Page 71 of It's About Time
Just like Elliot did with his words.
Thefirst tear of anger and frustration slips down my cheek, but I bat it away, fighting to keep my composure because I swore that I wouldn’t give any other man the privilege of my tears ever again.
Turns out that was a lie.
And now, I’m even more afraid of how the contest might pan out in a month—because if Vinnie walks away again with the prize, he’s never going to let me live it down.
It will only confirm what he believed about me back then, even thoughIknow it’s not true.
But I guess the question is, am I ready to believe that myself?
Or am I only playing into these doubts of mine even more by dragging Elliot into the mix?
I wish I had the answer, but only time will tell.
Chapter 17
Elliot
Now Who’s the Rule Breaker?
“Elliot?” Colby pokes her head in my office as I’m going through a legal brief she prepared for me.
I glance over the stack of papers at her. “Yeah?”
“Fletcher Adams is here to see you.”
When I look at the time on my computer screen, I realize it’s after twelve. Fletcher offered to bring me lunch today so we could catch up, but I’ve been so inundated in this case that I completely lost track of time. Not that I mind the distraction—it’s keeping me from thinking about the fact that my dad ordered Dilynne and me to come to my parents’ house Friday night, and I still haven’t told her.
Truth be told, I’ve sort of been avoiding my fake fiancée since the night she came to my house and we established rules for our arrangement—rules I hoped would help me ignore the uncomfortable feelings she dredges up.
Sadly, I was sorely mistaken.
“Send him in.” I set the papers down on my desk and lean back in my chair, stretching my arms over my head while waiting for Fletcher to make his way back to my office. The second he appears in the doorway, the smell of the food he brought with him instantly hits my nostrils.
“Meatball subs from The Happy Belly Deli?”
He nods, smiling proudly. “You fucking know it, man.” Shutting the door behind him, he approaches my desk. I move my papers out of the way so they don’t become victims of marinara sauce or mozzarella cheese, and Fletcher distributes our respective sandwiches and bags of Cool Ranch Doritos.
As we dig in, I ask, “What’s with the Doritos?”
“Oh, they’re Dilynne’s favorite and she got Laney hooked on them. And when one of Laney’s pregnancy cravings hits, it comes on with a vengeance, so we arestocked.”
“Wow. The off-season sounds so rough for you.”
Fletcher laughs as he wipes his face with a napkin. “Yeah, yeah. How are things with you? I haven’t talked to you in almost a week.”
“I’m busy, man. Not all of us have jobs that give us multiple months off during the year.”
He shrugs. “Yeah, I forget that sometimes. But uh…” He clears his throat. “I think this is going to be my last year.”
My eyebrows nearly hit my hairline. “No shit. I thought you weren’t ready yet?”
He sighs heavily, reaching for his drink. “Me too, until Laney got pregnant. It has me reassessing how much my job takes me away from her, you know? And then adding on the idea of being away from my kid is making me want to quit now, but I still want a chance at a ring.”
“You’re only thirty-three, man.”
“Exactly, but time isn’t something you can ever get back, Elliot. It’s the one currency everyone wishes they could get more of at some point, but that’s impossible. I don’t want to look back and regret not being there for the big and small moments. I had a father who chose the game over me, and I refuse to do the same thing to my kid.”
