My back is stiff and my head is aching when I wake up on Saturday morning.

I should’ve taken her up on the offer to sleep in the same bed as her. Maybe it would’ve led to something…or maybe I’d be waking up in a little less physical pain.

It’s the altitude causing the headache and the couch causing the back pain, so I pop some pain pills and return to the hard couch where I slept as I wait for the physical pain to lessen.

Emotionally, though…that conversation last night was rough.

But I did glean one important fact from it, and that is that Victoria Hartley is running scared.

She said a lot of things last night, but one thing stuck out the most.

I’m not some prize to be won. That line of thinking is what ended my last relationship, and I can’t do that to myself all over again.

I said the wrong thing when I asked her how I can win her back .

I’m learning. It was a teachable moment.

And what I learned is she’s terrified she’s going to end up in the same sort of toxic situation she found herself in with that rat bastard Owen Platt.

I’m not Owen. I would never treat her the way he did. But I get where she’s coming from now. I get that she’s scared. Her words taught me a lot of things, and maybe the most important thing I learned was that this ain’t quite over yet.

She can run scared, but I’m always going to be chasing right behind her because I will not give up on her.

Not in a stalker way, obviously. In a way that shows her how damn much I care about her. About us. About the family we built in such a short time.

I will fight for her even after Allen files those papers if my big plan doesn’t work.

And I’m not just doing it for me.

I’m doing it for dance parties in the kitchen as we sing at the top of our lungs to Imagine Dragons. I’m doing it for the three days of bliss we felt in the Bahamas after we got married. I’m doing it for all the times she sat on my face and all the times she kissed me like she needed me to breathe. I’m doing it for stolen moments in the back of a car or on my patio. I’m doing it for the little moments and the big ones. I’m doing it for my daughter and the family the three of us deserve.

I stare out the window as I contemplate whether my big secret is going to be enough for her. It has to be. There’s no other choice.

She rolls out of bed a short while later, and she stumbles to the bathroom with a mumbled good morning on her way by.

She must’ve tossed and turned all night. She probably wanted the cock.

I would’ve been more than happy to deliver.

She has to go down to the salon to get ready with Mandy, so I’m on my own for breakfast. I call up room service, and I call Ellie to check in on things. She’s running my big project while I’m out of town this weekend, and I could not be more grateful.

“I really think this is going to work, Trav,” she says.

“I hope so.”

“I do, too,” she says quietly, and then she has to tend to her kids.

Despite the heaviness in my chest, I feel good as I get ready for the wedding. I meet Jaxon down in the garden for photos before the event kicks off, and he’s a nervous wreck.

“You’re marrying the love of your life,” I remind him. “Last night you two shared stories about your short history together, and I saw it, that special thing that only comes along once in a lifetime.”

“Like you and Hartley?” he asks.

I nod. “Like me and Hartley. And you’ve got a kid on the way. Could it be more perfect?”

He stares off at the golf course. “Life changes in the blink of an eye,” he says. “Six months ago the two of us were prowling Coax, and now that place is up in the air.”

“What have you heard about it?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Just rumors for now. It’s not going anywhere, but it may not be the secret it once was. And it sounds like Troy Bodine might’ve sold his stake in it to keep himself out of the news.”

“Probably smart given his position with the Heat,” I murmur, referring to the baseball expansion team he both owns and manages.

He sighs. “On a separate note, we’re both about to be husbands and fathers.” He shakes his head as his dark eyes meet mine. “It’s fucking terrifying, man.”

“Yeah,” I murmur. “Life’s fucking terrifying. All we can do is hold on and enjoy the ride.”

He blows out a breath, and we both hear the click of a camera behind us as the photographer memorializes this conversation.

I think it was a conversation we both needed to have.

An hour later, I’m waiting for Victoria on the other side of the doors so I can escort her in. I’m standing beside Mandy’s dad, who’s a quiet dude since she gets her gift of gab from her mother, and it’s pure awkwardness as we wait.

And then Victoria and Mandy come running through the lobby, both giggling with excitement as they head toward Mandy’s wedding. She’s a gorgeous bride, but her matron of honor outshines her as I stare at her coming toward me. She turns her head as her eyes meet mine, and her smile fades a little. And then she trips a little, but she catches herself on Mandy’s arm and they both laugh a little harder. Mandy’s dad moves toward them to take his daughter’s arm, and Victoria hugs Mandy and says something to her before walking over to me.

“What did I tell you about being more beautiful than the bride?” I ask pointedly—but also softly so the bride doesn’t hear me—and she laughs.

“Well thank you, Mr. Woods.” She adjusts my tie a little, and her eyes get a little misty as she glances up at me. “You clean up nice.”

“Thank you.” I blow out a breath. I want to bring up our conversation from last night. I want to tell her I understand why she’s running scared.

But now’s not the time, and besides…I think I need to prove it to her rather than say it to her.

I need to show her that she’s not a prize to be won, but she’s my partner and the love of my life. I’ll do whatever it takes to make her see that.

I take her arm in mine, and we walk together down the aisle. I think about what it would be like to marry her all over again, but the right way this time, in front of family and friends. I think about all the ways I can show her how much she means to me. I’m so lost in thought about our future together that I hardly even notice the helicopters flying overhead even though I can’t hear a word the officiant is saying, and I nearly miss it when Jaxon and Mandy kiss and the small group gathered erupts in cheers.

We take our walk down the aisle after the bride and groom, and I hold her close to me—as close as I can given the circumstances. We take photos together as I find ways to touch her, and she leans into my touch as the helicopters continue to circle.

She leans over and whispers to me. “What is that?” She nods upward toward the choppers.

I shrug. “Probably paparazzi.”

Her eyes widen, and I realize why right away.

More ammunition for her against being with me. More reasons why she doesn’t want this life.

“God, they’re here for the big moments and the little ones, I guess,” she muses, and I’m not sure what to say. It’s clear from her tone that it isn’t what she wants out of life.

“There can be some advantages to all that,” I say quietly.

Her eyes dart to mine. “Like what?”

I shrug. “It’s not about the money or the fame, and yeah, it sucks most of the time. But we can also use the paparazzi to our advantage for exposure.”

“Exposure?” she echoes.

“Sure. Like charity work or personal causes.” I leave it at that, hopeful I’ve given her something to consider.

Despite the fact that several of my teammates are here, I spend the entire reception with Victoria. Her best friend is busy doing whatever it is brides do on their wedding day, and I’m here with her. We dance, and we drink, and we eat, and we put on the act for everyone around us as I try to just live in the moment and act like she didn’t file papers, like we’re not going to get divorced, like this is just our lives now. I feel happy and free as I drop the act, and maybe she does for a while, too. She’s smiling as we dance. We avoid the heavy topics as we just let go and have a good time together.

The only act I’m putting on is pretending like this isn’t some elaborate goodbye.

It can’t be.

And so once the party’s over and the guests leave, we head up to our hotel room together.

The tension is thick in the elevator as we head up to our suite. It grows to something palpable as we walk down the hall, and it thickens even more as we enter our room.

She clears her throat. “Thank you for a lovely day today. I’m sure it would’ve been more fun for you to hang out with your teammates—”

I shake my head, cutting her off. “I had a great time with you. I always have a great time with you.”

She presses her lips together. “Travis, I—”

I cut her off again. “Please don’t. Just…can we just have this one night?”

She blows out a heavy sigh. “The helicopters,” she blurts. “They were a reminder why I can’t do this. They’re always there. The big moments, the small moments. It’s not what I want. I don’t think one night would be wise. We already said the last time was the last time.”

“We also said the first time would be the only time. So we bend the rules, or better yet, we make our own. You can’t tell me you don’t feel it, too.”

“I feel it. I’ve never felt anything like it, and that’s what scares me the most.” Her eyes dart out the window instead of focusing on me.

“Give me time to prove there’s nothing to be afraid of.” I’m begging, but I have to.

“I don’t have time. I’m twenty-six. I wanted to have at least one baby by now, and I was stuck with that other asshole for three years and it didn’t pan out. I feel my clock ticking and it’s getting louder and louder and…”

I walk over and grab her into my arms, and she trails off as I hold her against my chest. I press a kiss onto the top of her head. “You have a lot of time, Vic. One night isn’t going to change that, and sometimes life throws things at us that forces us to change our plans. And that’s okay. Part of this scary, amazing thing we call life is rolling with it and figuring it out along the way.”

She nods against my chest, and I feel her start to melt into me, though her arms don’t come around me. Yet.

We’ll get there.

“I love you, Hartley.”

She lets out a little sob. “I love you, too.” Her voice trembles against me, and I pull back, tip her chin up with my fingertips, and force her eyes onto mine.

“Then be with me.”

“It’s not enough,” she argues again, but I can see her defenses crumbling as she starts to see me coming through for her. It’s not just words. I’m really trying here. I’m trying to show her I’m the man she needs…the man she deserves. I’ve never been that for anybody before, but I want to be. With my whole heart. I want to be everything she and Harper deserve. Together, they make me want to be better.

“Okay,” she finally murmurs. “One last goodbye.”

“One last goodbye,” I echo.

Tonight I will give her every single bit of tenderness and emotion I feel inside for her as I pray this isn’t really goodbye.

It can’t be.

Our bodies are still entwined as I walk her backward until her legs hit the mattress. I gently lower her until she sinks into the mattress, and I hover over her, making every touch, every kiss, every breath count since this is the last one.

Her fingers trace softly along my jaw as my eyes study hers, and I see pain there. I see confusion and unrest and a whole lot of fear.

I lower my lips to her neck and feel her shiver beneath me, and then I trail my lips to hers and kiss her as slowly as I can even though my body—my cock, specifically—is telling me to get this show on the road.

I’m not ready to get this show on the road.

Not if it’s the last time.

She wraps her arms around me and deepens the kiss, and it doesn’t feel possible that we won’t have this again. It doesn’t feel right.

I pull back and lean my forehead against hers. “How can this be goodbye?” I whisper.

A tear falls down from her eye and drags slowly across her temple since she’s laying on her back. She doesn’t answer, instead pulling my head down until my lips meet hers again.

I slowly move to a stand and peel her clothes off her, and she does the same to me, like she’s unwrapping a gift. I move over her again, and before I grab my cock to plunge into her, I stare into her eyes. It’s intimate as we study each other, and she doesn’t look away like I expect her to. Instead, the fear is still there, but the confusion seems to have been displaced by something else. Lust, maybe. Love.

She keeps telling me it’s not enough, though, and in this moment, I know there’s nothing more I can do to prove that it’s all we need. It’s everything.

So instead of saying words, I use my body to show her how I feel about her. I push into her, and we immediately find a slow and sensual rhythm together like our bodies were made for this. They were. I was put here to find her, and I know that. I just have to figure out how to make her see that.

Emotions are thick around us as we make love, and I hold her tightly to me, as if I can hold onto her tight enough to keep her from leaving me.

We’re in perfect harmony as we tumble toward a climax together. The passion mounts as each kiss and each caress carries a deep emotional connection I know I’ll never find again.

She clings to me as her body starts to tighten, and I know her well enough to know she’s about to spring into an intense orgasm. I’m close, too, and as soon as she tips over the edge to a beautiful symphony of moans, I grunt out my own release, the wave of pleasure folding over us together.

I hold onto her tightly even when the moment passes, when we both start to come down from the high. If this is the last time, I can’t let it end. I can’t let her go.

Because once I do, that’ll be it. And I’m not ready to face that.

The silence between us is deafening, but eventually she shifts. I pull out of her and lay beside her, a cold chill pulsing in my chest as she presses her lips together and moves to a stand.

She heads to the bathroom to clean up, and I lay in the bed alone as regret fills me that I couldn’t find the right words to somehow convince her to stay.