Page 46 of The Comeback

I’m not just going to forget those two interceptions I threw at the worst possible moments of the game, but Ava storming the field to get to me is not something I’m going to forget either. In her arms, my soul calmed. The mistakes were still there, but they mattered less.

The night I begged her to come to Nevada with me, I told her I needed her there, and maybe I don’t actually in a logical sense, but tonight felt a lot better with her.

So what do I do?

Dad texts me that he’ll wait in the family room if I want to talk for a minute after the game. Devin took everyone else home. I’m sure they’re all excited that we won, but my mom and Jenna probably want to get out of the stadium as quickly as possible. There will be talk from the fans about my huge mistakes that almost cost us the game, and my mom especially hates hearing that. I text Dad back that I’ll come and meet him, if only to reassure them all that I’ll be fine.

Dad walks up and throws his arms around me as soon as I enter the family room. Devin and I get our height from him, so I don’t have to stoop at all to return the hug. “It’s better to learn from a win than a loss, Jett. I don’t care what you or anyone else says; you played good.” He steps back and gives me a stern eye.

“Thanks, Dad.” It’s easier to accept this admonishment of sorts after getting comfort from Ava. I smile and nod, hoping to let Dad know I really will be okay. His words bring back emotion. He’s always been there for me, through thick and thin, as I fought for this career. When things were dark after Ava left, he sent me funny memes every day for a month. It was such a small thing, but they were all handpicked, just for me, not just random ones he found on the internet. I’ll always remember that.

He squints at me. “I saw Ava down on the field with you…”

I almost laugh at his observation and the question clearly in it, asking what’s going on. “Yeah.” I shrug at him, and he tries to hide a smile.

He claps me on the shoulder. “Come by for dinner sometime this week, okay? Your mom wants to see you.”

“Will do,” I promise. We chat as we walk out and then head our separate ways.

My brain goes straight to Ava the minute I’m sitting by myself in my truck. Another thing I can’t forget is Ava giving up on us. Ava walking away. Ava leaving me when things got tough. She was there tonight when I needed her, but will I always be able to count on that? What if I have a bad season? What if I get injured? What if I get traded to a city she doesn’t want to go to?

I try to stop the spiraling. It’s not like it’s a sure thing that Ava and I will get back together, even though that’s what it feels like. The way we held each other after the game was like we’d healed everything broken between us, so what’s standing in the way of the future I always planned?

Just my ability to believe in her. I did that once and ended up with a shattered heart. Can I walk that road again without being sure of the outcome?

Gabriella and Ava take their time coming over to my place. Colby and a couple of other teammates arrive first. No one tries to comfort me for what happened, which I’m glad for.

While I’m waiting for Ava to come, Claire texts me.

Claire: Sorry about pushing the thing with Hayden. I didn’t see that coming.

She adds an emoji of a worried face with a bead of sweat on the side, which I chuckle at.

Claire: Looks like if I’d just left it up to you, it would have settled itself.

There’s a link in this text to a celebrity-gossip account. There’re already pictures of Ava hugging me on the field. I click on a picture to save it to my phone, smiling.

Claire: Just … hire a social media manager, Jett. You’ll thank me later.

Jett: Fine. Consider it done.

Dating Hayden taught me at least one positive thing. Posting photos to social media doesn’t always have to be the chore I thought it was that night we first went out. Among the perfectly posed pictures she took of us were a few off-the-cuff selfies with silly faces that my fans ate up. She snapped one of me studying plays one evening and convinced me to post it to my account, and more than a few people commented that they knew I was a hard worker and how much they related to it. For better or worse, Hayden has a community of people around her, and there’s something to be said for me having that too.

I’m definitely going to use my power for good though. Maybe I’ll post this picture of me and Ava later tonight and talk about how the support of my family and friends has gotten me through the tough times, football and personal alike. There’s nothing more genuine than the comfort Ava offered me down on the field.

By the time she and Gabriella do arrive, their arms full of food, I’ve settled again. When Ava looks at me from where she unpacks snack foods from a bag, her eyes are full of the questions I’ve been asking myself.

What happens next?

I picture her at the picnic, Ruby in her arms, a smile on her lips, and my heart clenches.

We don’t watch game film. I had some good plays, as Ava has pointed out, but that was a hard game, and watching replays tonight will only make me think about those interceptions, make me wonder why I made those throws or analyze why I under-threw that last one to Colby.

We just sit around on my couches and chat, mostly about Colby and Gabriella’s wedding. It’s on our bye week. It’ll be tucked into a Saturday afternoon after team meetings, and they won’t get a honeymoon until the season’s over, but neither of them wanted to wait another five months.

Ava sits across the room next to Gabriella, but I’ve caught her looking at me a dozen times. She’s probably caught me more than that. I stand when the guys can’t help but start discussing the way Colby hammered that defensive end to force the fumble, and I wave them off when they start apologizing.

“No, give him his due,” I say. “He saved my bacon.” I force a huge grin because Colby was a monster out there. We wouldn’t have won without him, no question. Everyone pretends not to notice as I slip outside to stand on my deck. It’s not the same as the beach, but I can smell the ocean and hear the waves out here, and that’s enough.