Myla: Well, I remember him saying that he wished there was a place where he didn’t have to rely on an algorithm to get his word out, that he could tell the truth through something like . . . a text. That’s where that part of the app was developed. I always thought The Jock Report was started because of the way Ryot retired and how Penn was being slandered by the media, but I think . . . I think it was created after that incident.

Nichole: Oh, I remember that conversation. He was livid.

Myla: Just made me think differently, you know? And then Kelsey said she really wants me to work with her on designing interiors.

Nichole: That’s pretty fucking cool. What did you say?

Myla: Not much. I mean, I don’t want to stay here, Nichole. I want to be back in Chicago.

Nichole: You don’t. There is nothing here for you.

Myla: That’s not true. You’re there. My life was there.

Nichole: Your life is with Ryot.

“Hey, babe.” I glance up from my phone to where Ryot is standing at the end of my lounger. “We should get ready for the wedding. It starts in an hour.”

“Oh, okay,” I say as I stuff my phone in my bag, Nichole’s words ringing through my ears.

Your life is with Ryot.

Is she right? At one point, I thought it was. I thought my life revolved around him, and his life revolved around me, but then, he retired, and everything changed. Could it be that if we worked hard enough, we could get back to where it used to be?

“Everything okay?” he asks as he grabs my bag from me and then takes my hand. When he starts to move, I stop him and tug on his hand so he’s facing me.

“Ryot?”

“Yeah?” he asks, a crease of concern on his brow.

“I’m proud of you,” I say, the words feeling like a sense of relief as they slip off my tongue. “Really proud of you.”

“What? Why?”

I place my hand on his chest, and I quietly say, “The Jock Report. You’ve worked so hard to create something that helps others. And I know that it’s damaged a part of us, but I want you to know that what you’ve created, it’s huge, and you should be proud of yourself. Because I am.”

His eyes soften, and he lowers his forehead to mine. Quietly, he whispers, “Thank you.”

I move my lips up to his and gently kiss him before pulling away. “You’re welcome. And this new opportunity with ESPN? It’s amazing, Ryot. It truly is. You’re perfect for the segment. Charming, handsome, knowledgeable, and you care, which matters the most.”

“Myla, we don’t have to talk about that.”

“No, but I need you to know I’m proud of you. I don’t want you to hide your accomplishments from me, ever.”

He sighs heavily as he brings our linked hands up to his mouth and presses a kiss to my knuckles. “That means more to me than you know.” His voice is strained, and it makes me sad because I know in other circumstances, he wouldn’t be so concerned about me, but rather, we’d be celebrating this great news.