Rewind It Back (Windy City #5)

by Liz Tomforde

“You cheated on my mother! I’m not going to get over it, Dad.”

Our previous captain, Maddison, is one of Zee’s best friends and he retired last season.

“And Hallie didn’t do anything to you either.” “She didn’t tell me! She was practically my daughter, and she knew that your father was having an affair, and she didn’t tell me. How can you even look at her now?”

“We’re not you, Ma,” I say, more even-toned. “And our relationship is not the one you had with my dad. I thought it was. I wanted it to be. I tried to shape everything off what you two showed me, and when you two fell apart, so did I. And I made a huge mistake because of it. You were hurting and that scared me, and I took it out on Hallie. But I’m not going to do that anymore. As much as you want me to, I’m not going to keep blaming her.”

While yes, Luke has had a sick parent for as long as I have, we’ve had very different experiences. In a way, he was able to separate himself, living out of state and not having to see the daily decline the way I witnessed it firsthand.

“Hallie, baby,” he whispers. “I’ve got you.”

“But your game—” “My job, you mean. I took the day off. I told them I had a family emergency. My agent booked me the first flight out of Boston.” Family emergency.

“It’s okay to be tired.” His voice goes soft. “It’s okay to be scared too.” The permission has more tears falling. Because yeah, that’s exactly how I’ve spent the last six years, and I’ve never been able to tell someone.

“Hey, Rio,” he calls after me. “Even if I didn’t want to see it at first, you guys make a lot of sense together. And she deserves to get what she wants for once, so if she wants you, I hope you stick around this time.”

My voice is hoarse when I ask, “Where’s her mom?” Mr. Hart waves me off like she’s the least important piece of the story. “She said something pretty horrible around the time of my original diagnosis that none of us have been able to forgive her for.”

The things I was angry at her for so long seem impossibly inconsequential now. I was holding a grudge because she didn’t tell me about my dad, while her hurt was because I left her when she needed me the most. Regardless of what I didn’t know at the time, she wins. Hallie has every right to hate me.

“Your dad’s cancer trial. The insurance didn’t cover as much as you let him believe.” I shake my head. “It didn’t cover housing or moving expenses. There was no caregiver stipend like I told him there was. But he wouldn’t have done the trial if he knew that, and I needed him to get better. So, I told him everything was covered. I took out a loan to make it happen.”

I hadn’t gotten a chance to tell him about my dad’s diagnosis all those years ago because twenty-four hours after I learned about it, I found out that his dad was having an affair.

“When we were in New York, you asked me why I never upgraded that old boombox. Do you remember that?” I nod. “This is why,” he says. “I didn’t have any other way to play the tapes and CDs, and not playing them wasn’t an option for me. For years, I’ve taken this fucking boombox everywhere with me. Held on to it, like if I could keep rewinding and replaying these moments we had, then maybe it wasn’t over.”

“What do you mean, Luke? He hit you?” Rio shrugs like this is the most casual conversation. “Well, I let him, but yeah.” “Why would you let him? And why would he do that?” “I let him because I deserved it for lying to him for so long, and he hit me because he was furious after I told him I was in love with his sister.”

“I love that dress on you, baby.” “Thank you. It’s—” “Take it off.”

“Are you sure that’s not just a first-love thing?” “No, baby. It’s a last-love thing.”

I can’t. I’m speechless. Because how am I supposed to speak when my eyes are glued to what is essentially my last name, tattooed as a heart, inked over his actual heart? Hesitantly, I reach out, gently running my fingers over the black ink, following the curves and the dip until I stop to cover the overdrawn portion where it was supposed to stop, but never did.

“Six years.” My eyes shoot to his. “I’ve only ever been with you.”

“I’ve been on dates. First dates that don’t lead to a second.” I laugh at myself again. “I haven’t even kissed someone else.” She shakes her head again. “Why?” “Do you realize how unfair it’d be if I actually got in a relationship with someone else? When all I think about is you? When I compared every person to you? There was no comparison to you.”

“And if I’m not ready to go with you now?” “Then I’ll still buy you a house and it’ll be waiting for you.” I run my fingers through her hair. “And so will I.”

“But you’re not just a part of my life. You’re the center of it. So, if something isn’t fitting around us, that piece needs to change, not you.”

“Everyone,” Rio announces, “this is my girlfriend, Hallie. Be nice to her or I’ll literally never talk to you again.”

I lift my hand in a wave. “Hi.” “Hell yes!” Miller cheers. “Finally,” Kennedy says with a smile. “I am so glad you’re here!” Indy tacks on, rushing me with a hug.

I don’t even have to ask to know that Indy is his closest friend here, and that Ryan, her husband, loves Rio but won’t admit it out loud. The Rhodes families met him a couple years later, rounding out these five athletes and their wives who formed this unique little friendship group.

Rio lifts his stick in the air, pointing it in my direction, then tucks it under his arm to form his hands into a heart.

“I get that you feel prideful when it comes to money, especially towards me. But we aren’t on opposite teams anymore, baby, so put down the armor.”

I kiss her again. “So would now be a good time to also tell you that I bought you a car?” She freezes, her lips still on mine, before she pulls back to look at me. “Rio!” “Hallie!”

Ryan laughs but it’s laced with disbelief. “You’ve lived next to Cruz Wilder’s sister for four years and you’ve never once mentioned it? Those brothers are huge names in their own respective sports. The oldest Wilder is going to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame one day, and the youngest brother was the MLB Rookie of the Year a few years back.” “Wait,” Isaiah cuts in. “Easton Wilder? He’s a beast, and he’s only in his third season in the league. You’re living next to his sister?”

“He’s starting T-ball, and we just picked up his very first uniform.” Right there on her phone screen is little Max, a big smile on his face, wearing his brand-new uniform with number twenty-one on it. “He’s wearing his dad’s number.” Zee grins. “Did he choose that himself?” “I seriously cannot talk about this.” Kai takes off his glasses, pressing his thumb and forefinger against his closed eyes.

Realization finally dawns on me. I forgot that his old number was his birthdate. Which means his new number is . . . “When I got to training camp in Chicago, they asked me if I wanted to keep eighty-three, but I decided it was time to change it to my actual favorite day.” My birthday. March eighth. Thirty-eight. He’s been wearing my birthdate on his jersey for six years and I had no idea.

Over my shoulder, I watch his parents’ bedroom slowly creak open, but the woman who exits isn’t Mrs. DeLuca. “Mom?”

“Let you explain?” I laugh sardonically. “Let you explain what? What kind of explanation could you possibly have for sleeping with my boyfriend’s dad? What the hell are you thinking?”

My heart sinks at the reminder. It’s a suspicion I’ve had for a long time, that maybe she looked at me the way she did that day because physically, I’m practically a carbon copy of her former best friend.

“This is the song I was listening to when I signed my contract extension with the Chicago Raptors.”

“You said, and I quote, ‘How is she supposed to come visit?’ and ‘I don’t know how I’m going to tell her.’ ” I can’t help but laugh. “So nosy, baby.” “Rio. You were talking about me visiting you in Boston.” “No, Hal. I was talking about my mom. I didn’t know how I was going to tell her,”

“Rio, playing for Boston is your childhood dream.” I shake my head. “You’re my childhood dream.” Her lips part without words. “Some dreams have changed, but others have remained the same.” I brush her hair behind her ear. “I love the city we live in. I love my team. I love my friends. And I love you. We lost six years, Hallie, and I’m not missing another day of you again.”

Hallie slides onto my lap, while the others find their way to their person. Then it’s the ten of us. How it was always supposed to be.

I spent years complaining about being the single one of the group, the odd man out. But even though I was the last one, how lucky am I that I got a front-row seat to watch each of my best friends fall in love?

Besides Indy, we’re all a bunch of transplants from other places who found a home in the windy city . . . and with each other.