“I love you too.”
He was avoiding the office.
That was the only conclusion I could come to when, days after my father’s so-called confrontation with Sloane, I still hadn’t been able to pin him down.
Seeking him at the office had been a courtesy. Neutral ground for the conversation we had to have, with relative privacy. But since he’d removed that as an option, I went to where he’d have no choice but to engage.
I went to his house.
The silver lining of this delay lied in the fact that now, I was considerably calmer. The day of, when Sloane was so obviously hurt, the likelihood of me crossing a line was high. Now a few days had passed. Sloane had gone back to practice with no ugliness, and I’d had time to really shuffle through my thoughts.
This was better.
I found him in his home office, deeply engaged in whatever documents he had spread across his desk.
“Knock-knock,” I called, not crossing the threshold of the open doorway until he looked up, urging me to come in.
“Let me guess,” he started, stacking the documents and putting them away in a folder, which he moved to the side. “You’re here to defend Ms. Brooks’ honor.”
I chuckled, taking a seat in front of the desk. “I doubt she needs it. If I know her like I think I do, I’m sure she defended herself quite well.”
“Indeed,” he nodded, then stared at me, chin in hand, for several seconds before he pulled himself from his chair. “Come walk with me.”
I followed him out to the tree-lined backyard, where winding pathways led through huge maples that had been there since before I was born. My father said nothing, and neither did I. As much time as I’d spent mulling this whole thing over… I didn’t really know what to say.
Wrong or not… he was still my father.
“Emma loves it out here,” he finally spoke up, stopping underneath a tree Cole and I had carved our initials into, more than twenty years ago. “Especially now that the leaves have changed colors. She’s very, very concerned that they’re “on fire”.”
I grinned. “And I’m sure, of course, she’s tasted a few.”
“Of course. Shoving fistfuls in her mouth, and then crying for somebody to get the crunchy pieces off her tongue.”
Again, neither of us said anything. But then…
“Seems like you would be too busy keeping up with, molding her, to have time to micromanage me.”
Eli pushed out a long, deep sigh. “Ah. Here it is.”
“Yes,” I answered. “Here it is. I’m sure I don’t even really need to explain how flat out wrong you are.”
“For wanting the best for you?”
“For feeling like it’s up to you decide what that is,” I countered. “I will never fault you for being an involved father – can’t ever repay you for it either. I have no desire to minimize the fact that I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for you, but you have to understand that my gratefulness does not mean I’m going to simply fall in line with what you want me to do.”
“You act as if I’m trying to dictate what you wear, what you eat for breakfast. I’m simply trying to mold you into a success story for your grandchildren, like I hope to be for mine.”
I smiled. “And see, if it stopped at advice, or input, that would be one thing. But when you start tearing down the idea of me building something for myself, threatening the livelihood of a woman I deeply care about, all because it doesn’t fit into your ideal of what you think my life should be… you’re taking it too far. Way too far, and I know you understand that.”
“I don’t want you choosing a harder path than you have to.”
“And my life cannot be about your wants. I’m sorry if that’s disappointing for you, but… I will be pursuing sports management. And I’m going to do it with Sloane Brooks by my side. Neither of us is interested in the baby thing, but Sloane already has a sixteen-year-old daughter, who is an amazing kid – you’d like her. My life may not look like what you planned or dreamed for me, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy of pride. And it doesn’t mean I think you’re any less worthy of admiration. I hope you can see that.”
Eli chuckled about that, reaching out to touch the names carved into the tree. “I never thought, after all I’ve done to ensure their future, my children would find accepting their legacy too heavy a burden to bear. You’ll have to forgive me if this whole conversation feels like a slap in the face.”
“You’re moving the goalposts now,” I defended. “Your problem with me right now, today, is that I’m dating a woman with no interest in marriage or children, and that I want to start a business of my own. That’s not the same as refusing your legacy. The Kings are your crown jewel, and you enjoy the hell out of that throne. And we both know you aren’t interested in relinquishing your crown any time soon.”
He pulled in a breath, then let it out through his nose. “Interested? No. I have every intention of running this team for many more years to come, but… you know what they say about making plans, don’t you son?”
“We make them, and God laughs at our dumb asses?”
He nodded. “And I’m afraid that our maker is having himself a really good time at your old man’s expense.”
Turning to him, I frowned. “Meaning what?”
“Meaning… you remember Jimmy, don’t you?”
“Jimmy Wright? The Boulder? Yeah, why wouldn’t I? He just died, like a month ago.”
“Yes, exactly,” my father grunted, pointing a finger for emphasis. “He gets sick, and within a few years… completely wasted away. Survived by who? Children who left him to be cared for by a woman he barely knew – but did more for him than they ever did. There are no… charities, no scholarships, no… anything left from him. I’ve half a mind to fire that no good son of his who works in the front office. It’s shameful.”
“And that’s what you think Cole and I are going to do? You think Mel is going to let that happen? Emma’s still a baby, but by the time she’s grown—”
“I might not be here,” Eli growled, stunning me into silence. “You think I don’t want to see my baby girl… go to kindergarten? College? You think I don’t have plans for all of that?”
“Dad—”
“I told you. God is laughing at all my grand plans, and it is time for me to get my affairs in order. Of course I want to see you build a business, and make it your own, but… son… I may not have time.”
“What are you talking about?!” I yelled, grabbing him by the shoulders to make him look at me. “Why the hell wouldn’t you have time?”
“Because I have cancer.”
My mouth dropped open. “You… what?”
“You heard me right,” he sighed, then turned back to the path to start walking again, leaving me to fall in step beside him as he continued. “Prostate. Found during a routine checkup. Biopsied and confirmed a few months ago.”
“Months?! And you’re just now sharing this?! Does Mel know?”
He gave a deep nod. “Yes. And she’s been like a mother hen ever since. Every little bit of peace I have comes in small pockets. I didn’t even want to imagine what would come of my life once anyone else knew. Once the world knew. No peace at all.”
That sort of reasoning sounds familiar.
“What’s the prognosis?” I asked, disinterested in dwelling on the fine details of how and when he’d told me. “What are the doctors saying?”
“They’re saying that we found it before it spread anywhere else, so the outlook is good. No treatment for now, just watching and waiting for any signs of spreading. If it gets more aggressive, then they’ll move forward with treatment.”
“Wait, what? No treatment? Why the fuck not?!”
“I’m an old man, son. If they rush in doing things just because, those complications could kill me before the cancer does. That’s why they wait, and see. That’s the approach they think is best.”
My eyebrows went up. “That… has to be a hard
pill to swallow.”
“Very,” he agreed. “No one wants to walk around with a ticking time bomb in their body, just waiting for the blowback to happen. They can offer all the assurances they’d like, but the bottom line is that it feels like my time here is winding down.”
I nodded. “And that’s why you’re all over me about my future. You’ve been reminded that you’re not immortal.”
“Can’t say I ever thought that,” he chuckled. “But… I certainly wasn’t expecting this.” He stopped walking to take a seat at the bench near the playground area he’d installed for Cole and me as small kids, and recently refurbished for Emma. “I won’t apologize for trying to guide you, because that’s my job. No matter how old you get, that will always be my job. My methods, however… I won’t lie and tell you that I don’t see my error.”
“I’m not here looking for an apology, man. At least… not for myself. I’m good, and as far as I’m concerned, we’re good… but that shit you tried to pull with Sloane was flat out foul. She makes me happy as hell, and she’s not going anywhere any time soon. I need you to make it right with her.”
He smirked. “It’s already in process, after a nice scolding from Nyree,” he said, referencing his executive assistant. “Smooth it over before she sues this team – and wins,” he said, mimicking the higher pitch of her voice. “Before this London game, I’ll make a point of speaking to her personally – and not just for the sake of avoiding legal action. But… because I crossed a line.”
“And because you don’t want any smoke with Mel. I know she was heated, wasn’t she?”
“Why do you think I sent her and Emma out shopping?” he laughed. “Between the two of them, I wasn’t sure I was safe around here. You know that woman said to me, “You sure your dick is the problem, cause it seems like your brain to me.” Can you believe that?!”
I snickered. “Damn, that’s cold.”
“Then why are you laughing?”
“Because there’s some basis in the truth. You’ve been wildin’ a little… a lot.”
He pushed out a deep sigh. “Just an old man grasping at anything to make sure my family will be okay without me.”
“That’s already a done deal. So… relax. Focus on eating well, and staying active, and giving Emma and Mel as much time as you can. This other stuff you’ve been on? You’re not doing anything but pushing me away.”
“Understood.”
We stayed like that for several moments, enjoying the quiet until Emma came bouncing outside, obviously back from her trip with Mel. Her tiny feet moved across the grass with purpose, sprinting until she flung herself at me for a big hug, then reached for our father.
While he was occupied with the kisses she demanded, I looked up at the glass doors to find Mel standing there, observing. She lifted an eyebrow – nonverbally asking a question to which I nodded in answer, then gave her a thumbs up gesture that made her smile, and nod back before she moved on.
For now at least, we were good.
I just hoped it could remain that way.
“How’s the wrist?”
I stopped what I was doing – packing for the team’s international game in London – to look at Garrett face to face for the first time in two weeks. I couldn’t keep the immediate frown from my face – didn’t even try.
“What the hell are you doing in my house?”
He at least had the decency to looked ashamed of himself, leaning into the doorway with a shrug. “Mads let me in. When I told her why I was here.”
“Which is…?”
“To apologize.”
Hm.
Lately, there was a lot of that going around.
Eli had sent a bouquet, and then brought a second one to my office himself, sitting down for a one on one apology that helped me feel a lot more settled. Underwood apologized for not giving me a heads up that Eli knew about me and Nate, but it turned out that he’d kept his word about not saying anything about the heart attack, to Eli or Garrett.
And now, here was my ex-husband himself.
I cleared a space on my bed and sat down, arms crossed. “I’m listening.”
His face pulled into a slight frown on concentration, like he was working through what he wanted to say before he opened his mouth again.
“I’ve… loved you for a long time, Sloane,” he started, making me immediately roll my eyes. If this was about to turn into another attempt to get me back… “You’re the only woman I’ve ever really given my heart to. And I know the same was true for you. Was. And I can’t lie… it’s a hard thing to accept. Hard as fuck. You were it for me, and I fucked it up, and I don’t want you to be it for another nigga. Just… honestly.”
I nodded. “Trust me, I get it… sort of. See, I had to go through the realization that you weren’t just mine while we were married. I don’t know if there was ever a time that I had my husband to myself, so… if this is supposed to make me sympathize with you—”
“It’s not, I swear,” he explained. “I’m just trying to explain where I’m coming from. When I heard my kid talking about Nate, it’s like something snapped. Cause in my head, it’s like… if you had him around her, you had to have been involved with him for a while. You had to trust him… maybe love him, and that shit is hard to get my head around. Like… some lil dude that probably still has milk on his breath, and you want him over me?”
I smiled. “He has my trust. You don’t. And on a romantic level, I don’t believe you ever will, just based on our history. You’re the father of my child -we’ll always be connected. But you must accept that it is time for you to step aside. You’ve had girlfriends, you’ve had women around my daughter, and as long as they were respectful, and kind to Mads, I never said shit to you about it. But you thought it was cool to run up in my home beating your chest over it. And who ended up paying for it?” I asked, holding up my wrist, which was still strapped into a brace.
“Wait now, that’s his fault. He wanted to run in playing Captain Save-A-Sloane, escalating shit!”
“Defending me,” I countered. “He walked in here, saw you in my face, and did exactly what he was supposed to do. You’re lucky he didn’t punch your ass.”
Garrett sucked his teeth. “Man, I’on know about all that. But. I’ll give it to him – he has heart. Defended you without a second thought, like I wouldn’t snap his ass in half.”
“He is nearly twenty years younger than you. You’d break a hip calling yourself fighting him.”
“I can’t think of a better way to go,” Garrett teased, making me laugh.
“You are really a damn mess, you know that right?”
He shrugged. “I try to keep things interesting, you know? But… anyway. I’m sorry for flipping on you like that.”
“And for trying to get me fired?”
“Wait, hollld up,” he countered, lifting his hands. “That is not where I was coming from with that. I approached Eli on some “Get your son cause I’ma kill his ass over my wife” type of energy. It was not about taking anything from you, at all. I know what this job means to you, and I don’t care how mad I get – I’d never do you like that.”
I shook my head. “I believe you, but… that’s exactly how it ended up. You couldn’t have thought that running to Eli wouldn’t have negative consequences for me.”
“I wasn’t thinking at all. I was just fucking angry. But – I am sorry about jeopardizing your job too. And adding undue stress to your life. You know… with… your heart issues. Madison told me.”
“I appreciate that. And… I accept your apologies. I’m still not really trying to look at you for another week or so though.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough. I was just trying to catch you before you went to the airport. Didn’t want you all the way in London still mad at me.”
“I didn’t say anything about not being mad anymore.”
“You know you can’t stay mad at this face,” he joked, putting on a fake ass puppy-eyed expression.
“You look just like your child when I won’t let her in my closet.” I laughed, pulling myself up. “She still in the driveway washing Baby T?” I asked, referring to the bright orange Tiguan we’d settled on for her, months ago.
“Polishing the rims, just like I taught her. I should probably go down and confirm that you didn’t kill me.”
“Maybe so,” I told him, following when he turned to go down the stairs, leading outside. What was supposed to be a light moment quickly shifted to making me anxious when I stepped out to find Nate’s car in the circular driveway as well, parked right next to Garrett’s.
The man himself was talking to Madison, presumably about her car from the way she was gesturing at it as she spoke.
I could feel the sudden tension from Garrett, and pushed out a sigh, already mentally preparing myself for this to become a problem. Especially when Garrett stepped right up to Nate, saying something I couldn’t hear over Madison’s mumble-rap music thumping from her speakers.
Whatever it was, Nate nodded, allowing Garrett to pull him aside so they could speak.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Mads asked, moving to stand next to me, still holding the garden hose in her hand. “They’re not about to like… cage fight or anything are they?”
“I don’t think so. They’re actually… are they… are they shaking hands?”
Sure enough, they were, and after parting ways, Nate came to me, while Garrett retrieved Madison, talking to her about something as she walked him to his car.
“What was all that about?” I asked Nate, dying to know what their conversation had consisted of.
He smirked. “None of your business, nosy.”
“Oh it’s definitely my business,” I countered, looking up as Garrett drove off. “What did he say to you?”
“Nothing to worry about. Everything is cool, everybody is cool. He even offered to share some resources about getting into sports management – which I’m going to assume he knows about from my father.”
Pass Interference (Connecticut Kings Book 6) Page 23
