When she turned and met his gaze, her eyes made him catch his breath and he couldn’t hide his pleasure at seeing her—now or at the game. “I was happy you came tonight,” he said, his voice revealing the depth of his feelings. “The team played well.”
“Even without Tad.”
“Yeah.” He let out a long sigh. “He refuses to answer my calls or return my texts. My mom asked me to come over for lunch after church on Sunday to talk to him.”
“Are you going?”
Max nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t think he’ll talk.”
She reached out with her free hand and laid it on his arm. “Just keep trying. Don’t give up. You’ll get through to him.”
He looked down at her long slender fingers, and wanted to put his hand over hers, but knew if he did, she’d pull away. There were so many emotions churning in his mind and heart, and seeing her at the game tonight had made him realize how much he still wanted Piper to be a part of his life. For years, he thought his chances with her were dead, but over the past couple of weeks, a spark of hope had begun to burn again. He didn’t want to make any more blunders. He wanted to regain her trust, but he couldn’t do it all at once. He’d have to do it one day at a time.
She removed her hand and smiled again. “It was good to be back at the field tonight. Your defense is strong, though your offense needs a little work. I’m sure they were just off without Tad.”
“You’re right.” He was thankful they were talking about a safe subject for now. “A lot of my guys depend on Tad too much. They get sloppy out there sometimes. We worked hard on our offensive line this week and I was happy to see they did a pretty decent job, considering.”
“It’s a good team, Max. I have a feeling you could take them all the way this year.”
“If my brother gets his act together. We played a weak team tonight. They’re not all this easy to beat. We need Tad to take the team all the way to the championship game. I’d hate to see him mess things up like I did.”
Piper was quiet for a long time. The muffled laughter from inside the house seeped onto the porch and the wind tousled the leaves on the elm trees around the property.
“I’m happy I went,” Piper finally said. “It’s been too long.”
“There’s something special about those Friday night lights, isn’t there? I’ve played in all the major stadiums in America, but there’s nothing quite like my own high school football field.”
“Are you happy you came back?”
Max slowly nodded. There was so much on his heart tonight. How could he keep it all inside? “For more than one reason.”
She didn’t speak as she watched him.
“If I hadn’t come back when I did,” he said, “I don’t know how long it would have taken me to get the courage to face you again.” All those years he had thought it was easier just to avoid her. But now, sitting beside her, smelling the floral shampoo she used in her hair, admiring the curve of her cheeks, looking into her familiar eyes, he realized it had been far easier to return than he’d thought.
It had never been hard to be with Piper. The difficulty came when he’d been away from her.
But did he have it in him to stay? What would happen if it became hard again? Would he run, like he’d always done? He couldn’t take that risk. Living with the guilt and shame of hurting Piper had nearly destroyed him. To do it a second time would surely be the end of him.
“Piper?”
She watched him, a question in her eyes.
His phone started to ring.
Piper’s gaze dropped to his pocket. “Are you going to get that?”
The last thing he wanted was an interruption. “No.” He pulled the phone out to turn off the ringer and saw his ex-girlfriend’s name in big, bold letters.
Margo.
Piper glanced at the screen and Max’s first instinct was to hide Margo’s name from her.
He fumbled with the silence button and then shoved the phone back into his pocket, his palms sweating. What did Margo want? Had Piper seen her name?
“Don’t you need to answer her?” Piper asked quietly, returning her gaze to the dark yard.
So she had seen it.
“No.” Max shook his head. “I have nothing to say to her.”
“Why do you think she’s calling you?”
Was it his imagination, or did he hear jealousy in Piper’s tone?
“I haven’t spoken to Margo in months.” He wanted to add that he didn’t know why she was calling now, but he had a feeling she was calling on behalf of her father and his job offer.
“What do you think she wants?”
Max opened his mouth to tell her he had no idea—but it would be a lie, and he’d made a promise almost twenty years ago that he’d never lie to Piper. And he hadn’t. Not even the night when it all went wrong. He’d been brutally honest about the party, the alcohol and the girl. But Piper hadn’t given him a second chance then and he wondered, after all these years, if she would now.
“I’m sorry,” she said, standing up. “It’s none of my business.”
Max also stood. “It’s okay, Piper. We’re friends. You can ask me about my life.”
Her blanket fell and Max leaned over to pick it up for her.
“It’s still none of my business.” She took the blanket from him in her free hand and started to move around him.
Max touched her arm to stop her. “I want you to ask about my life. I have nothing to hide.”
She was silent as she stood beside him, facing the opposite direction, but then she turned her head to look at Max. They were close enough that he could feel the warm breath from her lips. “If you don’t have anything to hide, then why did you act that way when you saw her name on your phone?”
“The truth?” he asked her quietly.
She nodded.
“I didn’t want you to think that she and I are still talking.” He studied her features in the soft light. “Because the truth is, there’s no one else I’d rather be talking to than you.”
A heartbeat passed as Piper stared at Max, a dozen emotions passing over her face. “Why do you think she called?” she asked quietly for the third time.
“I’m not sure, though I might have an idea.” He wouldn’t keep the truth from her, no matter how it might affect their relationship, or what she might think. “Margo’s father offered me a job.”
She studied him in the muted light. “Where?”
“University of California at Mid-State, scouting for their football team.”
“Will you take the job?”
There were so many things to consider, least of all was whether or not the Timber Falls school would offer him a regular position as the head coach—and even that wasn’t enough of an incentive to stay in Timber Falls.
There was only one reason he’d stay and that was for Piper. Yet, even as the thought solidified, he knew it would be almost impossible for her to give him the opportunity to redeem himself—and even if she let him back into her life, he feared he could not be the man she needed.
* * *
Piper watched as several thoughts and emotions flickered across Max’s face as he contemplated how to answer her question. Years of heartache twisted in her gut, and even though he had told her why Margo called, she still didn’t trust that he was telling her the whole truth—and she despised herself for it. Why couldn’t she trust him? Why must she assume the worst?
“I’m not sure if I’ll take the job or not,” he finally said. “There are a lot of unanswered questions in my life right now.”
“Like what?” she asked, wanting desperately to understand.
He took her hand in his. “Like whether or not you’d ever give me another chance.”
Instead of excitement, panic made Piper’s heart race. When Max left ten years ago, she had been angry and
disillusioned. Over the years, as she’d navigated a bad marriage, her heart had become even harder. As much as she wanted to return to a time when she was naive to heartbreak, she couldn’t, and the idea of enduring it again felt like she was facing a bottomless pit. She despised the way she felt, and she despised the way her mind automatically assumed the worst—but she didn’t know how to change. And right now, with a mountain of debt and a baby on the way, she didn’t have the emotional or mental energy to try.
She pulled her hand away, hating herself for denying something she had wanted so badly as a young woman—but knowing she needed to protect herself and her child right now, at all costs. “I’m sorry, Max.” She shook her head, but could not look at him. “I’ve been hurt a lot and my heart is still raw with grief.” Tears swam in her eyes. “It’s not even about what happened between us—not really.” She finally got the courage to meet his gaze and saw the pain and anguish there. “Things between Nick and me were really bad, for a long time, and I’m afraid my heart has grown cynical to love.” The thought that she might never trust Max—or anyone else again—gave her an icy chill up her spine.
“Is there nothing I can do to help change your mind?”
A tear escaped her eye and slid down her cheek. Piper dashed it away as she shook her head, her heart breaking all over again. “I wish there was, Max, but I think it’s too late.” She knew it was too late. Despite what he said about her on the night of the reunion, she wasn’t the same person she had been ten years ago. Her heart had become calloused and bruised, beyond repair.
“Good night, Max.” Piper forced herself to remember the promise she made to herself when Max walked back into her life. She would be friendly and professional, but she wouldn’t get close to him again. There was too much at stake. She didn’t need to know what decisions he had to make, or what kinds of offers he’d been given. None of it concerned her and she told herself it didn’t matter. She and Max were leading two different lives. He owed her no explanation.
She walked to the door.
“Piper, wait.” Max turned and half of his face was visible from the light, while the other half was shrouded in darkness. For a moment, she saw the young Max in his gaze. The best friend, the playmate and the confidant. “I’m sorry you’re hurting and I’m sorry I was the cause of some of that pain.” He took a tentative step toward her and stopped. “If I could, I would storm the castle and chase away the dragons for you.”
Another tear slipped down her cheek. “I know you would.”
He took another step toward her and she went into his embrace. He held her in his arms and simply comforted her.
She clung to him, remembering how many times he’d been there to offer his powerful embrace when life had been difficult growing up. On the day she’d gone to school so tired she could hardly see, because her father had been so drunk the night before that she had stayed awake to make sure he was breathing. On the anniversary of her mother’s death each year, when Max would take her to the cemetery to bring flowers, because her father refused to go. When holidays and birthdays came around and her father was so ashamed he couldn’t buy her gifts he stayed at the bar all day to avoid her.
Max had been there for her every single time, and after he had left, there had been countless other times she wished he had still been there to hug her through the heartache. Like the day her dad had died from a heart attack a year after high school graduation, and the first of many weekends when Nick had chosen not to come home to her and didn’t call or tell her where he’d been, or the night Nick had died and she had wept so deeply she’d been afraid for the unborn child she carried. Those were the times when she missed Max’s hugs the most.
“Piper,” Max whispered as he held her. “Even if you’re not willing to give us a second chance, I want you to know something.”
Her cheek lay against his chest and she could hear the steady beating of his heart against her ear, but she did not speak as she waited for him to continue.
“You will always be my best friend.”
She closed her eyes as the tears ran freely down her cheeks. Maybe they should have never turned their friendship into a romance. If they hadn’t, they could have spared each other so much pain.
It was a good thing he’d been offered a job by Margo’s dad. Max needed to move on with his life and he needed to do it without any regret from his past holding him back. Maybe the reason for Max’s return to Timber Falls and to the bed-and-breakfast was for both of them to have closure on this chapter of their life. To forgive each other and then to move on.
Piper took a steadying breath and she pulled away from Max’s embrace. She tried to smile, but it was a wobbly effort. Despite what he said, they could never be best friends again. “I’m so thankful you have been a part of my life,” she said as she looked up into his dark eyes. “But I think it would be best for both of us if we moved on with our lives. We can never go back.” She had to stop and collect her emotions in case they clogged her throat. “Good night, Max.”
She walked into the house and left him on the porch. As she passed through the dining room full of strangers laughing and having a good time, she had to remember that this bed-and-breakfast was just a stopping-over place for Max Evans. He was there for a season—just one.
They had one chance to heal their past so both of them could move forward without any more regrets.
That’s what she would choose to focus on.
Chapter Eight
Piper turned off the engine of her car and sat in the parking lot of Timber Falls High, trying to get up the nerve to walk into the school in her evening gown. She was running a little late, but she couldn’t force herself to get out of the car. The coronation was to begin at seven and she was supposed to meet Max in the hallway outside the gymnasium at quarter to the hour. It was that time right now.
With a deep breath to steady her shaking hands, she stepped out of the car. The purplish-blue-colored chiffon fabric slid down her smooth legs and pooled around her ankles. The top of the gown was made of lace, with long sleeves, and she wore heels for the first time in months. Mrs. Anderson and Liv had helped pin up her hair in a loose chignon at the nape of her neck, and Liv had loaned her a pair of simple diamond earrings. They had raved about her appearance as Piper had studied herself in the mirror, telling her how her eyes matched the color of the gown. She couldn’t deny that the gown was gorgeous, or that it fit her perfectly, but she still felt a bit silly wearing something so elegant and refined when she was six months pregnant.
The parking lot was full of teenagers arriving at the dance in their own gowns and rented tuxedos, which was a small consolation to Piper. At least she wasn’t the only one walking into the school dressed so elaborately—though she was the only one pregnant. She felt like a dumpy potato in a field of sunflowers.
“Hello, Mrs. Connelly!” One of the girls from Timber Falls Community Church was entering the school. Piper had known her for years. “You look pretty,” she said.
“Thank you.” Piper smiled. “So do you.”
A young man opened the door for Piper to walk into the school. The entrance was crowded with several students. A line had formed as they waited to pay for their admittance.
Piper bypassed all the teenagers, saying hello here and there as she recognized some of the students, and went to the front of the line. The activities director waved her along, knowing she was needed in the gymnasium.
A set of doors led into the mezzanine, with the gymnasium floor down below. The room was decorated like a park, complete with streetlamps, a winding path and park benches. A stage stood at one end of the room where a DJ played music. Students were already mingling in the gym, though no one was dancing yet. That would come later, after the coronation.
Piper walked to the set of steps that led to the hallway where Max said he’d be waiting for her outside his office. He had wanted to come home and pick her
up, but the team had practiced after school and then Max had to attend a mandatory coaches meeting. Piper had insisted she could come herself.
Almost a month had passed since they had stood on the front porch and she had told him it was too late for a second chance. Since then, Max had been kind—but he had kept his distance, interacting with her only when it was necessary. During the day, he worked on projects around the house, mostly outside, and after three o’clock, he went to the football field for practice. He didn’t come back to the bed-and-breakfast until well into the evening and went right up to his apartment. On the weekends, he spent time at his mom’s working on odd projects she had around her house.
Tonight would be the first time they would have to be in each other’s company for an extended period of time and she wasn’t sure how it would go. Would it be awkward?
Did it have to be?
Piper held the handrail with one hand and pulled up the hem of her long skirt with the other. She took the stairs carefully, trying to see past her tummy to make sure she didn’t fall. When she set her foot on the last step, she glanced up and found Max standing in the hall watching her.
Her breath caught and she paused on the bottom step.
Max wore a dark gray suit which fit him to perfection. She remembered seeing him in a suit very much like it in a magazine one time at the grocery store when he had been dating Margo. His lean waist and muscular shoulders and arms were accentuated in the well-tailored clothes. His hair looked as if he’d run his hands through it a few times—but it was his dark brown eyes, which lit up when he saw her, that drew her attention.
“Piper.” He shook his head in amazement and she knew the look of appreciation on his face was authentic. “You look beautiful.”
Under Max’s gaze, she felt beautiful, even though she was six months pregnant.
“Thank you.” She admired his suit, knowing it must have cost a small fortune. “You look really nice, too.”
He ran his hand down the lapel of his suit. “It’s been a while since I had a reason to wear this.”
A Home for Her Baby Page 9