Read Love at the 20-Yard Line Online
Authors: Shanna Hatfield
“Ready to go?” Haven asked in an overly cheerful tone as Brody helped her into his truck.
“Yep.” The drive back to town was quiet, both lost in their thoughts.
Brody carried Haven’s things inside and hugged her so tightly, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Or maybe it was the thought of him walking out of her life for good that choked the air from her lungs.
“I love you, doll. Good night.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Are you sure you got everything?” Haven glanced over the suitcases and boxes in Brody’s pickup. The cooler she’d packed with his favorite treats sat on the front seat of his pickup, within easy reach if he needed something while he was driving.
“It’s all loaded.” He leaned against the door of his pickup, wanting to stay. He’d told Haven he wanted to say goodbye at her apartment, so he’d driven over that morning before she had to leave for work. An early start would put him miles down the road before he stopped for the night.
She offered to fix him breakfast, but he wasn’t hungry. She wasn’t either.
They sat for hours the previous evening, holding each other until Brody couldn’t take any more and told her he needed to go home. If he’d stayed any longer, he would have given up his dreams of football and made new ones with Haven.
Now, looking at the unshed tears in her bright eyes and the hair surrounding her head like a golden halo, he wished he’d held her all night long.
“Brody, I know you don’t want me to talk about it, but the past few months with you have been the best of my entire life. No matter what the future brings, I’ll always, always be grateful to have had this time with you.” Haven stepped into the circle of his arms and rested her head on his chest one last time.
She inhaled his masculine scent. It would be with her for the rest of her life. His scent, his laugh, the sound of his gravelly voice, the smirk he gave her when he thought no one else was looking - were all etched deeply in her heart and her memories.
“Haven, if things were different, if I was different, I would never say goodbye. I’d stay here forever with you. But I’ve got to do this. Fail or succeed, I have to try.”
Brody was certain if he looked down, he’d see his heart lying in pieces at his feet. It hurt so badly, it was almost more than he could stand. If Haven’s heart ached with even half the ferocity as his, he didn’t know how she managed the pain.
“I know, Brody. I won’t be the thing that held you back. You’re going to become one of the best NFL wide receivers the world has ever seen.” Haven worked up a smile, even if it didn’t reach all the way to her eyes. “Just remember me once in a while.”
“I won’t forget you, doll. Ever.” It was true. Haven had somehow become a vital part of him in such a short time.
“I almost forgot…” Haven ran back into her apartment and returned with a wrapped package.
“What’s this? It isn’t my birthday,” Brody teased, trying to make her smile.
She shook her head and pressed the gift into his hands.
“I want you to open it when you get where you’re going. The first time you feel lonely, open it and know that wherever you are, there’s someone right here that loves you.”
Brody set the gift on the seat and turned back to the girl who was going to be his undoing if he didn’t leave soon.
“Haven,” Brody voice sounded husky, raspy with emotion. “I love you so much. Please don’t ever forget that.”
“I won’t.” The first tears trickled down her cheeks.
Not bothering to wipe them away, Brody kissed her with all the longing, all the love, all the passion he possessed for her. Holding her as close as he could, he memorized every detail about how she looked with morning sunlight dancing through her hair while her soft fragrance surrounded him.
“I love you, Haven Clarice Haggarty, and always will.” Brody climbed in his truck and shut the door before he decided to throw away his career and his dreams for the girl who had so thoroughly captured his heart.
Haven couldn’t stop crying.
She somehow managed to keep herself together the first few hours at the office but then she bumped into Adam in the hall. The folder he carried fell to the floor, scattering pages around them. She started to help him pick up the papers only to see Brody’s photo in the plumber ads.
Hastily mumbling an apology, she ran to her office and shut the door as tears streamed down her face.
Convinced she’d be fine in a few minutes, she couldn’t get the tears to stop. Jordan tried to calm her down, making things worse. Finally, Mr. Young called Hale.
He took her home and walked her to the bedroom where she curled up around a pillow and continued sobbing until she fell asleep.
She awoke to find her mother sitting with her and started crying all over again.
For two days, she couldn’t do anything but cry and miss Brody.
He hadn’t called or texted and she knew he wouldn’t. It was their agreement that it would be easier if they just cut things off and went their separate ways.
Only now, as she sat on her couch staring mindlessly out the window, she’d give anything to hear his gravelly voice on her phone.
A knock on her door forced her to get up and answer it. Her mom stood on the step with a bouquet of bright flowers and a pint of her favorite ice cream.
“Are you feeling better today, sweetie?” Rachel asked. The fact that Haven was up, showered, and dressed seemed like a marked improvement over the past few days.
“I guess, Mom.” Haven set the flowers on her coffee table and the ice cream in the freezer. “Thanks for the flowers and ice cream.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Your dad and I are worried about you. Why don’t you come out and stay at the farm through the weekend?”
“No, Mom. I just need some time alone to think.” Haven didn’t want to have to pretend she was fine. If she went to the farm, her family would hover around her even more than they were now, trying to cheer her up, and she’d be forced to act like they’d succeeded.
“You’ve had plenty of time to think,” Rachel said, exasperated. “Honestly, Haven, what did you believe was going to happen? You and Brody both knew he’d be leaving and you both knew going into the relationship it was going to end sooner rather than later. Did you have some fantasy that he’d give up all his dreams, his career, to stay here with you?”
“No.” Haven grabbed a tissue as she started to cry again. “I knew he’d leave. I just didn’t realize he’d take my heart with him. And the only fantasy I had was that he’d let me go along.”
“Oh, honey,” Rachel said, folding Haven into a mother’s tender embrace. “Give it some time and it will quit hurting so badly. I promise.”
“How are you holding up, bro?” Marcus asked.
Brody had been in his new apartment for a week and couldn’t find enough things to do to occupy his time or mind. He’d started to call Haven multiple times, but stopped himself before he did.
He missed her with every breath he took, and wondered, more than once, if a body could die from a broken heart. He was quite certain he didn’t even have a heart anymore. Convinced Haven still held it in her hands, he realized he’d never, ever love anyone the way he loved her.
In a moment of desperation, he called Marcus, just to hear a friendly voice.
“I’m fine, man. How are you?” Brody asked, trying to keep the conversation light.
“I’m good. I start a new job tomorrow but it looks like I’ll be back playing arena football for our team next season. I’m pretty excited about it.”
“That’s great, Marcus.” Brody was pleased for his friend. “How are your folks?”
“They’re good. My baby sister just got engaged. She’s planning to have her wedding before the season begins.”
“Tell her congrats for me,” Brody said. Thoughts of engagements and weddings brought visions of Haven to mind and made Brody’s chest ache with renewed force.
“Are you sure you’re doing okay? You don’t sound like yourself.” Marcus could hear something in his friend’s tone that gave him reason to worry.
“I’m fine, but thanks for caring.” Brody refused to get into a discussion of how much he missed Haven, how he should have listened to Marcus, and found a way to make things work with her.
“What did the doc say about your knee? Didn’t you have an appointment yesterday to get it checked by the team physician?”
“Yeah. He basically told me what I already know. That my knee could hold up for ten more years of playing or ten minutes, but at some point it’s going to give out and possibly leave me crippled.”
“And why is it that you think doing this is a good idea?” Football had been Brody’s life for as long as he’d known him, but Marcus wished he’d consider all the available options for the future.
“I have to try, Marcus. You know I have to try.”
“Yeah, man, I guess I do. You take care and be sure to keep in touch, though,” Marcus said.
“I will.” Brody searched for the right words to say what was on his mind. “Look, Marcus, I just want you to know how much I appreciate your friendship and support. You’ve always been there for me and it means a lot.”
“You’re welcome. Now hang up before you make us as mushy as a couple of schoolgirls.”
“Bye, man.”
Brody went for a long run, lifted weights, and tried to keep his mind occupied, but his thoughts continued to circle back to Haven.
Forcing himself to eat dinner and watch television, his gaze continued to go to the package Haven sent with him.
Unable to stand it any longer, he removed the wrapping paper and stared at a plain white box for a while before lifting the lid. A digital photo frame inside rested inside a layer of tissue paper.
A note from Haven, redolent of her soft fragrance, sat in the bottom of the box.
Slowly lifting it out, Brody breathed deeply, closing his eyes to savor her scent.
He opened the envelope and removed a card.
Always remember there’s someone who loves you…
After switching on the frame, Brody watched images of the two of them together scroll across the screen. There was the photo her mom took at Easter, the studio photos from Adam, pictures Allie and Hale had snapped with their phones. There was even a photo of them riding horses out at the farm.
The last photo, though, was one Brody hadn’t seen before.
One that made every square inch of his body ache with longing for Haven.
Allie had obviously done her hair and makeup, because she looked like a model ready for the runway. She wore the dress that had almost driven him beyond the point of no return, along with a pair of sexy heels. She leaned against a marble counter, looking nothing like his sweet, innocent Haven. This woman had a fiery look in her eye and a smile on her face that was pure invitation.
Brody wondered when or where she’d had the photo taken, then thought he recognized the backdrop from one of the plumber shots Adam took of him. It made sense that Adam would do the photo for her.
Although seeing her in that dress definitely made his temperature rise, Brody scrolled back to the photo of her in jeans and boots, laughing as he carried her piggyback across her parents’ front yard. That was the one that made a lump he couldn’t swallow form in his throat and filled him with regret so strong it made him want to get in his truck and drive straight back to the woman he loved.