Law #3: Don't Fall for the Athlete: Sweet Second Chance Romance (Laws of Love) by Agnes Canestri (black books to read txt) 📗

Wyatt blinks to the floor, then turns and walks to the corner where my mother keeps her broom and shovel.

I watch him move with ease in our kitchen, baffled that he still recalls where everything is. It’s been years since he last set foot in my parents’ house.

“You don’t need to…” I start, but he’s already back with the tools.

He cleans up the veggie pieces from the tiles and dumps them into the trash beneath our kitchen sink. He carries the supplies back to their place, then blinks at his watch. “I’m going back to bed. Sleep tight, Ellie.”

With a sad smile, he whips around and strolls out of the kitchen.

When he disappears, I stumble against the counter. I lean my elbows on the cold surface and let my head hang between my arms. All my limbs are numb, and my chest aches.

I did the right thing. I know I did.

Once Wyatt is back with his team, he won’t want to invest time in a relationship with me. His true mistress will re-embrace him, and he’ll fall back into her charms.

So if I know this, why do I feel so awful about taking the mature and safe choice?

Chapter 32

(Wyatt)

“It’s such a pity you decided to head back early,” Devon says and clinks his bottle against my water glass. “Sure you don’t want a beer, too?”

I lean back on Devon’s beige sofa and shake my head. “Got a long ride ahead.”

I came over to my friend’s house to say goodbye. I already did my rounds with Pete, and after I’m done here, there won’t be anything left for me to do other than to head back to a life of loneliness and the success I used to think was all I’d ever want.

How wrong I’d been…

Though I still have over ten days left from my vacation, it’s easier to leave the city now. Perhaps once I’m back in Georgia, the stabbing pain in my chest will decrease.

Devon’s forehead shifts into concerned lines. “Are you at least going to stop somewhere during your drive?”

“In Kingman to greet my mom, then probably in Dallas. Maybe sooner if I get sleepy. Don’t worry, I won’t stay at the wheel if I’m drowsy.”

“Good. I love cars, but driving for days isn’t my cup of tea.”

I shrug. “I don’t mind. That’s why I drove here instead of renting a jet. I like it when the actual journey lasts long enough for me to realize I’m changing places.”

My friend nods, then gives me a speculating glance. “Ellie likes it, too. When we were little, she always preferred to visit our grandparents by car instead of flying to them. She used to say it was a way for her to truly detach herself from what’d been and prepare for what’d come.”

“Yeah, I plan on doing exactly that,” I murmur.

I’m sure that even a year on the road wouldn’t help me exterminate the void I feel. It’s been two days since I came back from Kingman, but the devastating effect of Ellie’s words still hasn’t eased.

I know I have to respect her decision to refuse me a second chance—I had my shot at happiness with her, and I blew it—but this knowledge does nothing for the biting desperation pulling in my soul.

Especially when I imagine the well-groomed doctor taking her hand and whispering phrases to her that I’d want to say.

Devon studies me with furrowed brows, then sighs. “Oh, dang it, I promised Laia I wouldn’t say this but—”

“But what?” I jerk back, suddenly aware of a strange edge in my friend’s usual drawl.

Devon meets my eyes. “I know it.”

“You know what?”

“That you and Ellie used to date.”

My jaw drops. “How?”

“From Laia. Or to be exact”—Devon points his finger to his left eye—“thanks to my ability to read her.”

I round my brows. “I’m not sure I understand.”

Devon leans forward and puts his beer on the low coffee table. “My love is the worst liar in this world. After we met you at Encanto Park, she bombarded me with questions about you. About what kind of man you truly were. When I confronted her about her weird interest in you, she cracked under my questions.”

My eyes widen. “Did you accuse Laia of fancying me?”

Devon chuckles. “What? No, of course not. I told her I knew she was fishing for information, and that something weird was going on between you and Ellie. That’s when she confessed what she heard from Ellie at their yoga practice.”

“Ellie? That’s impossible.” I shake my head. “Your sister didn’t want anyone to know about us.”

Devon lifts his shoulders and drops them. “What can I say? Women are complicated. Sometimes they say one thing, then do the contrary. Or feel one thing, but act as if they feel the opposite.”

I search Devon’s face for signs he’s about to punch me. If he knows what happened with Ellie and how I’d behaved, then he must surely be upset with me.

But my friend stares at me with a jovial expression.

“Aren’t you mad at me?” I ask.

Devon purses his lips, moving his head from side to side as if weighing my question. Then his mouth moves into a smirk. “Nope.”

“But I hurt your sister.”

Devon sighs. “You broke up with her. In a pretty bad, somewhat cowardly way—I’ll give you that. But you didn’t cheat on her like my ex cheated on me. Still, I forgave Morgan.” He shoots me a glance that’s encouraging and serious at the same time. “In any case, it’s not my opinion that counts, but Ellie’s. And you’ve done a good job at placating her. You two looked rather cozy when we spotted you in front of Encanto Park.”

“You…you saw us—?”

“Almost smooching? Yeah, I did. I made up that whole ‘I might need a pair of glasses’ thing to put you at ease. My eyesight is fine. Better than fine.” He winks at me.

“When you came to run with Joe and me,