After All These Years (One Pass Away #2)

by Mary J. Williams

  “I’m looking for Riley Preston.”

  “Do you know when she was admitted?”

  “After nine this morning.” Sean took a calming breath. It didn’t work. “I can’t—”

  “Sean?”

  His head whipped around at the sound of the wonderfully familiar voice.

  “Riley. Thank God.”

  Sean pulled her into his arms. He might change his mind in an hour or two. But for right now, he never planned on letting go.

  “What’s wrong? Are you here to see Kyle?”

  “Kyle?” Sean didn’t let go. He spoke into her ear, taking in her soothing fragrance. “What the hell does he have to do with anything? Claire told me you were in the hospital.”

  “Because Kyle Trenton, your teammate, was transferred here from Denver earlier this afternoon. I came over to see how he was and to lend some support to Lynette.”

  “The next time I see Claire I will gleefully strangle her.”

  Still not himself, Sean let Riley lead him away from the front desk to a nearby waiting area. Gently, she pushed him onto a plastic chair.

  “Why would Claire make you think I was in the hospital?”

  “Pure spite.” Sean held onto Riley’s hand. He needed the connection.

  “That doesn’t sound like her. Unless—what did you do to her?”

  “Nothing. I swear.”

  Gradually, Sean became aware of his surroundings. He and Riley were not alone. The waiting area was full and everyone was listening with unabashed interest.

  Smiling at the gaping fans, Sean said under his breath, “We need some privacy.”

  “Come with me.”

  Riley took his hand. It was such a natural gesture. She couldn’t be too pissed off if she didn’t mind touching him.

  “We can talk in here. Kyle is down getting x-rays and Lynette went with him.”

  The room was filled with flowers and balloons. Sean knew one of the arrangements was from him. He signed the card before practice. Another task his assistant took care of for him.

  “How is he?”

  “Great.” Riley shrugged. “All things considered. He’s upset about missing the rest of the season but his doctors see no reason he won’t be back at full strength for training camp in July.”

  “That’s a relief. Lynette and the kids? This must be tough on them.”

  “Lynette has a rod of pure steel in her spine. She was shaken. Now that the crisis has passed, she’s taken over like a proper drill sergeant. I don’t envy the hospital staff.” Riley met his wary gaze. “You want to tell me what’s going on? Or is there another bush you want to beat around?”

  “Here.”

  Sean handed Riley his phone. He could stall like she said, or he could face it head on. God, stalling sounded good about now.

  “Okay.” Calmly, Riley looked up. “I give up. Why are you showing me a picture of you and Ava?”

  “The article implies I slept with her on the team’s last road trip.”

  “Did you?”

  “No! Jesus, Riley.”

  “Because, yes, I would be upset.” Riley took a deep breath. “But we haven’t laid down any ground rules, Sean.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Are we exclusive? Just you and me? No one else?”

  “Of course!” Sean ran a distracted hand through his hair. Flecks of gold in his hazel eyes seemed to turn molten with emotion. “I don’t want anyone else, Riley.” A sickening thought occurred to him. “Do you?”

  “No.”

  “Then I’m saying it. Straight out. No one else. I—” Something stopped him from saying he loved her. The setting? A hospital room wasn’t the most romantic place to tell a woman something like that. Though there were roses. “I like what we have.”

  “So do I.” Riley handed him the phone. “The idiot who is trying to stir up trouble needs to do a better job with their choice of pictures.”

  “I’m not a fan.” Sean glanced at it again. “Everyone who has seen this has given me hell. Why didn’t you?”

  “Honestly.” Riley shook her head. “Look closely, Sean. In the picture, your hair is, at least, three inches shorter than it is now. Unless you can magically grow it at a superhuman rate, that is obviously an old picture.”

  “Why didn’t I notice that?”

  Riley slid her arms around his waist. “Don’t beat yourself up. I notice everything.” She lightly kissed him. “You might want to remember that. For future reference.”

  “Mmm.” Sean sank into the kiss, the tension that had built up for the last few hours draining away. “Thank you.”

  “For?”

  “Not jumping to the obvious conclusion. I’ve learned today that it’s hard to leave your reputation behind.”

  “You earned it honestly, Sean. One. Or two. Or three women at a time.”

  “You don’t want to go there.” Sean knew he was being teased. The weight was gone from his stomach—and his heart. So he had no problem teasing back. “The stories I could tell.”

  “Why don’t we save those for another time. Far, far into the future.”

  Sean liked that idea. Not the part where he shared his sexual exploits. The part where they had a future. A long, long one.

  “I’d like to see Kyle. Then, how about dinner?”

  “Kiss me.”

  “Instead of dinner?”

  Not waiting for an answer, Sean gladly took what she so sweetly offered. This kiss felt different. Deeper. More emotional. Sean wondered if she felt it. Did Riley understand that something elemental had changed inside him? Could she understand it was because of her?

  Sean’s arms tightened around her, pulling her close. Not long ago, the thought of spending the rest of his life with one person would have scared him to death. Now, his only fear was living a moment of his life without Riley.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “MY BODY IS is saying thank you very much for the bye week.” Sean nuzzled Riley’s hair.

  “And the rest of you?” Riley smiled.

  “I hate to break our rhythm. We are running on all cylinders. I can’t remember the last time I was on a team that felt this in tune with each other.”

  The music from the jukebox blanketed the bar in a mellow, bluesy atmosphere. The dance floor in the corner of the room wasn’t meant for anything more than swaying in the arms of your partner.

  That suited Riley and Sean just fine. There was no place they would rather be than in each other’s arms. It didn’t matter that they were surrounded by thirty plus Knights and their significant others. It felt as if they were in a world of their own.

  “Coach Coleman wants you guys to forget about football for a few days.”

  “He knows that won’t happen.” Sean slid a hand through her silky hair, idly playing with the strands. “The best he can hope for is that no one will do anything stupid during his time off. Give an athlete a few days on his own, idiocy often ensues.”

  “I’m glad you have so much faith in your brothers.”

  “It isn’t a lack of faith. It’s years of experience.”

  “What is the stupidest thing you ever did?”

  “Hmm. Are you asking as my girlfriend or my future boss?”

  Riley pretended to think over the question. Any worries that her impending ownership of the Knights would be a sensitive subject dissipated long ago. It had never been about the team. It was the money. Once Sean wrapped his head around the concept of dating a very, very wealthy woman, it became a non-issue.

  Sean was rich. So was she. The degree didn’t matter.

  “I’m your girlfriend.”

  Sean laughed. Most women would have jumped at the chance to hear one of his dirty little secrets. Not Riley. One reason to love her. The list grew daily.

  “Yes, you are. And I’m your boyfriend.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Me too.”

  Sean hadn’t meant the kiss to be more than a sweet affirmation
of their words. When it grew into something more, his mind wondered how soon he could get her back to his place. He loved Riley any way he could get her. However, naked Riley was his favorite.

  “Break it up, you two. This is a respectable joint.”

  “Go away, Gaige.” Blindly, Sean slapped in the general direction of his friend’s voice.

  “As captain and QB of the Knights, I am using my power to cut in. Go get a beer while I show the lady how a real man dances.”

  With a good-natured grumble, Sean transferred her into Gaige’s arms.

  “How does a real man dance?” she asked.

  “With the grace of Fred Astaire and the cool of James Brown.”

  “That’s quite a combo. You’re setting yourself up for a big fall if you can’t deliver, fella.”

  A twill, some fancy footwork, and an elaborate dip had the room applauding and Riley eating her words.

  “Is there anything you can’t do, you blond football God?”

  “Calculus.”

  “Not exactly a fatal flaw.”

  Gaige settled them into an unhurried rhythm. Riley’s dreams were coming true. A successful team. A thriving business. And Sean. First and foremost, Sean. She didn’t know how many wishes she had left.

  If she only had one, it would be for Gaige to find someone to love. He put on a damn good I don’t give a shit face to the world. Riley knew better. He wanted what they all wanted.

  That special someone to make the world a little less lonely.

  “Let me set you up with—”

  “No.”

  “When was the last time you went on an honest to goodness, dinner and a movie, date?”

  “June sixth, two thousand five.”

  “That’s specific,” Riley laughed. “It must have been God-awful if you haven’t done it since. Who was she?”

  “The friend of a friend.” Gaige’s bright green eyes bore into her blue ones.

  “Point taken.”

  They danced in the easy silence of good friends. Riley laughed to herself over the kooky Christmas decorations hung haphazardly around the bar. In spite of the name, Overtime didn’t cater to the sports fan. It was a hole in the wall with a little buzz attached. Exactly how the owner wanted it.

  Gaige frequented the place when he wanted low key and mellow. A Wednesday in early December was the perfect night to get a bunch of the team together for a private party. The closed sign was on the door. They were free to laugh and unwind without worrying about their pictures ending up on TMZ.

  “Life is good?”

  “No complaints.”

  “Except—?”

  “I hate when you do that.” Riley gave Gaige a playful punch on the shoulder. “Get out of my mind, Kreskin.”

  “You’re too young to know who that is.”

  “So are you.” With a sigh, she relented. “The poison pictures.”

  “They’ve stopped. There’s no reason to think they’ll start up again.”

  “We all know who was behind it, Gaige.”

  “Your father, and, or, your mother.” Not a question. Bald, unadulterated fact.

  “See? You didn’t hesitate. For the rest of my life, I will have them hanging over me like a couple of demented swords of Damocles.”

  “Interesting analogy.”

  “And accurate.”

  Riley hated to bring up her parents. The ultimate buzzkill. She avoided the subject with Sean for that very reason. Why remind him of that less than stellar branch of her family tree.

  “There isn’t any proof, Riley,” Gaige reminded her. His sympathy was tinged with reality. “You have to let it go.”

  “In a perfect world?”

  “Go on. I’m all for one of those.”

  “Once the season is over, I would convene the board. After wowing them with my charm and eloquence, a unanimous vote would send my father packing.”

  “Followed by endless rainbows and dancing unicorns.”

  “You asked.”

  Gaige squeezed her hand. “In a not so perfect world?”

  He had that, I’m your friend, tell me your troubles, look on his face. Riley caved every time.

  “I would stop worrying about Sean waking up to fully realize what my family represents. Grandpa isn’t around to temper the insanity, Gaige.”

  “No, but you are.”

  “Am I enough?”

  Riley had few insecurities. Most of them centered around Sean.

  “You, my dear, are a handful.” Gaige dipped her again, bringing a smile to her face. “I think Sean is the man to take you on. And the baggage that comes with you.”

  Riley wished she was as certain as Gaige. By nature, relationships were never insular. The outside world would always want to chip away at the foundation. Riley could handle Sean’s crazy fans and old lovers. He accepted that her money wasn’t going anywhere.

  Could she expect him to weather every storm her parents threw at them when each was bound to be crazier than the last? Was it fair to ask it of him?

  “Enough about me. Tell me your problems.”

  Gaige had a great poker face. If Riley wasn’t a good friend, she might have missed the hesitation—the slight shadow in his normally clear, green eyes.

  “What could I have to complain about?”

  Riley sighed. The shutter was back on the lens. Gaige kept his personal life close to the vest. Something troubled him, but he wasn’t going to share it with her.

  “I’m always here. You know. A sympathetic ear and all that stuff.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “Honestly?”

  Gaige lightly kissed her cheek before whispering, “Honestly.”

  There wasn’t anything else to say. She couldn’t pull his problems from him. He was a rock for all of them. If the day came when he needed someone to lean on, Riley hoped he would finally let in the people who loved him.

  Gaige gave her another quick kiss, then spun her into Sean’s waiting arms.

  “Hello, beautiful.”

  “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” Sean chuckled, his lips brushing her temple.

  “I don’t want us to play by anyone else’s rules, Sean.”

  If they made their own rules, her family wouldn’t matter. Riley knew it made no sense. However, if it helped banish her worries, even for a little while, that was all that mattered.

  “Okay.” Riley was grateful he didn’t ask the question she could see in his eyes. “I like the idea of going our own way. The hell with what anyone else thinks.”

  “I’m with you.”

  Always, she thought, resting her head on his shoulder. And for tonight, she was content to sway in Sean’s arms and shut out the rest of the world.

  THERE WERE DAYS when the business world made her head want to explode. From sun up, to sun down, nothing went right. One thing piled onto another until she couldn’t figure why she willingly put herself through the aggravation.

  Then a day like today happened and it became clear. Riley would suffer a few headaches just to see the joy and excitement on Claire’s face.

  “Are those numbers real?”

  “They are projections,” Riley cautioned. Then, she grinned. “My staff is never off by more than a few percentiles. Write it down. Next Christmas, your line of balms and creams will be flying off the shelves.”

  They were in Riley’s home office. As soon as the mock ups arrived, she had called Claire. The tall, leggy blonde looked fresh, well rested and at the moment, stunned.

  Actually, she looked drunk. A little loopy. Riley doubted she could have walked a straight line without tipping over. Discovering all her hard work was finally going to pay off—in a big way—could stun the most grounded person.

  Even someone as solid as Claire.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you like the labels. Or don’t. We have plenty of time to tweak them before Claire’s Creations hits the market.”

  “The labels are great. I don’
t know how you did this so quickly.”

  “I delegated. The people who work for me deserve all the credit.”

  “If that were true, I would still be shopping my product around, hoping to find a manufacturer and distributor. Not to mention the worry of getting ripped off. I owe my lack of sleepless nights to you, Riley.”

  “I’m not doing this for nothing.” Riley winked. “I expect to make a nice chunk of money off your toil and sweat.”

  “All of which you are donating to the Shriner’s Hospital.”

  “It’s a tax write-off.”

  “Stop!” Claire picked up her freshly delivered coffee. “Why won’t you let me heap the praise where it’s due?”

  “Fine.” Arms wide open, Riley sat back in her chair. “Heap away.”

  “You crack me up.”

  “Good to know. If everything goes south, I can always make a living as a comedian.”

  “Or a smartass.” Claire paused. “Riley…”

  “Do you have a problem with the label design?” Riley picked up a bottle of lemon-scented lotion. Their demographic was women. The line of men’s products would roll out later next year. For now, they were concentrating on an upscale clientele with plenty of disposable income to spend. “Don’t be afraid to speak up. It’s your name on the product. You need to be one hundred percent happy.”

  “My name.” Claire shrugged. “Do you think that’s the way to go?”

  “Ah, now I see. Face to face with success, my ultra-confident friend is morphing into a shrinking violet.”

  “No. I don’t know. Maybe. Have you ever wanted something for so long you can’t quite believe it’s finally happening?”

  Only every day—with Sean. Waking up next to the man she loved wasn’t a dream. It was the best and brightest reality. She would never take it for granted. Though she couldn’t get past the fear that it would suddenly be snatched away.

  “You need to get used to your good fortune, Claire.” Riley silently reminded herself of the same thing. “Enjoy it.”

  “That’s what Logan keeps telling me.” Claire looked at the ring shining on her left hand. “Not that he’s one to talk. He doesn’t say it, but I know he worries before every game that his knee isn’t going to hold up.”