The Risk: Scott's Story (Runaway Love Series Book 2) (2 page)

Life was anything but easy after I left Ms. Allen’s, but I didn’t mind it. I loved feeling independent and making my own decisions! I stayed with different friends from high school and worked odd jobs as my time allowed. I didn’t think finishing school was going to help me out much, but I was determined to be the best man I could be for Grace and knew having a high school diploma was the first step in the right direction. The best decision I made was to join the local soccer team.

I felt truly alive every time I stepped onto the soccer field. I felt like I belonged to a family within the comradery of my team. I thrived on the energy, strategy, and competition that each game offered. All my worries and fears slipped away as soon as my feet tuned into the soccer ball. Soccer became my life; yes, Grace was still on my mind, but soccer was my outlet, my savior.

Playing professional soccer never crossed my mind until a recruiter, Mr. Rivers, invited me out to lunch. He offered me a spot on his team after he spent the first part of our meeting telling me how amazing of a player he thought I was. Mr. Rivers definitely knew how to play me, even though I didn’t realize his manipulations at the time. Hell, I ate his shit up - hook, line, and sinker. I jumped at the chance to be his new star, and I didn’t even care that I’d have to move to England. I told myself that this was the best way for me and Grace to have a chance at a great life together.

Mr. Rivers not only offered me a great job, but he also offered me a new beginning at life. He said I could change who and what I was. I no longer had to be the poor foster kid – I could be anyone I wanted to be. My greatest desire was to change my last name. I didn’t want any link to my parents to exist – I didn’t want to think about them whenever I heard my name called. So, after filling out some paperwork after I turned eighteen, I became Scott Peters and left my past in the past.

Mr. Rivers only gave me a week to get my affairs in order before I had to move to England. Luckily, I only had a couple days left of school, so I could at least graduate. Between the name change, finals, getting a passport, packing, and practicing, I never took the time to tell Grace that I was going to move to England to play soccer. I didn’t know why I didn’t inform her of my plans, but I did make many excuses for my actions. In a way, I felt good just living for myself for a change. Yes, I knew that made me a selfish asshole after all the promises I made to Grace.

I waited until Mr. Rivers and I were on our way to the airport before I went to Ms. Allen’s to tell Grace that I was going to England and that I’d be back for her. Mr. Rivers was slightly annoyed at our detour, but I told him I had to let my friend know I was leaving or I wasn’t going to go. As we pulled up to Ms. Allen’s, I was shockingly appalled by the deplorable conditions of the house and the neighborhood. Did I really live here? Getting Grace out of that house became a top priority again. I noticed Paul hanging out outside, looking like he was up to no good. He was older than I was, so I couldn’t understand why he didn’t just move the hell on.

“What’s up, Paul? Is Grace around? I need to see her.” I greeted him with a handshake while taking note of him enviously eyeing the BMW I just came out of.

“No, she’s not here. She went with Ms. Allen to the grocery store. You can wait for her if you want.”

“Okay, that’s fine. Let me tell my ride.”

I told Mr. Rivers that my friend wasn’t there and that I needed to wait a few more minutes. Mr. Rivers, obviously nervous about being in my old neighborhood, said we needed to leave right away or we’d miss our flight. He didn’t say it, but I knew that if I caused us to miss our flight, I would be cut from the team before I even began. I ran my fingers through my hair as I blew out a big breath and turned back to Paul.

“Hey, Paul, can you do me a huge favor? I don’t have time to wait, so tell Grace that I’m going to England to play soccer, but I’ll be back for her. Tell her I’m going to keep my promise to her. Okay?”

“Oh, wow! Congrats, man! It’s amazing someone recognized your talent! Yeah, sure, I’ll let her know.”

I gave Paul another hand shake as he continued to offer praise and congratulations. I broke away and got into the BMW. I should’ve stayed and waited for Grace, but I didn’t. I should’ve talked to her earlier, but I didn’t. I couldn’t change anything at that point, but I would’ve had I known I was making the biggest mistake of my life.

Early Years in England

Soccer ruled my life the moment I disembarked the plane in England. My life became a whirlwind of activity, and I was easily caught up in the excitement of creating a new life. I thought of Grace often, but my primary focus was always soccer. I never took the time to reach out to her – not even a phone call. I knew I was being a douchebag, but I couldn’t help myself. I still loved Grace, but I didn’t contact her, and I sure as hell didn’t worry about her either. I didn’t understand my decisions, but I didn’t question them. The first thing I did with my first paycheck, though, was to get Grace’s drawing of her name tattooed on my chest so I could have her close to my heart. I wanted to let the world know she belonged to me and I to her, even though I continued to live my life for myself. I became a man of contradictions that I never took the time to figure out, and eventually, I became too selfish to care.

As my soccer career took off, things started to change quickly for me. The money came, the fame and adoration came, and the females came and went. I didn’t care about any of the women – they were just there to help me pass the time until I could get back to Grace. I never considered it as cheating on her – more like I was satisfying a need. I thought of her often, but I always came up with excuses to avoid contacting her.

After a night of drinking, I decided to search for Grace on the Internet shortly before her twenty-first birthday. To my horrific surprise, I discovered she was pregnant and married. I felt like the air was taken out of my body while my heart was smashed into a million pieces. Why hadn’t my Grace waited for me? She knew I was going to come back for her like I had promised. How could she have been so selfish to leave me behind and move on with her own life? I refused to accept any responsibility for what happened, even though my actions were nagging me in the back of my mind. Grace should’ve waited for me, no matter what. She promised me!

I should’ve never looked for her. I let my self-pity take over my life as I turned to alcohol to dull my pain. I reveled in my I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude and almost got kicked off my team. I looked at my Grace tattoo every day and traced each line, remembering when she drew it for me. This was all I had of her and this was what I’d always have of her.

I continued my downward spiral until I received a shocking phone call.

“Hey, is this Scott?”

“Yeah, who the fuck is this?”

“My name is Tony. I believe you know my wife, Grace.”

What the hell? Why the fuck was Grace’s husband calling me? I tossed back all the whiskey in my glass and prepared myself to hear what this man had to say.

“Is everything okay with Grace?” Even in my drunken haze, Grace’s well-being was my top priority.

“Everything is fine, but she’s in a special place right now that her doctors and I are trying to figure out. She recently gave birth to our son. She was so excited to bring him into the world so she could be the best mom. But instead of celebrating, she went into a deep depression that she can’t fight her way out of yet. Even though she uses a different last name, her therapist and I realized it’s you whom she keeps mentioning in thoughts that really don’t make much sense during our sessions. I looked you up and your publicist gave me your number.” Thankfully, I’d told my publicist if anyone claimed to be, or called about, Grace to give them my direct number.

“Okay, so what’s wrong with her?”

“I’m not quite sure, but the doctors wanted me to ask you if something ever happened to Grace?”

I stood up and paced the floor. What the fuck was he asking me?

“What the fuck are you trying to imply? Nothing ever happened to Grace! She was, and still is, the love of my life even though she couldn’t wait for me!” I hear him breathe into the phone.

“Okay, I just needed to know. Sorry to bother you, Scott. Please continue staying away from Grace.”

I stared at the phone until I realized Tony had hung up on me, ending my last connection to Grace for several years.

I am loving my Grace-free life in England. Well, at least that’s what I keep telling myself because I really don’t have any other choice. So, when my publicist informs me that I have a message from a woman named Grace on my website, I won’t allow myself to believe that my Grace is reaching out to me. This woman has to be someone else! But, my curiosity and hopefulness get the best of me, and I tell my publicist to have Grace call me on my private phone line.

My life changes when I’m woken in the early morning hours by some noise I don’t immediately recognize. I’m lying in bed with my favorite friend-with-benefits Maxine, having just enjoyed an incredible night of sex, when I realize my phone is ringing from an unknown number. Who in the world would call me at this God-awful hour?

“Hello. This is Scott.” I try to sound professional even though my voice is filled with sleepiness.

“Hello? Hello?” I repeat as I prepare to disconnect the call.

“Me, Grace.” Then silence.
What the hell is going on?

“Hi, Scott. This is Grace. Do you remember me?” Oh my God, my heart begins racing and my face flushes as I realize who I’m speaking to. I’ve never heard anything more perfect or melodic than Grace’s sweet voice.

“Is this really Grace? Grace from Ms. Allen’s group home?” Yes, I know this is my Grace, but I have to ask just to make sure. My first instinct is still to hide behind my protective barrier I began building as a young child. However, at the same time, for the first time in years, I feel a sense of completeness wash over me. Holy hell, I’m an emotional mess!

“Yes, that is me. Or, you may remember me better as the Grace you left behind.” I take a deep breath at the bitterness in her voice. Wait, I didn’t just leave her behind! What the hell is she thinking? What was she told? I’m trying to quickly sort through my thoughts and come up with the correct response when I feel Maxine’s hand on my stomach. I cover the phone to tell her to stop and attempt to move away from her. Maxine has other things on her mind as her hand begins moving toward my cock. I drop the phone in surprise as I yell at her to leave me alone.

“Is this a bad time?” Grace’s voice flows up to me from the floor. I quickly grab my phone.

“No, it’s not a bad time,” I reassure Grace as I glare at Maxine as she leaves my room. “Did you really say I left you?” I ask her incredulously.

“Wow! Really? Maybe I need to refresh your memory, Mr. Peters. You left me when you turned seventeen, and you never looked back. You promised me you’d save me from the hell-hole and we’d always be together. You were all I had. You were my sunshine, my happiness, my hope! If you didn’t love me, all you had to do was tell me instead of stringing along poor, abandoned, reject girl. You never should’ve promised to come back for me when you had no intention of doing so.”

“Grace, listen to me, please. I did come back to visit you. I came back because I wanted to tell you that I was leaving for England to play soccer. I was so excited to share my news, but you weren’t there when I came so I told Paul to tell you since I knew Ms. Allen wouldn’t. I tried, Grace. Honestly, I tried.” My voice is quivering with unshed tears. I’m desperately trying to make her understand! I can’t believe how strong and intense my emotions are after all these years.

“Are you serious, Scott? You told Paul? Out of all the kids, you chose the one who hated me and loved to make me miserable? After you left, he treated me even worse because he knew I had no one to protect me. He reveled in my misery, yet you trusted him with the information that would have saved me! Deep down you had to have known he wouldn’t tell me. Why didn’t you wait for me or came back later? I’m sure you had plenty of opportunities, especially once you became a celebrity. It’s been ten years, Scott! Ten fucking years and not a single ounce of effort on your part to be with me! How could you abandon me?”