Page 170 of Colliding with Ten

“When three men broke into my house at halftime, she was inside alone.” I swallowed, the memory squeezing my chest. “I left my team and drove home to make sure she was safe. You can question many things about me, but not that.”

AJ stared at me. The break-in had been in the news as a burglary, but the details hadn’t been made public. He was hearing this for the first time.

“She was alone?”

“For twenty minutes. The police got there before they got to her.”

He pressed his lips together and turned away, facing the window over the sink. His breathing was tense. When he spoke, his voice was rougher. “Nobody told me that. She could have been hurt.”

“Yes.”

“She should have called me.”

“She called me when it was happening.”

He turned back around. The coldness was gone. His face was pained.

It was quiet again, but the tension between us had eased.

AJ pulled out the chair across from me and sat. He rested his forearms on the table and looked at his hands. “She’s upset with me. I should have believed her that first night.”

“Yes, you should have.”

AJ looked up at me. The man was broken, and I felt bad for him.

“You both have your grievances, but I think you should remember who you’ve been to each other,” I continued.

“You care about her?”

I didn’t even have to think about it. “Yeah. I do.”

He looked me right in the eye. “Do you love her?”

“AJ—”

“It’s a yes or no.”

I held his gaze. “Yes.”

He didn’t react or give any indication of how he felt. Then he exhaled through his nose and leaned back in the chair. He didn’t say anything for a while.

“My sister has been through a lot. Most people don’t know about our family. It’s been difficult for her.” He paused. “She doesn’t let people in easily. But when she does, she gives them everything. I’ve watched people take advantage of that. So if you’re here to take control of her, I won’t let it happen.”

“I left my place on my team in the middle of a playoff push, flew across the country to come here and support her. So tell me, who exactly is controlling whom?”

AJ’s eyebrows went up.

“I’m not taking advantage of her.”

“You say that now.”

“I’ll say it always. Every time you ask, and I’ll mean it too.”

I’d promised to let Ayla go to find her purpose, but I hadn’t promised to stop believing in us. He looked at me for a long beat, then he nodded. It was a small acknowledgment that I’d earned the right to be in the room. He stood, and I took the cue. At the front door, we faced each other.

“I’m going to talk to her. I was planning to anyway, but I appreciate the visit.”

“Okay.”