Intercepted

by Alexa Martin

  “More importantly, you aren’t telling me that I’m gonna have to visit this fuckin’ place for the next four fuckin’ years, are you?”

  “Donny, come on, watch the language, could you? We’re in public.” Gavin still notices it, apparently. “And yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you. Talk to Jacobs, get them to their best offer, and give it to me to sign.”

  “Other teams have been making moves. The Giants quarterback announced his retirement, and I’ve heard through the grapevine they’re interested.”

  “I’m not,” Gavin says. “Talk to Jacobs. Talk to me. Let’s get this finished so I can move on with my off season.”

  “What?” Donny asks. Poor guy sounds desperate. “Are you sure? You’ve always wanted to be a Giant! This is The Dream, man.”

  Maybe Gavin did, but that was before he came here. Everybody loves Colorado.

  Well, except Donny, but there’s clearly something wrong with him and he doesn’t count.

  “Positive. Football isn’t going to last forever, but Marlee will. I want to stay with her. Plus, I love it here and the organization is great. Talk to them.”

  We’ve exchanged “I love you’s,” I’ve met his family, and we practically live together. But still, hearing him tell Donny how much I mean to him without so much as batting an eyelash sends my heart to moon. Never underestimate the power of a public declaration of love.

  Even more than that though, the relief I feel hearing Gavin giving Donny the order to stay in Denver is unmeasurable. He has been downplaying his upcoming free agent status, but this isn’t my first rodeo. Nothing in the NFL is easy.

  Colorado is my home. My work, my family, my friends—they’re all here. We’re still a new couple, and I’ve spent most of my adult years following around a man and doing as he says. I’m not interested in doing it again. I love Gavin even more knowing he’s not going to put me in a situation where I have to choose between me and him.

  “You and that fuckin’ black girl magic, Marlee. Got him spellbound.”

  I laugh when I hear a person at one of the surrounding tables take an audible gasp. Donny shouldn’t be allowed in public.

  “You can’t say stuff like that out loud.” But then I lean across the table and whisper, “I don’t know if I’d call it magic, but I have been putting something on him.”

  “Fuckin’ Christ! I wish I had somebody puttin’ somethin’ on me.” His voice gradually raises from his normal loud to really loud, screaming. “Lucky fuckin’ bastard over there. Makes the money. Gets the girl. I guess it’s only right he has to live like a fuckin’ icicle.”

  “Donny! We were just in New York. It’s even colder there than it is here. You need a new argument.”

  “I don’t care if it’s cold there.” He huffs. “If I’m gonna put my ass on a plane out of New York, it better be to some place warm. San Francisco 49’ers, fuckin’ Arizona. You got my ass coming to Chicago first and then fuckin’ Denver. Why are you doing this to me?”

  “I don’t even know why I keep you around.” Gavin shakes his head. “Now I’m going to have to pay for all the tables next to us so I don’t end up having to hear from the Mustangs GM about the complaints they got for my behavior tonight.”

  “They should mind their own fuckin’ business!” He looks directly at the elderly man ahead of him when he yells it.

  “Fucking hell.” Gavin groans.

  “This wouldn’t be a problem in New York. People keep to themselves.”

  “Denver, Donny.” Gavin’s hand tightens around his fork, and I can tell he’s struggling to keep it together. He always ends up like this after talking to Donny. But they love each other. And they’re both very good at getting the other one money.

  “Yeah, yeah. I hear you,” Donny mumbles. “I’ll call Jacobs in the morning.”

  Squeee!

  I want to jump up and run a victory lap around the restaurant yelling, “My man’s staying,” but since Donny’s already embarrassed us enough for the evening, I keep it buried deep down and raise my glass like a classy broad.

  Once the bill—correction, bills—are paid, we take Donny to Gavin’s place and then head to mine. I told Gavin since he’s at my place so often, he should put his on AirBnb for some off-season compensation. He laughed. I was serious. If he would have listened, he could have made back some of what he had to pay for dinner.

  “I’ll be so glad when your contract is signed and free agency is behind us.”

  “Not too much longer.” He looks over at me while we wait at a red light. “I’m thinking we’ll need another vacation after that. Back to New York or an island somewhere.”

  “Back to New York.” The words fly out of my mouth. “Your house is like paradise, and I already miss your family. I can totally picture living there. Walking on the beach, watching Finn for your sister, and one day opening my own little storefront in town. I can see it all.”

  Even in the dark, I can tell he likes my answer.

  Family matters to the Popes and having sat at his mom’s extraordinary dining room table listening to her stories about the rambunctious toddler who would turn into the man I love, it’s become important to me as well.

  I’m an only child and I don’t have a big extended family. The idea of having a huge family where everyone loves and supports one another is all I’ve ever dreamt of. Okay, Gavin too.

  “New York it is,” he whispers before the light turns green.

  “But just to put it out there, summer is pretty long. Maybe two vacations wouldn’t be a terrible hardship.”

  “Mars.” He grabs my hands and gives it a soft squeeze.

  “Gavin.”

  “You in a bikini on a beach? What’s the opposite of a hardship?”

  “Wine, Gavin. You know I can’t answer a question like that after wine.” Hell. I can barely answer sober.

  #NotAnEnglishMajor

  “Well, whatever the opposite is, that’s what being on vacations with you is like.”

  Wine and compliments? He’s so getting laid tonight.

  Thirty-seven

  The best feeling in the world after a long shift on your feet is the moment when your ass finally takes over for you.

  Business at HERS never slowed after football season ended. And since it’s March, Brynn and I are both optimistic it’s only going to keep getting better.

  After my showdown with Madison, I’ve made a big effort to be my most professional self at all times when I’m at HERS. Whenever I’m here, I turn my phone off so I’m only checking it while I’m on break.

  Tonight, when I turn my phone back on, I have ten unread text messages and four new voice mails from Nay.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Naomi’s voice blares out of my phone.

  “At work. Is everything okay?”

  “You mean to tell me you still don’t have the freaking ESPN app on your phone?” she scolds me.

  Oops. I hate cluttering up my home screen with apps, especially ones I don’t care about.

  “Is it Gavin?” I start to panic a little because that stupid app has only brought me bad news in the past.

  “No, it’s Chris! They released him!”

  Oh shit.

  I should feel bad for him. Maybe send him a text or a postcard letting him know I hope he’ll be okay. But, karma is in my ear, whispering about what a bitch she is, and I laugh.

  “Shut up!” I say when I can breathe again. “I wonder who is more pissed right now, Chris or Madison.”

  “Probably a draw. Chris lost his job, Madison lost the key player in her quest for revenge . . . You know. Typical relationship stuff.”

  “If only I could be a fly on the wall right now.” I put on my coat and walk out into the restaurant, where Brynn is taking a customer’s order. Paisley is behind the bar. I wave a silent good-bye to them both and
push through the door into the cold Colorado night.

  Snowflakes fall from the sky, dusting the sidewalks so they look like they’re covered in glitter. Couples cuddled together pass by me, groups of friends bounce on their toes, pulling their jackets tight around them, waiting for the train to arrive. I keep my pace nice and slow while I gossip with Naomi on my walk to Gavin’s condo.

  “I know. I bet she broke up with him the minute he told her. It was obvious to everyone around them she didn’t really like him. If he didn’t treat you like dirt, I’d feel bad for him. But as it is, I’m laughing my ass off at his dumb self.”

  See why we’re best friends?

  “That’s what I said!” I yell and startle the guy with huge ear gauges and no coat smoking outside a tattoo shop. “Sorry!” I say right away when he narrows his eyes at me. I’ve had enough incidents while I’m walking alone to last a lifetime.

  “I wonder if Madison is still going to try to stay.”

  “Who knows? Ideally the Snow Bitch would return to her ice castle.”

  “One can hope,” Naomi says as I round the corner onto Gavin’s street. I spot his building easily not only because it’s his house, but because he keeps it lit like a Christmas tree when he knows I’m coming. Tonight though, there’s a car I don’t recognize parked in the driveway, and after my conversation with Nay, I have a sinking feeling I know exactly who it belongs to.

  “Ummm . . . Nay? Madison wouldn’t happen to drive a new white Range Rover, would she?”

  “Yeah, I think she does. Why?”

  “Because it’s parked in Gavin’s driveway right now.”

  “Oh shit,” she breathes out. “I guess that answers our question about her relationship with Chris.”

  “Yep, and I think she’s throwing her Hail Mary right now. I’ll call you tomorrow and fill you in.” I end the call and pick up my pace before Nay is even able to reply. Not because I’m worried Gavin will fall for it; no, not at all. I’m worried I’ll miss Madison’s face when she gets shot down . . . again.

  I test the door when I get there to see if I need to get my key, but it opens. I walk in and close the door behind me as quietly as possible so I don’t interrupt the voices coming from the living room. I slowly make my way toward them, but I stop just outside the wall and peek my head around.

  I wished to be a fly on the wall and I have a feeling this is the closest I will ever come.

  “Gavin, you have to understand that I’m trying to protect you,” Madison whines through her crocodile tears. “You aren’t seeing the real Marlee Harper. She’s fooling you.”

  Really? She’s back to this? All of the time she spent with Chris and she couldn’t come up with anything better than the “Marlee is a cheater” act? Not to mention, I don’t know why people keep insulting Gavin. Do they think basically calling him stupid is going to sway him to see their (completely fabricated, covered in horse crap) way?

  “Madison,” Gavin says. For once I’m able to decipher the one-name response.

  “I’m not lying to you. Why do you think Courtney hated her so much? If you would open your eyes, you would see everything so clearly.”

  “Courtney didn’t like Marlee because Courtney’s a bitch, which, with my open eyes, I’m figuring might be the same reason you two became instant friends.”

  Burn.

  Madison’s back is toward me, but Gavin’s windows are like perfect mirrors, and I can see the way her jaw drops open perfectly. I’m so glad I ran that last block. My blistered feet protested, but look at the payoff.

  “Listen, Madison. I agreed to listen to you out of respect for your family and the fact that I’ve known you for so long. I wasn’t going to mention how you tried to bring my sister into your bitch-fight. I wasn’t going to say how low it was of you to try and get to Marlee by sleeping with one of my teammates. I was prepared to be the bigger person and let us go amicably our separate ways.” His face is like stone as he delivers his words, and even though I want to love watching Madison getting shut down, I find no joy in how badly Gavin hurts telling her this. “But then you come in my house and attack my girlfriend . . . again. You lie straight to my face because I know you, Madison, and you’re anything but stupid. You know what you’re telling me is bullshit but you keep on going, throwing every bit of friendship we’ve ever had in my face. Spitting on our history. For what? What’s Marlee ever done to you that’s so bad you’re willing to throw our friendship away?”

  “Because she isn’t supposed to have you!” She stomps her feet and screams so loud, the glass vase Gavin fills with flowers for me every Saturday rattles on the counter. “I am! I’ve been with you every step of the way, and then she weasels her way right into the spot I was born for! You love me, you just won’t let yourself feel it!”

  Gavin stands there stunned.

  “Feel it!” she repeats. I watch in horror as she grabs the back of his head and pulls him in for a kiss. But before her mouth reaches his, he pushes her away and moves to the other side of the room.

  #UnrequitedLoveFor400Alex #HowAboutThingsISawComingFromAMileAwayFor1000

  God. I love being right.

  The only sound coming out of the living room is her harsh breathing. Gavin watches her and all of the heat he had has disappeared. His eyes have gone soft and his previously ramrod straight back hunches over.

  “I don’t love you, Madison. I love Marlee.” His voice is so gentle, it’s like he’s talking to a scared, injured animal.

  In a way, he is.

  A wounded snake in the grass.

  #ZeroCompassionZeroGuilt

  “But . . . Gavin, please.” Her voice breaks, and even though I can’t see them in the window now, her thick voice does nothing to mask the tears I’m sure are falling.

  “No, Madison. You were one of my best friends, but you ruined that.” He walks to her and pulls her into a hug. “Maybe one day I’ll forgive you, but that’s not today. Hopefully this will be the wake-up call you need for you to get your act together. You can’t treat people the way you’ve treated Marlee the last few months. You’re better than that.”

  She might say something in response, but it’s muffled into Gavin’s shirt and the sound of her sniffles—which, side note, is such an unpleasant sound. Just sucking your snot back in. Gross. Gavin doesn’t seem to mind though, but Gavin’s also a saint, so he doesn’t count.

  I can’t look away from the scene playing out in front of me. I know this is the last time Madison is going to come in between us, and even though I’m being a total creeper, hiding in the shadows, this is closure for me too. Relief courses through my system and a realization comes over me. I had been carrying around stress waiting for the next dirty trick Madison was going to pull. Having her gone, I feel like I’m floating.

  When I peek around the corner again, Madison is still crying, and I know what’s coming next. Even though I’ve been invading their privacy for the last ten minutes or so, I quietly retreat to Gavin’s bedroom and let them have these last moments together without me.

  I’m lying in Gavin’s bed, trying to focus on my book instead of sneaking back downstairs to listen again, when Gavin walks in.

  “Hey.” I sit up and put my glasses and book on the nightstand. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” He collapses on the bed and rolls over until his head is in my lap. “Glad it’s over.”

  “I bet. It looked rough.” He’s grown his hair since the end of the season, and I pull it out of the man-bun on the top of his head so I can sift my fingers through it while we talk.

  “How much did you see?”

  “Enough to know she was still trying to make me look bad and to know you still aren’t having any of it . . . also that she loves you.” I cringe. Listening in the moment felt fine, admitting to it now does not.

  “Yeah, that sucked.” His eyes close, and he nestles his h
ead deeper into my lap. “When she called asking to come over, I really hoped she was going to make things right.”

  “It sucks when people we care about disappoint us, but maybe in a few years she’ll come around and we can all be friends.”

  “Doubt it, but it’s nice of you to say it.”

  Dammit. At least I tried?

  “You know what else is nice of me?” I nudge his head off of my lap and climb on top of him. “What I’m about to do to you now.”

  I set forth unbuttoning his pants, removing his boxers, making sure the night ends on a high and it does . . . just not until well into the next morning.

  Thirty-eight

  Free agency has arrived.

  Now to put it in terms for people not in the sports business, it’s the time that could either bring a career to new heights or end it. It’s when a contract ends and other teams are allowed to court a player (#DuggarTerminology) or no teams call and a career is over. #MakeItOrBreakIt

  In years past, it’s been stressful. This is the first year I’ve actually kind of enjoyed it. Chris, obviously, always got an offer, but it was never like it’s been with Gavin. Chris was never satisfied with the offer, but he knew he wasn’t going to get better. With Gavin, it’s been like a bidding war on speed. Donny has officially demolished any doubts I had about him. The contract offers he’s been coming to us with have, quite literally, made me light-headed. Let’s just say Gavin is firmly located in the two-comma club—eight, nearly nine digits.

  He isn’t, however, located next to me like I’ve grown accustomed to. Three days ago his mom called him complaining about how much she missed him. Usually during the off season, Gavin spends it entirely in Oyster Bay, but this year, I stole him. And being the amazing man/son/person he is, he flew out yesterday afternoon to surprise her for a couple of days. He wanted me to come, but considering we just returned from the last trip, I had to say no.

  We FaceTimed last night before bed and again this morning. It doesn’t come close to having him in bed with me, but you know . . . beggars can’t be choosers and all that jazz. I’ve texted him a few times throughout the afternoon and still haven’t heard back from him. I’m sure he’s busy with his family, and I’m trying my hardest to avoid being clingy. It’s just . . . I’m freaking clingy, all right! Not having him next to me when he could potentially receive a record-breaking contract offer has me batty.