didn't want to be tied down. She was never the type to hold me back from anything in the first place, so why would I think the NFL would be any different? Then again, after the way I left things, I don't even know if she'd want to talk to me.
Breaking up with her through a letter was probably the lowest thing I could have done, but I knew I wouldn't be able to do it to her face. I would have changed my mind. So, I did the cowardly thing and scribbled down the most emotionless paragraph I could think of and asked Mason to give it to her.
“What are you doing out here, man?” Logan asks, coming over to sit beside me. “Missing home?”
“More like a part of home,” I admit.
He bumps his shoulder against mine. “I get it. The first year is the hardest, but then it gets easier.”
“Oh, so just ten more months to go,” I say sarcastically. “No big deal.”
Taking a swig of his beer, he nods to my phone. “That your girlfriend?”
“My ex.”
“And you're going to call her?”
I shrug. “I was thinking about it.”
He reaches over and takes it from me, then shoves it into his pocket. “You'll thank me for that later.”
“Dude, the fuck?” I try to get it back but he slaps my hand away.
“No, man. Think about it.” He drapes an arm over my shoulders. “There are hundreds of women dying to get with you. Most of them don't even care if you remember their names in the morning. Do you really want to chain yourself to one pussy for the rest of your life?”
I say nothing as he releases me and stands up.
“If you still want to call your ex tomorrow, I'll give you your phone back. But tonight, just have some fun. You're twenty-one, and you've got the world by the balls. Live it up.”
That night started it all. Instead of drowning my sorrows in a bottle of alcohol, I washed them away in women who would never compare to her.
I wish I could go back to that night. Hell, I wish I could go back to the night I wrote the letter. I'd rip it up and throw it away. Maybe then we'd still be together. I would have been there through the pregnancy, and she wouldn't feel so close yet just out of reach.
But life doesn't give you a chance to rewind.
I made my bed, and now I have to lie in it.
THE PLANE IS FILLED with a bunch of rowdy football players, despite the fact that it's only seven in the morning. We're on our way to Wisconsin for a game against the Packers, and I've got Brenna and Saige tagging along. The second Selena suggested I bring them, I jumped at the opportunity. I haven't had to be away from Brenna yet, and I don't think I'm ready to start.
“This is so cool!” Brenna beams as she looks around the private plane. “Is that a soda machine?”
“Don't even think about it, young lady,” Saige stops her. “You know how you get on caffeine. I'm not dealing with that mess thousands of feet in the air.”
B's smile drops, and I pull her into my lap. “Don't worry. Your mom will fall asleep twenty minutes into the flight.”
She giggles, and while Saige couldn't hear what I said, she glares at me anyway.
What can I say? My little girl gets what she wants.
I'M LOOKING OVER PLAYS for tomorrow while Saige watches TV. The hotel suite is perfect, except for the fact that there are only two beds. I offered to take the couch, but Saige refused. So instead, we agreed that Saige would share the master bedroom with Brenna and I'd take the smaller bed in the other room.
I glance up at the TV and find E! News playing. I chuckle softly and shake my head.
“I can't believe you watch this garbage.”
She smiles guiltily. “Blame Maddie. She has this weird obsession with celebrity gossip, and after spending so much time at her place, this became my guilty pleasure.”
“Whatever floats your boat, I guess.”
I go back to focusing on making sure I know my stuff when a familiar name catches my attention.
“New couple alert! Word on the street is that Topher James is having no trouble moving on from ex-fiancée Saige Ambrose. Turns out he's found love again with Hollywood starlet Camila Benson, and according to an inside source, they're already talking about wedding plans.”
A picture of the loved-up