6. Cord

Chapter 6

Cord

"Macy," I growl as I follow her to her car. She's practically sprinting, but I'm not going to chase her. Haven't I been doing that for long enough?

My fingers graze the door handle as she tears out of the parking lot. As she goes, I catch a glimpse of her face. A sharp ache spreads through my chest when she swipes at her cheeks, brushing away the tears.

"Motherfucker!" I roar, spinning in a circle, looking for something I can punch.

"I'm sorry, Cord. I feel like this is all my fault." Schmidt runs a rough hand through his hair. He's really upset. He's such a nice guy and never wants to upset anyone. Standing up to Macy was probably really hard for him.

"Nah, man. This isn't your fault. Not even a little bit. Welcome to Macy Hayes. She does what she wants, when she wants to. And when she doesn't want to play anymore, she's gone. "

"Then why are you still chasing her years later?"

"Because she stole my heart and I don't know how to live without it. C'mon, let's go back inside and try to enjoy our night." I squeeze his shoulder and guide him towards the door. I need to make sure he doesn't feel responsible for what just happened. This was all about Macy and me, Schmidt was just a pawn in her little game.

"I think it's time for me to make my exit." He glances down at his wrist. "It's already too late for me to be out and we have to be into work early tomorrow. I'll see ya later, man."

I watch him hurry off to his car and let my head drop back so I can stare up at the cloudy sky. I don't know how I ever found myself in this situation, but I need to stop this insane circle. I feel like I'm running on a hamster wheel and I'm tired of it.

Macy and I have to figure this out. We can't be enemies anymore. It's time we either cut ties completely or we repair our friendship. I wasn't lying when I said she took my heart and left a hole in my chest. Every glimpse of her I get is painful.

I need to move on from her and find someone I could eventually settle down with. I always hoped it would be Macy, but at this point it's foolish to keep waiting. She doesn't want me and that's all there is to it.

I'm at the clubhouse a solid two hours before I'm supposed to be. No matter how much I tried to sleep last night, every time I shut my eyes, I kept seeing Macy wiping tears from her eyes. I couldn't sleep. I laid there wide awake trying to figure out how I can make things better between us.

I grab another weight and add it to the leg press. This is how I clear my mind and figure things out. I focus on my breathing as I perform one rep after another.

"What are you doing here, Cord?"

I glance up to find Dad standing to my right with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes are trained on me and he's trying to figure out what's going on.

"Working out. Isn't that what you pay me to do?"

"Yeah, I don't pay you to be a smartass in the process though."

"Well, that's a happy little bonus I throw in at no cost to you." I smirk.

"Clearly, you're hurting." He loads weight onto the leg press next to me and drops down onto the padded seat.

"What are you talking about? Are you really going to work out in jeans?" I eye him like he's crazy.

"I mean I didn't plan on working out at all, but sometimes plans change." He shrugs. "And I've only ever found you in a weight room, hours before you need to be, when something is on your mind. And normally that means you're hurting."

"I am not," I grumble under my breath .

"What's going on with Macy?" He glances at me as he pushes four hundred pounds into the air and holds it. He doesn't grunt or struggle in the least. The man is built like a tank.

"I never said it had to do with Macy." I follow his lead and push three hundred pounds up.

"You didn't have to; you were making your Macy face." He makes a face at me, looking like he's constipated.

"Seriously?" I roll my eyes, doing another rep.

"You know, if rolling your eyes were an exercise, you might actually be able to keep up with me in the gym. You'd be jacked!"

"I'm a professional athlete! Are you seriously trying to say you can outdo me?"

"A little competition never hurt anyone." He grins. "But before we prove I'm better than you, I want you to tell me what's going on with the little firecracker known as Macy."

"She's pissed at me again. What else is new?" I sigh and shake my head. I didn't even do anything last night.

"What happened, Cord? I'm tired of asking the same question and I can't help you if you don't tell me."

I finally break. I tell him everything that happened and how it made me feel. Dad might be immature and overwhelming nine times out of ten, but he's the best dad I could ask for. When push comes to shove, he sits down with me like he is now, and really listens to my problems. He'll spend the rest of the day thinking things over and before I leave, he'll pull me aside and give me advice.

It used to drive me crazy that he took so long to give me his viewpoint and suggestions, but then I realize he was only doing it because he wanted to make sure he really thought about it and gave me his best advice.

"She still loves you, Cord, but she's scared. The whole reason she pushed you away is because she's never felt loved. Your mom was similar when we met. She didn't believe she was enough for me. She compared herself to every other woman and thought she was lacking. Macy's had a rough life. Her mom left her and her dad was abusive. She doesn't know true love outside of her brother and sister-in-law. She's trying to protect herself because she doesn't think she measures up to the great Cord Powell."

"I've never made her feel like that," I whisper.

"I never said you did. A lot of times it's in the person's head. She needs to accept you aren't her parents and you don't want anyone else. It's hard. Really hard, and cleat chasers aren't going to make it any easier… that's when she broke up with you, right? When other women found out who you were and you started to become recognizable in public?"

"Yeah, she said she wasn't going to stand by while she was disrespected. But how is it my fault? I never did anything to make those women think I wanted a thing to do with them. I was polite and excused myself from the situation as quickly as possible. What does she want me to do? I can't step out of the way and let someone fall to the ground because they try to hug me and I don't want them to. I also can't walk away or be an ass, that would be a PR nightmare." I shake my head, feeling completely lost.

"It's not your fault, but clearly she has some things to work through. Maybe you just need to be there for her as much as she'll allow. It won't be easy and it will be a lot of work, but I've never seen you happier than when she's at your side." Dad hops up to a standing position and glances at his watch. "On that note, I have a meeting to get to. I'll be expecting a competition in this gym when I'm wearing athletic clothes and not jeans, do you hear me?" He points his finger in my face. I frown and bat it away, making him chuckle.

As soon as he's gone, I tug my phone out of my pocket and fire off a text to Macy. I'm not sure if she'll even answer me, but it's worth a try. Anything to get us back on good terms.

Cord: I want to talk to you. Will you meet me for dinner tonight or come to my place?

Macy: You have the wrong number.

Cord: Cut the shit, Mace. You were crying last night and that's not ok with me. We need to talk.

Macy: Mailbox is full. Please contact someone who cares.

Cord: Fine, I'm coming to your place. See you at 6.

Macy: No, Cord. I don't want you to.

Cord: This isn't the Macy show. I don't really care if you don't want to talk. We're fixing things tonight.

Macy: I won't date you.

Cord: I don't remember asking you out.

Macy: I'm just putting it out there. *shrugging emoji*

Cord: See you at 6, babe.