I let out a low curse before spilling the whole truth. “Look, she said that what I did by breaking things off…she said it was essentially like me telling her she wasn’t worth the risk.”
Another long silence…
Broken by Brayden’s gruff voice saying, “So show her she’s wrong.”
Something about the way he says it stings. It also hits home in a way nothing else could.
“You’re right,” I say in a low tone. “Fuck. I have to go.”
“Not so fast,” Colton says. “Before you go off half-cocked. Look, if this is still about Annabella…”
“Colt, I’m warning you,” I say.
“I don’t care,” he says in a hard tone, running right over me. “I’ve kept my mouth shut for too long about this, Dyl. You need to talk to someone about it. It’s been tearing you up for years, and I can’t stand to see you keep suffering. The fact that you’d go so far as to break up with the only woman you’ve ever loved…you have to work through this shit. It was years ago, and yet it’s still a part of your life.”
My tone rises. “So what do you suggest I do?”
“See a therapist.”
Colton’s words stun me.
“A therapist?” I say. “I wasn’t the one who was sick remember?”
“I do, and I also remember how you blamed yourself, and apparently still do.” His voice softens. “Look, Sky gave me permission to tell you this—she has someone she recommends.”
“Sky?” I swallow hard. “She sees a therapist?”
“Yes. After her bastard of a father abused her and her mother, as you all know…”
Sky’s father was finally put in prison for other crimes, and once that happened, she asked Colton to tell all of us the truth about her family. I always loved Sky, but once I heard what she’d gone through, I admired her even more for how she’d come through such a shitty childhood.
“The therapist is excellent and specializes in past trauma,” Colton continues. “I can text you her info.”
I look out over the balcony as I clench the phone so tightly my knuckles hurt.
“You didn’t make Annabella sick,” Colton says quietly. “And maybe a professional can help you realize that.”
“I don’t get why I should move on when…”
“When she couldn’t?” Ayden says suddenly.
I’d almost forgotten anyone else was on the line.
“Because that’s life, Dyl,” Ayden says. “It’s not always fair or right; it just is. And Annabella is moving on—she’s alive and well right? She may not be in L.A. anymore, but she’s healing. Just like you should be.”
I could tell them all to screw off, and just go find Jasalie and beg her to forgive me. But what if something like this happens again, something that pushes me in all the wrong ways, and I let my guilt consume me? I can’t go after Jasalie if I’m not committed to the future, and that starts with me letting go of my past.
“Send me the info, Colt,” I say finally. “And tell Sky how much I appreciate her sharing it with me.” I pause. “And thanks for pushing me. You’re worse on the phone than on the practice field.”
Colton chuckles. “Just wait till you have to start training with me again. You’ll regret saying that.”
After we all hang up, my other line is still insistently buzzing. When I realize it’s Dale, I click over immediately. “Everything okay?”
“Yes, Mr. Wild. Ms. Gordon is fine. I’m just checking in like you asked me to.”
I exhale slowly. “Right. Good. How…” I rub the back of my neck, realizing I’m about to break all sorts of privacy protocol. “How is she doing?”
A low chuckle comes through the line. “She’s doing fine.”
