This Obsession of Mine (Raine Series #5)

by Amanda Bennett

  ~~~

  I’d like to say that the drive back to California was an eventful one, but I’d be lyin’. Truth was, I didn’t say a single word to Tanya until we pulled up to our new place. Detective Sanders arranged for us to live in a “special” one bedroom apartment off campus. It was a bit of a shithole, but Tanya thought it was the Four Seasons compared to her last place back home. These next few months were gonna be torture.”

  4 months later

  My nerves were shot as I paced the entire length of the room they had me waiting in. It wasn’t every day that you have the opportunity to make your dreams come true, but today could very well be that day for me. I remember the first time I ever held a football in my hands. I was so tiny, and I remember thinking that there was no way I would ever be able to hold that regulation sized football. It all seemed so insignificant then, but looking back on it today, it suddenly made complete sense.

  I pushed my hands back through my hair, cracking my neck every chance I got, and wearing a line in the carpet with how fast I was movin’ back and forth. It was a day that I knew I would never forget, but it was also bittersweet, because the only person I could think of in this moment, was her. I knew how lucky I was to have my family and friends around me, but everyone was here out of obligation, and I knew with her it was so much more. When I told her about my dream to play in the NFL, she could tell just how much it meant to me, and I could see it in her eyes that it meant just as much to her to see me fulfill that dream. All I knew was even though we hadn’t spoken or seen each other in over five months, there was no one in the world like her, and I would give anything to have her here with me today.

  “Jo, you hangin’ in there?” Glenn’s hands clasped down on my shoulders gently rubbin’ them and I could feel some of my stress dissipate. Thank god for my big brother.

  “Thanks for bein’ here, man. I honestly don’t know how I would get through this without you. It means a lot.” I turned and hugged my brother.

  “You know there is nowhere else me, or any of us would rather be.” He looked back at everyone else in the room. “Okay, well maybe Tanya would rather be somewhere else, but the rest of us…” He laughed. “What’s goin’ on with all of that anyway?”

  I shook my head, “Honestly, I wish I knew. There’s really nothin’ I can do. It is what it is.”

  “Look Jo, I’ve kept my mouth shut about the whole you-know-who thing, but I refuse to let you go the rest of your life like this. Your miserable with her, and it’s only going to get worse if you get that phone call. You know she’s not gonna let ya move without her, but if you take her with…man, that ain’t gonna be a life worth livin’.”

  Everything my brother was sayin’ was true. Unfortunately though, her and I were married, and wherever I went, she would have to follow. Or did she? I glanced at my watch realizin’ that we had all been stuck in this box of a room for almost three hours now. Tanya was sittin’ in the far corner all by herself while the rest of my family sat on the couches reminiscing about when I was young…blah, blah, blah. I wanted to join in on the conversation and have fun, but every time I looked over at Tanya, I couldn’t help but wonder what she was goin’ to do next to make me even more miserable than I already was.

  “Hey, whatcha doin’ all the way over here?” I pulled up a chair to sit right next to her, but when I reached for her hand she unexpectedly pulled it away, and that’s when I noticed a stray tear fall from the corner of her eye. I wanted to reach out and wipe it away, try and comfort her, but somethin’ inside of me held me back from doin’ so. This was my day, and she couldn’t even find it possible to not make it about herself.

  “Jo, can we talk?”

  For the first time since I’d known her, she actually sounded sincere. “I suppose.” I muttered in response.

  “Look, I know I’m not the best wife. Hell, I didn’t even ever want to be a wife, but I really want to try and make this work between us.”

  I shuttered at what I knew she was about to say next, and right on cue she said exactly what I didn’t want to hear.

  “That’s why I am willin’ to move if that’s what this whole thing comes down to.”

  Damn it! Just when I thought I might have a chance of leavin’ her behind. “You don’t have to do that, Tanya.” And hopefully she would be behind bars before it got that far.

  “But I want…”

  “JO, PHONE!” I held up my finger to tell Tanya one second as my brother shouted across the room for me.

  I ran over to him as fast as I could, snatchin’ the phone right out of his hand as I took in a long strangled breath. “This is Joey Green.” When the voice on the other end began talkin’ I wanted to shout like a schoolgirl.

  “Mr. Green, Rich Grady here, I’m the head coach for the San Francisco Forty-Niners.”

  “Yes, sir. I know who you are.” I instantly felt like an ass for interrupting him. “Sorry, sir.”

  Luckily he let out an amused laugh, “No worries, son. I get it. Well Mr. Green, are your family and friends there with you?”

  “Yes. Yes, sir.”

  “Why don’t you go ahead and put me on speaker phone. I believe they’ll all want to hear this.”

  “Hey everybody, come gather round the table. Hurry.”

  “Why, what are we doin’?”

  “Tanya, just get your ass over here.” Glenn annoyingly replied to her whining, and like usual, if Glenn told her to do somethin’, she instantly did as he asked. It was infuriating, and I could tell by the look on Cami’s face that I wasn’t the only one annoyed by her little act.

  “Okay, Mr. Grady, shoot.” I clutched onto Kayla’s hand with my left hand, and Glenn’s with my right. It just so happened that the two people standin’ next to me were the two most important people in my life, and I needed them now more than ever.

  “Well Mr. Green, as you know we have had quite a few scouts out there to see what you are capable of, young man. And well…I’ve gotta say…we haven’t seen talent like yours in quite some time. You’re a phenomenal quarterback, and man, you’ve got quite the arm on ya.”

  “Thank you, sir.” I had to squeeze Glenn and KJ’s hands tighter with every word this guy spoke, more than anything I needed the reminder that this was all very real.

  “So, Mr. Green?”

  “Please, call me Joey.”

  “Well Joey, what do ya think about coming to play for the big dogs in San Francisco? You feel like you may be up to wearin’ red and gold?”

  I was flabbergasted. I was seriously in so much shock that I couldn’t even form the words to answer the man. Everyone gasped and I could tell that they wanted to answer for me.

  “Joey, you still there?”

  “Yyyeeahhh.” I managed to stutter out.

  “Do you need some time to think about it?”

  “NO! I mean…no sir. Sorry, I’m just in a bit of shock. It has been my dream since I was a little boy to play for y’all, I guess I’m just findin’ it a hard to believe that y’all are interested in me.”

  “You should have a bit more confidence, son. You’re the best of the best right now.”

  “Well sir, I’m honored, and I would like to formally accept your invitation to come play for y’all.” I didn’t have to look back at Tanya to know that she had a nasty look plastered across her face. She put on a good act, but I knew the minute it came down to it, she would throw a fit about havin’ to move again.

  “So they’re going to announce you in the next round. We’ll have you come out on stage, put on a hat and hold your new jersey up, so be ready. We’ll get all the details settled once that happens, but we will make sure we have an apartment all set up for ya until you can get something of your own. You’re married, correct?”

  His question caught me off guard, and I sat there silently telling myself to answer him, but the words were stuck in my throat. “Um…”

  “Yes, yes he is.” Tanya’s voice broke through my train of thought and I was shocked at how cal
m she sounded about all of this. “So, we only get an apartment?” And there was the real Tanya. I new it was only a matter of time.

  “Unfortunately yes, Mrs. Green. But it should only be for a month, maybe a little bit longer.”

  Tanya let out an audible humph in annoyance and disappointment, but none of us paid any attention to her, and eventually she went stompin’ out of the room.

  “Joey Green, I swear if you don’t divorce her, I will be forced to hurt her.” KJ was pullin’ on the corner of my shirt as she spoke, and I couldn’t help but laugh a little. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was a bit jealous.

  “I’m sorry about that, Mr. Grady. It will actually only be me comin’ out there at first. I did have a question about my salary though.”

  “We’ll go over all of that in just a bit, Joey.”

  “Sounds good, Sir. Thank you.”

  “I’ll see ya out there, kid. Welcome to the pros.”

  The phone disconnected and I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I had no idea how to react, and neither did anyone else. We all sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity before Glenn finally spoke.

  “Hell yeah, little brother.”

  Hell yeah was right!

  Chapter 21

  Diem

  “Come on, it’s starting.” I knew I was only torturing myself by watching, but I had to know if his dreams were going to come true.

  “Diem, I don’t understand you.”

  “I know I know, but I have to know, Troy.”

  “Okay, but I swear if you get all weepy when you see him on that screen, I will kick your British ass.”

  “And rightfully so.” I laughed. “Okay, shhh.”

  “In the twelfth pick in the 2017 NFL draft, the San Francisco Forty-Niners pick, Joey Green, San Jose State.”

  My mouth fell open in shock as Troy started jumping on my back cheering as Joey came strutting across the stage in a three-piece suit. He looked absolutely gorgeous with his San Francisco hat, and that million-dollar smile plastered across his face. He shook the man’s hand, and then held up his jersey in front of him. I watched as he sought out a camera to look into, and then those baby blues were staring directly at me, pulling me in like before.

  “Damn girl, I don’t know how you ever let him go.”

  “I didn’t.” I whispered as I edged closer to the tele. Everything inside of me wanted to be there with him, holding his hand when he got the call, and waiting as he walked backstage.

  “What ever happened with you two?”

  “It’s a long story that I don’t really feel like retelling. I’m so proud of him though.” Everything went silent as I watched him smile into the camera, holding up his jersey like he had just won the lottery. I could faintly hear Troy’s voice in the background, but I paid her no mind. Right now, I was in this moment with him, and I wanted to remember it as though I was there.

  I stood and clicked off the tele as he walked off of the stage, and headed up to my room. I swore to myself I wasn’t going to cry, and damn it all if I didn’t. I just needed a moment to be alone, to relish in the thought that dreams do come true. When I was done, I came back downstairs and started making dinner. Troy was shocked by my behavior, but didn’t say a single word about him after, which I was entirely thankful for.

  The next day I received a strange phone call. It came from a Texas number, but when I answered, there was nobody on the other end. Either that or they just didn’t mean to call me. I sure as hell hoped it wasn’t Joey’s lovely wife trying to threaten me again. I mean for cryin’ out loud, I hadn’t spoken to the man in almost five months. I wouldn’t have thought it was strange at all, but then I got the same call the next day, and the next. At this point, I was just starting to get pissed off. So when the call came through the following day, I finally had had enough.

  “I’m not sure who this is, but I’d appreciate it if you’d stop calling and not saying anything. Bugger off.”

  “I’m..I’m sorry, is this Diem?” The voice on the other end was faint, and I could barely hear what they were saying, but I replied anyways.

  “This is she.”

  “Hi Diem, this is Kayla. You may know me as KJ, Jo’s friend from Texas.”

  I let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, you mean the girl he used to be in love with?”

  She let out a hearty laugh, “I suppose that too. Yes. Look, Jo has no idea that I’m calling you, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything, but we’re all in town and I’d really like to meet up with you.”

  I was completely and utterly confused, “Why?” I knew I was coming off a bit brash but I wasn’t sure I was ready to be back in Joey’s life, not even a bit.

  “There’s a lot that you don’t know, and I think it’s time someone filled you in. I’m just asking for you to meet me for coffee. I won’t take up too much of your time, and if you don’t like what I have to say, we can part ways and Jo will be none the wiser.”

  I took a minute to think about it, but in the end, curiosity got the best of me. “Right. Okay. Say about noon tomorrow? I have a break between classes before the weekend. There’s a place called the Brews and News on fifth.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you then.”

  That night I had a hard time sleeping, and come morning I wasn’t even sure if I could make myself go to class. My mind was full of so many questions that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it through a lecture and pay attention. So I made the choice to skip today, and head straight to the coffee shop. When I got there, I made sure to find a nice table near the back where we wouldn’t be seen, just in case crazy wifey was anywhere to be found, now that they lived in San Fran. I’d never met Kayla, but she looked exactly as I had pictured her, stunningly beautiful.

  “Diem?”

  I stood to greet her, but when she pulled me into a great big hug, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. “You must be Kayla.” I laughed.

  “I am. Oh my god, you are absolutely gorgeous, and your accent…wow. Jo didn’t do ya justice.”

  “Thank you, I think.”

  “Sit, sit. I don’t have a ton of time before Joey realizes I’m gone, so we have to make this kind of quick. Look, I know Tanya has threatened you, numerous times. I just want to let you know that Joey doesn’t love her.”

  “Oh I know. I’ve known about their “situation” for a while now. Unfortunately, that doesn’t change anything. I didn’t just walk away because of her. I walked away because I knew she would never let him go.”

  “Diem, that’s not true. He has a plan. I promise, it’ll all work itself out.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Well believe it honey. Tanya did some bad shit back home, and now he’s working with the cops to get her put behind bars. Diem, you guys are meant to be together. You should’ve seen his face when he got the call about being drafted. We all knew who he wanted there with him, and it wasn’t Tanya.”

  My soul literally lit up when Kayla said it, but I couldn’t show her that. “I’m sorry, Kayla. I’m not sure what you want from me.”

  “I just want you to give Jo a chance. That’s all I’m asking. Come out with us tomorrow night, and just see how it goes.”

  I wanted to say no, I truly did, but the thought of seeing Joey in person was too much to say no too. “Okay, I will give it a shot.”

  “Ah, perfect.” She clapped, “Okay, meet us down at Ray’s tomorrow night at six. Drinks are on us.”

  Kayla stood and gave me the biggest hug. It felt amazing to finally meet some of Joey’s family, and I honestly didn’t want to let her go. “Thank you, Kayla. Joey’s lucky to have a friend like you in his life.”

  “He’s lucky to have you too.”

  Chapter 22

  Joey

  “Alright, alright, next round is on me!” I stood on top of my barstool like the champ I was, and barely keepin’ my balance. I was about to shout out my next pearls of wisdom, but then she walked in and suddenly all c
oherent thought I had left, went right out the window.

  She looked even better than I remembered. Her hair was gold like the sun, and her eyes had a twinkle in them. I slowly made my way off of the stool, and down to someone’s eye level. I wish I could say that I was drunk enough to make an ass out of myself and not care, but unfortunately I hadn’t gotten that far yet. I was on my way over to her when Madison caught me by the arm.

  “What’s the deal, Madison?”

  “Jo, just be careful.”

  “Yes, Sir.” I saluted him and kept on truckin’, but before I could reach her, Kayla was already…huggin’ her? “Kayla, what are you…”