I felt his smile against my neck. “You have me. Forever.”
A wave of emotion rolled up, taking me by surprise. I wanted to cry with my sudden revelation. “Forever will never be long enough with you.”
Chapter 29
Carson
We went into January on top of the world. We were solid as a couple and making plans while our team kicked ass in the playoffs. But as each week passed, and we heard nothing about the status of his visa, our focus began to slip. We’d held off San Francisco by the skin of our teeth. And now we had to face the Portland Pirates again during Alex Hayes’ final season.
I was ready to lose my mind by Friday afternoon. We knew the process could take ten to fourteen days for him to be notified. But two weeks had passed, and now we were at the end of week three. If he didn’t have something by Monday, we’d be out of time.
“Something has to be wrong, Jonah. I can feel it. I should have heard something.”
His attorney sighed on the other end of the phone. Colin had put the call on speakerphone for me. “Unfortunately, sometimes delays happen. Take into consideration the timing of the holidays and the beginning of the year.”
He was pacing again. “I don’t give a fuck about those things. I paid the money to get it expedited. What happens if I don’t have it by Monday?”
Jonah was quiet for a moment before he responded. “You’ll need to leave the country.”
Colin fisted his hands in his hair and tightened his jaw. “What happens if I don’t leave?”
I shook my head, knowing the answer to that. I’d already spoken to my parents about other options, and there wasn’t anything either of them could do. Not even my mother.
“As your attorney, I don’t advise you to do that. You’ll never be able to get back in if you violate the terms. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but you only have one option.”
My throat seized up. I didn’t want to hear it, but we couldn’t bury our heads in the sand. That wouldn’t rectify anything.
Colin locked his eyes on mine. I’d never felt more helpless in my life as fear and pain surfaced on his face. “I have to go back.”
“Yes,” Jonah sighed. “It’s Friday evening, and the chances of hearing anything now are slim. Make a reservation. You can always cancel if something changes.”
We stared at each other as Jonah disconnected the call.
“What are we gonna do now?” His voice cracked with unshed tears.
Closing the distance, I wrapped him up in my arms. I kissed his lips and then his face. “We’re gonna be okay. We’ll get through this, and we’ll be okay. I promise.”
Colin didn’t reply. He burrowed his face into my neck and held me tightly.
Things went from bad to worse.
We sat in Mr. Carlisle’s office with Coach Henderson early Sunday morning. He’d received no word, and we both were a fucking mess.
“I fucking hate this,” Coach said.
“As do I,” Mr. Carlisle added. “Whatever has caused the processing delay does not affect you on our end. We’ll get this figured out, and you’ll be able to return with our sponsorship.My legal team will do whatever it takes to get you back here, Colin. You’re a part of this team and the Storm family. Just keep that in mind.”
I held his hand as he nodded. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”
We left his office and went down to the locker room. Lennox and Evan were there, along with Mason and Drew. Our friends arrived early once they knew what was happening.
“Hey, guys. How are you doing?” Lennox asked.
I looked at the floor, trying to control myself. “Fucking terrible.”
Colin was quiet, but nodded. He sat down in my stall with his head in his hands. I sat next to him and put my arm over his shoulders.
“I know this doesn’t help,” Evan said, “but I understand more than you know. If I can do anything to help, I’m here.”
