“Yeah,” she agrees, taking another sip of her wine. Her eyes are watchful over the rim of the glass, and I want to drown in them. Drown in her.
“But, Callie, part of the reason I’ve hung in for as long as I have is because I don’t know who I am without football. And I don’t have anyone to share my life with the way I want.”
Callie clears her throat. “What’s the way you want?”
I smirk, toss a hand in the direction of the beach house. “You know what my family is like. You see what my parents share. I want that.”
“Not many people have that,” she counters slowly. “What your parents share is rare. It’s…years of work and sacrifice.”
“Doesn’t make me want it any less. Besides…” I tilt my head and study her. “Since when is anything truly worth it easy?”
Callie drops her chin in agreement. “Why are you telling me this, Gage?”
One side of my mouth tugs into a small smirk at her use of my first name. That alone tells me she knows where this is going. And she hasn’t put a stop to it—yet—so I forge ahead.
“You’re the woman I want that with, Callie. It’s you…or no one.” I hold her gaze as I say it. I want her to see my eyes and know it’s true.
She rears back slightly, as if shocked. Callie’s eyes widen and her lips part. Her gaze darts from one of my eyes to the other, down to my mouth, and back up again. Her fingers tremble slightly, and she moves to gulp her wine, but I reach out and place my hand over hers.
“I’m not bullshitting you, Calla Lily. And deep down, you know that too. It’s always been you.” My voice is steady and strong. A hell of a lot more restrained than I feel. Inside, my heart thrashes and my nerves ping-pong. But my mind is clear. I’ve thought about Callie—about this—for years and I’m not going to miss my chance to tell her the truth. To take my shot.
“Gage,” she whispers. “I—I don’t date clients.”
I snort. “Then I won’t be your client anymore. Or at least, not much longer.”
She shakes her head. “You can’t throw away your career?—”
“I’ve had one hell of a career. Three Super Bowl rings,” I remind her.
She blows out a breath. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s okay. I caught you off guard.” I know I did since I was supposed to talk to her about my career. “But as a friend, what do you think I should do? Try to negotiate a contract with the Coyotes? Stay in the game for another season? Or convince the woman I’m fucking crazy about to give me a chance?”
“Gage,” Callie murmurs. “Why, I can’t tell you—I…” She trails off, shaking her head.
“I want you to know the truth.” I take her wine glass and place it on the ledge of the railing. I grip her fingers lightly. “I want you to give me this week. I want to show you how it could be between us. I don’t need football, Callie. Or an endorsement deal. I need you.”
“Gage, I’m a mess,” she whispers, her tone laced with something I’ve never heard before. Fear.
“You’re not, sweetheart.” I shake my head. “I’m looking right at you and you’re goddamn perfection.”
She smiles but it’s sad. Wobbly. “I don’t want you to choose between me and football. I want you to have both.” I don’t think she realizes what she’s admitting. That part of her wants me too; that she wants me to have her the same way I desire.
“I will. I’ve had football for twenty years. I want the next twenty-plus with you.”
“I don’t know how to do this.” She gestures between us. “I don’t know how to do anything lately.”
I study her, noting the dark circles beneath her eyes. “You’ve been pushing yourself too hard.”
“It’s been a tough few years.”
I think back to the news of her father’s passing. Her grandmother. I’ve seen the way she obsesses about work, hell, it’s part of the reason why I’ve stayed signed with her for so long. But this past year, or maybe two, she’s ramped it up. “You’re burning out, sweetheart.”
“This is all I have,” she says in a way that reminds me of my relationship with football.
“We’ve both made our work the biggest parts of our identity,” I say slowly, understanding where she’s coming from. “And it’s not easy to pivot into anything new when the one thing we have, the thing we’re good at, has been so damn good to us.”
She nods slowly. “Yes.”
