Page 74 of Punked By the Playmaker
“It’s not every day a sponsor gets to award a ten-year chip.”
Several heads turned, looking around those gathered, trying to pinpoint who among them had managed to stay sober for an entire decade.
“As you all know, addiction sticks with you for life; every day, you battle against cravings that will never fully go away. The path to recovery is rocky. Sometimes you stumble, but other times you fucking conquer. And I have had the absolute pleasure of not only watching this individual fight tooth and nail to achieve this milestone, but also of witnessing her regain her life, mend relationships with loved ones, and come out on the other side of a bad situation stronger than ever.” Maggie extended a hand toward me, beaming. “Arizona, if you could please join me up here.”
I stood, making my way to the front, and pulled my sponsor in for a hug as the applause from those gathered surrounded us. Holding my lifeline tightly, I prayed she could feel through our embrace how truly grateful I was.
By the time we broke apart, we both had tears streaming down our faces. Maggie cupped my cheeks, thumbing away the moisture and whispering, “Congratulations, Arizona. You’ve earned it.”
Blinking furiously, I accepted the chip she offered, tracing over the raised 10 in the middle as I moved behind the podium.
My eyes fell shut, and I pulled in a centering breath before reopening them.
“Hi, my name is Arizona, and I’m an addict.”
“Hi, Arizona,” everyone replied in unison.
I dabbed at the corner of my eye, the emotions of this moment overwhelming. “I haven’t spoken at a meeting in forever. I’ve mostly sat and listened to others as they shared their stories, offering support when I could. But today, I reached a milestone I once thought was impossible.
“I never expected that a sports injury would send my life into a tailspin. Opioid addiction turned me into someone I hardly recognized. I hurt the people I loved and did some truly terrible things to get my hands on drugs. I didn’t want to get clean for a long time, not even when I got pregnant at sixteen, or when I was stripped of my parental rights shortly after my son’s birth. I had to hit rock bottom to make a change, and even though it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I am so glad I did.
“I’ve been sober for ten years today.” I held up my chip in victory. “Here’s to the next ten.”
There was a raucous round of applause, and Maggie hauled me in for another hug. This time, I didn’t try to be strong; I sobbed like a baby in her arms, letting those tears wash away the pain of the past to allow me to focus on my future.
Because of addiction, I’d lost years with my mom before she got sick, missed out on Austin’s infancy and toddlerhood. But in recovery, I was getting a second chance as part of a new family. One that came together by pure chance, but somehow, we fit together like pieces of the same puzzle.
If only we didn’t have an expiration date.
One of the perks of living in Southern California was having a pool day in late March.
Austin and Maisie were in the water, hitting a volleyball back and forth, and I was soaking in the sun, catching up on mysorely neglected TBR. Working full time and raising one, now two, teenagers didn’t leave much time for reading, but damn if I didn’t miss diving into stories where every couple got their perfect happy ending.
A shadow fell over my paperback, making the printed words nearly impossible to read through my sunglasses. Setting the book down on my lap, I peeked over my shoulder and nearly swallowed my tongue.
Levi stood over me, wearing nothing but a pair of boardshorts and a backward-facing ballcap, a cocky smirk on his ridiculously handsome face.
He bent down to speak in my ear. “Are you reading a dirty book, baby?”
I shook my head and uttered the world’s least convincing “N-no.”
A husky chuckle spilled into the air as his fingertips ghosted along the skin of my shoulder, causing goosebumps to rise in their wake. “There you go again with the bad acting. When the truth is, I can actually smell how wet you are beneath that skimpy bikini.”
My teeth descended on my lower lip as I tried desperately to suppress a moan. He’d absolutely caught me reading a spicy scene, not that I would ever admit it.
“Does my wife need me to help take the edge off?”
“We can’t,” I protested, even though I desperately craved the high of the release he offered. “The kids.”
His eyes darted toward Austin and Maisie. “Follow my lead.” Straightening, he called out to them, “We’re gonna make some sandwiches and lemonade. You guys good out here by yourselves?”
Not skipping a beat, Austin called back, “I want turkey!”
“Ham and cheese for me, please,” Maisie chimed in sweetly, flashing her dad a smile.
Levi helped me up from the lounger, and you’d have thought we were the teenagers, sneaking around behind our parents’ backs, with how we giggled on our mad dash through the door.
The minute we crossed the threshold, we were on each other.
