Tackling Life - Book 2 (Paperback)

The music is pumping as I enter the club. I’m high-fiving people as I make my way through the crowd of partygoers. Everyone is in good spirits. The New England Warriors have won the Super Bowl. It’s a dream come true for me, something I’ve worked toward my entire life.
Colton Anders, our quarterback and my best friend, is at the bar with my teammates. His woman, Skye, is only a few feet away, staring at him like he’s hung the moon.
Walking up to Colton, I slap him on the back, and he turns to shake my hand then pulls me in for the briefest of hugs.
“I can’t believe we did it!” I yell as I turn around, arms in the air, doing a victory spin.
“Me, either.”
I’m grinning at Colton, but he’s not smiling, his expression is serious. There’s not even a hint of happiness or excitement.
“Not Skye problems?” I ask in a hushed tone.
“No, no, no. Syke is perfect. We’re good.” He licks his lips in nervousness.
“What then?”
Colton takes a deep breath. “You have a visitor.”
Laughing, I slap his shoulder. “I bet I’ll have a lot of visitors in the off-season.” I wink at him.
Colton doesn’t return my teasing. In fact, he looks uncomfortable.
“Is my mom here?”
Colton smiles. “No, Gray.” He lets out a sigh and shakes his head. “It’s Diandra.”
I shake my head twice and do a double-take. “Diandra?”
“Yeah, she’s over near Skye.”
Turning, Diandra’s standing slightly behind Colt’s woman. I can’t believe I didn’t notice her. She’s still gorgeous. Her mocha-colored skin glows next to her figure-hugging gold dress. Those blue eyes, which still haunt me, are staring back at me. Why couldn’t she have put on a ton of weight or have severe acne? An ache in my chest intensifies the longer I stare at her.
Colton nudges me, drawing my attention back to him. “You okay?”
“I feel like I’ve been sucker-punched on the best night of my life.” Puffing out my cheeks, I let out a breath. “Why is she here?”
Colton clears his throat and shakes his head. “You know I love you like a brother, but she needs to tell you.”
Placing my hands on my hips, I look down. “Whatever she has to say, she’s three years too late. I don’t care.”
“You will.”
“Fine.”
Turning, I stride toward her. Skye moves out of the way and hurries toward Colton, giving me the briefest of smiles. Diandra has her hands clasped together in front of her, a worried expression on her still-beautiful face.
“Hello, Gray.”
The ache in my chest expands, and I rub it to try and dissipate the pressure. “Hello, Diandra. What do you want?” The worlds come out quickly and far harsher than I imagined they would.
She hurt me so badly when she ended us. Diandra picked up and moved to New York. She told me not to follow, that it was over—no explanation, no further contact, nothing. I was messed up and not in a good way for a long time. I’m only just dating again. Sure, I have hook-ups but nothing serious. To say Diandra broke my heart doesn’t seem like a powerful enough statement. No, she shattered it into a million pieces.