32. Dalton

THIRTY-TWO

My hands shakewith anticipation as I grip the steering wheel. Dia sits beside me in the passenger seat, taking in the expensive homes as we pass by. This neighborhood is the safest in the area, with a good school system and around-the-clock security. But it also has a quiet and quaint feel to it. It's nothing like the busy city street where my apartment is located. That place is great for a bachelor pad. But this? It's the place you can only dream to live when you want to set down roots and raise a family.

When I gave the realtor a list of things I was looking for a few weeks ago, I certainly wasn't expecting her to get back to me so fast. I honestly thought I'd end up having to build a custom home to make sure it checked all the boxes, taking months or even years to complete. But somehow, as it has so many times in the last couple of months, fate stepped in and dropped perfection right into my lap.

I steal a glance at Dia. It's been nearly two weeks since our six-week period ran out, and I know we probably should have discussed everything by now, but she hasn't brought it up and neither have I. I'll admit I haven't because the thought of her leaving terrifies me. Everything between us is going so well. Our daily routines have stayed the same. Taking turns making breakfast before showering together. Sometimes when I'm an extra good boy, she drops to her knees and starts my day with her heavenly mouth. I go to the practice facility, and she takes off to meet Bella at the studio or Mads at the café or shopping center. Then, we spend our weeknights at home, wrapped up in one other on the couch. On the weekends, we get creative with our adventures. Sometimes we return to our secluded booth at Club Liquid. Sometimes we put on wigs and fake mustaches so we can sneak into a movie theater unnoticed. Talking about putting an end to all of this definitely isn't high on my to-do list.

I know what I'm about to do could go either very well, or it could blow up in my face, but I really need Dia to know that I'm still completely in on being married to her. I want to build a life with her, and we can't do that in my bachelor pad. There are so many things she wants out of life, and I want to give them all to her. But I also understand that this may completely scare the shit out of her. I know there's still a part of her that thinks I'll abandon her like her parents did, but she couldn't be more wrong. Even if I wanted to, I am bound to this woman. I feel it in my soul. She's my other half, and I'm lucky enough to have found her in this great big world full of people. So, no matter what feelings get stirred up from her past when I show her what our future could look like, we'll get through it together.

I pull through the gate, parking the car and running around to open her door. She's been particularly sassy today, and I can't say it isn't turning me on a little. But that melts into confusion as I go through all the steps to make sure she's able to get into the house, even when I'm not here. I program both of our fingerprints into the lock on the door and hold my breath as I swing it open to reveal my wife's dream house.

The night she came to me, promising to let me love and care for her, I asked what she wanted for her future. I wasn't expecting much out of her because I knew she wasn't used to opening up to people like that. But, once she started talking, it's like she just couldn't stop. The excitement in her voice as she described the house she dreamed of living in set me on a mission, right then and there. I was going to find it for her. And if I couldn't find it, I'd build it.

At first, I didn't know where our relationship would go. So, the house was less about us, and more about her having a life she deserved. Whether or not I would be living in it with her wasn't my concern. Of course, I'd hoped we'd be able to share it, but if she decided to kick me to the curb, I still wanted her to have this.

I'm in awe as I look around at the beautiful interior of the entryway. When the realtor sent over the photos and told me that this place had everything I asked for, I knew I didn't want to see it for the first time in person without Dia. It just didn't seem right to come here and not have her to experience it with. So, I bought it, sight unseen, and here we are.

We both stand there, taking in our surroundings. From here, I can see the large living room, complete with the fireplace she wanted. I was able to purchase all of the furniture and have it ready to go earlier this week, so if she wants to, we can pack up the boxes at my apartment and move in right away. Off to our right, there's a large kitchen for her to host her friends. There's even a big island in the middle of the room for all of her wine bottles to be put while she dances like a crazy person in her pajamas. The mental image of that makes me smile as she takes a few steps forward, trying to see more.

"Who lives here?" she asks, her voice breathy as she looks up the marble staircase.

I walk up behind her, snaking my arms around her waist and pulling her into me. The scent of her minty shampoo overtakes my senses, calming my raging nerves.

"We do," I tell her.

She stands there for a moment, and I feel her body go rigid before she freezes completely. I give her some time to process everything, letting go of her so she knows she's not being held down, but keeping my front pressed against her back. She takes two quick steps away from me before whipping around, her brows pulled together in confusion. "What?"

She looks a little nervous, but I want her to understand what this house is, and what it could mean for us. "I know it's a lot, but please let me show you around. Let me show you why you're here."

Thankfully, she trusts me enough to go along with what I'm asking. I take her hand, leading her from room to room, reminding her of everything she told me she wanted that night. The realtor was completely right. Every single thing on that list is included in this house. It's almost like it was waiting here for us to find each other, get married, fall in love, and start a life.

When we finish on the first and second floor, we go back through the kitchen and I open the French doors to the backyard. Although it's still chilly out and nothing is open for the warm weather, the pool is completely visible, as is the waterfall that sits off to the side. It isn't running, but I can envision her laying on a lounger in her sexiest bikini, or if I'm lucky, nothing at all, reading her smutty romance books while she waits for me to come home from practice. I fantasize about nights alone out here, making love to her in the water, the sound of the waterfall mixing with her moans as I make her come, over and over. These are all thoughts that have run through my head a million times, but they're all so real now that we're standing here.

"It's the house from my dreams," she whispers. I can't really make out the emotions that she's feeling from the sound of her voice, but I know there's an internal battle waging on inside her.

"What are you thinking?" I ask. If she's having mixed emotions about this, I want to talk them out. I know it was impulsive to buy the house, let alone bring her here when we haven't discussed our long-term future, so I don't expect her to just be all smiles and jump to move in right away. I actually anticipated her giving some pushback, but when I went to tell the realtor that it was too soon, it just didn't feel right. I knew this place was made for Dia. There was no other explanation.

"I need to get out of here," she says, turning and running back through the doors. I rush in behind her just in time to see her bump into the kitchen counter, the contents of her bag scattering across the floor. She drops down, trying her best to gather it all up as quickly as she can, shoving her phone into her back pocket and stuffing more items into her purse.

I walk over, kneeling beside her and reaching for a piece of paper that's lying face-down in front of me. "Hey," I say softly. "I know this is a lot, but let's talk about it. I don't want us to?—"

I'm cut off when I notice the way she's nervously looking at the paper in my hand. My brows knit in confusion as I reluctantly flip it over and read it silently. It takes my brain a minute to register what this is, but when it does, panic and anger flow through me like an electric current.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head rapidly. I look down at it again, hoping that the large, bold text on the top of the document has somehow magically changed and I'm not holding divorce papers in my hand. "Dia, please don't do this. I love you," I choke out. I feel so desperate right now. If I wasn't already on my knees, I'd drop down to beg her to stay.

She stares at me like a deer in headlights, her big brown eyes filling with tears. She squeezes them shut, bringing a hand over her mouth as her face twists with emotion. I think maybe she's going to open up to me. Tell me why she's still so scared of giving this marriage a shot, but she stays silent.

I reach out for her hand, needing some sort of connection, but she tries to back away, landing on her ass before I can even touch her. She stands quickly before taking another step backward. "I'm sorry, Dalton," she says as tears stream down her beautiful face.

I shuffle toward her, still on my knees. "Please," I plead. "Please don't leave me." I reach out again, but she puts her hands out in front of her to keep me at a distance.

"Elvis," she whispers, halting me completely.

And then, she's out the front door.

I scramble to my feet, running after her while frantically patting my pockets to find my keys. But as I hear the door to my Audi slam shut, the engine roaring to life, I realize I must've left them in the car in my excitement to get Dia into the house. I hit the porch just in time to see her fly down the driveway and out of sight, taking every piece of my soul with her.

"Fuck!" I yell, gripping my hair as my whole body trembles. I let my emotions take control as tears roll down my cheeks, soaking my skin. I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest. I gasp for breath, feeling truly scared that this is it for us. My knees wobble violently before giving out and I drop to the hard wood of the wrap-around porch where I envisioned Dia rocking our babies on a warm, summer evening. Now, the memory of the future I had dreamed about is nothing but a painful reminder that I couldn't do enough to make her change her mind.

I was stupid for thinking she was ready for any of this. I've been pushing too hard, right from that very first night, even though she warned me that she'd break me if I got too close. And now she's gone, leaving me here with a piece of paper that proves she was never fully mine to begin with.

I want answers from her so badly. Did she ever really let me in? Or did I break through her walls, only to find a heart that was padlocked without a key the whole time?

I know I need to let her do this alone. She needs time to figure all of this out without me. So, I reach into my pocket, calling the only person I can think of that knows what it's like to feel as broken as I am right now. I may not know his story, but I can tell that something or someone changed him into the man he is today.

It rings twice before he greets me. "Hello?"

"Hey," I say. "Can you come get me?"

Not even ten minutes later, I open the door of my quarterback's Tesla. I hesitate, stopping to take one more look at the house before I lower myself into the front seat.

"Let's get you out of here," Tanner says as he pulls around and heads back toward the road. I take another look in the rearview, watching every dream I had of my future with Dia disappear as the house gets further and further away.

We ride in silence all the way to Tanner's house. It's in a secluded area, up on a hill with an epic view of the Boston skyline. I've been here a few times before, but he usually doesn't offer to host events for the team. He'll pay the big bucks to rent a hall or ballroom, but it's rare that he invites people into his space. I'm glad we're here though, because I couldn't stay at the new house, and everything in my apartment reminds me of Dia. I can't go back there until I know what's going on.

After she grand theft autoed my Audi, I told myself I'd give her some time. She's used to doing things on her own. And although I promised she'd never have to do it again, I know this is one of those times where she needs to make decisions about what happens next without me putting extra pressure on her. So, I deleted my car's app from my phone. That way, I'm not tempted to watch the GPS as she drives.

We come to the end of Tanner's long driveway, and he pulls his car into the open garage door as it shuts behind us. I follow him silently as we enter the house. My body feels like I just got hit repeatedly by a monster linebacker. Every one of my muscles is tense with anxiety as my brain goes a thousand miles a minute, conjuring up every possible bad outcome of this situation.

I want to kick my own ass for not waiting to show Dia the house. I guess I just got comfortable these past two weeks, knowing she was free to leave, but didn't. Little did I know, she was considering it the whole time if she went through with having divorce papers drawn up without telling me. I want to be angry about it, but do I even have a right to be? She told me before I married her that after that night, we were done. I should be thankful I got another two months with her. I gained her trust, showed her what she was worth, and I know she loves me. Even if she hadn't slipped and said it on the phone, her actions speak loudly. Starting with the night she ran into my arms when her parents broke her heart. She could've gone to Mads, or suffered in silence like she's used to doing, but she didn't. Instead, she showed up at my door, knowing I'd do everything I could do stop her pain. That's all I've ever wanted to do.

Tanner leads me to the basement, where he has a completely stocked wet bar set up in the corner. He opens a small refrigerator, sliding a beer across the wooden counter to me before pouring himself a glass of whiskey. "Alright," he says before pausing to throw back half the glass at once. "What happened?"

I tell him everything. From the moment I laid eyes on Dia, to the wedding in Vegas, to finally feeling like I had broken down her walls, only to have her run away from me. He lets me speak, listening intently and never interrupting. When I'm finally finished, he leans forward onto the bar top and blows out a breath.

"The summer before my senior year of college, I had a," he pauses, looking for the right word, "thing with my best friend's younger sister. It started as just physical, but feelings got involved on both of our parts. Knowing that I'd be entering the draft and she had dreams of her own, I pushed her away." He looks down, sadness in his expression as he swirls the amber liquid in his glass. "I should've fought for her, but I thought I was doing the right thing. It was the biggest mistake of my fucking life. A mistake I've lived with since I walked away from her as she begged me not to. Her cries still haunt my dreams." He looks up at me. "Fight for her, Davis. Give her the time she needs right now, but when she's ready, do whatever it takes to get her back."

I try to protest the tears that threaten to fill my eyes, but I feel so fucking broken. I keep trying to reach for some semblance of hope, but the folded-up piece of paper in my pocket right now feels like a boulder, pulling me under the surface as I try to keep my head above water.

I know Tanner is right, though. Dia needs time, but there's no fucking way I'll let her walk away from this marriage without a fight. I love her too much to just lay down and let that happen. If she decides in the end that she wants to leave, I can't force her to stay. But I'll definitely go down swinging.

"Thanks, Tan. For coming to get me. For telling me all of that. Just…for everything."

He gives a tight nod. "Of course, man. We're brothers."

We sit there for a while, talking as we drink. Eventually, my body lets me know that the day has taken its toll, my muscles aching from the stress. As I go to call for a ride, Tanner stops me. "Just stay here. For as long as you need."

I'm way too tired to turn down his offer, thanking him before he shows me to the guest suite, which is somehow bigger than my whole fucking apartment. It has its own kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. It's a pretty perfect place to think about all of this while giving Dia the space she needs. I'll go back to my apartment eventually, but I just can't tonight. It's too much.

I brush my teeth before stripping down to my boxers and sliding under the covers, into an empty bed for the first time in weeks. I miss her so goddamn much. I feel like my chest is caving in as I struggle to breathe. I fight back every emotion that's battling inside me, closing my eyes, hoping that she's okay. And that maybe she's missing me, too.

Just as I'm about to drift off, my phone dings on the bedside table, lighting up the room. I pick it up, seeing a notification from the security camera system I had installed in the new house. I pull up the app, seeing Dia as she places her finger on the lock to the front door and pushes it open. The camera switches to the one in the entryway, triggered by her movement. I should stop watching. I should be thankful she has somewhere safe to stay and give her some privacy. But my eyes stay glued to the screen as she walks around the house. And when she heads toward the basement, that she didn't get a chance to see earlier, I know there's nothing that could drag me away.