He got in the truck, his presence as big and overpowering as always. Neither said anything at first, and he didn’t start the truck.
Finally, he took a deep breath. “Look,” he began then exhaled. “Sal has said this more than once to me. You and I . . . We’re so much alike. It’s why things get so crazy—”
“I can’t,” she said before he could finish.
He stared at her blankly. “You can’t what?”
“I can’t do this anymore, Alex. It’s exhausting. We’re not kids anymore and—”
“That’s why I’m here, Valerie,” he said, turning to face her better, then reached for her hand. “I don’t wanna do this anymore either. I’m ready for a change. I wanna prove to you that I’m ready.”
“How?” she asked, feeling the hurt overwhelm her again. “By going out with girls you call smexy when you could’ve spent that time with me? If I did that, you’d be—”
“Pissed,” he finished for her, his brows furrowing instantly. “I’d be pissed, okay? I get it. But how many times have I had to play in one of my own football games, knowing that you’re up in the stands hanging out with another dude or walk into a party to see you getting a little too friendly with someone else? Which is all I did the other night by the way. Chat.”
“Oh, I’m sure little Ms. Smexy got friendly.” Valerie pulled her hand away from him and crossed her arms in front of her again. “And I could bring up a million things I’ve had to deal with in the past as well. You said things were changing now.”
“I owed her—”
“I bet you did.” Valerie huffed.
“Not like that. She’s a smart girl. A smart, timid girl who’s helped me out a few times academically in the past. Calling her that was an inside joke.” Valerie rolled her eyes, but he went on. “She’s one of those girls. . . you know the type. She wouldn’t believe she’s sexy no matter how many times someone told her she was.”
“All right, Alex, I don’t need to hear about how much you’ve tried to convince her she is.”
“No! I haven’t. I meant . . .” He stopped and let out an exasperated groan. “My point is she’s just a sweet girl who I owed a favor to. She had an extra ticket and no one to go with, so I went with her. We were only there a couple of innings. But that’s not even what I wanted to talk to you about tonight.”
The double standard was infuriating, and Valerie could feel the hurt being drowned out by annoyance. “What is it you came to talk about, then? That I should be okay with you hanging out with other girls as long as they’re sweet, but I should continue to expect you to act like a raving maniac—not just you but your hotheaded sidekick—if I so much as hang out with one of my sweet friends?”
“No.”
“That whenever you have a week like this past one where you’re too busy to even call but then I find out you made time to go out with someone else I should just sit tight and understand that you owe lots of girls favors.”
“I didn’t go out with her and it’s not—”
Valerie opened her door and got out. She’d heard enough of his bullshit. “Valerie!” Alex called out as he jumped out of his side and she hurried around his truck. “Listen to me!” he stopped in front of her, forcing her to stop. With both hands on her shoulders, he stared at her very seriously. “I swear to you I’m ready for a change. Give me this one last chance. My life is real busy right now, yes. And I’ll likely still be really busy, but I’ll do my best. I have this whole weekend off, and I wanna spend it with you, not just in bed either.” She saw the humor dance in his eyes. “We can go somewhere. Anywhere you want. Or we could stay home. It’s up to you. All I want is a chance to prove myself. This has gone on too long. I completely agree. And I don’t like it either. Like tonight”—the trace of a smirk she’d seen earlier vanished—“if I get to your place and there’s another guy there, no matter how comfortable you seem, even if you are alone having a glass of wine with him or whatever, I wanna know in my heart that there’s a valid explanation. That there’s no way you and him are . . .” She saw that legendary jaw of his go taut. “Tonight I didn’t and I hate that. It’s why I need this change too. It’s either that or end this, and that’s not something I’m willing to do. Please tell me you’re not either.”
Valerie dropped her head back in defeat, her shoulders slumping at the same time. “Alex, I feel like we’ve been over this so many times—”
“No, we haven’t,” he said quickly. “When have I ever made you any promises?”
She thought about that for a moment. Never. It brought a lump to her throat, and the stupid tears once again filled her eyes. This time Alex did something he never did when he saw her tear up. He smiled. “I can’t promise too much yet. My life is insane right now, but I’ll promise you this much, sweetheart. Change. No more games. No more craziness. Time to grow up.”
“Time to grow up,” she said softly, staring ahead.
“Come stay with me tonight,” he said, pulling her to him, and just like always, she knew there was no way she could say no. “Let’s start this change this weekend.”
She studied him, wondering if, once again, she was making a mistake. In a few days, would she be fuming about him disappearing on her again? He smiled at her again, those dimples melting her heart. How in the world did she ever stand a chance? She wished she was just being vain—that it was just his beautiful smile, his dimples, his amazing body she was addicted to—but there was so much more. That was what made it so hard to walk away from him. There was so much more about this man she was in love with than just his perfect exterior.