Page 105 of Center Sneak

Wait. The man I love?

My eyes gravitate toward Calvin on the field with a wide smile, picking confetti out of my brother’s hair.

Yeah. This is love.

It’s a totally different feeling than before. I’m steady. Confident. Strong.

I thought maybe I would be scared of this feeling, but I’m not.

I’m ready.

My eyes finally catch his gaze, but I’m still in the stands, watching from afar.

I give a pathetic thumbs-up for a job well done instead of rushing to the field immediately. My eyes plead that I will make it up to him.

* * *

I step out of the downtown hotel with my suitcase, rolling it behind me. Annie is beside me doing the same.

It’s nine in the morning, the day after the Super Bowl, and we’re ready for our journey back to the East Coast.

There’s steady foot and car traffic on the street, our hotel being in a central part of San Francisco.

“Taxi.” Annie signals to the bellman, and he blows his whistle.

My eyes glance across the street, and my eyes close in on a man with a briefcase in his hand.

His body is long and lean, with dark hair and even darker eyes.

I don’t have to be up close to know this is the man that I married over fifteen years ago.

Of course it is. In a city of millions. That’s how my life works, right?

He’s wearing a polo under his hooded sweatshirt with dark dress pants. The same outfit he’d wear every single day we were married.

He looks older, but exactly the same with the same awful clothes and attitude. He’s probably the same jackass he’s always been.

My finger is begging me to move it up and flip him off, but I refrain, especially since he doesn’t spot me. Yet.

I’m not going to hide, though.

If we make eye contact, I will one-hundred percent flip this man off.

It’s the least I can do.

In this moment, I realize that I am no longer that insecure twenty-year-old girl who married that asshat.

I am a grown fucking woman who can do anything, including confronting him if need be. I am so much stronger than I’ve ever given myself credit for.

I can do a lot of hard things. I can do whatever I want.

The taxi pulls up, and Annie looks me over. “You good?”

“Yeah,” I say, meaning every word. I am good.

She silently nods and hands our bags to the driver, then we slip into the back of the yellow car.

As we drive away from the street corner, I don’t look back at my ex.