“Why now?”I whispered.
“Because grief is supposed to soften in time,” he said, “not solidify.And you look like you’re turning to stone just to survive.Let me take the battle from you.Let me be the one who makes sure nothing like this ever happens again, not to my players, not to their families, not to anyone.”
My knees gave the slightest buckle.I gripped the railing harder.
“I don’t know how to let it go,” I admitted.My voice trembled.“I don’t know who I am without it.”
He nodded once, slowly.
“You don’t need to let it go all at once,” he said.“But let it breathe.Let it have somewhere else to live besides your chest.Let the people who care for you in, Tessa.”
My breath shook.
“And why do you care?”I whispered.
A softness crossed his expression.Not pity, recognition.
“Because I’ve seen people drown in this kind of grief,” he said.“And I see how close you are to slipping under.”
I closed my eyes, and I felt it.The first tear in weeks.It hit my shirt silently, a warm pinpoint over my heart.
Callum stepped back, giving me space.
“The property my brothers and I live on isn't far from here,” he said quietly.“If you ever need anything.Or if you ever want to talk about what comes next.Anything.You’re not alone, Tessa.”
Callum turned and walked down my drive.He opened the Bronco door, and before he climbed in, he looked at me one last time.
“You and Nate deserved better,” he said.“And I intend to make sure you get it.”
The engine rumbled, the Bronco rolled away.And on the porch, with my belly heavy and my lungs tight...I cried.
For the first time since the anger consumed me, I let myself feel more than the rage...I let myself cry.
Chapter 51 - Tessa
“Stop fidgeting,” Kenzie muttered, swatting at my hand as I tugged at the hem of my dress.“You look beautiful.”
“I look like a beluga whale in a tarp,” I said.
“You look like a woman who’s about to bring a tiny human into the world.Now, let people love you for two hours and then I’ll bring you home, and you can hide under a blanket again.Deal?”
I didn’t answer, but I let her tuck my hair behind my ear and fix the neckline, so it didn’t strangle me.My ankles were swollen, my back hurt, and my chest felt like someone had wedged a brick right under my sternum.
The barn-turned-event-space belonging to old friends of mine glowed warm and golden.They’d strung fairy lights from beam to beam, and someone had put mason jars of wildflowers on every table.There was a banner that read "Welcome, Baby Girl" in loopy handwriting.A small part of me wanted to cry just because someone had taken the time.
Another part of me wanted to walk right back to the truck and lock myself in.
But then the people started coming.
Maggie and John first, Maggie’s eyes already shiny, John carrying a wrapped box like he had no idea how it got in his hands.
The Palmers came, arms full of Tupperware and casseroles.Judy hugged me so tightly I felt my ribs creak, then immediately apologized and fussed over my belly.
Teammates’ partners, some I barely knew, pressed bags and boxes at me like offerings.Chase showed up with his sisters, who immediately burst into tears the second they saw me and tried to apologize for crying.Adam hovered at the back, fussing over the food and drinks.
I smiled.
I hugged who I was supposed to hug.
