Page 31

31

Christian

A fter spending the summer with Finley and Maya, I can’t shake the weight sitting on my chest during our first week of practice. Being back in Greensboro without them feels like someone’s ripped the ground out from under me. I’m off-balance. And I hate it.

The last thing I wanted to do was walk away from Finley and Maya, but since she won’t budge on moving, and I have an obligation to the Bobcats, I didn’t have any other choice.

Still, not being able to spend the day playing with my son or in bed with the woman I love feels like I’m getting daily beatdowns while serving a prison sentence. The only thing that helps is the phone calls at night. Finley gets on the video call first, then while he’s getting his bath, I talk to Maya. She even lets me stay on the phone while she reads a story and tucks him into bed so I can say goodnight.

Just when everything was going so well over the summer, Maya was beginning to trust me, we’re right back to where we started with her doubting everything again.

Training today was the last thing on my mind. I go through the motions, trying to focus on drills and strategies, but my head is still in Bethesda. My teammates notice, too. They threw me a few odd glances when I dropped the barbell on my throat and nearly killed myself during weight training, but no one says anything directly. I guess they can tell I’m not up for conversation. They probably assume I’m in a shit mood because Preston has joined the team. Nobody would ever believe it’s his sister that has me tripping over my own two feet.

“Yo, Christian! You with us, man?” Luke asks from the treadmill next to mine when I stumble. He’s the only one who knows the truth.

I give him a half-hearted smile. “Sorry, just distracted.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You’ve been MIA all week. Snap out of it, Captain ,” he says, emphasizing my leadership role on the team. “Coach isn’t gonna go easy on you because you’re daydreaming about a woman.”

I nod, trying to force myself to focus as I turn up the speed to finish my third mile.

The Bobcats are getting ready for a hell of a season, one where we make another run at the playoffs and the championship. As a team captain, the last thing I need is to let my teammates down.

But as much as I try, Maya’s face keeps flashing in my mind, distracting me. Her hesitation to move down here with Finley, to give us a real chance, to trust me, is killing me slowly from the inside out.

After practice, I head for the locker room, peeling off my sweaty clothes with a sense of detachment. The only thing worse than practice is my lonely ass apartment.

The adrenaline from training doesn’t hit me like it usually does. Instead, there’s just this dull ache in my chest. I don’t even want to know what the guys would say if they knew how torn up I am about a woman. They’d probably tell me to suck it up and focus on the game.

As I head for my SUV in the arena parking lot, I hear someone, a woman, call my name from the gate. At first, I ignore it, since there’s only one woman I want to talk to. But then I hear it again, and I’m certain I’m imagining it. I turn around, my heart doing an odd flip, and there she stands.

Maya.

She’s waiting with two guards just outside the entrance, looking hesitant, her arms crossed over her chest, wearing a light blue dress that shows off her sexy tan legs. For a moment, I can’t quite believe she’s here in North Carolina. She told me she would think about coming to visit this weekend, but never confirmed and I didn’t want to push her.

I jog over, my pulse picking up speed, a mix of hope and dread swirling in my chest. “Hey, baby,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “What are you doing here? Where’s Finley?”

She smiles, but it’s a small, uncertain smile. “He’s with Elle. I… I wanted to talk to you alone first.”

My mind races as I lead her away from the security guards. “Okay. Let’s talk. I’m so fucking happy to see you.”

She takes a deep breath, looking up at me with those brown eyes that always seem to see right through me. “I’ve missed you this week. So much. Finley has too, of course, but…”

“But you missed me too?” I say with a grin.

“Yes.” Maya bites her lip, clearly struggling with what to say next. “I know that things are…complicated between us, but maybe we could give this a real try?”

“You want to give us a try?” I repeat, uncertain I heard her correctly. I mean, that’s already what I was doing, even after she tried to end things and said she didn’t see us ever happening.

“We would have to take things slow…”

“Consider me a sloth,” I tell her, making her smile, loosening her up a little

“And make sure Finley doesn’t find out about us…”

“I’m a sneaky fucking sloth.”

“I’m serious, Christian.”

“Baby, I’m serious too,” I promise her. Stepping closer, it’s nearly impossible to be near her and not touch her, but I’m waiting for her to initiate it. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be here in Greensboro, either training or sleeping, or alone in my apartment every single night. I want to be in Finley’s life and yours, baby. Permanently. All you have to do is let me in.”

She looks up at me, her eyes filled with uncertainty. “And what if things don’t work out between you and me?”

“We will,” I say confidently. “But if we don’t, we sure as shit aren’t going to go five years without seeing each other again. If you agree to date me, to take this chance, then you can call it quits whenever you want. I’ll still be around in Finley’s life, even if you’re not mine, no matter how much it hurts. I can promise you that if we split, it won’t be my decision.”

When Maya doesn’t speak, I cave, reaching for her arm to uncross it and take her hand. “I’m Finley’s father. Nothing will ever come between me and my son, not even us.”

There’s another long pause between us, the air thick with unspoken fears and emotions. I watch as she processes everything, her face a mixture of conflict and hope.

“Then, I want to try again,” she finally says, her voice soft but determined.

Relief floods through me at her words, but I know this is just the beginning. We still have a long way to go. But she’s here. She’s ready to give me the chance I’ve always wanted.

“I’m so excited to give us a real shot, baby.”

“Me too.”

“Where is Finley now?” I ask her.

“At Preston’s apartment. Elle got off work early,” Maya explains. “Am I a bad mother for coming to see you without him? I didn’t want him to overhear…”

“No, baby. You could never be a bad mother. And I’ll see him soon enough. In fact, do you think Elle could watch him for another hour or so?”

“Why?”

“Because, even though I can’t wait to see him, I want to take you on a date tonight. A real date. It’ll be easier to do it now instead of you trying to sneak out later.”

Maya smiles, and this time, it reaches her eyes. “I’ll check with Elle, and if she doesn’t mind, then yes.”

“Good,” I say, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. “You won’t regret this, baby. I promise.”

As I pull back, Luke and Tyler come walking out of the arena.

“Give me one second?” Maya asks as she holds up her phone.

“Absolutely,” I agree as she walks away, and Luke and Tyler come over. He looks between the two of us and claps me on the back. “Everything good with your lady?”

“Yeah,” I reply, feeling a lightness in my chest I haven’t felt in weeks. “Everything is good. I’m taking her out on a date.”

Tyler raises an eyebrow in surprise while Luke grins. “About time, man. Maybe next week you’ll be worth a shit on the ice again.”

I flip him the finger and shake my head as he strides off with Tyler.

A moment later, Maya returns. Pushing a strand of her long black hair behind her ear, she says, “Elle told us to ‘take our time’ and that Preston and Finley are catching up. How did he get home so quick?”

“I told you, I’m a sloth,” I joke. “Seriously, Preston was in a hurry to get home while I was taking my sweet time, dreading my lonely apartment.”

“Really?” she asks.

“Really. If I had known you were here, I would’ve been out before Preston,” I assure her. Then, taking her hand, I lead the way to my SUV. “I’ll drive since you don’t know your way around town yet.”

With her hand in mine, this whole afternoon feels like a dream. But Maya is really here, and she said the sweetest five words ever: I want to try again.

I don’t know what the future holds for us as we drive away, and I debate where to take her for dinner. But I’m more determined than ever to make things work—with Maya, with Finley, with everything. I’m all in.

I just hope that she is too.

Maya’s scared, and I understand that. Hell, I’m scared too. Scared of screwing up and losing her again.

But the fact that she’s willing to try gives me hope and confidence in myself that I won’t miss on this shot.