“Jesus, Eli,” he said, knitting his brows. “No wonder he’s pissed at you.” He was quiet for a moment. “This was how long ago?”
“Almost four years. I thought maybe I could talk to him, you know? Maybe another apology after all this time would stop his hatred of me.” I clutched the covers under my chin. “But he still hates me.” And our conversation this afternoon had thrown me back to that painful place and time. I had finished my season back then, and I had space to recuperate before playing again. Not now.
“It’s eating you up inside.” His gaze raked over me. “You can’t let it, or your game will suffer tomorrow.”
“I know that. But how can I stop it?” I glanced at him, watching me intently. This was pointless. I might as well fake an injury and have Coach remove me from the game before he benches me. How the fuck could I think that way?
“Eli, what would you tell someone who called into your helpline?” He threw the covers off him and sat on the edge of the bed, folding his hands in his lap.
“I’d tell them they’re only responsible for themselves. You can’t make others do anything they don’t want to. If you’ve done all you can, then be okay with yourself.” I tensed my lips as my chest ached. Fuck, I needed to listen to myself. But it still hurt to know Wren hated me.
“Have you done all you can?” He raised his brows.
“I don’t know.” Shit, maybe I could keep trying to talk with him. There had to be a way to reverse this situation. “No, maybenot.” I chewed my lower lip. What if I showed him how much I’d changed? “I’ll keep trying.”
“Okay, now you have a plan, and when you encounter him in the hotel or on the field, be the big teddy bear daddy we all know you to be. He’ll come around.” He lifted from the bed and patted my arm. “No one can resist Daddy Eli.” He chuckled and tucked himself into his bed. “Goodnight, Eli. You’ve got this.”
“Yeah, if you say so.” I fluffed my pillow and closed my eyes.
FOUR
WREN
“Don’t say another word about it.” The next morning, I ate at a round conference room table with the cheering squad and Grace sitting next to me. She’d been hammering me all night about Eli, wanting me to quit being so mean to him. I wasn’t being mean. I was standing up for myself.
As I ate a bite of buttered whole wheat toast, my gaze snagged Eli, lumbering into the room with Nick Penny, the team’s Mike and middle linebacker, the player who called the defensive plays. My chest pinched as I watched him. Judging from the dark circles under his eyes, he’d slept little. Was it because of me? I pushed my toast through the yolk of my over-easy fried egg. I’d splurged this morning as I’d need the calories and carbs for tonight’s game.
Grace leaned in close and in a low voice, said, “How can you hate him? Everyone I know says he’s such a nice guy.” Her gaze followed him as he sat at a table next to ours.
He glanced at me, winced and then threw me a tight grin.
My heart fluttered. Goddamn it, every time he looked at me, a part of me melted. But his fucking charms couldn’t take me in. “Yeah, well, nice guys stick up for their?—”
“Give it a rest.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re like a brokenrecord.” As a smirk curled her lips, she said, “Maybe I’ll have a chat with him.”
“No, you won’t.” Grasping her arm, I tossed her my best glare. “And don’t do it behind my back.” I knew she meant well, but I couldn’t let her meddle.
“But look at him?” She puffed her lower lip out. “He looks so sad over there. Usually at games he’s all boisterous and laughing with his buddies.”
“Yeah?” I watched him from the corner of my eye. He appeared different from the man who had jogged onto the field last week. And different from the man I’d known in high school. Hehadchanged. It was probably because I was here. I dug into my egg and then drank some coffee. “Let’s eat and leave.” I didn’t want to watch him wallow in his…whatever the fuck he was feeling. I wouldn’t be sorry for him.
Right after lunch,I sat on the bed in my hotel room, working on an assignment on social media content while Grace was out getting coffees. I didn’t need another run-in with Eli at the coffee shop, and there was still another hour before we headed to the stadium for the game.
The door clicked and swung open. “Hey, Wren, someone’s here to see you,” she said in a singsong voice.
“Goddamn it.”She didn’t. But of course she did. I growled, slapped my laptop shut and hopped off my bed as my pulse spun through the roof.
As she approached me, she handed me a coffee. “Now, Wren, behave for once.” She ticked her shoulders, giving me a sheepish grin.
Eli crept into the room, holding a small bouquet of white carnations. “I brought these for you as a symbol of my sincere apology and a gesture of peace.”
“Isn’t he adorable?” With a squeal, Grace kissed his cheekand hopped on her toes. “I’ll leave you two alone.” She rushed from the room, the door banging shut behind her.
“Wait.” I held my hand toward her. Fuck, she’d double-crossed me. Taking a deep breath, I forced my gaze on Eli, his sultry dark eyes framed by almost black hair and the thin layer of stubble across his jaw. My heart somersaulted. It should be illegal for a man to be this attractive after breaking my heart.
“Wren, please take these. I mean it. I want there to be peace between us.” He stepped to me and held the flowers out.
“Fine.” I snatched the flowers from him and planted them on my nightstand. “I can’t take them home, you know.” What else could he have given me? He knew I didn’t eat candy. Though a card would have been nice. What was I thinking?
