Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires, #3)

by Lauren Asher

Tomorrow, I’ll be angry about him being drunk in the house. But today… Today he needs a friend. I pull him into my arms and wipe away the tear, banishing it from existence like it never happened. “You haven’t failed at everything.” “Name one thing.” I don’t miss a beat. “You made it into the NHL.” He scoffs. “Only to lose my spot a few years later.” “So what? Not many people can say they even got that far in the first place.” “I didn’t even win a championship.” His voice sounds so small. So unsure. So broken. It tears me up inside, knowing someone as vibrant and lively as him can be riddled with this many insecurities. Sometimes it is those with the loudest voices who struggle the hardest. “Life is about perspective. Until you change yours, you’ll always be tied to this.” I hand him the vodka bottle. He clutches the bottle with a death grip. I lock the image away in my head, reminding myself that no good can come of Cal and me being around each other. Even after all these years apart, he still hasn’t put in the work to change himself. No matter how much I love him, it was and never will be enough so long as he doesn’t love himself. That much I know to be true.