"How come I've never heard this story before?" she asked quietly. "How could something like this have been shoved under the rug for so long?"
"His parents were big into local politics. They couldn't let it get out that he was drinking and stealing cars."
"Dominic," she said softly "you were just a kid. Kids do stupid stuff." His expression was bleak. "You've never forgiven yourself, have you?"
He didn't move, didn't blink. And then he shook his head. "No." His eyes begged her for forgiveness. "I wanted to tell you before now. I just didn't know how."
Stunned, she needed a few minutes to process everything.
"I've put my endorsements at risk," he said, obviously misreading her silence as worry and trying to manage the situation. "I don't care about the money; I don't need it. But now I've f**ked up your career, too."
She held up her hand. "It's my job to worry about that. Not yours. We'll figure this out together."
His gaze cleared as he stared at her. "You'll stay?"
"I will." But she didn't trust herself to remain in his house. Not when she wanted to comfort him and the only way she knew how was with her body. "I'm going to spend the night in town. In the morning, we'll come up with a PR plan. And I'll help you train JP. I've got some ideas."
For the first time all night, Dominic smiled.
Dominic's body was so bruised and beaten that he fell asleep not long after Melissa left. But he woke up long before sunrise, haunted by everything Melissa had said.
She was right about him, about his actions being motivated by guilt. He loved her deeply, but working with JP was about assuaging his guilt.
He'd been doing the same thing for years with Joe. Houses, cars, boats—he bought them all, even when Joe said he didn't want them or need them.
Why the f**k had he railroaded his friend with lavish gifts over the years? Joe was a smart guy, the CEO of his own company manufacturing "green" cleansers. He definitely didn't need Dominic's guilt offerings.
It was just as well that Sports Illustrated was going to out him. He should have owned up to his past a long time ago.
He got up, turned on the shower, and stood under the water.
It felt good to come clean.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The next morning passed in a blur of drills. Though Melissa was impressed by how hard JP was working, it would still be amazing if they pulled off a new deal. Especially with the cloud hanging over Dominic.
She'd finally accepted that things between her and Dominic would never work out. She'd built him up in her head for so many years, dreamed for so long about what he must be like, that she'd never been able to see him purely for himself. She hadn't been fair to him. Now she needed to find it in her heart to wish him well, to wish for him all the love and happiness that she wanted for herself.
"He's dragging," she said at lunchtime as they watched JP run laps around the nearby high-school track. She and Dominic were a surprisingly good team as they focused their energies on JP.
He agreed. "No point in killing the kid, I suppose." He whistled to get JP's attention. "Good work. Go get some lunch. We'll see you in an hour."
JP tried to smile but clearly couldn't muster the energy. "Ugh." He limped back to his car and drove back to the cottage, probably to sleep in the hot tub for an hour.
Melissa walked with Dominic back to his car. His Viper held so many memories for her. Every time she'd been in it they'd had sex before, during, or after their drive.
She shivered in response to the memories.
He pulled into a lakefront burger joint and Melissa was grateful that it wasn't romantic in the least. She hadn't eaten much in the last few days and her clothes were already getting loose. Knowing that the waif look didn't suit her, she ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke.
They found a booth in the corner and sat down. Their food came, but neither of them ate.
Dominic spoke first. "I don't want to hide from my past."
Melissa's eyes widened in surprise. "I would never ask you to do that."
"I know you wouldn't. Other agents maybe, but not you."
Melissa took a deep breath. "I've been thinking things over all night long. I'm positive that we can turn your story into something positive, something that will hopefully make other teenage boys think twice before they steal a car and crash into a tree. You've already done so much by donating the high-school stadium." "I can do more."
She nodded. "And you will. We will."
"Thank you for helping me. For listening and not being angry."
"Of course," she said, not knowing how to put her feelings into words.
"Now let me help you. Please."
Melissa's throat closed up. She'd been so afraid of letting Dominic take over, so scared that he wanted to help her for all the wrong reasons. But things were different now.
"Thank you, Dominic. I think I could have gotten JP a good team by working with him, but with your help, hopefully we can bring in a great team instead."
His body was tense, his hamburger untouched. "I'd like to set up a meeting for JP with Sean from the Outlaws."
She furrowed her brows in confusion. "The Outlaws already have enough wide receivers."
All at once, she understood. He was going to retire. She felt as if he'd punched her in the gut. She couldn't imagine the Outlaws without Dominic, a Sunday without him on the field. It was wrong. So wrong. Yet she knew he was hurting. She'd seen him limp, felt his scars beneath her fingertips.
He watched her process the news. "I've been thinking about it for a while now. I refuse to be a liability to my team, a disappointment to the fans."
It was difficult to speak. "How long have you been thinking about this?"
"It's been brewing for a while now, but working with JP really made things clear. I ran myself into the ground just to see if I could keep up with him."
"You can," she protested, still unwilling to accept his decision. It would be such a loss. "You're still a phenomenal player," she protested.
"I'm not healing like I used to. I wake up in the morning and I know the stiffness isn't going to be gone by the next day. I'm starting to dread blocking. That's not the kind of game 1 want to play."
"Okay," she said slowly, "we'll work out an exit plan." Emotionally, she hated the decision he was making. Professionally, she knew he was right.
"Obviously, you have a strong future ahead of you with speaking engagements, maybe some non-fiction, even fashion if you're interested." What the hell were the Outlaws going to do without the top wide receiver in the country? She hated having to break the news to the team.