Page 91 of Mutual Discord

Alex raked a hand through his hair. “I never dreamed we would have an opportunity to meet, and, miraculously, there you were at that table, waiting for Caitlin and me. I couldn’t believe it. But then you acted like you didn’t know me and I…followed your lead. I didn’t want to make things hard for you, especially when it became clear no one knew about your social media persona. So I’ve just tried to be your friend even though I’ve wanted more. I’ve always wanted more.”

Surprise made it hard for me to breathe.

“There were times,” he continued, “when I thought you might be interested in me, too. Expressions I would catch on your face when you looked at me. But then you would pull away, and I convinced myself I had imagined them.”

“I was more than interested,” I breathed.

He clenched his eyes closed and lowered his head to the steering wheel. “God, you have to know that I’ve never cheated on a partner. I’ve never wanted to. So for you to think I would be capable of doing something like that really hurt. Was everything that happened between us just a bit of fun? Did nothing we shared mean anything to you?”

I could barely speak around the sobs scouring my throat. “What we shared meant the world to me. Every moment I was with you, especially this last week, has been…magical.” My hands curled into tight fists. “And I hated myself for it. I loathed myself for experiencing so much happiness with a man I didn’t think I’d ever be able to have.”

“Why didn’t you just ask me?” Alex shook his head. “We would have saved ourselves so much torment.”

A tear slid down my cheek, falling onto my hand. “Because…because if I asked you, there was a chance you wouldn’t choose me. I’m a selfish person, and I was willing to steal any moment I could with you until you decided you didn’t want me anymore.”

With a move that startled me, Alex threw open his door and climbed out, stalking to my door and wrenching it open. Grasping my arm, he pulled me out, crowding me back against the side of his SUV.

“The stars would fall from the sky and the ocean waters would rise to swallow everything on Earth before I would not want you.” He cradled my face in his hands as his gaze searched mine. “I would choose you in this lifetime and the next because you have become my home. You, Sofia Mendoza. I’m in love with you.”

A sob tore free from my throat, and I clamped my eyes closed as my cries shook my frame. Alex gathered me against his chest, one hand smoothing up and down my back, while the other stroked over my hair. When he pressed a kiss to the top of my head, I cried harder.

“If you let me, I would spend the rest of my life proving to you how much I love you.” He nuzzled my temple. “Will you let me?”

I glanced up at him through my tears and nodded. “I love you, too. So fucking much.”

Alex rolled his lips together and closed his eyes, dropping his head to rest on mine as he held me tighter.

“I’m sorry I made things so hard,” I whispered against his chest. “If I had just been brave enough to speak with you, to tell you how I felt, I could have saved us so much heartache. We’ve wasted so much time.”

“No, we haven’t. These last six months have been a gift, even when we were just friends.” Alex lifted his head up and pulled back to meet my eyes. “And now we can start the new year with no more misunderstandings between us.”

“No more misunderstandings.” I inhaled a giant breath and released it. “I love you, User Number guy.”

His dimple cut deep into his cheek with his grin. “And I love you, SLikeTheSun. God, and now that I’ve said it, I’m never going to stop. Watch out.”

Linking my arms around his neck, I stepped onto my toes to bring my lips to his. “I’m ready. I’ve always been ready.”

Epilogue

Six Months Later

Puerto Rico

Alex

Puerto Rico was not what I had expected…and yet everything I had hoped it would be.

Sofia and I walked lazily down the beach near the hotel we had checked into after spending five days with her family on the other side of the island. We had initially planned for a two-week vacation, but Sofia had received word that the WNBA wanted her in New York for the premiere of the short documentary about the league’s history she had filmed and cowritten the script for. As I suspected, Mallory was charmed by Sofia and quickly realized she was the perfect person to be the face of the thirtieth-anniversary campaign. It certainly helped that Sofia’s new series about pioneering women in sports, featuring Natasha, Megan, and several other Scorpions players, had gone viral, cementing her as a proponent of women’s athletics.

Watching Sofia grow in confidence never failed to amaze me, and I was continuously reminded of how lucky I was to be her partner.

“When I imagined visiting Puerto Rico with you, this is what I pictured,” she murmured, raising her hand to shield her eyes from the sun glinting off the water.

“Walking along the beach together?” I asked, lightly bumping my shoulder into hers. “Not the crazy parties with our families in Ponce?”

Amusement sparked in her golden-brown eyes. When my parents learned I would be visiting the island, and with my Puerto Rican girlfriend, they had surprised me by arriving in San Juan at the same time. It had been…weird to see my parents navigate Puerto Rico with such familiarity. I hadn’t had many opportunities to socialize with them since I left for college years before, so spending time with them, in such a casual manner, had been awkward at first. It had also been interesting to watch my mom and dad interact with Santiago and Carmen, who had welcomed them like old friends.

It helped that they adored Sofia.