“Your agent?”
“Yes. After the shit he pulled in the hallway, with you. I should’ve done it years ago, but he got me a kick-ass contract when I first started playing and I was an idiot who didn’t know any better at the time.”
She nodded and stared at the flowers in her hand for a second. “When did you do that?”
“A week after I stopped talking to you.” I ran a hand down my face and took a step closer to her. She didn’t step back. “I was feeling really sorry for myself in the dugout during a game, and Gideon, of all people, told me to just fix it.”
“Fix it?”
“Yes, Blue Bell. Fix my life. Take control of it. I was so afraid of going to trial, afraid I would go to jail. Afraid of not playing with the Soles anymore. Afraid of hurting you. My life became this spiraling pit of me letting everyone else decide things. Not anymore.” I took another step closer and paused to catch my breath. I’d been speaking so fast I forgot to breathe. “I fired Charles. Told my lawyer to let them take me to court. I would fight it and win.”
“Wow.” She gulped and her chest moved up and down faster. “I saw they dropped the charges.”
“Yes.” I smiled and let out a small chuckle. “They did. It’s done. I sat out fifteen games to appease the commissioner and had a nice long talk with my coach. He doesn’t have a lot of say in what the front office guys do, but he believed me. He is on my side with all this shit and that’s enough for me.”
“So you could still not play for them?” she asked in a small voice, blinking up at me with blonde eyelashes. I could count her individual freckles at this angle, and that was all I wanted to do.Stare at her.
“Correct. I’m searching for a new agent right now. There’s this up-and-coming woman who I think has what I’m looking for.”
“What’s that?”
“Someone who won’t sell out someone else for the sake of a dollar.” My tone got serious now and I took the flowers and set them on the ground, took Sarah’s hand in mine and turned it over. “From that first walk we went on and pictures of us were all over? Charles leaked your name. I told him to stay the fuck out of it, but he didn’t listen. He sent you those flowers. He encouraged me to be seen with you and I tried to stop it. That date…”
“You said I would be helping you out.”
“Yes. I tried to tell you without so many words what kinda shit Charles was up to.” I kissed the back of her hand and trailed my fingers up her arm, onto her shoulder and under her chin. “I never agreed to do any of that shit. Ever. I would never do that. That night in the hallway…that was in my top worst nights of my life. The only thing worse was getting arrested. You heard Charles and I panicked. I freaked the fuck out. My life was a mess, Blue, a fucking mess, and with the pictures from the hotel bar, I let you believe what you heard.”
“Why?” She shook her head and her eyes got watery while she tried to look away from me. “You broke my heart, Brigham. I’m happy you’re getting your life back together, but you broke it.”
“I want to piece it back together.” I cupped her face and waited until she looked at me again. “I love you. I meant that when I said that night and I should’ve told you before I left for that road trip. We can go as slow as you want, but please let me be a part of your life again.”
She blinked. My lungs constricted. She could say no. She could. And I would have to walk out of the house. “That night at the hotel.”
“Ah, fuck.” I barked out a laugh. “That was staged, baby. Those chicks are influencers online and know how to stage a photo. I took two sips of my beer and went to my room to call you. It’s been you this whole time. Gideon and Bummy were there, wanting to cheer me up, and those chicks walked in… It was all for publicity for themselves. God, did you think I cheated on you? No.” I pushed away and tilted my head back, blowing out a long breath before eyeing her again. “I couldn’t answer your call because I was with my coach, asking him for a couple days off to get my shit together. It happened fast—getting on a plane, not beating the shit out of someone.”
“I would’ve supported you.”
Would’ve?Oh no.My heart raced and the same panic that had gripped me that night in the hotel started up. “Wait. What are you saying? Would’ve? Does that mean I have no fucking chance? What will it take, Sarah?” I paced the empty room, trying to come up with a new plan since this one had fucking failed. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone, ever. Doubt I ever will. If you’re ending it, just tell me.” I hung my head and waited. Silence grew between us and I looked up, not expecting her to be smiling at me.
“You’re a mess,” she said, dragging her teeth over her lip. “It’s cute.”
“Cute’s a good thing, right?” I walked back up to her, waiting for her permission to touch her again. She studied my face and reached up to run her fingers through my beard. I shuddered at her touch, desperate and wanting to bury my face in her neck. “I miss you. All the time. I hate that you’re here, not living with me, but I’m so fucking proud of you for doing this. Look at this house! It’s yours. I hate that I missed out on celebrating with you.”
“I miss you too.” She smiled big this time. “You know what’s weird? I just finished walking around the place, and the first person I wanted to call and talk to about it was you.”
Relief spread through my veins. “This is a good sign.”
“My mom and I made up, I think. She drove me here.” Sarah shrugged, but the slight redness to her cheeks gave her away. That was a huge deal for her. “She defended you, if you can believe it.”
“I know.”
“What?” She snapped her gaze to mine. “How would you?”
“She is the one who told me about today. Told me to stop hiding and be the man who deserved you.”
Sarah looked up to the ceiling, her chin wobbling a bit before a few tears fell down her cheeks. “Wow.”
“I was going to do it anyway, like next week, but I’m glad I didn’t wait.”Fuck it.I took her hand in mine again and pulled her to me. “Can we do this again?”
