Jesse and I slip into a new normal. We spend evenings and weekends together, and I come with him to the Football School to kick off their first season. Watching him interact with the kids makes my heart melt.

During the first day of the Football School, Jesse stands in front of a rapt audience of kids and shows them pictures of his football career. He talks about the pride of walking out on the football field, and the chills that he gets before every game.

I watch the kids as they lean towards him, and I have to smile. Jesse is a natural with them. When his speech is over, he fields the excited children over to the coach he’s hired to teach them, and they’re split up by age. Soon, they’re dressed in different colors and are running back and forth across the field.

Jesse meets my eye from across the field and starts walking towards me. He’s accosted by half a dozen mothers and I see the hungry look in their eyes. One of them reaches over and strokes his bicep, and a flame of jealousy flares inside me.

But then, Jesse disengages with her and strides towards me, and I’m reminded of how different he is from his brother in every single way.

He wraps his arms around me and lays a soft kiss on my lips before turning towards the field. Whistles are blowing, coaches are yelling, and parents are watching with keen eyes as the first day of Football School officially starts.

“Congratulations, Jesse. This is incredible.”

“I can’t believe it’s finally happening. It’s exactly how I imagined it.” He smiles and turns to me. “No, actually, it’s better.”

We stay for the entire first day of the Football School, and Jesse beams with pride. He already knows most of the kids’ names, and they adore him.

Bailey, a little girl who looks to be about seven or eight, comes running up towards him.

“Mr. Jesse, a boy in my class at school told me that girls don’t play football, but I told him I was coming here and he didn’t believe me! But I’m here! Why doesn’t he believe me?”

“Oh no,” Jesse said, crouching down to be at eye level with her. “Well, listen, Bailey. Don’t worry about people like that. They’ll keep telling you that you can’t do something and you’ll keep on doing it.”

Bailey smiles wide and nods, and then Jesse ruffles her hair. My heart melts.

I try to stop myself from comparing him to his brother, but I can’t help it. He’s so much more considerate, and loving, and tender than Elijah was. Elijah hated kids.

Jesse hooks his arm around my shoulder again and kisses my temple. “I have a pre-season meeting tonight. You want to go out for dinner afterwards? It might be later, around 8pm.”

“Sure,” I smile. “Sounds great.”

When the football season starts, Jesse gets busier, but somehow he still makes time for me. The Football School becomes our second home, and I start doing some of the administrative duties. Between that and the Angel Investment work, I’m busy, but I finally feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. I’m happier and healthier than I’ve been in years.

One evening a few weeks later, I’m home alone. Jesse and I have decided to take it slow, and I still stay at my own place most evenings. He’s at practice, and I’m on the couch watching an old romantic comedy when my phone rings.

It’s an unlisted number. I frown.

Usually, I’d let it go to voicemail and forget about it. It’s probably some telemarketer.

But they don’t leave a voicemail, and the phone rings again. I pause my movie and pick up my phone again, staring at the screen.

My heart starts thumping. I sit up straighter, pressing the green button on my phone to answer it.

“Hello?”

“You’re a hard woman to get a hold of,” my ex-fiancé’s voice comes over the phone. A shiver runs down my spine. A year ago, that voice would have made butterflies explode in my stomach. But now he just reminds me of the pain he caused.

“Maybe I don’t want to be reached.”

“Now, now. Don’t be so mean.”

“Mean?! Please. Why are you calling?”

He sighs, and I imagine the pained look on his face. He was always a master at making me feel sorry for him. “Listen, Farrah, I… I miss you.”

Despite myself, my heart twinges. I don’t want to feel anything for him! I want to hate him forever and never speak to him again.

But I can’t help it. We had two beautiful years together—or at least, I thought they were beautiful. And now my stupid brain can’t separate that from the man that cheated on me with a fucking cheerleader.

“Farrah,” he growls. I stiffen.

“Elijah, I don’t want to talk to you. I thought I made that clear.”

“So you’ve found someone else?”

My heart starts thumping. Does he know about me and Jesse? He must, we haven’t exactly been secretive about it. Is that why he’s calling?

“That’s none of your business.”

“You always were a slut,” he spits.

That stings more than I care to admit. Tears burn at the corners of my eyes and my spine stiffens as I lean forward. “That’s rich, coming from you. How many women did you sleep with while we were together? I know it wasn’t just the one that I caught you with.”

“Farrah, that was all a misunderstanding.”

“Stop saying my name!” I know I sound shrill, but I can’t help it. My heart is racing and the muscles in my neck are tense. My phone is trembling in my hands and all I want to do is fling it across the room.

“I don’t want to talk to you. Please don’t call me again.”

I hang up the phone and turn it off before tossing it aside. I stare at is as if it’s going to grow legs and attack me, so I get up off the couch and take a deep breath. With one hand on my forehead and another on my hip, I try to make sense of that phone call.

How will things work between Jesse and I if one simple phone call from his brother sends me into this kind of tailspin?

My mind goes into overdrive. I imagine a rift forming between Jesse and his family, and it’s all my fault. I imagine Elijah staring at me across the table at a family dinner, shooting daggers at me. I imagine his mother, tense, trying to make peace between us all.

Can I do that to Jesse? Can I handle that?

I walk to the kitchen and lean on the countertop, taking few deep, cleansing breaths.

Jesse and I have been so focused on each other that we haven’t thought of the consequences of being together. We haven’t talked about my engagement, or Elijah, or the Super Bowl, or any of it.

We’ve just laughed and made love and spent time together without dealing with any of that. It’s been the best time of my life, but I know that it won’t last.

At some point, the past will catch up with us, and it’s not going to be pretty.