessa still talk every day.”
“Maybe.” He grins behind the Solo cup that he brings to his lips. “But I want to hear it from you.”
“She’s meeting the parents,” I say sarcastically.
He nods. “And you’re sulking.”
“No, I’m not.”
“And now we sound like toddlers.” He laughs.