Page 99 of Your Play to Call
“That’s doable. Thanks, Erik.” She hangs up the phone and then wraps her arms around me.
Now that Erik is gone, she squeals into me, shaking us on the bed with her kicking feet.
“I’m fucking proud of you. Holding out isn’t easy.”
“Thank you. I feel like I can finally breathe again.”
“Okay, we should get back out there.”
“Another minute. I want to be proud of you. Just the two of us,” I say.
Willow melts into my chest.
“Thanks for being proud of me.”
“Always.” I squeeze her into me.
“I love you, Tripp.” Her voice is sweet, small, and sincere.
My heart stops. The moment slows. It’s the first time she’s said those three words, when she wasn’t asleep. I knew she meant in other ways like how she looks at me, or kisses, but never with her mouth, not like this.
“I know you’ve been waiting for me to say that, and I’ve felt it for a while. I just, I don’t know, all of the stuff that comes after? I’ve never been able to get right.” Her eyes are pinched with worry.
“You don’t need to do that, apologize for waiting until you were ready,” I say. “Plus, you kind of told me you loved me first.” She tilts her head in confusion.
“What do you mean?” she asks, slow and deliberate.
“Well, remember how I said you talk in your sleep? One night, you told me you loved me.”
Willow’s cheeks flush pink and she rolls her eyes before letting out a laugh. “Of course, I did that. You didn’t say anything…” She locks her eyes on mine.
“Of course not. There’s no reason to rush any of this, and I knew you’d say it when you were ready.”
“Giving me an awful lot of credit, MVP,” Willow says, raising her eyebrows.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
She stops and the room is silent, only sounds from the living room are muffled and present. I can almost hear my heart beat in my ears.
“This, this right here, is why I love you,” Willow says while putting a hand on the side of my face and putting her lips close to mine.
I can’t hold her tight enough.
Chapter 52
Willow
Today, I am thankfulfor indoor stadiums. It’s a snowy November day in New York, the wind whipping your face, and I can’t wait to be tucked into the suite, watching Tripp hopefully get a win. I bribed him with a live version of any song, his pick, from my new album, if he scored a touchdown.
Mom and Dad left early this morning. I rode with them to the airport as they gushed about how Thanksgiving was perfect. My parents can’t get enough of Tripp, or Wendy, if we’re being honest. Watching our moms plan holidays and things to do the next time we’re together was the sweetest thing.
My parents never had a strong connection with Dexter. It wasn’t that they didn’t like him, but they never went out of their way to make plans. During this short visit, Tripp even took my dad to the Cosmos practice facility, just the two of them, because he knew my dad would love it. Dexter would never.
And you know what? That’s okay. I learned a lot from my relationship with Dexter, and others before. It may have been a bunch of what not to do or things I couldn’t settle for, but learning, nonetheless. Plus, this whole path brought me to Tripp.
Needless to say, it’s a resounding “yes” from my parents, not that I had any doubts.
Something Wendy and I have sort of made “our thing” is putting together game-day outfits. She comes shopping, sometimes Emilie joins,and we find a way to tie Tripp’s team or team colors into what I’m wearing.