Always and Forever: Rugby Brothers, Book 3

by Tiara Inserto

  “When did you get this?” She took the cup immediately.

  “Ashley swung by the coffee place around the corner. She had sent a group message asking for everyone’s orders.” Jordan started the car. “She must have forgotten to add your number, so I asked her to grab an extra hot chocolate. I hope that was okay.”

  “I’ll never say ‘no’ to a hot chocolate after a morning workout. Thanks!” Eden brought the cup to her lips as Jordan drove the now-familiar route to Seven Hills. It’d been several weeks since she began swimming with the Berkeley club, and Ashley Jones was making her feelings clear.

  Eden was competition both in and out of the pool.

  They were both swimming in the same events, and until her arrival, Ashley was the only female swimmer in the morning swim sessions. She was good. A real contender for the national team headed for Worlds. But Eden suspected Ashley’s angst against her wasn’t strictly about swimming. There were some visual daggers thrown her way whenever she and Jordan arrived together.

  If Ashley had been kinder, Eden would have cleared the air between them about her relationship with Jordan, which was nothing more than carpool buddies. But Eden decided not to be the better person in this fight. Let her stew a little. Mind-games were part of competition.

  Thanks to the reverse commute and Jordan’s driving, her quick chat with Tommy didn’t put them too far behind schedule. She’d be back in the apartment in time to get breakfast ready for Aidan.

  “See you later at the gym?” Jordan asked as he pulled up in front of her building.

  “Of course. Can’t wait. Two hours of torture? Sure.” She took the steps two at a time, mentally preparing herself to switch from swimmer-mode to mom-mode. It was late-start Wednesday which gave her a few minutes with Aidan in the mornings. Except he hadn’t taken well to the start of a new school year, or rather the idea of waking up before ten. He’d already earned one tardy, and it’d only been two weeks since the academic year started.

  Eden threw her keys on the console then stopped in her tracks. “You’re up?”

  Aidan had a sandwich in one hand and a bag in the other. He rolled his eyes. “No, Mom. I’m just a figment of your imagination. Yes, I’m up. I’ve had my breakfast already and just made lunch.”

  She walked to him and put her hand on his forehead. “No fever.”

  He pushed at her hand. “I’ve got to get to Matt’s. Mano said he’d do a session with us this morning since I’m staying at Dad’s until Monday night.”

  “What? Now?”

  Aidan pulled his water bottle from the fridge. “In ten minutes. And, no, I won’t be late for school. Mano said being late was a sign of disrespect, and he won’t work with athletes who can’t respect time.”

  “Aidan! Wait for me. Let me walk with you.”

  “Seriously? Mom—”

  “No, listen. I just want to make sure that Mr. Palua—and you should call him that, by the way—isn’t doing more than he should.”

  “You know him. Do you think he’s the type of guy who’ll do something he doesn’t want?”

  Eden didn’t have a response for that but followed her son out the door nevertheless. Aidan pulled up his hoodie, walking a few steps in front of her. When they reached the cul-de-sac, Matthew was already in front of his house, talking to Mano.

  She stood at the corner as Aidan ran up to Mano. He nodded at Aidan then looked past her son to her. Dark, serious eyes met hers. Even from yards away, she felt the weight of his gaze, penetrating and invasive. She nodded in greeting, then sat down on the curb.

  They began with a warm-up, then Mano demonstrated what he wanted the boys to do. Aidan was always athletic, but she had never seen him look so invested in a drill before. Whether it was basketball, baseball, or even swimming, he practiced cautiously, as if unwilling to push himself beyond what was necessary. But not now.

  She wasn’t the only observer: Mrs. Henderson, in her pink robe, could be seen through the large bay window at the front of her house with a mug in hand and seated comfortably in a large wingback chair. Carolyn Henderson sat next to her grandmother, also with a mug in one hand and a book in the other. The Yuans’ open door revealed shadowy movements that suggested someone was looking out every few minutes.

  All the while, Mano stayed focused on the two boys. He didn’t yell, but his voice carried through the cul-de-sac.

  “Head up. Hands up. Be ready for the ball. That’s it. Good. We’re going for clean catches. Keep your feet moving,” Mano instructed.

  They stood in a loose triangle; Mano threw the oval ball with practiced ease. Even with her amateur understanding of the sport, Eden recognized how he’d adjust each throw. Testing each boy with a little more rotation, a little more speed, stretching them but never more than what he thought them capable. Then the words of instructions ceased. It was a fluid movement between three rugby players, tossing the ball back and forth as if they’d been doing it for years. Then they started to run up and down the cul-de-sac in a straight line, with the player at the end sprinting past the other two before passing the ball.

  She should have kept her attention on her son, but it was hard to ignore Mano in motion. Muscled thighs flexed with every step. Biceps, no longer hidden by a polo shirt or a sweatshirt, gleamed.

  He stopped the practice right on the hour. “Good work.”

  Fogged glasses couldn’t hide Matthew’s proud face. “Thanks, Mano. That was fun. Next week?”

  Aidan shook his head before Mano could respond. “I can’t next week. Staying an extra day with my dad. We have family visiting from out of town.” He drank from his water bottle. “But go ahead, Matt. No point for both of us to miss practice.”

  She felt Mano’s eyes on her as she got closer to the trio, glad her jacket would cover up telltale signs of how his stare affected her.

  “You look like you’ve just had a dunk in the sea,” Mano said, the slight tease a welcome relief from the intensity of his scrutiny.

  She rushed her fingers through her hair, conscious that her jacket wouldn’t mask the flush of red that was probably spreading across her face. Traitorous body.

  “She started swimming at five again,” Aidan said.

  Matthew’s eyes grew wide. “In the morning? Like every day?”

  Aidan nodded. “That’s what world-class athletes do. My dad said, when he was preparing for the Summer Games, he’d be in the pool for at least six hours a day and another couple of hours in the gym. How about you, Mano? How much time did you practice?”

  “About the same. Lots of gym work. Keeping strong helps prevent injury.” Mano tossed the ball to Matthew, nodding at the Yuans’ front door. “Hey, I think your mum wants you back in.”

  “Come on, Aidan. You know she made enough protein shake for the two of us,” Matthew said, pulling on Aidan’s shirt.

  Eden waved at Patty who was sporting an extra-wide grin as she ushered the two boys into the house.

  “Aidan seems to be really enjoying this,” Eden said, now standing next to Mano. “I’ve never seen him this motivated about a sport before.”

  “Like I said last night, he has a bit of a natural talent.”

  “How about Matthew?”

  Mano paused. “He tries very hard. He’ll have a place on any team with a heart like that.”

  Eden smiled. “You’ll win lots of invites to the Yuans’ place if you keep Matthew interested in rugby. Patty’s been trying for years to get him involved in a team sport.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?” Eden repeated.

  “Yeah, why? There’s no rule that all kids need to be in a team sport. As long as they’re active, it’s all good. Matt says he likes to go for walks.”

  “Going for walks doesn’t look as good on a college application as varsity volleyball or club soccer.” She raised her hands in mock surrender at Mano’s frown. “This is Seven Hills. People here want their kids to play sports. It’s a sports town. St. Anne’s is a sports college.”

 
“What do the kids want?” He sighed suddenly and shook his head. “Sorry. None of my business. Just met too many parents who put all their ambitions on their kids. And when it doesn’t work out, well, sometimes there isn’t much of a relationship after.”

  Mano held up the oval white ball in front of Eden, turning away as soon as she took it from him. “Have a good day, Eden Pak.” He walked determinedly to his house and raised a hand—but didn’t look up—at Mrs. Henderson.

  “Wait!”

  Was that her voice? She didn’t do confrontations. Not usually. Never with big guys whose faces she saw in her dreams. But her feet were moving to the hulking body that had obeyed her command. She moved in front of him. “You confuse the hell out of me, Mano Palua. I thought we were friendly again. Okay, some parents here are overambitious. But for the most part, this is a tight-knit community. We look out for one another. We only want the best. I’ll admit it. I’m a helicopter mom. To everyone. But that’s just me. Okay? That’s how I roll.”

  “I wasn’t criticizing—”

  “Maybe not intentionally. You’ve been here a month. How many other parents with kids have you talked to? None? Yeah, I thought so. You’ve based your entire commentary on two sets of families, one of which is a single mom who probably doesn’t spend enough time with her only son.”

  “Eden—”

  “Furthermore….” But she stumbled on her rant when she realized they were no longer alone. Three figures had emerged from the Yuans’ house with varying degrees of amusement, amazement, and embarrassment on their faces. Mrs. Henderson, still seated in her chair, edged closer to the window, her mug cradled in both hands.

  “Furthermore?” Mano repeated, eyes hooded and his mouth set in a straight line.

  But she wasn’t going to be intimidated. She placed both her hands on her hips and raised her chin. “Furthermore, I’ve been nice to you. I could be a good friend, you know. I thought we started on a good note with me practically saving your life!”

  “Saving my life? You took my temperature and gave me painkillers. A bit rich to think—”

  “Okay, so I’m not your first choice for a friend. But I know for a fact that Tom Morris and Jackson have invited you over to their houses, but you turned them down. You didn’t even have dinner with Alistair. No one has ever turned down dinner with Alistair. Don’t you want to get to know any of us?”

  “Look, I’m working out with your son. Isn’t that being nice? Being neighborly?”

  “No, you look. I said I was grateful. But—” She poked her finger repeatedly into his chest before he covered it with his hand. Her hands weren’t small, but his were larger and heavier. And now one was keeping her hand hostage to the warmth of his body.

  She told herself not to look away, not to back down.

  Except every decision has a consequence, and she suddenly realized that, even if she wanted to, she couldn’t look away. His eyes drew her in.

  “Eden, I don’t need friends.” He stared at her lips, his eyes darkening when she licked them nervously.

  Every competitor develops a knack for sensing a moment of weakness in the competition. Yes, she swam against the clock and trained to focus only on her own race. “Don’t worry about the others!” was the common mantra from all her coaches, drilled into her subconscious since she was seven years old. But it was there, deep within each athlete, a sixth sense as to when to attack, when to summon the extra strength, when to push a nanometer ahead. For the win.

  Mano wasn’t her competition, but her instincts were screaming that something had changed with her touch. There was a small crack in the wall he had put up. It was a wall that was bigger and thicker than anything she’d ever encountered before. Was it there for him to hide behind or to protect against? Didn’t matter. Even granite had its weakness.

  She angled her head slightly, inching her face closer until she felt the soft caress of his breath on her skin. He stayed still, waiting. Ready to receive her lips.

  When he did, a storm of emotions rushed through her body, shutting out the loud “Eewww” in the background. Aidan? She certainly didn’t fully register the high-pitched squeal. Patty? Instead, she heard the softest of groans from him; felt his increased heart rate beneath her palm; sensed the warmth radiating from the gentlest of kisses that unleashed feelings long buried.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Mano brought the cup to his lips, sipping his hot tea carefully. From the dining table, he watched the tall, broad-shouldered man emerge elegantly out of his dark blue car and move toward Patty’s door. His hair was perfectly coiffed, even so late in the day. As soon as the stranger—who looked like he belonged in a TV commercial—turned toward his house, Mano knew he was to get his fourth visitor of the afternoon.

  This was supposed to be an afternoon spent alone. But his two young protégées had appeared at his doorstep ten minutes after his return from St. Anne’s as if they’d been lying in wait. Looking doleful and lugging a wagon of odd bits and pieces, they asked if they could use his backyard to work on a science project. He didn’t know why, but he let them in.

  Then Mrs. Henderson knocked on his door with more banana bread and a book. Somehow, the seventy-year-old grandmother got into his kitchen, brewed tea, and stayed in the backyard, supervising Aidan and Matthew on whatever the hell they were doing. And now, one more visitor. One more person he didn’t need to meet would be invading his space.

  Mano turned toward the open door at the back of the kitchen.

  “Aidan! I think your dad has arrived.”

  Mano watched Brandon O’Callaghan laugh at whatever it was Patty said to him. He gave her a quick wave before walking toward the end of the cul-de-sac.

  “Dad’s here?” Aidan asked as he entered the house from the backyard. Matthew was close behind him. He reached Mano’s side, and a large smile lit up his face. “Sweet! And he’s driving the new car like he promised! Come on, Matt! Let’s see if he’ll take us around before we have to leave.”

  Aidan grabbed his backpack from the sofa and was at the door before slapping his hand on his forehead and rushed back to the dining table. “Thanks, Mano! We only have one more afternoon to finish the project. Is Tuesday okay?”

  “Tuesday?”

  “Yeah? Around five? You’ll be home by then, right? That’s not too late, is it?”

  Mano grunted.

  “Great! Thanks, sir!” Matthew raised his hand for a fist pump before running out onto the sidewalk, intercepting Aidan’s dad, who had just reached the path to Mano’s front door. Aidan, however, had stopped just at the front step, a look of indecision on his face.

  “Uh, Mano?”

  “Yes?”

  “If you want to go out with my mom, I’m okay with that.” He looked down at his feet. “She didn’t say anything after you guys…you know…kissed. But I think she likes you. I just want to let you know you can ask her out if you want.”

  “Aidan, I don’t….”

  But Aidan had left before Mano could finish his sentence, though he wasn’t sure if he knew what he’d meant to say. Eden’s kiss was a surprise. The bigger surprise was his response to it.

  He had wanted her.

  He had wanted her to want him back.

  Mano shook his head. He was overreacting to his physical response to Eden’s touch. Mercifully, she had pulled back before he allowed himself to drown in a taste that was only hers. It’d been too long since his lips touched those of someone who cared for him. That was all. Nothing more.

  Except two days later, the memory of the whisper of a kiss—more chaste than anything little Fred Dane had ever received from Jayne Molloy—followed him every waking moment.

  Standing at the door, he watched Aidan run toward his father, embraced warmly by the tall man. Brandon O’Callaghan obviously knew Matthew as well, reaching out to offer a handshake. He nodded at the boys before turning slightly to unlock the car with his remote. Aidan and Matt didn’t waste a second; they were in the sports car before Mano could
blink again.

  Brandon walked toward Mano’s house with the confidence of someone used to success. When he was close, Mano didn’t miss how those eyes assessed him from head to toe.

  “Hi, you must be Mano. I’ve heard a lot about you from my son. I’m Aidan’s dad, Brandon.”

  Mano shook the offered hand and met the intelligent blue eyes which continued to study him openly.

  “Patty says the boys have been here all afternoon,” Brandon said.

  “They’ve been working on a project for their science fair in the backyard.”

  “What’s wrong with their backyard?”

  “Lydia.”

  Brandon nodded knowingly, a slight smile on his face. “Yes, she’s a handful. A complete opposite of Matthew. I’m afraid my twins are like that. Drive my wife nuts.” Brandon looked past Mano to the still-open back door. “You’re not supervising?”

  “I reckon if they need supervision, they shouldn’t be doing it.” A loud hiss and pop followed by an “It’s under control! I’ll put out the fire!” came from the back.

  Brandon raised an eyebrow knowingly. “Ah, Irene Henderson is there. This should be interesting. She used to work for NASA. Rumor around here was that she was building her own spaceship in her backyard. The FBI visited once, I think.”

  “FBI?”

  “Yeah. Don’t let the pink bathrobe and banana bread fool you,” Brandon said with a smile. “Well, thank you for letting them come over.”

  “No worries.”

  Brandon started to walk down the steps then turned around slowly as if changing his mind at the last minute. “Aidan also tells me you’ve been helping him out with the rugby. I must say I was a little surprised he wanted to try out for the team. His mom and I were both swimmers—”

  “Eden is still a swimmer.”

  “What?”

  “Eden still competes.”

  Brandon crossed his arms. “I stand corrected…she is a swimmer. Anyway, neither of us knows anything about rugby.”

  “It’s something the boy and his grandfather have in common.”