Always My Hero

by Jennifer DeCuir

  “You mean why Bree is the only woman in attendance today?” Foster’s grin was huge. Technically, he didn’t even need to be here. He’d already signed on to help her out. But he’d let her know there was no way he was going to miss her asking his old teammates for help. “Bree has a little project she’d like your help on.”

  Still puzzled over Doyle’s question, she turned to see how Ryan had reacted. The man was pretending as though he hadn’t heard a word. At the moment he was digging through the seven-layer dip like he was expecting to find treasure at the bottom of the bowl. Coward.

  It was halftime and everyone was getting up to stretch and take turns using the bathroom. Unfortunately, Foster had managed to bring the group focus to Bree, who blinked owlishly. All right then. It looked like she had the stage.

  “Okay, so you all probably know I’m the children’s librarian at the public library. I’ve been tasked to raise funds for a new roof.” Being men, they were hardwired to solve problems. Everyone began offering suggestions at once. Bree held up her hands and waited until they had quieted down.

  “We already have an idea on how to raise the money. That isn’t why we asked you all here. But thanks.” She took a deep breath and launched into the speech she had practiced over and over as she’d paced her apartment the night before.

  “Now this wasn’t my idea, just so you know.” All eyes were on her and Bree could feel the heat radiating from her warm cheeks. What was that saying, when in a situation like this? ‘Picture them all in their underwear?’ But wasn’t that what she was kind of asking them to do? Instead, she pictured her own underwear. The lacy red, barely there thong that was the most daring thing she’d picked up on her shopping trip with the girls. Her happy little secret that was supposed to instill confidence. Well, she needed to channel a little of that confidence right now.

  “The committee decided the best way to raise money for the new roof would be to put together a calendar of, um, hot men. And they figure they can sell more calendars if those men weren’t wearing their shirts. Ryan was gracious enough to help me put together a list of possible calendar models and, congratulations, you made the cut.” She clapped her hands and mentally patted herself on the back for getting through that moment.

  Hoots and laughter filled the room. Foster gave her a cheeky grin and a wink. No bygones there. Again she looked to Ryan for support, and this time she got it. He stood up, put two fingers in his mouth and let loose a piercing whistle. The men fell silent.

  “Listen up. Bree needs our help and we’re gonna do it. Pretend you’ve got some manners and treat this lady with the respect she deserves. Before you leave today you will each give her your contact information and your schedule. Let her know when you’d be most available for a photo shoot.”

  Bree almost expected to hear them all shout “break” after he was done talking. But they didn’t. Each man nodded his acquiescence while puffing out his chest to show he was more than up to the task. She couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Ryan had fallen back into the role of quarterback quite easily. She wondered if he even realized it.

  Eight men for her calendar down. Four more to go. Since this was essentially Cady’s idea, her friend could help her come up with the last few. Bree had a feeling Cady was just dying to be asked.

  • • •

  More snow. Though he’d been excited to see it when they’d first arrived back in Scallop Shores, Ryan now admitted the novelty had worn off. All it meant was more shoveling, more clearing off the cars and navigating treacherous roads.

  But it was Monday and that was the one day of the week that Pettridge Hardware was closed for business. Folks knew how to reach his parents if they were desperate enough. If he got a call from his mom, he’d meet someone there. He’d originally planned to meet the Realtor and discuss how much they could expect to list the store for, but that could wait one more day.

  His cell phone had rung at butt early o’clock with a message from the school announcing a snow day. That meant he and Wesley would be cooped up with nothing to do but talk and hang out. It disgusted him that the very idea made him a little queasy. Not that things weren’t getting easier. Bree had coached him through the sixth book of the Harry Potter series and Ryan was almost to the point where he wanted to read the books for himself.

  Ryan loved his kid more than life itself. He realized now that he’d done Wesley a disservice by turning his back on his own passions just because of one stupid accident. Football was a huge part of who he was. And if he were to truly connect with his son, he needed to introduce him to the game. There was plenty of room in his young life for books and sports.

  But it was hard to think about football when they were snowed in for the day. So he sat at the table with his trusty to-do list, reminding himself to check the contents of the pantry in hopes of finding hot chocolate and microwave popcorn. Next he wrote “Netflix movies.” Ryan wondered if the first couple of Harry Potter films would be appropriate for an eight year old. After all, Wesley had gotten through the entire book series without a single nightmare.

  Wesley stumbled out into the kitchen, hair rumpled from sleep, slightly too-small pajamas askew. He blinked at the overhead light as he slid into a chair at the table while fumbling with his glasses.

  “Snow day. No school.”

  “No school? Why?”

  Ryan chuckled. For a So Cal kid, the concept of canceling school due to an act of nature was completely foreign. He ruffled Wesley’s hair and went in search of a quick breakfast for the both of them.

  A knock at the door had them both looking up, curious. There was only one person it could be at this hour, given that the driveway was currently impassable. Ryan headed down the hall to let Bree in.

  “Happy first snow day! Well, for Wes anyway. How are we celebrating?” She sailed in, heading straight for the kitchen.

  “I was thinking we would gorge ourselves on hot chocolate and popcorn while watching Harry Potter on Netflix.” He followed right behind her.

  “Perfect end to a snow day. But what are we doing outside?”

  Father and son looked at her blankly.

  “Oh, come on, Ryan. Where did all the kids meet on a snow day? Lots of snow. Lots of hills.”

  “The golf course! God, I haven’t thought of that place in years. But we don’t have any tubes or sleds.”

  “My little brothers still have theirs. And I think it’s high time we introduce Wes to my youngest brother, Theo. He’s only a couple of years older than you.”

  Sledding at the golf course. Ryan had to admit that sounded like a great idea. He grinned around a bite of Pop Tart. Holding one out in front of him, he offered it to Bree.

  “Oh, come on, guys! If you’re going to be hiking up and down hills all day, you need your protein.”

  Sashaying toward the fridge in her deliciously tight jeans, Bree took out a carton of eggs, some ham and veggies and proceeded to make them the most mouth-watering omelets Ryan had ever tasted. The woman could take over his kitchen any time she wanted.

  Leaving the dishes for when they returned, the threesome bundled up and headed outside to tackle the driveway and clear off the pickup truck. Bree’s mom was happy to get a cooped-up Theo off her hands for the day and helped them load an assortment of snow tubes, toboggans, and plastic sleds into the back of the truck.

  Though it was still early, half the town was parked along the edges of the golf course. Ryan squeezed into a spot up against a snow bank. Bree and the boys had to slide out on his side.

  Prepared for an awkward silence in the truck, Ryan had been pleasantly surprised to find that Wesley and Theo hit it off quickly. Apparently Harry Potter was a universal topic and the boys were soon bonding over Quidditch matches and favorite death scenes. Bree didn’t interrupt, her eyes straight ahead and a satisfied smirk on her face. Okay, he was grateful.

  It turned out that Theo was a popular kid, and with Ryan’s permission, he dragged Wesley off to join a group of boys racing down
one of the steeper slopes. Bree trudged along beside him, her cheeks and the tip of her nose the same rosy pink as the matching knit hat and scarf she wore. Impulsively, he grabbed her mittened hand and squeezed.

  “I remember one year we were all out here after freezing rain coated the snow in a layer of ice. Do you remember that?” He glanced over as he positioned an inflatable toboggan at the top of a lesser-crowded hill.

  “Oh my gosh, yes! We were all getting scratched and bloodied on that snow. It was crazy.”

  “Crazy fun!”

  “Well, yeah.” Her grin was shy.

  “Come on.” He sat down on the back end of the toboggan and gestured for her to sit in the cradle of his thighs. “You know we fly a lot faster if we weigh it down together.”

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve gone flying down these hills, but I do recall some spectacular face plants.” Bree shook her head, even while giggling.

  “Do it. Do it,” Ryan chanted.

  She sat down on the sled, drawing her legs up to cross them in front of her. Ryan pulled her tight against his chest with one arm and pushed them off with the other.

  Together they careened down the hill, laughing and shrieking the whole way. Someone had built a mogul about two-thirds of the way down and though they both tried to lean toward the right to avoid it, the toboggan hit the edge and was airborne for a few seconds before dumping the hapless couple into the snow.

  Ryan was still holding on tight, so when they landed he was on his back with Bree somehow twisted to land on top of him, face to face. He could have let go and allowed her to scramble free. But they lay there, frozen puffs of breath mingling in front of their faces. His attention was drawn to her mouth as she chewed on her bottom lip. Leaning forward, he decided he needed to sample it for himself.

  “We need to talk.” Pushing a mitten against his chest, Bree rolled off him and hurried after their toboggan, which had continued on a few feet down the hill without them.

  Uh oh. All he’d wanted was a kiss. She’d sure welcomed his advances the last time. He blew out a frustrated sigh and followed after her, grabbing the toboggan rope from her and pulling the sled up the hill behind him.

  They reached a spot at the very top where they had the best vantage point of the golf course. Ryan spotted Wesley on his way back up the busiest hill. The smile on his son’s face was huge and he was chatting nonstop with Theo and another little boy. Satisfied that he wasn’t needed at the moment, he set the toboggan down off the trodden path and away from the hill’s edge. Then he waited for Bree to sit down beside him.

  “What’s wrong?” He tried to get a read on her facial expression.

  “Nothing is wrong. Everything is very right. Very good. And that’s ... bad.” She dropped her face into her mittens, pressing them against her eyes as she groaned.

  Ryan watched Bree struggle to put her thoughts into words. She looked determined. Sitting up straighter, she tightened her jaw, thrust out her chin. She swallowed a few times and cast him a wary look from beneath her lashes.

  “Why not me?”

  He blinked, repeating the question over silently in his head until it finally parsed. “We need to talk.” Oh God. This was a conversation he’d been putting off his entire adult life. But she was absolutely right. He had never explained to Bree why, after such a perfect night, he had still chosen Haley.

  “You must think I’m the biggest jerk. An idiot who can’t make up his frickin’ mind. One minute I’m telling you that you’re the love of my life and the next I’m back with my girlfriend—and marrying her.”

  “I believed you, when you told me you loved me. And I still believe that you really thought you did. So, yeah, I’m a little confused.” She didn’t look confused. She looked defeated. And he’d done this to her.

  “Oh, Bree. I did love you.” I still do, he almost added. “If I’d been single ... that night ... I would have stayed with you in a heartbeat. I wanted a future with you. You were my soul mate.”

  “You chose Haley,” she whispered.

  “I thought I was doing the right thing. I’d cheated on my girlfriend. I never thought I was that kind of guy. I hated myself for the longest time. What my actions did to you. What they’d do to her if she ever found out.” He remembered Haley becoming extra clingy in those weeks right after the bonfire. He’d chalked it up to nerves about moving all the way across the country, a new school, having to leave all her friends behind. He was all she had out there and he couldn’t just abandon her.

  “I thought I had to pay for what I did. I thought I was doing you a favor. You didn’t deserve someone who would cheat on his girlfriend, even if it was for his true love. I didn’t deserve someone who was willing to give me everything and yet asked nothing in return.”

  “We shouldn’t have made love. If you truly loved me, you would have told Haley the truth, broken things off with her and then we could have had an honest relationship.” A single tear leaked out of one eye to track slowly down her cheek.

  “Except we were stupid kids. I mean, we were kids. I was the stupid one.”

  “No, I was stupid too. I was just as much to blame. I knew you weren’t available. But I was so blindly happy. All my dreams were coming true. You made me believe that anything was possible. It didn’t take much to persuade me. I was yours.” She swiped at her face with a mitten, turning her head so he wouldn’t see her cry anymore.

  “It’s just us now. Like it should have been back then. I know I don’t deserve a second chance, but I’m wishing like hell that you’ll give me one.”

  “Ryan, you aren’t staying, remember? You said you’re headed back to California as soon as you sell the hardware store. Unless something has changed since the last time we spoke?” She’d turned back to face him, hope and disappointment warring for dominance in her beautiful eyes.

  The back of his neck felt prickly as he fought off a wave of embarrassment. Caught up in the moment, he had forgotten that theirs was only a temporary relationship. Bree’s smile was resigned as she realized she had slapped him with a dose of reality.

  “It was supposed to be us, you and me together for the rest of our lives. I screwed that up for us. I’m so sorry.” He reached out for her hand, put it on his knee and covered it with one of his own.

  “Life doesn’t always happen the way we want. But you have Wes. He’s something good that came out of that union. So don’t you dare regret the choices you made.”

  She paused, like she had something else she wanted to add, but then thought better of it. Pulling gently on her hand, she tugged it out of his grasp. Giving him a tremulous smile, she got to her feet and announced she was going back for one of the single sleds.

  He’d pushed too hard, too fast. But he was glad she’d forced the issue out into the open. Ryan had been surprised to find that Bree willingly shouldered some of the responsibility for their night together. He had made so many mistakes because of that night.

  Asking for a second chance had not even been on his radar before today. But now that the words were out of his mouth, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Would she come back to California with him and Wesley? Would he be willing to stay in Scallop Shores for her? One thing was for certain, he had a lot to think about.

  Chapter 8

  Skirting the bucket parked below the biggest leak in the roof, Bree put away the books she had chosen for story time for the three-year-old crowd. She gathered up the puppets and the felt board. Grinning, she gave the cap on the bubble solution an extra twist before replacing it in her desk drawer. It was hard to sit still for so long when you were three. They deserved the little dance party she threw at the end of story time.

  It was getting close to lunchtime and Bree was meeting Cady at the coffee shop to drive around and visit the last few potential recruits for the calendar. She stopped off in the stacks to pick up a book she and Wesley had been discussing the other day.

  On impulse, she also grabbed a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer�
�s Stone for Ryan. She’d told him he couldn’t expect to connect with Wesley by watching the abbreviated movie-versions of the books, but she was still doing him a disservice by offering him the Cliff Notes version in her lessons. It was high time he give the series a try. And from there, she had a few more she thought they both would enjoy.

  She put the books for both Wesley and Ryan in her large tote bag that held all her notes for the fundraiser. She’d been up late the night before, inputting schedules for everyone who had gotten back to her so far, including the photographer, who had put his own project on hold to work on the calendar. Bree had tried to insist that they could wait, or work around his own schedule, but she seemed to have had him at ‘shirtless male models’.

  Waving to Martha and promising to be in touch via text, Bree headed down the library steps to the rock salt crusted sidewalk. She’d try to sneak in a few minutes of work at Cady’s Dream, before they left to meet with another potential model. Her spreadsheet of calendar details was filling up exponentially.

  Calves bared to the biting chill of the late January air, Bree burrowed further into her wool coat. Her old peasant skirts had covered her to the ankle and swirled when she walked. These new pencil skirts, though stylish, took a bit to get used to in the maneuvering department. Sitting on the floor with the children during story time was...interesting, to say the least.

  The new skinny jeans that Cady had insisted she buy were her secret favorite. Not a single man at Ryan’s football party had passed up an opportunity to look their fill. While she wasn’t used to the attention, she would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it. And if Ryan’s attention, in particular, caused her stomach to do backflips, who was she to argue?

  Ryan. Bree was proud of herself for gathering her nerve and confronting him with the question that had bothered her ever since he’d taken her heart with him to California. Though the answer she received was not one she’d expected, nor was his request for a second chance.

  All of the changes she’d made, all of the progress. It was supposed to have been a means of moving forward, getting on with her life and leaving the past behind. She wanted her happy ever after, just like her friends. The more time she spent with Ryan and Wesley, the more she understood that no one else would do. Her love for Ryan Pettridge was her past, her present, and would continue to be her future. But would he stay in Scallop Shores for her?