“It wasn’t exactly what you needed right now though.”
“Exactly,” he said, grateful she understood. “Is … is Stephan what you need right now?”
“I think he could be,” she said slowly. “It’s still really early so we have some stuff to figure out. Unlike you and Thad, we didn’t know each other before we started dating. But a lot of things seem promising.”
“He doesn’t travel like I do, does he?”
“No.” She laughed. “He has a very boring 9-5 desk job. I will say this, it iswayeasier for us to get our schedules to match up than it ever was with the two of us. I’ve been super busy lately too with my career, but he seems cool with that. Really understanding and supportive.”
“Yeah, you’re really killing it with the brand deals and the cookbook and everything lately, huh?” he said, nudging her with his elbow.
“Yeah.” She glowed. “My career is really taking off, I think.”
“I’m proud of you. Maybe that sounds stupid because we’re not together anymore but …”
But her smile was bright and sunny. “No, it’s nice. It means a lot coming from someone like you. You’ve worked so hard at your career, and I always liked that you didn’t treat my stuff like it was a stupid hobby or something.”
“Dude, you’re anamazingcook,” he said. “You totally helped me level up my kitchen game.”
“I always feel weird about it. Like … like I’m not really legit because I didn’t go to school for it.” She gestured toward the kitchen. “I’m not arealchef.”
“Hey, maybe you don’t have the official title, but people love the content you create,” he argued. “And, you know, you made it approachable.”
He’d run across Madison’s social media content and been really impressed with the way she took recipes and nutrition and meal prepping and broke them down into something simple. Something that didn’t feel overwhelming.
He’d run into an issue with one recipe though and had slid into her DMs with a question. She’d answered it and they’d struck up a conversation about food and cooking, which had led to her asking questions about his career and him asking about hers.
Eventually they’d realized they lived in the same city, and when she had an event to go to and no one to take as her plus-one, she’d invited him.
He hadn’t had a game that night, thankfully, and everything in their relationship had evolved organically from there.
In many ways, it had been easier than what he had with Thad. Simpler, more straightforward.
But Graham thought about the way it had felt when Thad draped his jacket over Graham’s shoulders, the curve of his smile, and the sound of his laughter and he knew he would choose complicated over simple every time, if it meant having Thad in his life.
“Graham?” Madison asked quietly.
“Yeah.” He blinked. “Sorry. Just lost in thought.”
“I really hope the two of you are able to figure things out.”
“Thanks. That means a lot to me.” He looked her in the eye. “And I hope it works out for you and Stephan. You deserve someone really great.”
She squeezed his forearm. “We both do.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Thad settled into a seat in the waiting area with a familiar sense of dread.
He always went to his therapy appointments reluctantly, and with the sense something terrible was about to happen.
Not because he didn’t like his therapist. Harlan Sparks knew his shit.
But Thad always hated the way it felt to have someone peel back the layers of protection he’d painstakingly built over the years and dig into the soft bits underneath.
Even if, in the long run, it was doing him good.
When Thad had been hired by the Harriers, one of the HR people had discussed benefits with him. He’d almost wept at the thought of good dental care and a 401k.
