by Keeland, Vi
She reached for my hand. “I know.”
***
After dinner that night, I was surprised when Alex came to find me in my room. Presley and I had decided we would not be officially sharing a bedroom anytime soon.
“Hey, buddy. What’s up?”
He looked hesitant as he stood at the doorway. “Are you and Dad not speaking?”
This was likely the rest of the conversation I’d expected earlier. Presley was right. He’d needed to process the initial shock before he could even begin to ask questions.
“Right now, we’re not,” I answered as we both took a seat on the edge of my bed. “Did you talk to him tonight? Is that why you’re asking?”
He nodded, looking guilty.
“It’s okay that you’re talking to him about this. You should never feel like you have to hold anything back from any of us. What did he say, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“He just said he knew about you and Mom and that he was trying to protect me, which was why he didn’t tell me. And then he said you and him aren’t talking right now.”
I hoped there was nothing more, but if that were all Tanner said, it would be a miracle. “Life is complicated, Alex. One thing we can’t control sometimes is the way we feel. In an ideal world, I would’ve met your mother under different circumstances. Your dad has every right to be upset. I’m his brother, and I hurt him. I have to own that. But I promise you, I would’ve never considered getting in the middle of your parents’ relationship if there were a chance that they’d get back together. I realize I have work to do, and I promise you I will do everything I can to fix things with your dad so you don’t have to worry.”
He nodded and started toward the door. But before he left, he turned around.
“If Mom is not with my dad, I would rather she be with you than some weird guy.”
Immense relief washed over me. “Well, I definitely have my weird tendencies, but I can’t tell you how much it means to hear you say that, Alex.”
“I want her to be happy. She seems happy around you.”
“She makes me happy, too, buddy.”
“Be nice to her,” he added.
“You can bet on that.”
He chuckled. “I can’t bet on anything anymore, remember?”
I wanted to hug him, but before I got the chance, he took off down the hall.
A few seconds later, Presley appeared at the door.
“I saw him come in here,” she whispered. “Is everything okay?”
“Yup.” I smiled. “We just had a little man-to-man talk. I’m confident everything is going to be okay.” I reached for her hand and squeezed. “But this has been quite the damn day. I feel like I need a drink the size of my head right now.”
“I think you’ve earned it.” She pulled me toward the kitchen. “I’ll hook my man up.”
Damn, I loved hearing her call me that. Her man. I’d worn many titles in my life and scored in many ways, but snagging Presley and being loved by her? That was better than any touchdown or Super Bowl win.
It was better than anything.
EPILOGUE
* * *
Levi
Two Years Later
I sat across from my brother and Alex at Iggy’s as we finished up our fried chicken dinner. Fake it ’til you make it. They say if you want something bad enough, pretend it’s already happening until one day the dream becomes a reality.
The situation with Tanner and me was far from totally repaired, but we were a work in progress and had come a long way. From the moment I’d told him I’d fallen in love with Presley, I was determined to work toward fixing things, even if it took a lifetime. I knew I’d broken his trust, and it was my responsibility to make things right. As much as Tanner had hurt Presley, he would always be my baby brother. I would always love him—flaws and all.
Some time ago, Tanner and I had agreed to a once-a-month meetup at Iggy’s. Alex had dubbed it The Miller Men Monthly. Except it wasn’t just the three of us Miller Men now. There was a fourth Miller—two older Miller brothers and two younger ones. Baby Eli was a year-and-a-half. He sat in his highchair at the end of the table, munching on puff snacks while the rest of us ate.
“How’s Presley?” my brother asked.
“She’s good. The inn’s been keeping her busy. She says hello. She’s really happy we started doing this every month.”
Tanner turned to Alex. “Yeah. The Miller Men Monthly was a good idea, son.”
Alex shrugged as he popped a French fry into his mouth. “I know.”
“When do you fly out next?” Tanner asked.
“Not for a couple of weeks. The next two games are at home.”
My brother chewed. “Oh, nice.”
I’d started playing this season for the Carolina Panthers. Games and practices were a few hours away in North Carolina, but it was a hell of a lot better than before and allowed me more time at home, even if it meant lots of long drives down I-77. While leaving the Broncos was one of the most difficult decisions I’d ever made, I had to do it. There was no way I wanted to be away from my family that much—especially now.
“I’m sure Presley is relieved that you’re not in Denver anymore,” he said.
“Yeah. That would never have worked long term.”
My brother nodded.
I never quite knew what he was thinking when he mentioned her name. The ironic thing about our situation? It was a woman predicament that had torn Tanner and me apart, and it was a woman predicament that had brought us together again. I’d never forget that night. A few months after Tanner and I had our blowout in Denver, Presley and I had been hanging out at The Palm during one of my quick trips home in between games. Tanner had called my cell phone for the first time since we’d stopped speaking. He’d asked if we could meet up to talk.
I’d been certain he was going to use that opportunity to ream me out again for ruining his life, but the conversation turned out to have nothing to do with me. My brother had called because he was desperate for advice and needed a shoulder to lean on after receiving news that knocked the wind out of him.
Arielle, the woman he’d hooked up with back in Colorado, had called him out of the blue to tell him she’d gotten pregnant from their one night together. Tanner had been freaking out, and I’d done my best to calm him down and assure him that even the worst-case scenario—that the baby was indeed his—wouldn’t be the end of the world.
I’d promised him he’d grow to love the kid just as much as he loved Alex. He’d asked me not to tell anyone until he could confirm that her claim was legit. As much as it had been a nightmare, the fact that he’d turned to me in his darkest hour proved our bond was still there. That night had been a turning point.
Tanner ended up flying to Denver to arrange for a gestational paternity test, which confirmed that he was indeed the father of Arielle’s baby. He’d stayed with me at my house there during that trip, and also a few times after that—whenever he’d come to visit Arielle and accompany her to appointments. The following June, my nephew, Eli James Miller, was born. Even after months of mentally preparing, my brother still didn’t seem to know what had hit him. He’d moved to Beaufort to be closer to Alex, and now he had another son across the country to look after. It was the craziest twist of fate and proof of life’s unpredictability.
During one of his trips to see the baby, he and Arielle had decided to start dating to see where their relationship might go. It had started for the sake of their son, but over time, they fell for each other. Arielle agreed to move to South Carolina, which meant a lot to my brother. I couldn’t tell you whether Tanner would remain faithful to Arielle. He’d yet to pop the question. But I could only hope that at some point, he’d grow up and settle down for good without messing things up.
Tanner lifted Eli out of the highchair. “Well, it’s been nice, Millers, but this guy here needs a diaper change. And the bathroom here sucks, so…”
I chuckled. I’d never gotten a c
hance to witness my brother as father to a baby since I wasn’t around when Alex was small. It cracked me up to think of him changing diapers.
“Say hi to Arielle,” I told him.
“I will. She wants to have you guys over soon.”
“Anytime. I’ll send you my schedule.”
“Cool.” He looked over at Alex. “I’ll pick you up Friday, buddy.”
Alex spent every other weekend at Tanner’s and loved hanging out with his little brother.
“Bye, Dad.”
When Alex and I returned to The Palm, I found Presley in the bedroom we planned to turn into a nursery. My woman was four months pregnant with our first child, and I was over-the-moon excited. Presley and I had gotten married here at The Palm this past summer during the off-season. It was an intimate ceremony with just our closest friends and family—and yes, that had included Tanner. Presley and I danced to one of Gramps’s old recordings for our first song and swapped wedding cake for a tower of peach cobbler. It was the perfect day, without a cloud in the sky.
“What are you up to?” I said as I wrapped my arms around her in the nearly empty bedroom.
“I’ve just been putting some paint swatches up against the wall, trying to decide on a neutral color. It would be easier if we knew the gender, though.”
“My point exactly.” I glared at her teasingly.
We’d argued a lot about this lately because I wanted so badly to know what we were having, while Presley hadn’t been able to decide if she wanted to find out. She kept going back and forth between leaving it as a surprise or throwing a gender-reveal party.
“I think I still want it to be a surprise,” she said.
I kissed her forehead. “Then a surprise it will be.”
At the last ultrasound, the technician had written the gender down on a folded piece of paper that Presley had tucked away in an empty cookie jar in the kitchen, both of us vowing not to touch it until we’d made a firm decision.
“How did lunch go?” she asked.
“It was good. Eli is getting so big.”
“He must be.”
“They want to have us over soon,” I said.
“Wow. Okay.” She nodded. “That’ll be good, I guess. For Alex, especially, you know?”
“Yup.” I squeezed her tighter. “I missed you today.”
She sighed into my shoulder, and when she looked up at me, I sensed worry in her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Honestly, I’ve been a little anxious lately.”
“About what?”
“Everything is going so perfectly. I sometimes worry it’s inevitable that something bad is going to happen. I think it might be my hormones. Every time you travel now, I’m anxious every second until you get home.”
I pulled back to examine her face. “How come you haven’t told me this before?”
“I guess I don’t want you to worry about me worrying.”
“You’re right. I don’t like to think that you’re nervous when I’m gone. But I guess it goes to show how much you love me.” I knelt down and kissed her stomach. “A part of my heart is in this body, you know.”
She ran her fingers through my hair. There was no better feeling than knowing I’d get to sleep next to her tonight. I lived for every moment spent with her at The Palm and longed for the day I could feel comfortable kissing my career goodbye in exchange for the freedom of being able to see my family whenever I damn well pleased. But I had a few more years left to bring home the bacon first.
I stood up. “You know what I think?”
“What?”
“I think some ice cream is in order to get you out of this anxious mood.”
She rubbed her belly. “I could go for that.”
Taking my hand, Presley followed me into the kitchen.
I called Alex down and served them both bowls of mint chip before scooping some out for myself. We ate together at the table while Alex told us about some of the things happening at school.
Then Fern waltzed into the kitchen.
“Want some ice cream, Fern?” I asked.
“No, thanks. Just lookin’ to make some tea. Got a bit of a sore throat.”
When she went over to the counter, she opened the cookie jar.
“Don’t open that!” Presley yelled.
“Why not?” she asked.
“That’s where we hid the piece of paper with the gender of our baby. We don’t want to look at it yet.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “What?”
Presley turned to him. “You’re not allowed to look in there either, Alex. Promise me.”
Rather than listen and immediately put it back, Fern peeked at the paper before folding it and returning it to the jar. Great.
“No worries.” She smiled. “Secret’s safe with me.”
There was no chance of this being secret for the next five months if Big Mouth knew. But more than that, would I be able to resist trying to get it out of her? Not knowing what we were having was killing me. Becoming a father was the most exciting thing to happen to me, and I was consumed by curiosity. I would love my kid no matter what, but I really wanted to know. I supposed if Fern accidentally let it slip, so be it. But I would never go against Presley’s wishes to find out.
“The baby is going to be my crother or cister,” Alex said with a mouth full of ice cream.
Presley squinted. “Huh?”
“My cousin and my brother or sister. Crother or cister.”
Damn. Thanks to his uncle boinking his mother, that was true. Poor kid.
“I get it now,” I said. “Crother or cister like cruncle—crappy uncle.” I chuckled.
Alex laughed. “Cruncle used to stand for crappy uncle. Now, it’s cuncle—cool uncle.”
“Nice! I’ve been upgraded. Thanks, buddy.”
“You’re welcome.” He giggled and got up to put his bowl in the sink before running off.
Presley yawned as she rubbed her stomach. “I think I’m crashing from the sugar. I’m feeling tired.”
“It’s either that or, you know, the fact that you’re carrying around a little human.”
“Thank you for the ice cream.” She stood from her chair. “I’m gonna head to the room and lie down.”
“I’ll join you in a bit.” I wriggled my brows. “I promise I got the hint that you’re really tired. I won’t try anything. I’ll just rub your feet if you’re not in the mood.”
“I’m never too tired for that,” she whispered. “I just need a little nap and I’ll get a second wind.”
Fern snickered from the corner of the room as she prepared her tea. That woman had supersonic hearing.
The old lady and I were the only ones in the kitchen once Presley left.
Fern steeped her tea as she headed toward the hallway to return to her room. “You’re just dying to know, aren’t you?” she said as she passed.
I stared her down silently. Of course, I want to know. But there was no way I’d break my vow and ask.
Fern took a sip of her tea. “It’d be mighty funny if this baby ended up looking like Tanner and not you, wouldn’t it?”
“I’m sure you’d be tickled if that happened.”
She winked. “Tickled pink.”
Then she disappeared down the hall.
It took me a second.
Tickled pink.
Holy shit.
I let the euphoria sink in for a few seconds.
Wow—girl dad.
FREE HOLIDAY GIFT FOR OUR READERS!
* * *
Dear Readers,
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading Well Played. We’d love to stay in touch and invite you to join our mailing list and receive back a fun collection of THREE FREE HOLIDAY short stories.
Sexy Scrooge
The last thing I needed was to share an Uber with Scrooge—a cocky lawyer on a snowy Christmas Eve. It was bad enough I was on my way to court for the gift of eviction. Although maybe today wouldn’t turn out so bad a
fter all. The Sexy Scrooge and I started to connect as we trudged our way through a storm. Our ride was about to end. But would I ever see him again?
The Merry Mistake
Note to self: Ask Santa for glasses this year. When I accidentally mistook a gorgeous man resting outside my building for a homeless person in need of lunch, we got into it. I’d only been trying to do a good deed around the holidays, but he called me righteous. I called him something far worse. If only I didn’t have to see him again. But fate had other plans.
Kissmas in New York
It was just supposed to be a simple kiss with a stranger. I'd done it to prove a point—that I hadn't lost my sense of adventure. But you know what they say about the best laid plans. Maybe I'd get something in my stocking after all this holiday season...
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
* * *
Thank you to all of the amazing bloggers, bookstagrammers and BookTokers who helped spread the news about Well Played to readers. You make the book world go round, and we are so grateful for all of your support.
To our rocks: Julie, Luna and Cheri – Thank you for your friendship and always looking out for us.
To our super agent, Kimberly Brower – Thank you for always believing in us and working so hard on our behalf!
To Jessica – It’s always a pleasure working with you as our editor. Thank you for making sure Levi and Presley were ready for the world.
To Elaine – An amazing editor, proofer, formatter, and friend. We so appreciate you!
To Julia – Thank you for being our eagle eye!
To Kylie and Jo at Give Me Books Promotions – Our releases would simply be impossible without your hard work and dedication to helping us promote them.
To Sommer – Thank you for bringing Levi to life on the cover. Your work is perfection.