“I’m glad.” I peeled the label off my beer, propping my ankle on my knee. “Sometimes I feel like I’ve failed you though. I haven’t always been there when you needed me.” There had been times when I was on the road, on a three-day bender, and Cole had called or texted me with a problem and it took me days to get back to him. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t always have my priorities straight, but I do now. Family first.” And Riley, who I hoped would officially be a part of my family very soon.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Uncle Brody. Seriously, you’ve been, like, my rock.”
I’d never been the steadfast type, so that surprised me. “I think you’ve always seen something in me I don’t always see in myself,” I said, nudging his shoulder with mine. “Thanks for that.”
Color crept up Cole’s cheeks before he dipped his head to hide a smile. “You really want to thank me? Take the coaching job at my school. It’d be really cool to have you around all the time.”
“You think so?” I smirked. “I wouldn’t embarrass you in front of your friends?”
“Are you kidding?” He drew back to stare at me. “You and Uncle Seb are, like, celebrities. My friends think you guys rock.”
I laughed. The kids’ parents probably had a different opinion of a professional poker player influencing their kids. “What about your dad? He’s something of a celebrity in this town too.”
“Well, yeah,” Cole said, shrugging. “But he’s our dad. It’s different.”
Glancing at my older brother sitting at the table beside his oldest son, I said, “Don’t ever take your dad for granted, Cole. You don’t know how lucky you are to have him.”
Cole watched his brother and father, smiling. “Yeah, I do. It really sucked when Mom and Dad separated, not having him around all the time. I missed him.”
“I hope you told him that.” Ryker was one of those guys who did everything for everyone without expecting anything in return. But given how hard he tried to be a good role model for his sons, I knew it would mean a lot to him to hear from them that he was hitting the mark.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Okay, guys,” Riley said, standing in the doorway. “Dinner’s ready.”
“We’re ready,” I said, wrapping my arm around Cole’s neck when we stood. “Aren’t we, kid?” I wasn’t sure I was ready, knowing the news I was about to impart would send everyone reeling. But I had to man up and tell them, no matter how hard it was. I waited until everyone was seated before I stood at the head of the table, my bottle in hand. “So listen, before we get started, I should probably tell you why we invited you here tonight.” Before I lose my nerve.
Riley gave me a reassuring smile before reaching for my hand. Jesus, I needed this woman.
“You guys are getting married?” Ryker asked, looking from me to Riley. “Please tell me that’s it. You finally came to your senses and asked this gorgeous woman to be your wife.”
“That’s not it,” Riley said, offering Ryker a tight smile.
After our argument earlier, I should be grateful she was even still talking to me, but it still stung that she shut down the topic of marriage so quickly.
“Um…” Everyone looked at me expectantly and my stomach clenched. Nervousness was such a foreign feeling for me, it took me a full minute to recognize that’s what it was. “So the old man came to see me in Vegas last week.”
“What?” Ryker leaned forward, fisting his hands on the table. “Surely you’re not talking about our old man? The deadbeat who walked out on us? On Mom? More times than I can count?”
“Honey,” Mac said, curling her hand around her husband’s wrist, “let Brody talk.”
Kane sank back in his chair, closing his eyes, and I was surprised when I saw Macy, who was sitting beside him, reach for his hand.
“Needless to say, I was stunned when he showed up out of nowhere. My first impulse was to tell him to get lost, that I never wanted to see him again.” I locked eyes with each of my brothers. “But he told me something that changed things, guys. He told me he has two more sons.”
“What?” Ryker shouted, standing. “Are you kidding me? He couldn’t even take care of us and he—”
“Ryker.” Mac shot a meaningful look at their boys, who looked confused and more than a little shocked by their father’s outburst.
Of everyone sitting at this table, Ryker had the best reason to despise Jack. He’d left Ryker with the burden of raising five hell-raisers when he could barely take care of himself.
After a deep breath, Ryker sat down. “Go on, bro.”
“Apparently he got sober after he left us. He got a job and got remarried.”
“I can’t believe there’s a woman out there stupid enough to marry him.” Gabe winced when he must have realized he’d inadvertently insulted our late mother. “You know what I mean,” he muttered, sinking lower in his chair.
Gabe was the only one here tonight without a support person, and I suddenly wished he’d brought a date, a friend even, someone who would force him to talk about this when he left. I knew instead he’d throw himself into his work, his go-to when he couldn’t sleep.
“I assumed the worst about her too,” I said, trying to let Gabe off the hook. “You know, that she’d be just like him. But she’s not.”
“You’ve met her?” Nex asked, looking pissed. Since Nex was the youngest, he didn’t have the same memories of the old man we did, but that didn’t make him any less resentful. “How? When? He didn’t have the nerve to bring her here, did he?”
“No, I went there.” I held up my hands when they all fired questions and accusations at me. “Not to see him. I wanted to meet his kids. Our brothers.”
“Half-brothers,” Seb amended.
“Does that really matter?” I asked, looking at him.
“If they’re anything like him, it does,” Seb said, clenching his jaw. “We turned out all right because of Mom and in spite of him. If those kids of his are—”
“They’re great.” I felt the need to defend them, which surprised me. Two weeks ago, I hadn’t even known they existed. Now I felt protective of them, just as though they were real family. Which of course they were. Somehow, over the course of the few hours I’d spent with them, I went from thinking of them as strangers to thinking of them as my little brothers. Brothers I wanted to get to know better. “None of this is their fault, you guys.”
“How old are they?” Ryker asked.
“Just a couple years older than Zane and Cole,” I said, looking at my nephews. I’d seen them grow up, held them when they were babies. I hated that I’d missed out on that with Tanner and Beck. “I know you’ll like them… if you’re willing to give them a chance.”
“I can’t believe this,” Gabe said, grabbing his head. “You hated that asshole more than all of us put together. Now you’re what, buddy-buddy with him?”
“No.” I knew my family was questioning everything right now, including me and the role I’d played in this reunion. “This isn’t about him. This is about them.”
“I know this is none of my business,” Riley said, “but—”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ryker cut in. “You’re family, Riley. You were there when Mom died. You were there when I married Mac, when the kids were born. You have as much right to offer your opinion as anyone sitting here.”
I’d never appreciated my brother more than in that moment, because someone other than me needed to remind Riley that she was a part of us before she forgot.
“Thank you for saying that,” Riley said to Ryker. “I can’t possibly understand what you’re going through. I don’t know what any of you are thinking or how you’re feeling. All I can tell you, as someone who didn’t know Jack or his wife until a few days ago, is they both seem like decent people.”
I thought her assessment was fair. I would have voiced it myself if I wasn’t concerned about getting pummeled by five pissed-off behemoths. “Riley’s right. Sandra seems like a nice person. In fact, s
he reminded me a lot of Mom.”
“How do you know he’s not treating her the same way he treated Mom?” Seb asked, glaring at me.
“I had a chance to talk to her,” Riley said to Seb. “And I can only tell you what she told me, which is that he’s been a good husband. She said he’s been a good father to their kids.” Lowering her head, as though she felt guilty for telling the truth, she murmured, “And a good friend.”
“I need a minute,” Gabe said, tossing his napkin on the table. “I’m sorry, I’ll be back.”
Chapter Eleven
Riley
After his family left, Brody had been understandably tense, so I let him have some space as I finished cleaning up. He offered to help, but knowing he needed some time alone, I suggested he go down to the gym, then grab a shower instead.
Now we were curled up in bed, and I could tell he was still wide awake, trying to process what had happened and what it would mean for his family when they all had time to think about everything he’d told them. Would they be willing to see their father again? Would they want to have a relationship with Tanner and Beck?
Kissing his bare chest, I said, “If you want to talk about it, I’m here to listen, you know.”
He kissed my temple, his lips lingering. “I love you, babe.”
“I love you too,” I said, resting my hand on his flat stomach. “That’s why I want to help, if I can?”
“I can’t blame them if they don’t want to have anything to do with him, but Beck and Tanner? They’re a part of us.” He released a shuddering sigh, making me ache for him. “We’ve always been so tight. I can’t imagine my life without any one of them, and I can’t help but think, given a little more time, I’ll feel the same way about Tanner and Beck.”
“I’m sure you will. I know your brothers, honey. Family means everything to them. They won’t be able to rest without getting to know Beck and Tanner.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said, his arms tightening around me.
“We have that appointment with the realtor in the morning. Do you want me to call her and reschedule?” Brody had lined up showings of a few houses he thought would meet his needs.
“No,” he said, running his hand through my hair. “I need the distraction. It’ll be good for me to think about the future.”
“Speaking of the future…” This was the worst possible time to bring it up, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed to know. “Have you decided whether you’re going to go back out on the circuit?”
I knew he wasn’t sleeping, but he remained silent so long, I wondered if he intended to answer me.
“I’ve earned sixteen million dollars in my career. Got the WSOP bracelet. Hell, everyone said I was a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame when I hit forty.”
Wow. Sixteen million dollars. I knew he’d earned a lot of money over the years, but I had no idea it was that much.
“I don’t need to work another day in my life,” he said quietly. “But we both know I’d go crazy if I didn’t find a reason to get out of bed in the morning.”
Please don’t tell me poker is still your reason for getting out of bed in the morning. I knew I was selfish to want him to give it up. But it wasn’t just his job. It was his obsession, and there was no room in his life for both poker and me. I’d tried it for years, and I always wound up getting the short end of the stick.
“So Cole threw an idea out there tonight and it got me to thinking…”
I tipped my head back to look at him. Just enough moonlight streamed through the curtains for me to see his face. “About?”
“Coaching football.” He chuckled, his hand curling around my shoulder. “It’s a crazy idea, right?”
“Is it?” It sounded like a pretty great idea to me. He’d always loved the game and he got along great with teenage boys, which was obvious from his relationships with Zane and Cole.
“I don’t know. Dean Andropoulos doesn’t seem to think so.”
“What does Dean have to do with this?”
“Apparently he’s the new principal at Zane and Cole’s school.” He laughed. “Can you believe that?”
I smiled at the memory of the troublemaker who loved to prank his teammates. “People change, right?”
“Yeah, I guess they do.” He kissed the top of my head. “But if I were to go see Dean and he offered me the job, it’d be a pretty big commitment. I mean, a lot of people would be counting on me to do right by those kids.”
“You got your degree in education for a reason.” Though he’d never talked about wanting to become a teacher, I had no doubt he could serve as a great mentor for those boys. “Why not put it to use doing something you love?”
“Part of the reason I started playing poker was because of the rush. Football used to give me that same rush. There was no better feeling than winning, especially a big game, when the stakes were high.”
In a lot of ways, football had saved him when his mother died. It prevented him from drowning in his grief and taking his anger out on the world.
“So you’re seriously considering this?” My heart pounded when I thought of the possibility of Brody getting a real job and buying a nice home in a family neighborhood, like the listings he’d shown me. Maybe he was serious about settling down and marrying me…
“I haven’t even talked to Dean yet. I may be getting ahead of myself. Cole may have misunderstood when he said Dean would be interested in having me coach. I mean, come on, it’s not like I have any experience. I know the game, but I’m not a teacher, and I have no experience with kids.”
“I guess the more important question is whether you want it. If Dean offered you a job, would you accept?”
“I think so. Maybe. I don’t know. I’d have to think about it.”
That was the Brody I knew and loved. When his feet were to the fire, he ran like hell. I rolled over, trying to hide my disappointment.
“Hey,” he whispered, curling up against me. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it.”
“You can’t do it for me. You have to do it for yourself, because it’s what you want.”
“Don’t you know by now that I’d do anything to make this work? I need you in my life, Ri.”
I couldn’t allow him to sacrifice his happiness for mine. It would never work. He’d wind up hating me for making him miserable, and our kids would have parents who couldn’t stand each other.
“You have to sort this out for yourself,” I said, allowing him to link his hand through mine. “I’ll be here while you do, every step of the way if you need me. But in the end, you have to decide what you want, what’s best for you.”
“You’re what’s best for me.” He kissed my shoulder. “You always have been.”
I wanted that to be true, since nothing made me happier than being with him, but I refused to fall down that rabbit hole again, looking for something that wasn’t there. “Whatever happens, I won’t hold anything against you.”
“Meaning?”
“I went into this with my eyes wide open, knowing you may not stick around. If you decide not to, I won’t blame you. I won’t hold you responsible for breaking my heart again. I gave you that power. You didn’t take it.” I had to absolve him of any guilt, because I wouldn’t let his conscience be the reason he stayed with me.
“Why are we talking about this now?” He ran his hand over my stomach before slipping it beneath my tank top. “We could be having a lot more fun not talking at all.”
Sex was his go-to when he wanted to distract me or put my mind at ease, but I knew better than to fall for that again. I loved him and I always wanted to make love to him, but tonight I had too much on my mind to let us use each other’s bodies.
“We should get some sleep,” I said, stilling his wandering hand with mine. “We have an early morning.”
“Hey.” He rolled me onto my back, his expression drawn. “Are we okay?”
I forced a smile before stroking his face. “Sure, we’re okay.” I hope.
/> ***
Brody
Riley’s excitement as she wandered through the third house was palpable. She’d tried to be reserved in the first, hanging back and reminding me it was my choice, not hers. In the second house, she pointed out more of the features she liked and suggested improvements she thought would make it even better. But the third go-round, she’d thrown herself into it, painting a visual picture for me. A coat of paint here, new cabinets there, and it would be perfect, according to her.
I should have brought my brother Gabe along, since he’d already transformed a dozen houses from dumps into impressive family homes, but this was an experience I wanted to share with Riley alone. Last time we’d gone house hunting, I’d bought the biggest, most impressive house the realtor showed us, just to prove to Riley that I could. This time I knew better. I wasn’t looking for a mansion. I was looking for a real family home with heart and soul and endless potential for great memories.
The realtor stepped outside to take a call while Riley and I walked through the family room/kitchen for the second time.
“I like that it has a pool,” I said, pointing at the landscaped backyard.
“Yeah, and it’s private,” she said, peeking out the window. “Look at all those mature trees. I love that.”
I love you, girl, I thought, staring at her.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” She looked self-conscious.
“Just picturing us here. Imagining what it would be like to live here with you.”
While she’d spent almost every night with me in the old house, when I’d been in town, she’d been adamant about keeping her condo. She’d said it was a good investment, but I knew it was her safety net. If she decided to dump me, she would always have somewhere to go.
“That’s a big step, living together,” she said, running a hand over the dark granite countertop.
Brody Page 12
