“No, you didn’t,” I protested.
She pursed her lips and shrugged. “I’m not offended. And we know we’re better off apart. Liam, on the other hand, could not be any more complicated if he tried. I live in a fishbowl now. Those assholes over there have been staring and probably snapping pics of us for an hour. I’ll have to tell Liam about it so his team can counter any negative press with something sappy to let his fans know he still loves me, so they don’t think I’m in love with my ex. It’s insane.”
“Sounds like it.”
“But I love Liam. I don’t know if it’s a forever thing or for now, but I’m happy and he’s happy and…that works for me.” She let go of my hand. “I know it’s different for you, but you deserve to be happy too.”
“Thanks. Let’s just…”
“Drop it? Okay. I will. Just know that I’m one thousand percent behind you.” Alli smiled and barreled on in a rush. “I have news I’ve been dying to share.”
“You’re pregnant.”
“Fuck, no! I want a rock on my finger before that happens, honey. No, this is short-term fun. Liam is filming a movie inBoston through September and I’m staying with him. We’ll be at all your games. Both of us. I can already tell that the PR geniuses will say I can’t go on my own or the world will think you and I are getting back together…exhibit A, this lunch. I’ll get hate mail and death threats and?—”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. I thought I fucking escaped you in LA,” I groused.
Alli scoffed. “It doesn’t matter where we live, Si. They’ll follow.”
She wasn’t kidding.
Fans were rabid about my ex and her Hollywood hunk. Throw a pro football player in the mix and somehow, the world went nuts.
My ex-wife had gone from nights spent watchingParks and Recreruns and eating Chinese takeout with me to attending the Met Gala in a gown that cost a small fortune. Paparazzi haunted their hotels and every dining establishment they graced.
They took long-range photos of Alli in parking garages, coffee shops, and nail salons. They commented on her clothes, her hair, her shoes, her mannerisms. Frowning at an annoying text from a telemarketer might indicate trouble in paradise in the eye of a camera and give celeb news junkies something to spin over for a few days until the happy couple made a joint appearance.
Needless to say, our innocent lunch in August went viral. And Alli had called it. PR insisted that a united front would quiet salacious gossip. In September, Hollywood’s hottest duo were regulars at every fucking Boston game.
The owner, GM, and coaches loved the media attention. Boston’s fans didn’t mind it either, though they would havepreferred a less rocky start to the season. I wasn’t sure how my new teammates felt, but my old ones had big opinions. At least Vally did.
WTAF! Why didn’t they just come to our fucking games? We need you, asshole. I can’t believe you’re in fucking Boston. Also, check out Gigi’s new jersey. Cute, huh? Miss you, man.
Life was strange. I’d moved to the other side of the country to rewrite my ending and cash in on some press. It was bigger than ever, and unlike last year, I had a say in the narrative, so…that was a positive.
On the negative side: I was miserable. And lonely.
I could be surrounded by my teammates in a locker room or by beautiful people in hip bars with A list celebrities, and all I wanted was the life I had in Wood Hollow. With Cooper.
Some days I thought I was doing okay, but others…I was drowning.
Then I sent the tickets for Chase’s birthday and melancholy gave way to intense gut-wrenching anxiety. Cooper was coming to my game. And Ivy and Chase too. I was going to see them on my turf. In Boston. As friends.
Our texts over the past week were a bit more lively. Chase wanted to know if he could come onto the field, Ivy wondered if Liam and Alli would be there…and if so, could we get a pic so she could prove to her friends at school that she’d met them.
And Cooper…
Looking forward to seeing you in action.
If I drop a pass it’s your fault, I typed.
Cooper sent an eye roll emoji.Makes sense.
I didn’t send the heart emoji. I thought about it, but I was nervous. It meant something to me, and I wasn’t brave enough to weather rejection now. Not that anything was going to change. It wasn’t. This was just…a new phase in our friendship. I could do this.
“Let’s go! Let’s go!”
I grabbed my helmet, joined the melee of players getting revved up and ready to hit the field. We were playing Carolina today. This early in the season, it was anyone’s game, but we wanted it to be ours.
