The Truth Between Us (Bentwood Book 2)

by Tammy L. Gray

  “He ain’t bett—”

  “He’s better,” Sean said firmly. “And if his daddy donated as much money as yours did, you would never see the field, and you and I both know this.”

  Zane crossed his arms, his mouth forming an aggravated line. Sean could see his mind processing his words and wondered if anyone before him had dared to tell this kid the hard cold truth.

  Minutes passed and Zane continued in stony silence. Sean waited, doing his best not to cough every thirty seconds. If this kid’s parental dynamics were as he suspected, Zane and April had a lot in common. And if Sean knew anything, he knew what tactics worked and what didn’t work when it came to getting her to open up.

  Finally the boy shifted. “He ain’t better,” he said stubbornly. “They put me in because I can get us yards.”

  Sean leaned up, put his forearms on the desk. “Yes. With your feet. And as soon as the defense realizes you’re a one trick pony, they shut you down. I’ve watched the game film. You lost three games last year because they knew exactly what plays were being run based on which guy we put in the huddle.”

  “So what, you want me to step down? Play back up all year?”

  “No Zane. I want you as my starting running back. I want to confuse the defense by using you and Philip as a partnership. I want to run plays half these kids have never seen and to do it, I need my two best players on the field.”

  Zane’s mouth curled and then just as quickly went flat. “My dad will never go for it. He says running backs get hurt.”

  “It’s football. Anyone can get hurt. Especially the quarterback.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, well, my dad’s not exactly a man you argue with, ya know?”

  “Let me ask you this again.” Though Sean felt certain he already knew the answer. “How do you feel about playing quarterback?”

  “I hate it.” He immediately looked down at his shoes as if the admission was a betrayal. And maybe in his father’s eyes it was, but to Sean, Zane had just shown himself worthy of respect.

  “Zane… why have you fought against every coach who has tried to move you into a different position?” The question wasn’t asked with accusation but with genuine curiosity.

  He shrugged one shoulder, but kept his head down. “Because every year I think maybe this is the one where my dad will finally get off my back.”

  And there it was, the same heart-wrenching lie that had plagued April for twenty-six years. The lie that said love had to be earned, and they would both kill themselves trying to get it.

  Sean blew out a long stream of air and then immediately regretted it when the hacking started again. “I’m moving you to starting running back as of right now.”

  His head immediately popped up. “But…”

  “It’s done. Decision made and the fallout will all be on me.”

  “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

  “Maybe not, but I’m tough. He can’t hurt much worse than Cecil Jackson.”

  Zane’s eyes went wide. “You played with Cecil Jackson! Defensive player of the year his third year at the Texans?”

  “That’s the one. And I didn’t play with him. I played against him my sophomore year. And let me tell you, your dad’s got nothing. I didn’t catch a single ball that game and ate more dirt than a gopher.”

  Now Zane cracked a smile. “Gophers don’t eat dirt.”

  “Yeah, well, you get what I mean.” Sean grinned back, working to hide his fatigue. “Go on home. I’ll see you Monday.”

  “If you’re still alive,” he snorted. “You may have survived Cecil Jackson, but it looks like whatever sickness you got is about to… Lay. You. Out.”

  Sean had a sinking suspicion Zane was exactly right.

  The boy lumbered to his feet, grabbed his gym bag from the floor and swung it over his shoulder.

  Sean watched him closer, saw a shell of the cocky seventeen year old who walked in his office ten minutes prior. “Zane… wait.” For the first time in a very long time, his gut and his intellect did not agree. But in football, he always went with his gut.

  The kid turned back around. “Yes Coach?”

  “Tell you what. I’ll wait until two-a-days to make the move official. That will give you over a month to get used to the idea, and…” He hesitated, almost positive he would regret giving a teenager this kind of power. “And, if you really don’t want to switch positions, for whatever reason, I’ll respect it. It’s your choice.”

  Zane tilted his head. “You’re letting me choose?”

  Sean sighed. “Yes… but know that your decision impacts the entire team.”

  He took a step to the door, his shoulders now straight as if they knew he was carrying a load for his teammates. Hopefully that would be enough to get him to make the right call. “Coach Kent always says trust breeds trust.” Zane’s voice came out stilted. “I don’t think I understood what he meant till now.”

  “You’re welcome.” Sean felt his own voice waver as he watched Zane nod and close the door behind him. His gut had been right. The choice had to be Zane’s if there was any hope of the two of them working together. That small measure of trust opened a floodgate of possibilities for not only him, but the entire team. Zane would make the right call. He knew it the minute that boy nodded his head like he’d just become a man.

  Sean pressed his fingers against his throbbing temples. Nearly a year ago, he’d had the same call to make. Whether or not to trust April to deny her upbringing and make an impossible decision. He’d followed his intellect back then. Made the excuse that he was doing her a favor by taking the decision out of her hands.

  Trust breeds trust.

  He finally understood what she’d been trying to tell him since he came home: This was never about Bradley.

  It was always about trust.

  Chapter 26

  Journey jumped from the couch when April pushed open their condo door.

  “Oh my gosh, you scared me,” she said, her hand against her heart. “What are you doing home so early?”

  April should be offended by the sheer disbelief in her friend’s tone, but sadly the question was fair. “The merger is complete, so after celebrating for an hour, the partners sent us all home.”

  “I’m so glad!” Journey’s face beamed and with the halo of blond hair, she looked nearly angelic. “I’ve been laboring over these invitations for hours and cannot decide which fits us best.”

  April hung up her suit coat and carefully set her briefcase near the buffet in the dining room. “What does Ty think?”

  She rolled her eyes. “He loves everything. Which is getting really annoying.”

  How different things had been when she’d gone through the same process. “Count your blessings. Sean argued with almost every decision I made when we were planning our wedding.” A familiar pinch of sadness came, but April responded just like she had for months now. Bottle it up. Push it away. Forget there was ever a time when she’d been that happy.

  “Yeah, well, I’d take some arguing right about now.” She plopped back down on the sofa and scooted over to give April room next to her.

  Ten invitation packets were laid out on the coffee table in front of them, each showcasing save the date and thank you cards. April could eliminate three immediately. “Nope. Nope and nope,” she said as she picked them from the group.

  Journey nodded, chewing on her blunt fingernails. “Okay, yeah I didn’t love those either.”

  “This one looks like you.” April fingered the colorful hand-painted design. Blue and violet swirls wove between the letters and bloomed into pale pink roses.

  “Yeah, I really love that one, it’s beautiful. And she’ll even customize the design to our colors.”

  “Who makes them?” She flipped the card over and read the imprint the same time Journey said the name.

  “Jordan Alvarez Designs. She’s out of north Texas.”

  April handed the cardstock over to her friend. “This is my favorite.” It was p
erfect for Journey. She loved color and art; it was at the core of the amazing person she was. “I know Ty claims to love everything right now, I do think he’ll favor this one as well.”

  “You’re so right.” Journey clutched the invitation to her chest, then threw her head back and groaned. “Why couldn’t you have come home two hours ago?”

  Because she’d been stuck in her office with that pushy documentarian.

  April stood, her chest tightening just like it had every time she pondered Chase’s accusation. “I’m going to go change.”

  “And I’m going to pack all this up and go reward myself with a long, hot bath.” Journey smiled up at her friend then paused as she scrutinized April further. “Hey… you doing okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m fine. It’s just been a long week.”

  Her joyful expression morphed to worry. “I’m sorry I’m gone so much. Between Ty and volunteering and now the wedding… I haven’t really been that great of a friend.”

  “You’ve been fine, Journey. It’s not like I’ve been home either.” April wove around the coffee table and toward the hall, the emotional plunge from the day turning into pure exhaustion.

  “Hey April?”

  She turned to find Journey standing at the edge of the living room, hands wringing. “Yeah?”

  “Sean texted me a strange message this morning.”

  Irritation flooded her instantly. “Let me guess. He was fishing to find out if you knew who I was dating.”

  She recoiled. “What? No. He asked if we still had his inhaler.” Her brows pinched. “Wait. You’re dating someone?”

  “Never mind.” April nearly clocked herself. “Forget I said anything.”

  Journey’s face fell as if she’d slapped her. “I know I shouldn’t ask. If you wanted me to know, you would have told me. I just feel like this is a big step for you and I want you to know you can tell me these things.”

  April watched her friend. They’d been inseparable since they were five, had giggled over a hundred boy stories together, and yet, April still hesitated. “There really hasn’t been much to tell.”

  “You could start with who he is? Maybe move on to where you met him? How long you’ve been together?” One shoulder rose and fell. “Just some ideas.”

  April knew she needed to come clean, especially before Aiden strolled into the country club for brunch on Sunday. She hadn’t intended to keep their relationship a secret, but she’d also be a fool to think her dating Aiden was going to go over well with her friends. She couldn’t even imagine Sean’s reaction, but she’d deal with that later.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you.” She returned to the couch and so did Journey. And while she could tell her friend was trying to be eager and supportive, Journey wore her feelings on the surface, and right now her expression only showed disappointment and worry. “You’re sure you want to talk about this?”

  “Yes. You’re my best friend with or without… Sean in your life.”

  “Okay.” April searched her mind for the best way to ease into the truth. “I didn’t just meet him. In fact, we’ve both known him most of our lives.”

  Journey’s forehead crinkled. “I can’t think of anyone you would even consider.”

  “Well, things change. People change. And…” She took a deep breath. “Aiden is one of those people.”

  “Aiden Hamilton?” Her mouth puckered as if she’d tasted a sour grape. “But you can’t stand him. April, he tormented you growing up. He’s entitled and arrogant and he despises all of us.”

  “No. He despises Sean. The rest of you, he just finds to be tiresome.”

  “And you’re okay with that? With dating a man who will have to suffer through hanging out with us?”

  “Oh come on, we both know Ty can’t stand me half the time. And we won’t even get into the dynamics of Beck and I right now. Aiden… well, he gets me. And truthfully, it’s nice to be with someone my parents don’t hate.”

  “Don’t hate? That’s the understatement of the century. He’s part of your family. Your mom probably has a wedding date circled on the calendar.” She jumped to her feet, more upset than April expected. “And yes, you irritate Ty, in a younger sister kind of way, but we both know he’d jump in front of a bus for you. Beck too. You cannot compare either of them to Aiden.”

  April was standing now, too, though it didn’t get her much of an edge. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset. You haven’t even given him a chance.”

  “Because he’s Aiden. He’s cold and manipulative and he’ll never make you happy, not in a real way.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I thought I lost you when Sean left, but now it’s so much worse. The parts of you I love will fade away even more and you’ll become exactly like her.”

  “Exactly like who?”

  “Your mother!” And for the first time in their twenty-two year friendship, Journey was the one to storm away and slam her bedroom door.

  Journey was gone when April emerged from her room an hour later, and she suspected she wouldn’t see her again that night. Journey hated conflict and turmoil, but she was also wonderfully self-aware, so April knew she’d be back to apologize once she’d analyzed the situation in four hundred different ways and realized she’d overreacted.

  April pulled a blanket from the chest in the corner and picked up the new client file she’d be working on next week. Two pages in, she set it back on the table, having no capacity left in her brain to work.

  She clicked on the TV, channel surfing until she landed on the Food Network. Bobby Flay was cooking up a storm and she immediately thought of Caroline. Had she received any more phone calls or changed her number? Eager for answers, April uncurled her feet and folded the blanket back up before it hit the ground. She’d just go by and check on her.

  With the room now back in order, April grabbed her key and opened her door only to find a teenage boy on the other side, confused and holding a take-out bag.

  “May I help you?”

  He stared down at his receipt. “I have a delivery for Sean Taylor. They said he was in 231, but no one’s answering. I thought maybe they wrote the number down wrong.”

  April eyed the kid’s uniform and white paper sack. It was from the Japanese restaurant around the corner. The one Sean refused to eat at because of the sodium content, except in one instance—when he was sick. Then he’d crave their hot salty soup like a pregnant woman.

  “I know Mr. Taylor. I’ll make sure he gets it.” She reached for the bag and sure enough, it held a container of soup. April signed the credit card receipt and gave the kid a generous tip.

  “Thank you, ma’am.” He stuffed the paper in his pocket and hurried back down the hall.

  She pocketed her key and finished closing her door, but only took two more steps to her new neighbor’s place.

  “Sean?” she called, as she knocked twice. No sound. She checked the knob and sighed with relief when it turned.

  Inside, the lights were dim and the only indication anyone lived there was the two pharmacy bags on the island. April set down the soup container and picked up the prescriptions. Antibiotics, cough syrup, and Motrin.

  Sean had pneumonia again.

  Panic and compassion and a little bit of frustration swirled in her gut. Last time he was sick she’d almost had to take him to the emergency room for a breathing treatment. He’d promised he’d get the vaccination before the next cold and flu season. Had he not followed through with that promise? She couldn’t know for sure. They’d been apart for nearly a year now.

  “Sean,” she called again, leaving the soup and medicines on the counter.

  This time she heard a slight rustling of sheets and followed the sound down the hallway to the master bedroom. The door was cracked and she pushed it slowly as to not alarm him.

  The courtesy was unnecessary. Sean lay sprawled across the large, unmade king-sized bed, only half shielded by covers, completely comatose. A pair of gray gym shorts hung low on his waist and… nothing more. Apri
l felt her cheeks heat at the sight of his bare chest and arms. His body was still a long lovely arc of complex muscles. Muscles that strained when he suddenly began coughing in his sleep.

  April reacted on instinct, cradling his head so he could catch his breath. His skin was fire hot and damp to the touch. “You’re burning up,” she whispered, mostly to herself. She carefully eased his head back onto his pillow and rushed to the adjoining bathroom. The washcloths were hidden under the sink and she grabbed four of them, held them under streaming cold water and wrung them out.

  When she returned to his bed, he was now wrapped in the comforter, shivering. Great. He was going to fight her on this.

  Squaring her shoulders, she tugged the sheet away, holding down his hands when he tried to protest, and placed the wash clothes on his neck, forehead, under his arm and along his lower back.

  “Too cold,” he grumbled, eyes fluttering.

  “Just until your fever breaks, okay.” She ran a comforting hand down his cheek. “What medicine have you taken?”

  But he was out again.

  “Sean.” She shook his shoulder until he was mildly alert again. “What medicine have you taken?”

  “Motrin… antibiotics…,” he mumbled.

  “Do you remember how long ago?”

  “Yeah. Right before I called the soup people…” his voice faded, and she looked down at her watch. That would have been about thirty minutes ago. Okay, so his fever should go down some, and if not, she would make him take some Tylenol in a few hours.

  “You’re here,” he said a few seconds later. “I thought I was dreaming.”

  “No dream, Sean.” She swallowed the rising emotion in her throat. “I’m right here.” Her chest pulled at his vulnerability, at how she wanted, no needed, to see him get better, stronger. They’d always stepped up when the other was weak, and despite their history, despite the truth she knew she had to share with him, today would be no different. She would stay and nurse him back to health until he was back to the wonderful, stubborn powerhouse she couldn’t help but love.

  “I’m sorry.” He found her hand and clutched it to his chest. “You were right, I should have trusted you…”