Page 21 of Catch
I disconnected the call as I pulled into the garage. I paused before opening the car door. I didn’t want to have the conversation with Lexi because my stress level was already at a nine. “Hi. We’rehome,” I called out when we walked in. I was greeted by silence and was relieved. I checked the Lyft account. Lexi had taken one downtown an hour before.
“Are you hungry, boy?” Crowbar was always hungry. I made a turkey sandwich and poured kibble for him, but we both knew he would get half of my dinner. I kicked off my shoes and fell onto the couch. I turned on the television, not even sure what was on. Crowbar curled up next to me and within minutes of finishing my half of the sandwich, I was asleep.
“Hey, wake up, babe.”
I blinked to find Lexi standing over me. “What time is it?”
“It’s almost one. What time did you get home tonight?” she asked.
“Early. About eight.”
“Why didn’t you send me a message? I could’ve come home earlier.”
I sat up and rubbed my face. Crowbar didn’t budge. “I figured you needed to get out. Where’d you go?”
“I took a Lyft and met some friends. Didn’t you notice my car in the garage? Weren’t you even worried? I mean, if I got home and saw your car but you were nowhere to be found, I would legit worry. This is exactly what I mean. You don’t care. You don’t care about anything but yourself and your world.”
I hated that she wanted to start something at one o’clock in the morning. I knew she’d been drinking and I didn’t want to take the bait. “That’s not true. I care about you.”
“You care, you just don’t love me. You’re emotionally unavailable. You always have been. I thought Bridgemont would be a fresh start for us, but that was naive. I hate that I’m a therapist doling out advice to people who are exactly in this position, and yet I can’t even get my own life straight.” She threw up her arms and refused to look at me.
I shrugged and brought my dishes to the kitchen. She wasn’t wrong. Relationships were hard and she wanted too much of my time. “You knew I would be super busy with my new job here. We’ve talked about this a dozen times.”
“Why do we always have to do what you want? How come your career is more important than mine?” she asked.
Her voice boomed across the empty space between us. She was close to breaking down. I knew the signs, but I held my ground. “It’s not, but this has been my dream since I was a little girl. My whole life has been football. This is who I am, Lexi.” I softened my voice. “Don’t make me choose.”
Her shoulders drooped. “You’re right. You deserve to live the life you want.” She looked at me for the first time in over a minute. “I know it’s late, but we really need to talk.”
I knew she wasn’t happy, but it never occurred to me that she was actively looking until I saw the guilt in her eyes. I rubbed my face with both hands and tried to feel something besides relief. I found nothing. She was right. “I don’t think we need to say anything. I just hope you’re happy. You deserve it.”
“Look, I’m sorry but I need somebody who’s present in the relationship. I’m so lonely.”
It stung that she didn’t break up with me first, but I was a coward, and I wasn’t going to do it. My defenses went up and even though I knew I was to blame, I lashed out. “Well, it doesn’t look like you’re lonely anymore.” I patted for Crowbar and marched into the bedroom, locking the door behind me. She could sleep in the guest room for a change.
Chapter Nine—Touchdown
Past
Waking up with Parker tucked in my arms was the definition of heaven. She was snuggled against me and the small hairs on the back of her neck tickled my nose. Her breathing was even and low. I placed a small kiss on her temple and held her closer. School was starting in a couple of weeks and both cheer and football had grueling schedules over the summer. We spent every minute together knowing that once school started, our precious time would become scarce.
Parker’s breathing changed and I smiled when she stretched against me and pulled my arm closer to her breasts. “I could wake up like this every morning.”
I wasn’t used to sleeping next to another person and the excitement of her nearly naked body was too hard to resist. Sleeping wasn’t a thing. We’d make love, take a quick nap, eat food, make love again, fall asleep for a few hours, repeat, and repeat. This was our fourth Sunday morning together, our fourth overnight as a couple, and a month since we both lost our virginity.
I looked at the clock. “It’s almost time for you to leave.” I held her closer, praying just once she’d want to forget about family obligations and several hours of church to stay with me.
“I know. Plus, I hear your dad downstairs. He’s up early this morning.” Her voice was soft and quiet in the early morningstillness. She tapped my leg and slipped out from beneath the covers. I watched her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she brushed her teeth with the red toothbrush she had stashed in my bathroom. She winked when she noticed me watching her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” I playfully pulled her back on the bed and was rewarded with a refreshing kiss.
“I would love to, but God needs me.” She laughed.
“I need you more.” My pout had no power which made me pout for real. “Okay, I’ll call you later.” I fell back on the bed when she left, hoping to catch another hour of sleep, but my dad had other ideas. He knocked but walked in before I had a chance to say anything. “Dad.” I scowled and pulled up the covers.
“I made pancakes. Come on downstairs. We need to talk.” He sounded sad.
“Okay. I’ll be down in a minute.” I threw on sweats and a sweatshirt and met him at the kitchen.
