Immediately, I shook my head. “Not before the season starts. Not before training camp,” I said. “I don’t need the circus around me any sooner than I absolutely have to.”
“And I totally understand that,” Wil assured me. “But this is… monumental. So many of these outlets are going to… drop the ball, honestly. Make it about how the Kings did you some favor, how BSU “took a chance” on you, and all that bullshit. You give me an exclusive interview for my show, and I’m going to tell the right story – how you’re a fucking badass who makes every team you touch better than they were before you arrived. Not about how you manage to get things done despite being a woman, but about how you get shit done because you are a helluva woman.”
“Damn, that sounds like an interview I want to watch,” I laughed. “But seriously, you don’t have to pitch me, Wil. I love your work, love what you do. I’d be honored to sit down for an exclusive with you. After training camp.”
Her smile spread even wider. “Excellent. I will be in touch to work out the details,” she assured, before we parted ways. I was lucky enough that after Wil moved on, I found a few other conversations to keep me occupied, among the coaches, players, and other people I knew there at the wedding – including Jordan and his new bride. On my way to finally stop avoiding Garrett, I ran across a sight that made me raise my eyebrows.
Rutledge Amare, with one of those media-hungry Erceg sisters – which one I couldn’t tell – on his arm.
Damn.
Just when I was thinking maybe he was interested in more than the glitz and glam that came with the fame of being in the pro league.
“You ready to head out?”
I jumped a little as Garrett snaked his arm around my waist, approaching me from behind. Once I knew it was him though, I relaxed enough to nod.
“Yes, I am.”
I was tired, honestly, and the reception was starting to wind down. I wasn’t interested in the bouquet toss, and all the toasts had already been given, so there was nothing keeping me from making my way to my bed for some much-needed rest.
Alone.
Back at the house though, Garrett seemed to have other plans, stepping into the house with me once I had the door unlocked.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked him, stopping in the entryway.
He shrugged. “Just making sure you got in safely before I said goodnight, that’s all.”
“Mmmhmmm.”
“Don’t mmmhmm me,” he laughed. “Thank you for inviting me to come with you tonight.”
“You’re welcome. But don’t read into it. I just didn’t want to be there alone.”
Garrett twisted his mouth. “I know you’re not trying to tell me you don’t have other men sniffing around. We’ve been divorced what… five years now? Your appetite is too big for you to have not indulged.”
“I never said either of those things – that other men don’t want me, or that I haven’t indulged.”
“Right, cause you made sure I knew I wasn’t the best dick you’d ever had anymore.”
I raised a finger. “Uh, in fairness, you walked yourself right into that one.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I did. In seriousness though… you’re not dating anybody?”
“Formally? No. Just enjoying being a single woman. Coming and going as I please. Especially now that Madison is older, spending the night with friends and all that now. I can have a big bowl of fruit and walk around naked for the rest of the night if I want to.”
Garrett perked up. “I mean, you can go ahead and get that way right now if you want to.”
“The whole point is to be by myself,” I laughed. “No company. Including you.”
He scoffed. “Yeah, well, you just make sure you put on a robe before you answer the door – especially since that lil’ Nate nigga likes to “stop by” early as hell in the mornings to “check on his players”. He’s not fooling anybody.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, hoping my voice didn’t relay the sudden panic I felt.
“I knew he looked familiar to me – beyond him and his sister being the liaisons for the some of the players I’ve managed before. He went to BSU, didn’t he? I remember seeing him thirsting after you when you first started coaching there. And then a few years after that, he was all on social media calling you his Woman Crush Wednesday – and you were still my wife. Blatant violation. Disrespectful.”
I laughed. “It is beyond rich for you to accuse anyone of disrespecting our marriage.”
“I’m just saying. I saw how he looked at you tonight, saw where his hands were.”
“Yes, on my waist,” I defended, rolling my eyes. “Besides, did you not see the pretty young thing he had on his arm? That man is not messed up about me!”
Garrett chuckled. “I’m telling you, Sloane. I know men. He would’ve shoved that pretty young thing in front of a moving train to get to you.”
“You’re exaggerating. So he thinks I’m attractive? And? It doesn’t mean he’s going to pass up a woman fifteen years younger than me, whose breasts are still where they started.”
“It’s not even about that, though,” he said. “Do you look the same as you did when you were twenty, or thirty? No, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You still, easily can stand next to a woman like that and outshine, not because you can still compete, but because you don’t have to. You’ve been fine, and you’re still fine, and you’re in a category by yourself. If you think that man isn’t trying to get between your legs, you are crazy.”
I sighed. “Then I guess it’s a good thing the shop is currently closed. Good night, Garrett.”
Laughing, he approached me again to wrap me in his arms. “Good night, Sloane,” he responded, giving me his usual forehead kiss. But then… he didn’t pull away. He kissed my temple, then my jaw, and even though I knew it was coming, and had plenty of time to stop it… I didn’t.
Maybe it was the compliments, or the horniness I’d been fighting. Maybe it was the familiarity, the comfort of him being someone I’d known for so long.
Maybe it was seeing Nate with Leya.
Maybe it was the magic of the wedding.
Whatever it was, when Garrett’s lips pressed against mine, I didn’t fight it. When his tongue slipped into my mouth, I welcomed it. When his hands slid down, gripping my ass, pulling me closer, I moaned over how good it felt.
When I felt his dick pressed against my stomach, thick and heavy, it snapped me back to reality.
Sloane, what the hell are you doing?
“You have to leave,” I told him, suddenly pulling back, so fast that I almost tripped over my own feet in my heels.
Garrett easily caught me, holding me against him until I was on steady ground, then letting me go. He didn’t argue, didn’t press his case. He just… nodded.
“Good night.”
I didn’t feel like I was breathing well again until he’d closed the door behind him, and I was there immediately to lock it. Literally and figuratively, the door between us needed to stay closed.
I know that is not my goddamn doorbell.
The only person I usually got up early for was Jesus, and I’d had every intention of taking a break from my bedside Baptist routine. It was Sunday – perfect – for sleeping in, especially after the long night before, with the wedding.
But whoever was at my door obviously didn’t intend for that to happen.
I had a feeling of who it was, so I made him wait – for old time’s sake. I went to the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, put on a robe, and then headed downstairs to find Nate sitting on my front porch, lounging, with a paper bag in his lap. When he saw me, he grinned and held up the bag.
“I brought breakfast.”
My eyes narrowed. “Yeah, you’d better have brought a peace offering with you. It is eight in the morning, and I was sleeping. And you know the code to the keypad. You could have just come inside.”
“Just in case you had company.”
/> “I told you already, Madison spent the night with her bestie.”
He nodded. “Yeah, but she lives here part-time, right? I said company.”
“Oh. You mean of the male variety.”
“I mean your ex-husband.”
I rolled my eyes, motioning for him to get up from his seat. “I see you’ve lost your mind. Come inside before somebody sees you.”
“From a half mile up the road?” he teased.
“Boy just come,” I demanded, and he followed, even though he took his damn time. I was curious to see what was in that bag, and was excited to find it wasn’t oatmeal – some bullshit he’d pulled on me before – and was, instead, healthy sweet potato waffles from a place he’d found for me near the Kings’ facility. “Okay,” I told him, greedily chewing a mouthful of goodness. “I forgive you for dropping by unannounced now. And for thinking I screwed my ex-husband last night.”
He shook his head. “That’s not exactly accurate. I felt like it was a possibility, based on him being all over you last night. Based on you being who you are. And looking like you look. And—”
“I get it, Nate. Everybody wants me, blah blah.”
“Blah blah nothing,” he chuckled.
“I see the prospect didn’t stop you from popping by. What if Garrett had answered the door?”
“I was going to tell him I was here to have breakfast with you.”
“You wouldn’t have?”
“What the fuck else would I say?” he laughed. “Thinking about it now, this was probably pretty risky, huh?”
I nodded. “Ya think? But anyway… like I said. You’re forgiven. But only because of these waffles. What happened, you had an early breakfast with Leya, thought about grabbing something for me after?”
“Not in the slightest. I dropped Leya off at home last night, then went to my own place, where I slept alone.”
I stabbed another forkful of waffle. “So… you telling me you haven’t sealed the deal with her yet?”
“There’s no deal between she and I to seal. But if you’re asking if we’ve had sex yet, the answer is no.”
“Why?” I asked, before I could help myself.
Nate ran a hand over his head, letting out a sigh before he spoke again. “Honestly? Because it doesn’t feel right. Leya is beautiful, and smart, and everything I said I wanted in a woman, but the shit doesn’t feel right, because Leya is not you.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Don’t ask questions you can’t handle the answers to.”
My eyebrow shot up, and I put my fork down. “Can’t handle? Excuse me?”
“Yes, Sloane, I said what I said.” He dropped his own fork, turning to me. “For some reason, you cannot handle the fact that I want you. You always want to explain it away, brush it off, whatever. But there’s no getting around it for me – yes, we’re friends, absolutely. But I want you as more than that, and I want you as more than a lover too. You don’t think I’m equipped to give you what you need, you’re not ready to not be single, I get that. I accept it. And I’m not here trying to talk you out of it. Can you just… give me that same damn respect, of not trying to talk me out of what I want? You may be a coach, but you are not mine.”
I swallowed hard, trying to give myself time to form a rebuttal that simply wouldn’t materialize. Probably because he was right. Age difference aside, Nate was a grown man. I shouldn’t be trying to tell him how to live his life.
I wasn’t his coach.
I was his friend, and sometimes lover, and…
Fuck.
I’d had the nerve last night to feel a little jealous of a situation I’d pushed him into in the first place. Just like with Garrett, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, and the lines I’d carefully constructed over the years were getting a little too blurry for my tastes.
“I’m sorry,” I admitted, giving him the respect of looking him in the eyes. “You’re right. I shouldn’t be trying to manage your life, or… coach you. You haven’t asked for that, and more importantly… you don’t like it. I should’ve listened.”
He narrowed his eyes in surprise – he obviously hadn’t expected me to say that. “Thank you. For listening.”
“You’re welcome. But…okay… if I’m giving up on trying to get you not to want me, or… whatever. Where does that leave us?”
He shrugged. “Not on the same page, honestly. But my thing is, that only becomes a problem when we start looking ahead, trying to fit things into a certain little box. When we aren’t doing that – when we’re just going with the flow – when I’m just meeting you for a walk in the morning, or bringing you breakfast, or you decide you want me to come through after work one night, or I hit you up to see if you want some company in the middle of the day… we’re good. Why can’t we just let it be good?”
“I… I guess we can. I guess you’re right. But nothing you’ve said changes the fact that we work together, or our age difference, or what the media—”
“You’re doing it again,” he interrupted. “We’ve been doing this for four years. If we maybe need to be a little more discreet, a little more careful, that’s fine. I’m not asking to hold your hand at the movies and share popcorn. I’m asking why what we’ve been doing needs to change? I mean I know the answer to that, I’m just—”
“I get what you’re saying,” I assured him. “And… I don’t know where we’ll go from here. But I enjoy your company. I enjoy… you. I do know that.”
He grinned. “Even if we can’t get on the same page anywhere else… that feeling is mutual.”
When he leaned in, my mind briefly flashed to when Garrett had kissed me – and I kissed back – just the night before. A twinge of guilt hit me, but all feelings and thoughts were quickly overshadowed by the syrup-flavored kiss Nate drew me into.
Faintly, I registered the chime from the security alarm, indicating that the front door had opened, but it wasn’t until Nate suddenly pulled back that it really hit the forefront of my mind that someone had come in.
Madison had come in.
She stood in the doorway, her face puffy and eyes red, obviously from crying. Her mouth was open in shock – probably at the sight of her mother in the kitchen, kissing a much younger man.
“I… am going to go,” Nate said, his voice low. “So you can… you know.”
I nodded. “Yes. Probably a good idea.”
There was no overstating the awkwardness of the moment, so instead of trying to make it better, we simply didn’t prolong it.
Nate got the hell out of there.
“So I guess you and dad are just… like really over?” she asked, finally speaking once I’d stood to approach her.
I swallowed a bit, then nodded. “Yes, baby. That ship has sailed. But it doesn’t change how much either of us loves you. Okay?”
“I know that. It’s just… I don’t understand why people can’t just… stay together.”
After those words left her mouth, she dissolved into tears that were too bitter, too mournful, to be about me and Garrett. I wrapped my arms around her, giving her a few moments to cry it out before I led her into the living room, pulling her into a seat beside me on the couch.
“Baby… why are you crying? Did something happen?”
She nodded into my shoulder. “You know me and Isabella had the sleepover, right? Well, this morning we were hungry, and we’d promised her mom we wouldn’t mess up the kitchen, so we decided to just go eat somewhere. Langston was there. With another girl. Some twenty-year-old, from his summer classes. He was all over her!”
My eyes went wide over the way she said twenty, like somebody’s grandma had stolen her little boyfriend from her. I quickly tamped it down though, tightening my arm around her shoulder. “Oh baby. I’m so, so sorry. But honestly? It’s his loss. If he did something like that, being all over another girl when you two are dating – especially to do it in public… he doesn’t deserve you.”
Sniffling, Madison looked up, meeting m
y eyes. “Is that why you don’t want to get back together with daddy?”
I pushed out a little sigh, then nodded. “Yes. Garrett is great as your father, and I think he’s a good person, but… he wasn’t a good husband to me. There are some things that you give people second chances for – chances to fix. Betraying my trust the way he did – the way Lang did to you – I can’t say that’s something that’s a simple mistake, or miscommunication. With some things, you just have to let that person go. It doesn’t mean you hate them, or anything like that. Just that you won’t allow yourself to be treated a certain way. You understand?”
She bobbed her head. “So… that guy… he’s your boyfriend?”
Ah hell.
I’d been very adamant, all this time, about not exposing my daughter to Nate – or any man I wasn’t serious about. For my privacy, and her safety, he was never here when she was, something that having informally shared custody with Garrett had easily facilitated. Her coming and going was managed by us, and we almost always announced ourselves with a phone call before we ever even climbed in the car.
That was changing now.
“Um… something like that,” I told her, giving an honest answer. “Which means that… now that you have your car, and your license… even though you live here, and you are always welcome in this house, no matter what… You’re going to have to start giving me a little warning. I don’t want you walking in on what you saw today, which was just a kiss… or something worse.”
“Ewww,” she groaned. “Gross, mom.”
“Exactly. Gross. You don’t want to see that. So if you know I’m not expecting you here, you know I think you’re at your dad’s, or with a friend… just shoot me a text, call, something. Is that okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Are you okay?” I asked, shifting the conversation back to her. “That little boy had a funny shaped head anyway.”
“Mom!”
“What?” I shrugged. “I’m just telling the truth. But anyway… hmm… this is your first breakup. We have to figure out your relationship mourning flavor?”
Pass Interference (Connecticut Kings Book 6) Page 12