Page 105 of Rookie Moves
“You feel safe with him,” Callie says, more in observation than a question.
Wordlessly, I nod, and my sister sighs.
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s going to work out. You’re both going through some big life changes, and that can throw up a lot of strange emotions. I know I was a mess when I graduated from college, and it took me a little while to find my feet again, but I did.” She reaches over the table and gives my wrist a squeeze. “You just need to have faith in the love you have for each other. If it can withstand this time apart while you navigate this new chapter, then it’ll withstand anything.”
Tugging my top lip between my teeth, I blink the sting away from my eyes, then pick up my drink. I know she’s right, but it doesn’t make it any easier.
“When did you become all wisdom…ish?” I murmur before taking a sip of my soda.
She cackles. “That’s not a word, and I made a group of friends at a paint-and-sip event in Brooklyn, and one of them is like a love guru, I swear. Whenever one of us has a problem, we go to her for advice, and it’s like magic.”
I smile at her from behind my glass. Warmth spreads through my chest at knowing she has good people around her.
“Will you come and see me if I play in New York?”
Her eyes widen as her mouth drops open. “Duh! Of course I will, silly. You better buy me seats at center ice. I’m going to make a sign and everything.”
“Please don’t,” I groan. “You sound just like Tyler. He wants to do the same thing.”
Clapping her hands once, she tips her head back and laughs. “Great! I can’t wait to meet him at your first home game, and we can make our signs together. It’s going to be amazing.”
Despite the glare I send my sister over the table, I can’t stop the wide grin that takes over my face.
Everything is going to work out eventually.
I just need to be patient.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
TYLER
I stare at my computer screen, willing the numbers to make sense. I’ve been looking at this report for three hours now, but nothing seems to be sinking in.
This should be something I could do in my sleep, but it’s like the second I received my diploma, everything I studied disappeared from my brain.
It doesn’t help that I’ve been miserable ever since my parents came to see me in Massachusetts over a month ago. I’ve been walking around like a ghost of myself, going through the motions of sleep, work, gym, repeat.
I barely stay in the same room as my parents for longer than five minutes, and whenever I gather up the courage to talk to my dad, he dismisses me with a wave of his hand.
“I’m busy,” he says, without even asking if everything is okay.
I hate it here, and I hate myself for being so fucking stubborn in the first place.
Would it have been so bad if I let Colby take care of things for a while?
Am I that proud that I can’t accept help from the one person who loves me no matter what?
I keep replaying the moment in my car over and over and over. The look of devastation in his eyes. The way he questioned whether I was going to say goodbye.
I caused that. I caused him to doubt my feelings for him, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.
The parking lot was almost empty by the time I finally got my shit together and went home. My housemates had gone to some party, leaving me alone with my shit mood. I threw my belongings into boxes, then found a twenty-four-hour storage lockup ten minutes from campus. It was almost midnight by the time I finished unloading my stuff, along with my guitar and hockey gear.
There was something in my gut telling me not to send it back to Arizona, so I paid for a six-month lease up front on my credit card, and thankfully, my dad hasn’t mentioned it, and I haven’t received an email to say the payment has bounced.
He hasn’t even mentioned the fact that I sent the removal company away with nothing but an apology for wasting their time.
For all the bullshit he spewed about being proud to have me at Beckmann Capital Trust Group, he’s barely acknowledged me since I landed back in Arizona, and that says more than words ever could.
