Loving The Game (Thirty-Something in the City - The Lunchtime Sorority Book 1)

by Bailie Hantam

  All Tyler knew as he blinked his eyes open was that his head hurt. Also his neck. He was light-headed and he wanted to throw up. Okay. He’d been playing sports since before he could read. He knew what a concussion felt like.

  There were no beeping sounds. He was not in the hospital, but he was in a hospital bed. Darting his eyes from side to side, careful not to move his neck, he made out he was at the stadium infirmary.

  Derrick’s dark head popped into his line of vision. His friend tried to appear unsympathetic, but the hint of concern was there. In the creases in his frown, the grim line of his mouth. “How you doing there?”

  “What the fuck happened?” He was talking to his sister about the video they’d posted earlier and told the group of boys he was coaching to start packing away the equipment. Next thing he felt a blow to his head seconds before everything went black.

  “One the kids knocked you out with one of the weight discs.” Derrick chuckled. “Complete accident, but Callum already delivered the lecture about playing with the equipment. He’s scary when he uses his dad voice.”

  Tyler attempted to sit up. “I need to finish of that session.”

  The world got a little hazy and Derrick came back into view, placing a hand on Tyler’s shoulder. “Whoa, there. First. Callum already finished off the session with the kids. More importantly, you’re not going anywhere. You do however have a few visitors.

  That made him perk up. Had Jill seen the video? Did someone tell her he was injured?

  The video was Tracey’s idea. Image consultant was only one of the functions she performed as owner of one of the up and coming Public Relations firms in the city. What she had done to Jill’s wardrobe was nothing compared to what she could do in a media crisis.

  His first priority was to undo the damage Russel had done to Jill’s reputation. All of what Tyler had said was technically true. He also wanted to highlight Russel’s downright sexist behavior. It was Tracey’s idea to make it look like he wasn’t specifically calling the guy out, but rather turn it on himself.

  He also wanted to make sure that he’d left the door open in the off-chance Jill saw the video. Actually, who was he kidding. Tina would’ve made sure Jill saw it.

  Tyler tried not to show his disappointment when Tracey and Tina walked through the door. They both wore small smiles. He didn’t want their sympathy. He just wanted--

  No. He needed to stop wishing. She’d made herself clear when she walked out on him the day before. She was worried about her career. He didn’t blame her. He should never have put her in a position to choose.

  She had a life outside of him. And if he wanted to be a part of it, he needed to work around it. Not make her feel like she could only have one or the other.

  “How are you feeling?” Tracey stood at the end of the bed, her blonde hair in a high ponytail. “Do you want me to call mom and dad.”

  Tyler shook his head. “God, no.” The last thing he needed was his mother hovering. He knew what to do about concussion. All he needed was someone with a day to spare and an alarm clock. He would prefer that person to be Jill. He spared a glance at Tina. “Do you know if she’s seen it?”

  Tina shook her head. “I know she’s read my text. I don’t know if she played the video. Should I text her to let her know you’re injured?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t want to play the sympathy card. Besides, I’m not injured.”

  Derrick stepped up to him. “I’m not signing your release until I know where you’ll be staying?”

  He could stay at Tracey’s. But she had to get back to work after taking all that time off. She wouldn’t mind but she owned her own business. No one was paying her while she wasn’t working. “Dude, can I stay with you?”

  Derrick was his best option. He wouldn’t hover too much and would only do what was necessary.

  “Of course—”

  “He can stay with me.” Everyone whipped the heads in the direction of the voice. The sweetest sound to his ears. Jill was standing alongside Alyssa her gaze directly on him. “Unless he has an objection to that.”

  Tyler moved his head slowly from side to side. He was afraid if he shook his head too hard she would disappear. “That could work. Can you take the next twenty-four hours off.”

  Jill nodded. “I’m probably fired. I think I can spare the time.”

  “You should show your boss the video.” It never occurred to him that drawing more attention to her would make things worse. Unless he could still undo it. “That’s if you saw the video.”

  “I did.” She walked into the room looking around at everyone. “And I don’t think it will make much difference.”

  Derrick had obviously seen her discomfort. “If you give me a few minutes, I’ll give you two sometime alone.”

  She nodded again. Tyler didn’t even try to keep the smile off his face. “What do you need?”

  Alyssa was the one that spoke up, pulling a prescription pad from her handbag. “Do you feel nauseous? Headache? Anything we should know about?” She did a full examination, checking his pupils and other reflexes. He waited patiently until she was done.

  He frowned at her. “Why are you here? Don’t we have a team physicians for all this?”

  She winced and Tyler immediately felt guilty. He didn’t need to remind her of the job she’d lost.

  She shook her head. “You’re not covered by Jozi Thunder at the moment. I’m just here to make sure your meds are safe.” She pressed a finger to the bump on his head. “You know the drill. You need rest but you need to be woken up every two hours for the next twenty-four hours. Anything out of the ordinary, call one of us. No training until I give you the go ahead. No devices or anything strenuous for the next few days.”

  Tyler frowned. That may be the most difficult part of all. “Define strenuous.”

  Alyssa lifted and eyebrow and smiled. “If you’re working up a sweat, it’s too strenuous.”

  “And if you’re not,” Derrick added. “You’re not doing it properly.”

  He spared a glance at Jill. Her cheeks were tinted with that pretty shade of pink. “Don’t worry. We’ll be good.”

  They would. Tyler never messed around with an injury. He had too much riding on keeping his body healthy. He needed to warn Jill what she may be in for.

  He took a deep breath. What if she rejected him. Not that he gave what Russel said any credit. He wanted her to want him. All of him. But what if it turned out to be something she didn’t sign up for. “Jill, a lot rides on how the next day or so goes. I’m not out of the woods yet. Something could still be wrong and I could be out of the game for months. I could still lose my career.”

  The most adorable creases marred her forehead as she frowned at him. “Then you’ll have to deal with it. It may not be what you planned but you’ll find something else.”

  Was she being obtuse? Or was that the answer he wanted, just worded differently. “I may not be the man you want?”

  Her face softened, the smallest smile curling her lips. “I don’t want you because you’re a rugby player. You have a strong work ethic and you are extremely disciplined. That’s the attraction. Add that to the fact that you are kind and loyal and well… you know. How could I not want you.”

  He thought the corners of his mouth actually reached his ears. It wasn’t because he was a rugby player. It was the qualities that made him a great sportsman that she was attracted to. Attracted. Was there more? He certainly felt more. But he wouldn’t discuss that until they were alone.

  Callum chose that moment to walk into the room. “Will he be able to host my anniversary gala.”

  Trust the captain to make it about work. Or as close to it as Tyler could get.

  “That’s a week and a half away.” Alyssa moved away from the bed, putting distance between her and her ex-husband. “Unless something goes drastically wrong, it shouldn’t be a problem.

  She and Callum held each other’s gazes for a moment longer than was necessary.

/>   Callum turned to him. “You have everything you need. Want me to drive you home.”

  Tyler looked up at Jill. “Nope. I’m all good.”

  Alyssa picked up her handbag. She handed Tyler his prescription and walked to the door. “Well, you seem to be in good hands. I’ll leave you.”

  Tyler and Derrick both looked at Callum. Derrick was the one to speak up. “Dude don’t make me regret trusting your family. She’s really hurting.”

  Callum’s eyes were mere slits. “She left me remember. And we’re not discussing this now.”

  Derrick looked around. “Come everyone. Let’s give these two a few minutes alone.”

  Everyone filed out of the room. Tracey whispered something in Jill’s ear. Jill merely nodded. He wasn’t sure if his sister was rooting for them or threatening to kick Jill’s ass. Probably both.

  As soon as the door to the infirmary was closed Jill opened to say something. But Tyler wanted to say the one thing that had been on his mind since before he saw that first video. Before she could say a word, he blurted. “I love you.”

  ***

  Jill

  Okay, so maybe she didn’t handle that well, either. Her silence always seemed to mess things up when it came to Tyler. In fairness to her though, he’d stolen her thunder. She’d been about to say the words when he blurted them out. If she’d said it then, it would’ve sounded as if she was just saying them because he said them.

  Instead she looked around the infirmary. “Let’s talk about this at home.” Like that was supposed to make him feel better. He hadn’t argued as they gathered his things and made their way to his car. Hopefully someone would be able to bring her car from the office.

  And if she believed her lack of answer hadn’t bothered him, all she needed to do was look over to him in the passenger’s seat. His arms were strained, and he was gripping his thighs.

  She needed to put him at ease. She exhaled deeply, keeping her eyes on the road. “I love you, too. I know should’ve said it earlier—

  Tyler turned to her. “Can we discuss this at home. Please.” His voice strained. He was anxious. “I cannot concentrate on anything else while you’re driving like… like you trust every driver out there.”

  Well, at least he worded it nicer than everyone else. It wasn’t that she trusted all the drivers. Some were real assholes. It was just that when she had the right of way, she didn’t hesitate. And if there was enough room for those behind to slow down, she changed lanes.

  Once she pulled his car into her parking space, his shoulders and forearms relaxed. He exhaled a deep breath. Was he really holding it the entire time she was driving? And everyone called her dramatic.

  He refused to let her carry his bag. “We’ll need to get clothes from my place, but I have enough in here for a day or two.”

  They made it up to her flat in complete silence. As soon as they were inside, she dropped her handbag and popped on the kettle. She didn’t think alcohol would mix well with Tyler’s meds. They’d have to settle for very strong tea.

  Tyler sat on the single stool at her tiny breakfast nook. He gave her one of his sexy grins. “So you love me, do you?”

  She didn’t want to joke. What was happening was serious and up until that point neither of them had respected that. Instead, she met his gaze. “I love you so much, it hurt to know you were injured and I wasn’t with you.”

  He stood up and walked around to her. “You’re with me now. You have no idea how it felt when you walked through that door. I felt ten foot tall. You are the most important thing in my life. I thought rugby was. I thought that without rugby, I would never amount to anything much.”

  “What?” How could he think that? He was kind and generous. Loyal to a fault. And it took some doing putting up with her melodrama. “Tyler you have so much to offer. The fact that you’re hot and good on the field is just an added bonus.”

  “You think I’m hot?”

  Jill rolled her eyes. “Have you looked in the mirror?”

  “I know that’s what everyone sees. But actually as long as you find me attractive, that’s all that matters. But I want to be more than that.”

  “You are—”

  He held is hand up. “I spoke to Callum. Working with those teenagers has been the most fun I had in a long time. And it was… I don’t know... rewarding. We’re thinking of making it about more than just rugby.”

  Jill narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “We want to start an organization like Girl Power.” He pulled her over to the couch. His movements were slow, and he’d probably need to rest soon. But he was far too excited for Jill to stop him. “Everyone says we need teach our sons better, but no one is doing anything about it. Callum and I want to start an organization where we do just that. Teach boys about discipline instead of control. Dealing with their emotions. And why leveling the gender playing field is necessary.”

  Jill sensed her eyebrows were nearly at her hairline. “Wow.” She wasn’t surprised that he was doing it or that he’d come up with the initiative. It was more that he got it. He was the big testosterone filled sportsman who could get any woman in the city, and he got it. Feminism had never looked so sexy.

  “Of course,” he smiled. “There will be a lot to do before it gets off the ground. Fundraisers and shit. But I happen to know someone who can organize that.”

  They hadn’t covered that little snag. “That’s if I still have a job. But I suppose there are other event management companies. On the upside I don’t plan on getting involved with any other sportsmen.”

  “Well thank fuck.” He flopped back on the couch. “I know that we’re still new to all of this. We haven’t even been on three dates. But I cannot imagine life without you. You’re it for me.”

  She smiled. “It’s always been you. Even when we were picking teams for games, it was always you and me. I don’t think you’re my end game as much as my only game.”

  He pulled her to his chest. She leaned in, hearing his heartbeat. She was content and comfortable. His breathing evened out. She patted his thigh. “Come, let’s get you to bed.”

  The shift of his head above hers told her he was nodding in agreement. Jill fished out her phone on the way to the bedroom. She set the alarm for exactly two hours later.

  “Will you lie with me a little?” he asked.

  As if she planned on doing anything else. “Sure.”

  He pulled off his clothes and got under her bed covers in only his boxer briefs. She fetched an oversized T-shirt from one of her drawers. Tugging at the hair tie holding her hair in place, she allowed it to flow over her shoulders.

  His eyes were drooping but that smile stayed in place. “There she is. Little Jilly with the big clothes and wild hair. I’ve missed her.”

  “She never left,” Jill said getting under the covers and snuggling into him. “She just carries a lot more polish now.

  “I like the polish, too.” He said, his eyes drifting closed. For a moment she thought he had fallen asleep when he spoke again. His voice groggy. “Who would’ve thought I met the love of my life at age seven.”

  Chapter 16

  Jill

  One month later.

  Jill hadn’t been fired. She was still in charge of Holly’s wedding. Apparently, dealing with Holly was her punishment for ignoring a direct order from Mary-Anne. It also turned out that being the destined true love of the darling of the nation was a good thing for Mary-Anne’s business. Everyone wanted Jill involved in their event in the hopes that Tyler Beyers would turn up as her date.

  He never did. Her work was still separate. And he never took a date to work functions either. Unless it was one not being organized by Mary-Anne’s company. Then she always supported him.

  The event she was running that evening, though, was different. She was organizing it. It had been a caveat of both Callum and Tyler when they contracted Life’s of the Party to co-ordinate the inaugural fundraiser for Men-Tality, that Jill be the one at the
helm.

  Tyler had just finished his speech outlining the mission and focus of the program. He was cleared to play again and had been training to be ready for the charity match the following day. They were still a while away from the World Cup team announcement, but Tyler was still the favorite for the starting fly-half position.

  He walked off the stage and headed straight to her, waiting in the wings. She gave the signal to Tariq, the sound guy, to turn off the microphones. Knowing Tyler, he wouldn’t care who heard him as he pulled her into the shadows. He took her hand and turned around, presumably to confirm what she had said to Tariq, before taking her around the corner.

  She allowed her gaze to roam the length of his body. He looked good in a tux. Well he looked good in anything, or nothing at all. But there was something about the way he put effort into wanting to impress the benefactors of the cause he believed in that really turned her on. She met his gaze and realized he was doing exactly the same thing to her. She had finally got the chance to wear the prudy lemon shift dress. Though judging by the heat in his eyes, it was obviously not that prudy.

  Tyler pushed her against the wall, his forearms on either side of her head. He smiled down at her. “I love you with everything that I have.”

  Jill swallowed. There was an intensity she hadn’t seen before. “I love you too. You make my world better. Me better. I cannot imagine my life without you.”

  He took a deep breath. “I’m glad you think so. It makes what I’m about to do a little easier.”

  “What are you about to do?” Her tone was cautious. She knew what it sounded like he was saying, but surely it was too soon for anything like that. “Don’t you think we should go somewhere private?”

  Turning his head from left to right, he scanned the little corridor they were standing in. “There’s no one about. This is somewhere private. At least as private as we will get on a night like this.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Just so you know, I’m still not much of an exhibitionist, so nothing’s going to happen here.”

  Tyler’s cheeks turned a little pink. A slight commotion and laughing could be heard from the audience. Someone probably tripped over something.