My feet leave the floor before my brain can overthink it. My shoulder holds. My body follows through. I rise and slam the ball through the rim with a clean, sharp snap that echoes through the rec center.
For a split second, everything goes quiet.
Then Howie claps, loud and sharp. He’s on his feet, grinning like he won an argument he’s been having for months.
“That’s it,” he booms, voice bouncing off the walls. “He’s back, baby.”
I land, heart hammering, a laugh breaking out of me before I can stop it. It feels good—better than good. It feelsright. Like muscle memory and belief finally lined up again. I know I can fucking do this.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sadie clap too, softer, her smile wide and proud in a way that hits me straight in the chest.
I jog back, grabbing my towel as sweat drips down my temples. The two scouts exchange looks now, nodding to each other, one of them already tapping something into his phone. Clearly, they’re interested in me.
I walk over, still catching my breath, adrenaline buzzing under my skin.
“Hey,” I say sincerely. “Thanks for making the trip. I know it’s the middle of summer and not exactly easy to get to.” I shake both of their hands.
One of them waves it off. “Worth it. Glad to see you back, Colson.”
Howie slaps my shoulder, careful of the bad one like always. “Told you,” he says under his breath. “You’re not done yet.”
“Of course he’s not,” Sadie agrees, standing next to me. She’s wearing that smirk, the one I love to kiss.
Howie laughs; it’s the kind that tells me he immediately likes someone. We’ve worked together long enough that we know all of each other’s tells. Believe me, I get it.
Having her in my corner like this? Giving me the time and space here? It’s everything.
He nods to her. “That’s what I’ve been saying!” He’s enthusiastic and clearly excited.
Honestly, I realize I missed him more than I let myself believe. Howie’s always been in my corner. When I told him everything, came completely clean on the questionable care, and the reckless behavior that had me losing my shit.
I could hear in his voice how sorry he was for me, so getting him to show up here was easy. He truly supports me. He’s currently working with my lawyer to discuss how to share this with new teams who may ask.
It’s clear the information most likely has to be made public. It’s what will keep other athletes safe and help get me back on track.
The guys pack up, reiterating they’re happy with what I had to show them, and then it’s just me and Sadie.
“You were so good!” she exclaims, wrapping her arms around my neck.
I try to keep a little space between us and say, “I’m so sweaty. You want me to shower.”
She slows, putting her nose to mine, and then kisses me. “You think I care about a little sweat? Wrong girl.” She puts her lips to mine again. “But it’s Thursday. You know what that means.”
“I’ll never look at a Thursday the same way ever again.”
“You’ll start doodling little cherries in your planner. I can see it now.” She presses herself into me, making writing gestures with one of her hands.
“You know there’s no way I have a planner.” I must do something with my face because her eyes go wide and she pushes a finger in my chest.
“Oh my god! There it is! That signature Colson Burke scowl… or something close to it.” Sadie puts both hands on the sides of my face, lightly tapping my cheeks.
I playfully roll my eyes and try not to let the grin get the best of me. “Come on, I do have to shower if you want to get to Cherry Pit tonight.”
“Can I come, too?”
That devilish smirk on those perfect lips. Her eyes sparkle like the fireworks on the Fourth of July. Before she can tell what I’m doing, I pick her up, throw her over my shoulder—the good one—and carry her outside the rec center, right into my house.
She’s laughing so hard I can feel it while holding onto her. I swear, that laugh, the light she brings, has brought me back to life.
