Superstar

by J Santiago

  “That’s awesome. I’m really happy for you.” He was really happy for her, but he was also stoked about having her in closer proximity to him. But he didn’t say that, didn’t give in to his urge to plan their lives now that she was going to be within his reach.

  “Yeah,” she said softly.

  They sat there, staring at each other. He had no idea what she was thinking about. Those damn shutters she was so excellent at donning interfered with his probing gaze. A picture flashed in his mind of Amber holding Alexis and Andy, his imaginings replacing her siblings with children of their making. He wanted it all, and he wanted it with her.

  “So, you think you’re going to take the job?” He tried to hold back his crazy sense of elation at the thought of her living right down the street from him.

  She hesitated before she answered. Her eyes slid away from him and then back. “I haven’t gotten an offer yet, but I’ll probably take it.”

  “Very cool,” Tank said, nodding.

  His phone vibrated in his pocket, breaking the spell. He reached back and pulled it out. At the same time, Amber dived into her purse to get her ringing phone.

  He glanced down at the display and looked up at Amber. “Tilly,” he said, holding the phone out to her.

  “Keira,” she returned, flashing her phone in his direction.

  They each quirked a brow and then accepted their respective calls.

  Tank followed Amber to Tilly’s house. He pulled into the driveway behind her and scrambled out of the car. He opened the door and waited for her to alight from the car. They couldn’t stop grinning at each other, and they walked to Tilly’s door, hand in hand.

  “Any guesses?” Tank asked as they waited for Tilly to answer the door.

  Amber shrugged. “None.”

  She was about to say something more when Tilly ripped open the door.

  “Damn! That was fast.” He stepped aside to let them in.

  “Looking good,” Amber said, going up on her toes as Tilly bent down for her to plant a light kiss on his cheek.

  Amber was right. Tilly was decked out in a three-piece suit, but Tank wasn’t surprised because Tilly often dressed like that for work.

  “Shouldn’t you be working?” Tank asked as he walked through the door.

  The three of them made their way through the long hallway and into the kitchen.

  “I’ll explain in a minute,” Tilly responded.

  Keira was standing rather stiffly in the middle of the room, looking like she didn’t know what to do with herself.

  Amber immediately went to her friend and pulled her into a quick hug. “Hi! You look amazing. I love the dress.”

  Amber moved back but kept her hands on Keira’s shoulders, studying her. Amber cocked her head, and Tank could tell she was coming up with some conclusions.

  “What’s going on, Keira?” Amber asked softly.

  “I’m so glad we caught you before you left town,” Keira said.

  Then, she leaned into Amber again—seeking comfort maybe, but Tank couldn’t be sure. Keira looked beyond Amber, searching for Tilly. He walked over and circled behind, wrapping his arms around Keira and dropping a kiss on her head.

  Keira’s head tilted to the side, so she could meet Tilly’s eyes. “You want to tell them, or should I?”

  Tilly chuckled. “Uh, no. This is all you.”

  “Fair enough,” Keira answered. She looked back at Amber and then met Tank’s curious gaze. “We’re getting married in”—she glanced at the clock on the wall over the sink—“two hours. And we were hoping you would be our witnesses, our bests, our people.”

  Tank couldn’t help it. He lifted his stare to Tilly, trying to silently ask him if this was what he wanted. They’d talked about it a lot recently. Tilly had threatened to kidnap Keira and fly to Vegas just to get her away from all her family drama. He didn’t know if Tilly had finally won or if this was truly Keira’s idea. Tilly’s gaze bore into Tank’s. Then, Tilly’s face broke into a wide smile, and Tank had the answer he was seeking. Tilly was happy about this, so it was a good thing. Tank let himself feel Tilly’s excitement.

  Amber laughed, like she was in on some joke. Then, she tugged Keira out of Tilly’s arms and hugged her. She softly said something in Keira’s ear, and Tank watched as Keira’s eyes filled with tears. Then, her eyes closed as she was absorbed into Amber’s hug.

  Tank moved forward then, hugging Tilly. “Congratulations, man,” he said. As soon as Amber released her, Tank wrapped Keira up in a huge hug. “Proud of you,” he murmured for her alone.

  “Thanks,” she whispered back.

  When all the hugs had been swapped, Tank got to the questions of logistics. “I don’t think I should show up at the courthouse like this, huh?” He waved his hand down in front of himself, indicating his workout shorts, flip-flops, and Dri-FIT shirt. Amber had caught him as he was walking out the door of the gym. “I’ve got to run home and change.”

  “I guess I can wear my interview clothes,” Amber said.

  “Nope,” Keira said. She reached for Amber’s hand. “I have something for you.”

  “Wait, isn’t the best person supposed to have something for the bride?” Amber teased.

  “You can make it up to me later,” Keira said, pulling Amber along after her. “Tank, we’ll see you in a bit.”

  Amber offered him a jaunty smile and a wave as she followed Keira out of the room and up the stairs. Tank watched her disappear from sight and then peered over at his friend.

  “You’re looking a little smug,” Tank remarked.

  Tilly chuckled. “In about two and a half hours, I’ll be feeling really smug.”

  “How much cajoling did you have to do?”

  Tilly’s smile faded away. “None, man.” He shook his head. “I thought it was over. She was a mess. Then, your girl kicked her ass. She came home from lunch with Amber a few weeks ago, and she proposed to me. Got on her knees and apologized. Said she knew we were already engaged, but she didn’t want to wait to get married, and she didn’t need her family’s approval to love me.” Tilly’s big shoulders moved up and down in a shrug. “I knew that, ya know. She just needed to get there.”

  “All right,” Tank said, clapping his hands together like he would before he left a huddle, “let’s do this. You’re with me, right? Can’t see the bride before the wedding.”

  Tilly cackled. “Bro, I’ve been with her all day.”

  “Yeah, but it’ll be better this way.”

  Tilly seemed to contemplate that. Then, he smiled. “A’ight.”

  Tank walked to the bottom of the stairs. “Sunshine,” he called.

  Amber appeared on the landing a moment later.

  “Tilly’s with me. I’ll send a car to get you two. Toss me your keys, so Tilly can drive your car.”

  Amber wasn’t a girl who enjoyed being told what to do. But she winked at him from her perch above him and dug into her pocket. She dropped the keys down to him.

  “See you soon,” she said, smiling wide.

  Their eyes held, and all sorts of sentiments were exchanged without any need for words.

  Tank turned away from her, giddy about their plans for the afternoon.

  Tilly followed Tank to his house. Tank changed clothes, and he called in a favor to rent a limousine for the rest of the day. They arrived at the courthouse before Amber and Keira, even with a stop at a florist on their way.

  The ceremony was simple but heartfelt with Tank and Amber acting as their witnesses. Then, the four of them were chauffeured to an exclusive restaurant in downtown Atlanta. After dinner, Tank and Amber left Tilly and Keira, so they could enjoy their wedding night. By the time they arrived back at Tank’s, they were a little drunk, a lot sentimental, and slightly silly.

  Tank grabbed a couple of beers and pulled Amber into the elevator. “Hang on the deck for a bit?” he asked as he dragged her against him and dropped a kiss on her head.

  “Yeah,” she murmured. The elevator ascende
d, and Amber leaned further into Tank, snuggling into his chest. “Today was a great day.”

  “It was,” he agreed.

  They came to a subtle halt, and the door slid open. Tank kept his arm around her, leading her to the couch. He sank down near the arm, situating her between his thighs. He handed her one of the beers and snaked an arm around her body, pulling her against his chest.

  “You all set?” she teased when he finally stopped moving and took a sip of his beer.

  “I managed that without losing a sip,” he joked.

  “We got interrupted earlier,” Amber stated.

  “We definitely did.”

  “If I get the job, I’m going to take it.”

  Tank beamed. He was thankful she couldn’t see him.

  “I didn’t call you sooner because I wanted to be able to make an objective decision about the job without my feelings for you being a part of it.”

  Tank sat back, putting some distance between their bodies, pushing her gently forward. She turned her head, so she could see him, and Tank averted his gaze. When Tank didn’t meet her eyes, she looked forward and tensed in his arms. He valiantly withheld his glee. He knew she wouldn’t be fighting this so much if she could control her feelings, and that made him pretty freaking happy.

  “Maybe it’s the beer and champagne, or, shit, it’s probably all the love we’ve been surrounded by for the last six hours. But I’ll be closer, and I thought maybe we could give this a go.”

  “A go?” Tank asked. “Can you clarify what that means exactly?” He couldn’t see her face, but he could practically feel the roll of her eyes.

  “A go. A relationship,” she said, exasperated.

  Tank chuckled. “Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?”

  Her head dropped back onto his chest with a thud. “Yes, but seeing each other once a month is way different than having daily access to each other.”

  “Daily access.” Tank let those words roll around in his head. “The only way we’d have ‘daily access,’” he teased with hand quotes, “was if you were living here with me.”

  Amber solidified like a tree in the Petrified Forest. “That’s not what I meant,” she said stiffly.

  He nuzzled up to her, his cheek resting lightly against hers. He turned slightly, so his mouth was level with her ear. “But it’s what I meant.”

  Her chest rose as she pulled in a great gulp of air. “It’s too soon. We just had a two-week fight.”

  “It was a standoff. We never even got to the make-up sex,” he said, laughing. He kissed her below her ear and then let his mouth skim across the rigid skin of her scar. Her breath hitched, and he fought his grin. “Look, let’s do a trial run. If it doesn’t work for you, I’ll help you find a house.”

  “Oh, a trial run? Pretty smooth, Howard.”

  “What do you have to lose?” he asked, his voice dripping with sincerity.

  He wanted her here. He wanted to wake up with her every day. He wanted what Tilly had just gotten.

  “I have to think about it.”

  “I can live with that.”

  He didn’t want to push her, so he was content to let the subject drop.

  For now.

  Amber rolled out of her bed and pulled on Tank’s sweatpants, the first article she could locate among the sea of their discarded clothes. They hung from her narrow hips, no matter she rolled them. Reaching for a coffee mug, the pants slid again, and she huffed in frustration. Tank came up behind her, settled his hands on the waistband, and rolled them up before rubbing his whisker-roughened chin lightly up her scar. His big hand grabbed the mug from her, and he turned away, beating her to the coffee.

  “Lots to do today,” he stated as he handed her the full cup, before filling one for himself. “And I have a hard time staying focused when I’m around you,” he finished with a smirk.

  Moving her coffee mug to the side, she leaned into Tank, content to stand close to him. He placed his mug on the counter and settled his hands on her waist, pulling her to him and settling his chin on the top of her head. Her chest heaved with happiness.

  “Good to see you, Sunshine,” he said. Then, he dropped a kiss on her head and stepped back.

  Amber glanced around the room, taking in the boxes and newspapers they’d left scattered around last night. They’d been too tired to clean up much of the remnants of their work but not too tired to make up for the time they’d spent away from each other over the last week.

  The movers were scheduled to arrive in the morning. Things had been busy. Her resignation, her instructions for her successor, her trip to Athens to look for apartments. She was a hamster on a wheel, attempting to get everything organized for her move. After her exhaustive search for a place to live, she made a decision to rent a studio for six months, so she could learn the lay of the land. When she said as much to Tank, he was supportive while reluctant to actually agree with her.

  Then one night Tank appeared at her door. She didn’t even get an opportunity to speak. He picked her up, carried her to her room, and spent the night thoroughly seducing her. When her body was sated and her mind slightly atrophied, he snuck in the reason for his visit.

  “Don’t sign that lease,” he pleaded. “I know you think it’s too soon, and there are still a lot of things hanging out there between us. But we can make this work.”

  He didn’t say anything else that night, but when he departed the following morning, he dropped a quick kiss on her forehead and said, “You could have a night like last night every night.”

  Still basking in the glow of the having Tank’s full attention, she didn’t volunteer a response. The idea got stuck like a loop in her head, making any other options wan in comparison.

  When the lease agreement had arrived in her inbox, she stared at it, knowing she didn’t want to sign it. If she let herself remove the shackles of her inhibitions and nerves, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to live with Tank. She wanted to come home to him every night. She wanted to work her twelve-hour days and sleep, curled up next to him. She wanted to be there for him at the end of a Sunday when his body hurt, and he needed someone to rub him down or wait on him. She wanted him.

  “Come on, Sunny. We still have to finish the kitchen. And I have to leave in”—he stopped to look at his watch—“two hours.” He loaded up dishware she’d bubble-wrapped the night before. He finished that task and moved on to the next as Amber watched, paralyzed. “When do the movers come?”

  “Tomorrow,” she answered absently. She finished her coffee and picked up a box. “We’re doing the right thing,” she said softly.

  Her statement stopped Tank mid-motion. She wasn’t exactly sure which reserve that thought had come from—the one for self-preservation or perhaps the one left for wanting things that were too good to want. But here, as they stood on the threshold of this monumental change in their lives, she realized her fears and lack of trust existed in great quantities. She wondered what he’d do with all of her anxieties. He seemed to have a direct line on assuaging everything she threw at him. But that was easy with distance between them.

  How would they fare day in and day out when the most amount of time they’d ever spent together was three days straight?

  The plate Tank held suspended in midair was gently placed back on the counter. He leaned back, giving her physical space. Then, he shrugged his shoulders. “I figure this is fish or cut bait, right?”

  Her eyes widened, the matter-of-fact delivery surprising her. “Yeah,” she said more confidently than she felt.

  He nodded. “Right. So, what do you have to lose?”

  You! “Nothing.”

  Tank laughed. “You wreak havoc on my ego, Sunshine.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “When I asked what you had to lose, you were supposed to say, ‘You, Tank.’”

  She snickered. “Oh, yeah?”

  “I mean, I am Tank Howard,” he said as he stalked to her. “The least you could hav
e done was pretend.”

  “There’s no pretending. I am scared of that,” she declared.

  Damn this man!

  The blush that stained her cheeks did not go unnoticed by Tank, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he merely said, “Well, that’s not going to happen. End of story.”

  If she’d had her way, Amber would have left the hallowed halls of Ayers in the dead of night with her little box of personal items and a handwritten note for all the people who had touched her life in the last three years. Unfortunately, Nicky was not going to allow her to leave without any fanfare. Somehow, he’d managed to get Whitey to agree to host a going-away party for her at his house. As far as she knew, no one got invites to Whitey’s house. So, she had no choice but to attend.

  Her last night in town, she pulled on her favorite skinny jeans, a silky red tank top that flared out at the bottom, and a pair of platform sandals. Then, she headed out to Whitey’s farm.

  It wasn’t a huge gathering—just the coaches, their significant others, and a couple of the people Amber had worked closely with over the years. As she pulled in, she allowed herself to acknowledge her fears about seeing Steele. They hadn’t spoken since the awkward exchange in her office. She’d seen him but always with another person around, and all their conversations had been work-related. She hoped, tonight, it would remain status quo.

  She mingled with the coaches, took a good ribbing for being a traitor, and spent some time with Whitey. The night was winding down when Nicky called for everyone’s attention. She wished she’d thought to get out of there sooner, but she’d been enjoying the camaraderie. Her biggest concern about her new job was establishing the working relationships needed and earning the respect of the people around her. Now, as she was about to leave this group of men she’d worked with, she felt that fear more acutely. It took time to earn respect.