Page 93 of Tough Guy and the Show Off

“And they said—unofficially—yes.”

My jaw drops and I stare at him. “You’re fucking lying.”

“I would never. Not about this.”

Tears well in my eyes. “You’d leave Boston?”

He nods, his own eyes a little glassy. “I would, yeah.”

“For…” I can’t get the words out.

“For you. For us. For all of this. Yes, Beau, I would.”

I’m stunned. Completely fucking stunned.

“I asked Mika to sniff it out as soon as I got home from Chicago last time we saw each other. It’s all on the DL, of course. We don’t want Boston to know and Mika wants me to be chill so Chicago doesn’t lowball me, but I don’t care. I have enough money.”

“You’re coming to Chicago?”

“It’s still unofficial,” he says again, but I don’t care. It sounds real enough that my heart is thundering. “We have to wait until my contract is up, but the Magic haven’t even come to me yet. Mika thinks they aren’t worried because I’ve always been clear about my love for Boston. Might blindside them but…” He shrugs. “This is my life.”

“I can’t believe this. Boston is everything to you. It has everything you love.”

Trav shakes his head. “Not anymore.”

My chest flutters with emotion. “What are you saying?”

“Boston doesn’t have my best friend. My ride or die. It doesn’t have the first person I’ve ever been in love with.”

My breath catches as he takes my hands in his.

“I’m in love with you, Beau. I think I was long before we discovered this new aspect. I’ve always loved who you are, your big heart, your kind soul, your gentle silence. It’s so easy to be myself with you. You’ve been my safe space for years, and now… well, you’re the love of my life. Boston isn’t the same without you.”

“But… but you’ve been playing the best you’ve ever played.”

He smiles softly. “I had to prove my worth. I did it for us. I put in the gym hours and the meal plans and the practices and played my ass off so I could write my own ticket to Chicago.”

“For… for me?”

Trav nods. “For you.”

“Fuck, Trav.” I throw my arms around him and bury my face in the crook of his neck. He rubs my back with one hand, his other tangled in my hair. “I never thought…”

“I know. I didn’t want to say anything until I knew it was a possibility. A strong one.”

I pull back so I can meet his eyes. “Trav…” Exhaling slowly, I let the words that have been blooming inside me for months come to the surface. “I love you. I’m so damn in love with you.”

He looks relieved as he chuckles. “Oh, thank god.”

“Did you doubt it?”

“I’ve been too scared to think about it at all, you know? It changes everything.”

“I know. Me too.” I brush his too-long hair off his forehead. “Are you sure though? It’s a big change for you. What if you hate Chicago?”

“Do you?”

“No.”