Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Maybe her parents had pressured her into coming to my house that day.
Maybe they’d seen my father hit me and didn’t feel safe with their daughter being around us.
Maybe they thought I’d become the same man my father was.
Maybe Madelyn didn’t have a choice at all.
I’d been so young, so ruled by my anger then…
But I could choose to let it go now.
I could choose to start fresh.
I couldn’t wait to talk to Madelyn after the wedding, to set it all straight and figure out where her head was.
But for now, I had a performance to make.
I walked through the lobby with a cocky smile, my shoulders squared, and a swagger in my step. And when the doors slid open, I was blinded by a blur of flashing lights.
“You all waiting for me?” I said loud enough for every one of them to hear.
And then I posed for pictures and answered questions, hamming it up the way I used to in college until I was sure enough time had passed for Madelyn to get out safely.
A half hour later, I was sitting next to Madelyn in the fourth row of white chairs facing the Rocky Mountains with the sun dipping behind their peaks.
And I was doing my best not to sob like a baby.
I didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with me, but the lump in my throat was all I could focus on as I watched Clay lose his shit when Giana appeared at the end of the aisle.
Holden was the only other one with him, as he’d agreed to get certified and be their officiant. And even he looked emotional as he squeezed Clay’s shoulder, a smirk painting his lips like he knew exactly what our teammate was feeling in this moment.
Considering he’d just had his own wedding a few months ago, I supposed he really did.
“Alright,” Holden said. “Everyone on your feet for our beautiful bride.”
We all stood, Giana and her father paused at the edge of the aisle. The song changed, shifting into an instrumental version of “New Year’s Day’ by Taylor Swift, and then Giana started walking again.
She was gorgeous.
Her dark, curly hair was framing her face in a wild halo, her freckles more pronounced under the glow of the setting sun. She wore a cream-colored lacy dress with dramatic sleeves. It was fitted right under her bust, which accented the slight baby bump she had.
It was wild to remember her as the soft-spoken, shy little thing who had tried to wrangle us on the field freshman year. Watching her grow into the spunky, powerful agent she was now was something I felt lucky to have witnessed.
When I looked at Clay again, it was just in time to see him lose the fight against his emotions.
He pinched the bridge of his nose as his shoulders shook, Holden smirking behind him and clapping him on the back. When he finally gained a little composure, Clay looked up again, his eyes red and blotchy as he watched Giana walk toward him.
I heard a sniff, and when I looked over my shoulder, I found Madelyn watching Clay with her eyes glossed over. She blinked, and a single tear rolled down her cheek before her eyes flicked to mine.
She laughed a little, shaking her head as if she were embarrassed.
I couldn’t help the smile that spread on my face, nor could I deny the way my chest tightened the longer I watched her.
I reached out, sliding my thumb over that tear and across her cheekbone. She leaned into my touch, closing her eyes briefly before she was looking at Clay and Giana again.
When we were asked to take our seats, I threaded my fingers through hers, pulling our hands to rest on my knee. I smoothed my thumb over her wrist as I held her, memories of when we were young pulsing through that touch.
The wedding ceremony was short and sweet, Holden cracking a few jokes before he told his version of the story of how Clay and Giana became a couple. We all laughed as he recalled the way Clay had been a broody asshole all sour over his ex-girlfriend, and then he’d jumped into a relationship with Giana. We hadn’t known it was fake at the time. Hell, nothing ever seemed fake between those two.
That made me squeeze Madelyn’s hand.
Nothing felt fake about her being here with me, either.
“I vow to always remind you to put yourself first sometimes,” Giana said when it was time for them to share, her eyes glossy as she looked up at Clay. “And to believe in you even when you don’t believe in yourself. I promise to always be there at the end of every game, win or lose, and to never let you sink too deep inside that head of yours.”