from her lips. “Please, Irie. I don’t want to take Malibu away from you, but I can’t walk away from this contract. And it’s not because I want to be some rich, famous athlete. I keep thinking about what you said that night in Iron Cross … about me being someone’s hero someday. And I keep thinking about all the good I could do with that. Things that would make you proud. But I want to do those things with you by my side. You make me a better person. You bring out the best in me. I can’t be that guy if I don’t have you.”
“Sure you can.”
“My entire life, I was told to be a good ball player. You’re the only person who’s ever pushed me to be a good human being.”
Irie pulls in a long, slow breath, staring deep into my eyes. “And what if it doesn’t work out? What if I give up Malibu, move to Richmond, and by the end of the year we’re sick of each other and you’re sitting on the top of the world and I’m jobless and homeless and—”
“—Irie, Irie,” I take her hands in mine. “Stop thinking about everything that could go wrong and start thinking about all the ways it’s going to go right for us.”
“You paint the most beautiful pictures with your words, Talon,” she says. “And while I want all that, while it all sounds amazing … you have to understand what a risk that would be for me. If this doesn’t work, I have nothing. I have no one. You have a family, you come from money, you have a safety net that I don’t have.”
“Everything is a risk. You moving to Malibu is a risk. There’s no guarantee that’s going to work out either.”
“You can’t compare a job offer to a relationship …”
“I didn’t wait almost four years to finally have you, just to let you go. If I didn’t care about you, I would’ve screwed you and walked away. I wouldn’t be asking you to move to Virginia with me, to start a life together.”
“Talon …”
“You’re terrified and I know that. But you need to trust me. Do you trust me, Irie?”
She considers my question, gazing up at me with uncertain eyes before finally offering a simple, “Yes.”
Without saying another word, I lift my hand to her face, angle her mouth toward mine, and crush her lips with an owning kiss.
“I love you so damn much,” I tell her. “I promise you, Irie, you’re not going to regret this.”
With that, I trot back to my car.
“Wait … where are you going?” she asks, taking a few steps off the front stoop.
“I have a couple things I need to take care of,” I call after her. “I’ll get a hold of you tonight.”
With that, I’m gone.
A man on a mission, I head back to my apartment, calling Ira on the way.
Chapter 45
Irie
“Irie, what brings you in today?” Kira asks from her side of her desk Friday afternoon. “Everything okay?”
I take a seat across from her, crossing my legs and clearing my throat. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to turn down that job offer.”
Kira’s mouth is agape and her hands are splayed on her white-washed oak desktop. “What? What happened? Did you get a better offer somewhere else?”
“No, no,” I say. “Your offer was … extremely generous … but—”
“—then what happened?” she asks, wild-eyed.
“I … I know how this is going to sound,” I say, half-chuckling. “And believe me, this isn’t a decision I came to lightly … but I met someone recently … and he’s asked me to move to Virginia with him after graduation.”
“Oh, honey.” Kira rests her chin on her hand, looking like a big sister about to give her kid sister a talking to. “Are you sure this is what you want? You want to throw away your career over some boyfriend?”
“I’ll be honest,” I say. “I’m terrified.”
She laughs.
“But I think this is something I need to do,” I say.
Kira sighs. “I mean … I get it. I guess. I’ve been there. I’ve been young and in love. I know what it’s like when your heart speaks louder than your head. It just … it blows for me, losing such talent. I was really looking forward to adding you to my team. I had big plans for you in Malibu.”
My chest is heavy with that loss. “I know. I’m so sorry. I was excited about it too.”
“Listen,” she says, tucking her