Tanner placed his hand on my arm. “That’s the plan for now.” He smiled over at me, but I didn’t return it. “I’m holding out hope that she gives me another chance. I messed up royally in the past, so I’m currently working to earn her trust back. Taking it day by day.”
Lily grinned. “Well, that’s commendable. But what if that never happens?”
Tanner squinted. “What do you mean?”
“What if she can never learn to trust you again?”
He sighed and looked over at me. “Then we’ll always be in each other’s lives, and I’ll always be there for her and Alex—no matter what.”
I took a sip of water and felt the need to clarify my position. “There are some things in life that are best not revisited,” I explained. “I think you can have respect and love for someone and also recognize that you’re better off apart. That’s the case with Tanner and me.”
A frown crossed Tanner’s face.
While it sucked to once again deflate his hope, I needed to continue keeping things real until it eventually sank in for him. He’d clearly misled our friends into thinking this was some kind of double date.
After a few glasses of wine, I managed to finally enjoy myself as the subject moved away from Tanner and me. The four of us reminisced about old times, things like sneaking into movies when we were in high school.
Everything was kosher until Tom brought up the L-word during dessert.
He turned to Tanner. “How’s your brother doing?”
“Good,” Tanner said. “He’s back at training camp, gearing up for the new season.”
“I heard the Broncos snagged Chip Reid. That was a huge acquisition.”
Tanner nodded. “Yeah. Should be an interesting season.”
Tom chuckled. “God, Levi must be living the life. I can only imagine how much ass that guy gets.”
My wine felt like it was coming back up as a surge of jealousy hit. It wasn’t like he’d said anything I didn’t already know, but it sucked to hear. It also sucked that it had such a profound effect on me. But I was no less in love with Levi now than the day he left. In light of that, the way Tom’s comment made me burn up was normal. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I downed the last of my wine.
Lily tilted her head as she looked straight at me, seeming to examine my face. “Wasn’t he here in town for a while?”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah. He was a big help when we were starting the renovations at The Palm Inn.”
“I’m totally indebted to him for being here until I got my shit together,” Tanner added.
Lily looked at me again. “Was he living there at The Palm with you before Tanner arrived?”
Feeling my cheeks heat, I nodded. “Yes.”
“Interesting. Had you ever spent extensive time together before?”
“No, it was my first time really getting to know him.”
“I see.” She smirked slightly.
And that’s when I knew. She had noticed my reaction and put two and two together. Somehow, from the look on my face alone, Lily had figured out what Tanner had yet to—that something had gone down between me and his brother.
How on Earth was I going to hide my feelings for Levi from Tanner forever if this chick had figured it out in a matter of minutes?
CHAPTER 29
* * *
Levi
Coach Williams had asked me to come to his house immediately after camp.
He was quiet as he let me in the front door. I followed him to the kitchen, suspecting he wanted to ream me out for my less-than-stellar performance on the field today.
His wife was arranging a massive bouquet of flowers when we walked in. Kristen was a sweetheart and always treated me like family. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and saw Coach give her a look before she suddenly made herself scarce. I was about to get my ass handed to me, and he wanted to do it in private.
Sure enough, after he passed me a beer, he took a seat and laid it on me. “What’s going on with you?”
I pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’m sorry. I know.”
“You missed an open receiver downfield. It’s not the first time that’s happened lately either. You’d better get your head out of your ass before the season starts.”
I’d learned the hard way over the years that anytime I tried to hide something from him, he always figured it out eventually. Seeing as though he’d become like a father to me, I felt comfortable admitting the truth. He deserved that, especially when my actions would be affecting his bottom line.
“Some stuff went down back home, and I haven’t been able to shake it.”
He lifted his brow. “What stuff? Is this about the property?”
“I wish.”
“If it ain’t that, there’s only one other thing I can think of that could be fucking you up so bad.” He took a sip. “What’s her name?”
I exhaled. “Presley.”
“Isn’t that the woman you were fighting about the house with?”
“Yes,” I bit out.
His head tilted as he began to figure it out. “Your brother’s…”
“Yes,” I answered under my breath.
“Aw, shit.” He shook his head and took a long gulp of beer.
Over the next several minutes, I told him everything and ended with Tanner showing up. “I know what you’re gonna say, Coach—”
He held out his hand. “Not so fast. You think I’m gonna tell you to forget about it and get your shit together, but I know it’s not as easy as it sounds when a woman is fucking with your head.”
I pulled on my hair. “What’s the solution, then?”
“Well, it certainly isn’t continuing to mess around with your brother’s woman…” He chuckled.
“Ex woman,” I clarified.
“Either way, it’s fucked up, and you need to move on from it. But what this proves is that you’re needing companionship. Maybe you’ve outgrown the bachelor life. There comes a time when every man needs a good lady to come home to. Probably the only thing that will get your mind off a woman you can’t have is to find a better one and claim her for yourself.”
My first thought was: there isn’t a better one. I knew it. Presley was the best. This wasn’t about needing a replacement for her. While I appreciated his advice, I knew I wouldn’t take it. I had no interest in starting a relationship that would feel forced with anyone else. What had happened between Presley and me felt natural. It was organic. She felt like home to me, and that couldn’t be replicated. I’d rather be alone than try.
“I appreciate your advice. But that’s not something I’m interested in right now.”
“Okay, then on to Plan B.” He slammed his beer on the table.
“What’s that?”
“I take you out back and whip your ass into shape. Because we can’t have this shit continuing into the season!”
I bent my head back in frustration and rubbed my eyes. “I promise I’ll work it out, okay? I won’t let you down.”
***
Although it had felt good to unload on Coach, I was still in a pissy mood when I returned to my house that night. My place seemed cold and empty compared to being back home with Presley. I hadn’t realized just how bad it was until I got back here. I had expensive things, but it wasn’t a house that made a home. It was the people in it, and here in Colorado, my home life was nonexistent.