“But they stuck it out. Together. They’re the ultimate goal—a couple who fought hard and won their right to be happy.”
“Of course.” He stared at me as if I’d said something outrageous. “They love each other. They deserve to be happy.”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
Nonplussed, he stammered. “I guess…I mean, yeah, but—”
“No buts, Fal. You’re still stuck under a mountain of uncertainty left by your parents’ miserable treatment of you. I know it’s hard to let go, but you’re strong, smart, and independent. A wonderful person who deserves only good things. You have friends who care about you. Love you. Me included.” The words tumbled out, momentous and shocking.
Pale-faced and trembling, Fallon hung his head. “You don’t mean that.”
“The hell I don’t.” I grabbed his arm and hauled him to me. “Since that first time in California, you’ve never really left me. Those months were the best times of my life. I’m beginning to understand that it was the only part of my life where I was able to be free. To be myself.”
“We never had a chance—still don’t. You’re in the public eye, playing a sport that’s the most macho of them all. There’s no place for me. Why can’t you see that?”
“I do see it.” I smoothed his hair off his face, its silky strands reminding me of the endless Kansas wheat fields, the golden heads nodding in the breeze. “But who says I have to accept it?”
“Be-because you’re…you. Trick Sloane, star quarterback and heading to the Super Bowl.”
“And?” With Fallon back in my orbit, the disquiet in my chest settled, which reenforced what I’d suspected. “That’s an awful lot of pressure on me. I’m going to need the people I care about most in the world to be by my side.”
Lips close, our breaths mingled, but Fallon still radiated fear. “You have your parents. They love you and will always be there for you.”
I caught him by the nape. “What about you?”
“Me?”
I was beyond caring and ran my nose down his cheek, feeling his full-body shudder at my touch. “You. Are you going to be there for me?”
“I don’t think—”
“Yeah, you do. Too much. That’s your problem. You’re turning what we have into a negative when it’s everything positive.”
With surprising force, Fallon twisted out of my grasp. “Goddammit, Patrick, can’t you see I’m trying to protect you?You’ll lose it all. Everything you worked so hard for all your life. You do this now, and you might not even get to play in the Super Bowl if the Kings make it. Is that what you want? To have that dream turn into a nightmare?”
“I’m trying to do what’s right for me. And that’s you.”
A tear fell from his eye. “And I’m trying to do what I think is best for your career. I can’t let you lose everything.” He squared his shoulders. “You’re better off without me.”
Time to make the biggest play of my life, something not even a Super Bowl touchdown could eclipse. If I didn’t have by my side the one person who made my heart happy, all the glory meant nothing in the end. Because when the dust settled and the cameras were gone, it would be me standing alone. My name merely an entry in a record book. No one to laugh with. No one to touch at night.
And I didn’t want that.
“I’m only good when I have you with me. You’re everything important in my life.” I grabbed him again, capturing his gaze. “I’ve never said this before, knowing the full weight of its meaning. I love you, Fallon, and we will make this work. Just tell me you love me too.”
Crystal blue eyes bright with tears met mine. “You’re not being fair,” he complained, blinking furiously.
I allowed myself a smile. “I already told you, when it comes to you, I’m not interested in fairness. I’m here to win.”
“How can you? How do you think you can be with me and play pro ball?”
The more questions he asked, the better, as he’d stopped being negative. “I don’t know,” I replied honestly but hopeful. “But I’m not going to wait as long as Dev and Brody. It’s not fair to make you hide.”
He lifted his chin. “Maybe I-I’m willing to.”
“I’m not,” I growled, exasperated. “This lasts until the Super Bowl. After that, I’m coming out.”
“Patrick,” Fallon began, but I cut him off with a kiss.
