It all feels wrong. I knew I was never going to give up on her or this relationship. But it seems so wrong to have quickly fallen into a relationship. It’s different than before, and for that I’m thankful. There’s no hiding or sneaking around, but a gut feeling deep down has me on edge. I’m not sure if I’ll ever feel worthy of her love after what I did to her.

The gym is deserted. I’ve snuck in some gym time when Shayne’s at her physical therapy. It hasn’t been anywhere near the standard time I put in. My muscles feel it as I begin working out my biceps. They burn and ache with each pump, but I push through it. The fact Shayne trusts me enough to push me back into football is mind-boggling. It’s the same fucking game that tore us apart, that and my selfish ego. It’s a jagged pill to swallow, but in the same sense also makes everything fall together perfectly.

“Prescott.”

I hear a familiar voice approach me and look up to see the over eager doctor from the hospital. Jack, who seems to be my number one fan and isn’t shy about it. I send him a quick head nod finishing up my final set then slowly sitting up with beads of sweat running down my face. I’m really out of fucking shape. Crazy, what three weeks of being off a rigid routine will do to you.

“Haven’t seen you here before, man. I didn’t know you worked out here.”

I wipe my forehead with a towel. “I’ve been sneaking in gym time when Shayne hasn’t needed me around.”

“Gotcha,” he nods. “Need a spot?”

“Actually, yeah, want to get another set with more weights.”

“Let’s get to it,” Jack adds weights with his surgeon's hands. It’s funny how diverse and outgoing the man is. It’s like he doesn’t have a care or worry in the world.

Jack encourages me to finish the entire set even though my body shakes and threatens to give out with each raise of the barbell. I’ve pushed myself to the brink of exhaustion. It’s always been mind over body as I’ve strived to better myself.

“Something bothering you, Prescott?” Jack asks ignoring all social bounds.

I nod wiping the sweat off my forehead and then wiping down the gym equipment.

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“It’s not my place you know, but I can see the struggle on your face and know you’re out of your element in a town and...”

He leaves his presumption wide open. It takes me a few seconds to think about opening up to him. Hell, what other option do I have? The man is a damn doctor and seems genuinely interested.

“It’s a long, damn story.” I shake my head and toss the towel to the floor.

“Good. Spot me, and I’ll listen.”

Jack’s a man of his word listening to everything while completing his arm workout. I have to give it to the man he can lift like a beast. Hell, he’d probably be able to lift me out.

“So now, we are here in Nebraska while she heals. I was determined not to let her go this time. It’s all been relatively smooth, but now she’s pushing me back to football. Honestly, man, it scares the shit out of me. What if I can’t balance all of it?”

“Do you love her?” He asks.

“After all that shit that’s your only question?”

“Well, do you love her?” He repeats.

“Yes, so much so, it scares the shit out of me.”

“Then love her. Lock your worries away and focus on loving that girl.”

His message is simple and said with so much conviction that I nearly begin to believe in myself.

“She’s hurt. World class athlete and was steps away from competing at the Olympics and now this.”

“If you love her then you simply just love her and quit finding excuses why it may fail. Trust me, man. I’ve been through this shit Elle. Our road wasn’t easy, but fucking worth the road to get there.”

I digest his words for a long time before speaking. “I don’t want to leave her here alone when I go to scout camp for the NFL draft. She deserves more.”

“Let Elle and I help. Hell, we’ve been there before knowing how fucking hard it is to find love and hold on to it.”

I have no idea how to respond at the moment. The comfort is welcoming and honestly foreign at best. Finally, after several long beats, I nod. It’s Jack’s genuine honesty and approach that seals the deal. Shayne wants me to go for my dream, she’s sick of my helicopter mode, and we are beyond good where we are.

“Sounds like you two need out. Why don’t you all come over for dinner tomorrow night?”

“Sounds good, man.”

We finish the gym session in silence both of us struggling to out lift the other. It seems Dr. Jack Halston not only has the ability to inflate my ego, but also my muscles. The dude is a beast in the gym.

By the time I get home, Shayne’s curled up on the couch. Well as curled up as she can get these days. Her one leg stretched out in front of her resting on the coffee table, but the rest of her body curled up. The girl can contort herself like no other.

My first instinct is to go to her see what she needs, pull her blanket up, get her fresh tea, but then I remember her frustration with me. I toss my gym bag on the bench, grab a bottle of water from the fridge, and chug it. Shayne peers up with an honest smile on her face.

“Hey, how was your workout, babe?”

“Good. My biggest fan was there.”

“The doctor?” She asks.

I nod before reaching back behind my neck and pulling off my tank.

“He really has a lady boner for you. I swear he stalks me every time I’m at physical therapy just to see if you’re there.”

“I’m hot like that.” I shrug. My fingers fucking itching to adjust her blanket and fill up her tea.

“Yes, you are.” She tries to stand, and that takes all my restraint to stay fucking still.

The plastic water bottle crumples in my hand, but I don’t move staying, cemented to the tile on the kitchen floor. Her winces of pain as she pushes herself every day to put more pressure on her hurt knee is nearly my reckoning. An aha moment hits me hard like a gut punch straight to my heart and soul.

Shayne and I are competitors and champions in our own arenas. When we’re down there’s only way to go. Up. I’d be doing the same exact thing. Pushing my body to the brink of breaking down, pleading, begging, and fighting to get my body back into prime shape. Never in my wildest dreams would I think watching a loved one conquer this feat would be harder than enduring it myself, but it is.

I bite down on my tongue caging in the immediate concerns and questions I’m about to spew. It works for the time being. Shayne limps toward the bathroom.

“You going to join me? Or stay there biting down on your tongue?”

I answer with my movement toward the bathroom. I tuck my hands into my gym shorts when I near her so I don’t reach out and pick her up like I did so many days after her surgery. I let her run the show and it’s a lot fucking harder than you’d think. I’m fucking Tarzan, I want to beat my chest, throw her over my shoulder, and protect her for the rest of my days.

Then something Jack told me earlier at the gym registers with me. You can be all demanding and alpha as you want, but it’s trust that will build a relationship. Trust her to lead the way.

He then rolled his eyes and also told me it was a lot fucking harder done than said. I don’t have a dad to turn to for advice, and the other closest male is Shayne’s dad, my coach, which isn’t an option in my book when it’s about his daughter. Not sure how that conversation would go… “Hey coach, I want to keep our working relationship alive and also worry about Shayne’s well-being, so our relationship is healthy.”

Yep, not happening.

“Sit.” She points to the bench in the bathroom.

Her voice demanding and the most alive I’ve heard in long, long months. So, I listen and take a seat. Shayne flips on some music from her iPhone. It’s a sexy-ass Alicia Keys song instantly turning the mood into the bathroom heated and passionate.

“No more babying me, Ryder.” She lifts her shirt over her head remaining balanced on one leg. “I want all of you, baby. You came back for me, and now it’s time for us.”

I nod, lick my lips, and then reach out grabbing her by the waist. I pull her gently to me until my nose is kissing the front of her flat stomach. The skin-to-skin touch sets me on fire. I have no fucking idea how I let her leave my life so many fucking months ago. The time has come to live in the moment, cherish the now, and not regret the past.

My fingers dip into her gym pants tugging them all the way down. Shayne reaches over pulling my throbbing cock from my gym shorts. It takes her only a matter of seconds to straddle and sink down on me. The pain from her knee is evident, but I’m trusting her to push herself as far as she can possibly go. She rides me hard, fast, and with the precision that leaves stars bursting behind my eyelids.