And that was his fault, Tim realized. His dad hadn’t started this. He had.
Goddammit.
Old habits were so fucking hard to break.
He didn’t want to be this guy for Gabby. He wanted to be better.
Looking his father in the eyes, he took a deep breath. “Sorry. Shouldn’t have jumped down your throat.”
Then he swallowed down every bit of anger he could manage. There was still enough to choke a horse, but he kept silently repeating Gabby’s name. He was better than this, damn it. He could be the better man.
His father couldn’t hide his shock, which gave Tim a guilty thrill. But hey, he wasn’t perfect.
“You want a beer?”
Tim thought his dad might actually say no just to spite him.
“Sure. Thanks.”
Tim headed for the kitchen, heard his dad following along behind.
“Nice place.”
Christ, here it comes. Tim wondered if this was about the money he’d been sending his mom. Or maybe he was here to ask for money.
“You’ve done well for yourself.”
Tim grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge, not knowing or caring if his dad would even like what he grabbed. Didn’t matter. His dad would drink it or not.
“I’ve done okay.”
“Turned thirty-one this past year. You decided how long you’re going to play?”
Was his dad deliberately trying to piss him off? He couldn’t tell.
Just breathe. He won’t be here forever.
“No.”
“Caught some of the game on TV last night.”
Tim couldn’t hide his surprise and his dad saw it right away. His mouth twisted in grimace Tim remembered well from his childhood.
“You held up well even though the team played shaky in front of you.”
Well, damn. Look at that. He and his dad actually agreed on something.
“Not our best game.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
Tim took a long pull on his beer as an uncomfortable silence fell between them.
Finally, his dad sighed and shook his head. “I know you’ve been trying to get your mom to move out here with you.”
Shit. Was he really going to go there? Before Tim could answer, his dad continued.
“Do you know why she won’t?”
Was that a trick question? How the hell was he supposed to answer that? Did he really expect an answer?
“Because she loves me. And she knows I love her.”
Tim’s mouth dropped open in shock at his dad’s declaration. Just the simple fact that Craig Stanton had used the word “love” in connection with his wife was enough to send Tim’s head reeling.
Then his dad continued like he hadn’t turned Tim’s world upside down.
“If you get married, you’ll understand that things aren’t always perfect between two people. You and I, we’re never going to see eye to eye. But for the sake of your mother, let’s not make this a pissing contest. If you keep pushing her to leave me, you may get what you want. But it won’t be for the reasons you want.”
Well, hell. What did he say to that?
“And while you’re speechless, let me say something else. You made something of yourself and you make me proud.”
Tim finally remembered to close his mouth. Never in a million years had he expected his dad to say anything like the words that just came out of his mouth. Tim had no idea how to respond. Couldn’t think of a damn thing to say.
His dad nodded. “Now, your mom and Sunny’ll be back soon. Said they were going to get pizza, but they’ll probably come back with some gourmet shit. I’ll watch a game while you put your stuff away. And I’ll take another beer.”
“And then he ate dinner and left?”
“Yeah. I felt like I was in the fucking Twilight Zone.”
“Any idea what made him do that?”
“No clue. I don’t know if my mom said something to him or Sunny. Hell, maybe he’s dying and he’s doing a farewell tour.” He paused. “Shit. I don’t want him to die. You know that, right?”
Tim shifted on the bed so he could look down at Gabby. She’d turned her naked body into his and laid her head on his chest. They’d been lying here for the past half hour, catching their breath after tearing each other’s clothes off seconds after he’d knocked on her door late Tuesday night. They’d had a date for dinner last night, but his dad’s surprise visit had thrown off their plans. He hadn’t felt right leaving his apartment while his entire family was there.
He’d spent tonight’s game on the bench, watching Shane get his mojo back. The younger guy had been struggling and Tim had seen a few TV talking heads recently wondering if the Colonials were going to call up DeAngelo from Reading or “see if they could count on Stanton to start pulling his weight.”
It was a legitimate question, one only Tim could answer. And right now, he had no fucking clue what the answer should be.
“I know you don’t.” Her voice sounded lazy, a little sleepy, a little amused. “Was your mom happy to see him?”
“I guess. I don’t know. I love my mom, but I’m starting to think she’s never going to be truly happy.”
Gabby lifted her head and propped her chin on her balled fist on his chest. “Why do you say that?”
“Because nothing seems to make her happy. Maybe this is how she’s always been, and I just never noticed it. Or maybe she just thinks I’m too much like my dad.”
“Do you think you’re too much like your dad?”
He shook his head immediately. “But I realized last night, I’m a lot more like him than I thought.”
“You’re not your dad, Tim. And you’re not going to turn into him, either.”
“I want to believe that.” Tim sighed. “Sometimes, though, I’ll say something, and I swear I sound just like him. And we’re both stubborn as hell.”
“Stubborn isn’t always a bad thing.
“Unless you’re using it against me.”
Her smile lit up his world. He wondered if she knew that. He’d do whatever it took to keep her smiling at him like that.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She batted her eyes at him, but the innocent look she gave him made him laugh. “And I’m not the only one with a stubborn streak, you know.”
“That look gets you whatever you want from your dad, doesn’t it?”
“Of course. And it doesn’t work on you?”
“You know it does.” And he was okay with that.
“Good. Wouldn’t want to think I was losing my touch.”
“Speaking of touch…”
He ran his hand up her naked back, her skin warm against his, the look in her eyes getting even warmer when he ran his hand back down her spine to the curve of her ass.
She made a soft, purring sound as he petted her ass and she stretched next to him like a cat.
“Don’t forget, you have to be up early tomorrow to catch the bus for the DC game.”
“You want me to stop?”
Flipping her over onto her back, he spread out on top of her, nestling his cock between her thighs. She sucked in a quick, harsh breath before smoothing her hands down his back to his ass.
“You can sleep on the bus.”
Then she kissed him and they didn’t sleep at all for the next hour.
“Hey, man. Everything okay?”
RJ slid into the seat across from Tim ten minutes after the buses left the parking lot Wednesday headed for DC. The team would stay overnight tonight, play a rare, weekday five p.m. game tomorrow then bus back home tomorrow night.
“Yeah. I’m fine. Why?”
RJ shrugged. “You’ve been quiet. Didn’t know if something was going on.”
Yeah. Actually, there was a hell of a lot going on. But he could only tell RJ some of it. Which was part of the reason Tim had been quiet. And it sucked.
He should tell RJ he was fine, but he didn’t want to lie. He was already doing enough of that. Since Gabby sti
ll wanted to keep their relationship under wraps, Tim couldn’t tell his best friend, her brother, how frustrated he was. He couldn’t talk to his mom about it for the same reason, and if he told his sister, he wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her mouth shut. Not out of spite, but because she’d be happy for him.
“I’m fine.” Then he grimaced and shrugged a shoulder. “Had a visit from my dad Monday.”
RJ’s eyes went wide. “Whoa. Seriously? I didn’t know you were talking.”
“We did Monday. He stopped at my place on his way to New York for a job. We didn’t come to blows so I’d call it a success.”
“Damn. Why didn’t you say anything yesterday?”
Tim arched his brows. “We had a game yesterday.”
RJ’s grimace looked painful. “Yeah. That kinda sucked, didn’t it?”
“I should ask how you’re holding up.”
“Fine.” When Tim just continued to stare at him, RJ held up a hand. “No, seriously. I mean, yeah, it sucked playing against my old team, but after all the shit that went down last season, what some of the guys said about me, I don’t miss them. I’m glad to be here.”
“And we’re glad to have you.”
“So, you wanna come over and get stupid drunk Sunday after the game?”
They had a one p.m. game Sunday. He’d planned to spend at least part of the night with Gabby, but RJ sounded like he could use a friend. He could always go over to her place afterward.
He wanted to take her to the benefit as his date. Not just meet her there and pretend to be friends who just happened to be at the same event.
“Yeah, sounds like a plan.”
A slight pause before RJ leaned back and studied him.
“What?”
“Something else going on?”
The words sat on his tongue. He wanted to talk about Gabby, wanted RJ’s advice on how to handle the situation. And he knew if he told RJ not to say anything, he wouldn’t. But that just meant Tim broke his word to Gabby.
“No. Everything’s fine.”
Maybe if he said it enough, it’d be true.
“Hey, Mom, you know I pay a cleaning service, right? You don’t have to clean my kitchen.”
“I don’t want them to think you’re a slob, Timmy. And I’m just wiping things down.”
Which was why she had all the cleaning products he owned sitting on the counter while she leaned into the corner with a rag in her hand Friday morning. He’d come in to grab something for breakfast before heading to the arena for practice with the team.
“Can you let that go for a minute? I need to talk. Where’s Sunny?”
“She said she was going to the market. Did you sleep okay?”
“You let her go alone? Does she even know where she’s going?”
Now, his mom stopped and gave him her full attention. And a piece of her mind. Shit, what the hell had he said?
“Your sister’s more than competent enough to navigate a big city on her own. She’s an adult. You do know that, right?”
“Yeah, I just…” He sighed. “Sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind and… That was stupid.”
“Just a little,” his mom agreed with a nod. “So what’s on your mind? Are you still upset about your dad’s visit? I know we shouldn’t have sprung that on you, but your dad promised there’d be no fighting and you two are more than old enough to get along civilly.”
“I told you, I’m not mad about that. Actually, this doesn’t have anything to do with that.”
“Is something wrong? Are you hurt?”
“No, not hurt.” He sat on one of the stools at the island while she leaned on the other side, cleaning rag abandoned for now. “I’m thinking about retiring after this season.”
She didn’t say anything for several seconds, probably in shock.
Then she nodded. “Okay. Do you know what you want to do next?”
Well, shit. He was the one who was shocked.
“That’s it? Just…okay?”
“Why do you seem so surprised?” His mom’s rare smile appeared. “After your birthday last year, I knew you’d started thinking about it.”
“How? Did I say something? Do something?”
“No, nothing that really stood out.” Then she shrugged. “You’re my son. I know you. So, have you made plans?”
“I have a couple ideas.”
“What does Gabby think about this?”
He paused, his brain spinning. “Why would Gabby care?”
She gave him the mom look. “Please. I know she’s the girl you’ve been seeing. And I see the way you look at her. Is there a reason you don’t want people to know you’re dating? Because she’s the general manager’s daughter?”
Looked like that cat was out of the bag. “I don’t care who knows. Gabby’s the one who wants us to keep it under wraps. She thinks it’ll look bad if she’s dating a player.”
“Hmm. Well, I can see her point. Has to be hard for her to be the daughter of the GM and the sister of two players. And then to be dating a player, too? Tough position.”
“I guess. Yeah.”
“Is she part of the reason you’re thinking about retiring? Because if you’re doing it for anyone other than yourself—”
“No. I’m not retiring just so I can date her. I just…think it’s time. I’m not getting any younger, my body’s starting to wear down, and I don’t want to be in the position where I get injured and have to make a decision on the spot. But I don’t know if I’m giving up too soon.”
“Only you can know that. But don’t doubt yourself, sweetheart. You’ve come so far, farther than so many people get in life, because you listened to yourself. You trusted yourself. Why would you stop now?”
“Maybe because there’s a lot more at stake and I’m worried…”
“Worried about what?”
“That I’m doing this for the wrong reasons.”
“And what would be a wrong reason?”
He didn’t answer right away but his mom apparently knew him better than he realized.
“That you’re doing it for her?” She raised her brows at him. “Why would that be wrong?”
“Maybe because I don’t have a clue what’s going to happen. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do with my life. I mean, I have some ideas, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to make them happen. And what if Gabby and I don’t work out?”
“Nothing comes with a guarantee. Hell, even guarantees aren’t for certain. There’s always a loophole somewhere. But honey, what if you don’t take the chance and you wind up bitter, old, and alone? That would be even worse.”
It was an opening to ask a question he’d been dying to ask his mom for years but had never found the right moment.
“Is that why you stay with him? So you won’t be alone?”
He thought for a few seconds that she wouldn’t answer. Finally, she drew in a deep breath.
“I know you’re going to find it hard to believe, but I love your father. We’ve had our moments, when I considered leaving him. Most of those times had to do with you.” She held up one hand to halt his words. “You and he are just never going to get along. And he knows it’s his fault. He knows your relationship is permanently damaged because he wasn’t the man you needed him to be. But he’s not that man with me. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, I think so. I’m not ready to be his BFF but I don’t hate him.”
“Then there’s hope. Now, what are you going to do about Gabby?”
He shook his head. “I’m going to hope she’s willing to take me as I am. Now, I’ve got a phone call to make. And Mom…thanks.”
“Tim, are you really sure this is what you want to do? You don’t have to make up your mind immediately. The season’s only half over. You could change your mind in a couple of weeks.”
Doug Mitchell stared across his desk, his shock slowly fading at Tim’s declaration that this would be his last season.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought and I
’ve decided this is what I need to do. For myself.”
Mitchell took a breath, leaning back into his chair. His eyebrows slowly lowered back to their normal position as he shook his head.
“I don’t get involved in players’ lives. It’s not my place. But Tank… you’re having a good year. Sure, there’ve been a few rough patches, but everyone has those. I get the idea about wanting to go out on top. It’s completely valid. When I retired, my coach tried to talk me out of it. Told me I had at least another three good years. But I knew it was the best thing for me at the time. And for my family. I was on the verge of being traded, and I didn’t want to uproot my family again. Those last couple of years were tough. We moved three times in six years. My kids didn’t deserve to go through that again. So I get it. And I’ll support whatever you decide. It’s a big decision.”
“I’m aware this might seem like it’s coming out of left field, but it’s not.” After talking to his mom, he knew it was the right decision. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for the past year. And it’s not something I’m taking lightly.”
“I’m sure you’re not. And I’m not trying to talk you out of it. I just want you to be sure.” He paused but Tim knew he wasn’t finished. He was considering his words carefully. “Now, you can tell me to keep my opinions to myself, but I think you’ve got another couple of years in you. That’s speaking as a general manager who’s gonna be really sorry to lose the best backup in the league.”
The praise was unexpected and humbling. And he nodded to acknowledge.
“But if you’re going to do this, I hope you have a plan.” Tim opened his mouth, but before he got a word out, Mitchell continued. “And if you don’t, I’d like you to hear me out.”
Twelve
“Rich. I wasn’t expecting you. What are you doing here?”
“Hello, Gabrielle. I’m here to do you a favor.”
She blinked, momentarily dumbfounded. “A favor. I didn’t know I needed one.”
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