Wild Card (Texas Titans #5)

by Cheryl Douglas

  John nodded. “That’s what I’d do. Sounds like this girl’s loved you most of her life. She can’t just stop, no matter how much she might want to. Prove to her that you’re worthy of her, but it’s gotta come from the heart. Be the man she inspires you to be.”

  “That’s damn good advice.” Brett leaned forward, smiling as he offered John his hand. “Thanks for the talk, man. You be safe over there.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  After more than a week at his cabin with no word from Carly, Brett was going a little stir-crazy, but he wasn’t ready to go home yet. If she hadn’t reached out to him yet, it was because she needed more time to sort things out. And Jaxon was right—the solitude had been good for his peace of mind. So good, in fact, that Brett had reached out to Dylan. It was time to clear the air with his best friend so they could go back to the way things used to be or determine whether that was even an option.

  He watched Dylan pull into his gravel drive, smirking when a layer of dust coated the car’s shiny surface. Dylan was fanatical about keeping his car clean, something his partners always gave him a hard time about.

  Brett leaned against the porch rail as Dylan hopped out. “Thanks for comin’, man.”

  “No problem.” Dylan slipped his sunglasses up on his head as he got closer. He didn’t hesitate to shake Brett’s outstretched hand. “It was nice to get out of the city for the day. How’s the vacation goin’?”

  “It’s been good for me,” Brett said, pushing off the wood post. “Let’s go ‘round back. You wanna beer?”

  “No, I’m good, thanks.”

  They walked to the rear of the property in silence as Brett mentally rehearsed what he wanted to say. “Have you heard from Carly?” He hadn’t intended to open with that, but it slipped out. He had to know.

  “I’ve seen her at the office a couple of times.” Dylan sat down on an Adirondack chair, crossing one foot over the other as he stretched his long legs out in front of him. “Her ideas are great. All the guys think so.”

  “Good.” Brett was so proud of her, not because he’d had a hand in her success but because she’d achieved it all on her own. “I’m glad that’s working out.” Sitting next to Dylan, he watched the birds swooping in to feast on Ellie’s feeder. “Things okay between you two?”

  “We’re friends. That’s all it’ll ever be. I get that now, so you can stop worrying.”

  “I owe you an apology.” Brett thought about the kind of man he was trying to become, and he knew he was changing as much for Carly as he was for himself. “I acted like an ass, comin’ at you the way I did. I wasn’t pissed at you. I was pissed at myself for waitin’ too long and missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.”

  “Goes both ways. I owe you an apology too. I moved in on Carly even though my gut told me you had feelings for her. I’m not blind. I’ve seen the way you look at her. I should’ve just gotten out of the way and let you two figure things out.”

  “So why didn’t you?”

  “I’ve always wanted a girl like Carly in my life.” Dylan stroked the stubble on his chin. “Someone sweet who really cares about me. Someone I can count on and trust to always be there for me. Someone who puts me first sometimes.”

  “You’re thinking about Sabrina. She and Carly are the same in some ways, but—”

  “Different in the ways that matter most.” Dylan slipped his shades back into place, almost as though he was trying to hide his feelings. He tipped his head back. “I just want her to love me, but I guess that’s too much to ask.”

  Brett felt bad for his friend. In spite of her claim to the contrary, he’d never doubted Carly’s love for him. He knew she would always be there if he needed her.

  “I saw the way Carly looked at you, and I wanted a woman to look at me that way. Even back in the day, I fooled myself into believing if I was Carly’s first, we’d have some special connection, but it didn’t work out that way.”

  Brett had resented Dylan all these years because he’d believed Dylan saw an opportunity and took it from him. It had never occurred to him that he’d been trying to forge a serious bond with Carly. “I guess you can’t force something like that, huh?”

  “I guess not.” Dylan glanced at him. “You either have it or you don’t, and you two have it, man.”

  “I like to think so, but it may take a bit more time for Carly to come around.”

  “Doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as she figures it out eventually.” Dylan sighed. “Y’all have your whole lives ahead of you. You’ll be happy together. I know you will.”

  It didn’t seem fair that Dylan had been chasing love for most of his life and Brett had been staring it in the face all along but had been too blind to see it. “Hey, if Sabrina doesn’t see what’s she’s missing, then—”

  “Don’t.” Dylan held up his hand. “I know you’re tryin’ to help, and I appreciate it, but I just can’t go there right now.”

  “I understand.”

  They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching a sailboat and fishing boat in the distance.

  Dylan asked, “So what’s the plan now?”

  “I’m gonna hang out here for a bit longer. I’ve been checking in every day, put out a few fires, but this is the first real vacation I’ve taken in years. It feels good, having nowhere to go and nothing to do. Gives me time to think. You should try it.”

  Dylan grimaced. “That’s the last thing I need.”

  “Can I ask you something?” Now that Brett had some insight into why Dylan had come on to Carly, he had to know what had happened with Sabrina to drive him into someone else’s arms. Brett knew Dylan hadn’t talked to any of the other guys about it. It seemed one day they were seeing each other and Dylan was excited about the future, and the next day they were back to being friends and Dylan was miserable.

  “Maybe.” Dylan pulled at a loose thread on the leg of his jeans. “But if it’s about Sabrina, I can’t promise I’ll answer.”

  “What the hell happened, Dyl? I thought you guys were finally getting somewhere.”

  “So did I.” He sighed. “When Jaxon and Sela were getting back together, I swore I was done with Sabrina, that I was ready to move on. But no sooner had I said that than she started showing an interest in me. She’d been spewing the same shit for so long about just wanting to be friends that I didn’t think she’d ever change her mind.”

  “But she did.”

  “I thought so.” He reached beneath his sunglasses to rub his eyes, and Brett noticed how tired he looked. Dylan had obviously been losing sleep over Sabrina. Again. “We were tight, really tight. I was finally ready to tell her that I was in love with her, that I wanted a future with her, and she blindsided me. She told me she couldn’t do it anymore, that she couldn’t see me anymore. She just cut me off…”

  Brett shifted to face his friend. “Go on.”

  “She had a thing with someone else.”

  “What? Are you sure?” Brett had known Sabrina for long enough to know that she was brutally honest. If there had been someone else in her life, she would have told Dylan.

  “It was like all of a sudden she just shut me out. She wouldn’t even let me touch her. What would you think?”

  Brett couldn’t deny it would have made him suspicious, but he still couldn’t believe Sabrina had someone else on the side. “Maybe she was worried you were moving too fast. Maybe it wasn’t the sex she was afraid of—maybe it was the intimacy.”

  “I don’t know what the hell to think anymore,” Dylan said, lacing his hands behind his head. “All I know is I woke up in some other girl’s bed this morning and threw up as soon as I got home. How the hell am I supposed to go on like this? I don’t want other women. I want Sabrina. But she’s made it pretty obvious she wants nothing to do with me.”

  Brett thought about Sabrina’s reaction to the news that Carly and Dylan were a couple. “I wouldn’t be so quick to write her off, Dyl. I�
�m gonna give you the same advice I’ve been getting: give her some time. Maybe she’ll come around.”

  “I sure as hell hope so.”

  ***

  Carly was pleased with her progress on the High Rollers project, but every time she entered the board room and found Brett’s chair empty, her heart sank a little lower. It had been two and half weeks. She missed him like crazy, but he hadn’t reached out to her once. She had to assume that was because he needed time and space to figure out whether he really wanted a future with her.

  Dylan powered off his tablet as his partners filed out of the room. “I know what you’re thinking, but he’s not avoiding you, Carly. He’s still out of town because he’s tryin’ to give you space.”

  “You’ve talked to him?” Dylan was the last person Carly expected Brett to confide in after their fight.

  “I’ve seen him,” Dylan said, loosening his lavender silk tie. “He asked me to come up to the cabin last weekend to clear the air. We had a good talk.”

  Carly was dying to ask what they’d talked about, but she didn’t have the right to pry. Zipping her portfolio, she sat across from Dylan. “Did he seem okay?”

  “He seemed…” Dylan struggled, as though he was looking for the right word to describe Brett’s state. “At peace.”

  Carly frowned. “At peace? Well, I’m glad one of us is ‘cause I’ve been a mess ever since he left town. I can’t figure out why he hasn’t tried to contact me.”

  Dylan tipped his chair back as he laced his fingers. “Could be he doesn’t want to pressure you. He wants you to come to him when and if you’re ready.”

  “He left a note that sort of gave me that impression. But if you were into a woman, would you just disappear like that?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know what I’d do if I were in Brett’s shoes. I got the feeling after our talk that he’s working through a lot of issues. Obviously what’s going on between the two of you is at the center of it, but he seems to be at a bit of a crossroads. I think he knows it’s time to grow up, but he’s not sure what steps to take.”

  Carly felt guilty every time she thought about the way she’d condemned him. She’d made him sound like an immature, self-centered player who didn’t give a damn about anyone but himself, but once she’d calmed down, she realized that was just her frustration and hurt talking. She wouldn’t love him as much as she did if he were as bad as she’d claimed. “I want to see him, but I don’t want to crowd him. If he’s not ready—”

  Dylan laughed. “Believe me, nothing would make him happier than seeing you show up on his doorstep. You know where the cabin is, right?”

  Carly shook her head. “No, I’ve never been.”

  Dylan reached for her phone on the table. Cross-referencing his phone, he typed the address into hers. “Just type it into your GPS. It’s not all that hard to find, but I’d suggest leaving before dark.”

  Carly couldn’t believe she was actually considering it. A month ago, the thought of showing up on Brett’s doorstep without an invitation would have had her breaking out in a cold sweat, but they’d come a long way since then, hadn’t they? They weren’t exactly a couple, but maybe they would be if Carly found the courage to take that step. “Okay, I’ll do it.” She stood, gathering her things. “Thanks, Dyl. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

  Dylan reached for her hand as she walked behind his chair. “You guys belong together. No matter what’s happened between you and me, that’s obvious. Brett’s the guy you were meant to be with. Don’t lose sight of that. Ever.”

  Carly stroked Dylan’s cheek as tears of gratitude sprung to her eyes. “You’re the best. I hope Brett understands how lucky he is to have you as a friend.”

  “He does.” Dylan covered her hand with his. “Those guys are my family. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them.”

  The way he said “family” reminded Carly of the conversations she and Dylan had had about how much Dylan wanted a family of his own. She knelt so they were at eye level and set her hand on his knee. “You’re going to get your happy ending, honey. I know you are. You just have to be patient.”

  Dylan lifted her hand to his lips. “Don’t worry about me. You just go after the man who makes you happy.”

  ***

  Brett was enjoying a quiet dinner with Ellie while Johnnie slept in a playpen in Brett’s spare bedroom. As much as he liked his solitude, he was grateful for her company, and he got the sense the feeling was mutual. He could tell how much she missed her husband, but she was trying so hard to be brave. Seeing how much they both had to sacrifice only made Brett respect and appreciate John’s effort more.

  A knock at the door prompted Ellie to raise an eyebrow. “Were you expecting company?”

  “No. Maybe it’s one of the boys checkin’ in to make sure I’m still alive.” Brett grinned.

  Ellie laughed as she got up to clear the table.

  “Hey, leave that,” Brett said. “I can get it later. You just sit down and relax.”

  Ellie rolled her eyes. “God, you sound like John. I’m pregnant, not terminally ill.”

  “Listen, I promised my buddy I’d take care of you, and that’s what I intend to do,” he said over his shoulder as he walked to the door. He swore softly when he saw her ignoring his orders. As soon as he reached the door, all thoughts of Ellie fled. “Carly.” He opened the screen door and pulled her into his arms. “God, it’s good to see you, baby. What are you doing here?”

  “Dylan suggested I come. I needed to see you.” Carly’s smile faded when she looked over his shoulder and spotted Ellie. “Oh, uh, I’m sorry. I guess I should have called first. If this is a bad time—”

  Ellie rushed into the foyer. “No, please don’t go.” She beamed as she offered Carly her hand. “I couldn’t help but overhear. You’re Carly?”

  “Yes.” Carly looked hesitant as she inspected Ellie’s big blue eyes, cropped dark hair, and a petite figure that showed no signs of her pregnancy. It was easy to understand that Carly assumed Ellie was more than Brett’s friend. “And you would be?”

  “I’m Ellie.” She laughed as she flattened a palm against her chest. “My husband John and I live next door with our little guy.”

  Carly blushed. “Oh, of course. Brett’s mentioned you several times. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

  “You too.” Ellie giggled when they heard a cry from the bedroom. “It sounds like Johnnie has perfect timing. Will you excuse me?”

  “Of course.” Carly allowed Brett to fold her into his arms. “Well, that was embarrassing. Do you think she could tell I was jealous?”

  Brett laughed, basking in Carly’s envy. “I could, and I have to tell you I liked it. A lot.”

  Carly slapped his chest. “The last thing I need to do is stroke that enormous ego of yours. I’m sure the thought of women fighting over you thrills you, doesn’t it?”

  “You’re the only woman I need.” He tipped her chin up before encircling her face with his hands. “I mean that.”

  “Brett, I—”

  Before Carly could finish, Ellie rounded the corner carrying her fourteen-month-old in one arm and a diaper bag slung over her other shoulder. “Is it okay if I come back to get the playpen after I get Johnnie to bed? Or I could wait until tomorrow if”—she looked between Brett and Carly, smiling—“y’all will be busy.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Brett said, relieving her of the diaper bag. “I’ve got this and the playpen. You just worry about getting this little man tucked in.” Brett ruffled Johnnie’s hair.

  “Oh, darn,” Ellie said. “I just remembered I forgot to put clean sheets on his crib before I left. I usually do that while he’s in his playpen, but since that’s still here—”

  “Go.” Brett reached for his godson. “You do what you need to do. We’ve got this covered.”

  “Are you sure?” Ellie asked, looking concerned. “We don’t want to impose. I’m sure you two are anxious to be alone.”

  “Just go.�
�� Brett chuckled as Johnnie stuck his fingers in his mouth then reached for Brett’s face. “We’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, I promise I won’t be more than a few minutes,” she said, taking the diaper bag before dashing out the door.

  Carly stroked Johnnie’s soft, dark hair. “Oh, he’s so cute, and look at those big blue eyes. He’s gonna be a serious heartbreaker when he gets older, isn’t he?”

  “As his godfather, I consider it my responsibility to teach him not to make the same mistakes I’ve made.”

  Brett watched Carly’s face light up when Johnnie reached for her. Settling the baby in her arms, he felt an unfamiliar tug of longing. He’d never been so serious about a woman that the sight of her holding a baby created a stirring in his gut. This feels so right. The last puzzle pieces were clicking into place, and the picture he’d been struggling to see for so long was clear.

  “You’re his godfather?” Carly asked, grinning when Johnnie took a handful of her hair and giggled. “Why didn’t I know that?”

  “I guess I failed to mention it.” He hadn’t wanted Carly to think John and Ellie had made a mistake asking someone like him to look out for their son should something happen to one of them, so as honored as he was to be asked, he’d kept it to himself.

  “Why?”

  “I know you think I’m irresponsible.” He shrugged, trying to pretend it didn’t hurt to admit his shortcomings to the one woman he wished could look past that. “I figured you’d question whether John and Ellie were crazy to ask me, of all people, to be there for this little guy.” He smiled, curling Johnnie’s little fist into his. “But there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. Nothing. John and Ellie know that.”

  “So do I,” she said quietly, watching him interact with the baby. “I’m so sorry I made you feel bad, Brett. God knows I’m not perfect.”

  “Yeah, you sort of are.” He brushed a finger across her cheek. “That’s why I’m so in love with you.” Her eyes widened as her lush mouth opened, and Brett couldn’t wait to get her alone. “Come on. Let’s get him back inside to wait for his mama.”