Page 129 of Hard to Score

I need to turn this around.

I will turn this around.

And without another word, I walk out of the house. Emotions and realizations spin and whirl and own every part of me.

At the end of the day, I’d been right.

My father’s selfishness destroyed our family. Our lives . . . to a point.

Hell yes, I’m doing well, but it has nothing to do with him and everything to do with me. I think of Brexton and smile.

I cannot right the wrongs of my past, but I can make better decisions going forward.

I can be the man I want to be.

I can be the man she deserves after all.

CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

DREW

I DRIVE.

With no destination in mind.

With no direction predetermined.

I just drive.

To consider the consequences that now I know the truth to.

To clear my head.

To quiet my restlessness.

His story makes sense but it infuriates me at the same time.

Hours pass. They feel like minutes one moment and infinite in others.

I end up at the beach where I stare at the stars above and listen to the waves crash against the sand.

Finally, I find the courage to pick up my cell and dial.

“Drew?”

Every part of me sighs at the sound of her voice. I fucking miss her. I miss everything about her. Her contagious laugh and her no-nonsense attitude. Her quiet advice and astute observations. Christ, I could name a million things about her but what it comes down to is that I just miss her. All of her. Completely. And it’s time to fix that.

CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

BREXTON

MY HEART POUNDS IN MY chest as I sit up in bed in my Chicago hotel room and wait to see what Drew called for.

“Hi,” he finally says.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m going to be.”