“I swear to you, Cree, all the while he talked to me about what he could do for my career, I kept thinking you and I would be set for life. All our plans and dreams would come to fruition, and we’d live happily ever after.”
Cree didn’t miss the sincerity in his eyes or the emotion in his tone. They were so damn young back then. Kids trying to be grown and deal with grown folk’s stuff. They’d been in way over their heads, and their decisions and how they’d handled the situation reflected that.
If only she had stopped a moment to listen to him, to give him a chance to explain, there wouldn’t have been so much heartache for both of them.
“I still have the check you sent back to me,” Tristan said quietly before squeezing and releasing her hand. He returned his attention to his plate, picking at the food. “I knew you were still mad when it was returned to me. Then months later, after I finally signed the divorce papers, I found out you had closed your agency.”
After he had moved to Philly and played in his first few games, he had sent her a check for a hundred thousand dollars. She wasn’t sure what had shocked her the most, the check amount or the note that had come with it.
You’ll always be mine, and all I want to do is love and take care of you. Please let me. I miss you.
The money would’ve been enough to keep her agency open, but her ego got in the way. She had made a rash decision and closed the agency. Despite dreaming of having one since she was a kid, after her breakup with Tristan, she hadn’t wanted anything to do with professional athletes.
All I want to do is love and take care of you. Please let me.
The words from the letter played on loop in her mind and tears pricked her eyes. Walking away from Tristan had been a mistake. Though her anger had always been directed at him, their breakup had been her fault. She was the one who had reacted before thinking and ruined everything.
“Damn, baby. You know I can’t handle your tears,” Tristan said softly.
He reached over and rubbed her arm, and his gentleness only made her stupid tears fall faster. Cree couldn’t seem to make them stop, which only pissed her off. She wasn’t a damn crybaby, and she was horrified that she was silently bawling in public.
As she dabbed at her face with one of the napkins the server had left with the food, Tristan stood. He pulled out his wallet and dropped enough money on the table to cover the meals for everyone in the restaurant. Then he tugged her out of her seat and into his arms.
“Everything is going to be okay,” he whispered, and placed a lingering kiss against her temple. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Keeping his strong arm around her, he guided her through the small restaurant. No one was probably paying her any mind, but Cree kept her eyes lowered, refusing to look at anyone. She just needed to get out of there so she could pull herself together.
The moment they were outside, she inhaled a long breath before releasing it slowly. Neither of them spoke as they walked to Tristan’s car. When she was settled into the vehicle, she used the heel of her palm to dab at a few rogue tears that crept down her cheeks. She hated crying and couldn’t remember the last time she’d shed a tear.
Tristan climbed into the car and pulled out of the parking lot without saying anything. He just reached over and held her hand and drove.
Cree appreciated the quietness in the car. She didn’t want to talk, and she didn’t care where they went, as long as they were together.
Chapter Sixteen
Tristan thought for sure Cree would protest when he brought her back to his place. She didn’t. As a matter of fact, except to ask for water, she hadn’t said much since they arrived. Which concerned him. The woman was combative on any given day, which was part of her charm. But a quiet, sullen Cree was uncomfortable.
For the last thirty minutes, they’d been sitting on his sofa listening to Maxwell’s smooth, melodic voice pouring through the surround-sound speakers. He was currently singing about a temporary night for two. The R & B heartthrob, as Cree once described him, was her favorite singer, and Tristan hoped hearing his music would help relax her.
At least she had made herself comfortable. Shortly after they arrived, she took off her jacket and slipped off her tall boots. That left her in a white button-down blouse and a fitted brown skirt that stopped just above her knees.
Tristan smiled when he glanced down at her sock-covered feet. Her brown football pattern socks weren’t a surprise considering how much she loved the sport.
“I see your sock game is still on point,” he said, and she snorted but didn’t comment.
One of the many things that drew him to her when they were younger was that she was a sports fan. Cree was the only woman he knew who enjoyed every sport but especially football and basketball. They’d had their share of arguments over both, and it used to turn him on when she spouted team and player stats.
She’d been in her early twenties at the time, and he didn’t doubt she was an even bigger sports fan now. Had she watched any of his games? Attended any of them in person? And if she did, she probably critiqued every one of his plays, good and bad.
The thought made him smile, but then another thought popped into his mind. It was because of him she no longer had her sports agency, and he needed to make things right in that area. She had probably only gone into entertainment law because he destroyed her dream.
Yeah, he’d make things right but now wasn’t the best time to bring up the subject. The last thing he wanted to do was drum up more bad memories. He just hoped she’d consider becoming an agent again because she was great at it. He wanted another chance to help her build her business. Now he had the means to assist her in more ways than one, including finding athletes she could represent.
Tristan released a quiet sigh, debating on what to say next. Having her this close, feeling her curves against him while inhaling her fragrance made it hard to focus on a bigger issue. Her tears from earlier. Cree was too stubborn to cry. At least that’s how she was back in the day, and that hadn’t changed.
So, what were the tears really about? Because he didn’t think she was crying about the argument they’d had that night so many years ago. No, it had to be something else causing her sadness, but what?
Or maybe he was reading too much into this. He could admit their breakup almost destroyed him mentally and emotionally. He’d been a wreck, but the intense workouts and playing football helped redirect his focus. Though Cree was never far from his thoughts, thanks to the sport he loved, he had finally been able to move on with his life. And from what he could see, she had too.
