I glance up at the house where I know Piper and Ellie are, but there’s no movement behind the windows. Not that I expected her to be waiting for me to get back, or even want her to be. That would be a little too domestic and couple-y for our situation. Except…I kind of want exactly that.
Fuck.
“Dude,” Tyler pants as he flops onto the grass at my feet. “Stop staring at the house like a fucking creeper. You’re down bad.”
“You know the fact that I left your ass in the dust back there on the trail wasn’t by accident.” I nudge his leg with my foot. “I was sick of hearing your yapper flapping.”
“What’s the big deal? You like your sister-in-law. You’re not breaking any actual laws.”
“She’sIan’ssister-in-law,” I say through clenched teeth. “Not mine. And I don’tlikeher.”
Tyler shades his eyes with his hands as he stares up at me. “You’re joking, right?”
“Sure, I can admit she’s hot. But that’s straight facts and has no bearing on?—”
“There’s more to it.”
“There’s not.” My jaw is so tight it’s a wonder I can speak at all. “And she’s notjusthot,” I blurt before I can stop myself. Tyler’s brows shoot up, and I instantly regret opening my mouth. “She’s more than…I mean, the way she looks is not the point.”
“I get the point.” Tyler’s slow grin infuriates me. “When’s the last time you got laid, man? Scratch that. When’s the last time youwantedto get laid?”
I roll my eyes. “You need a hobby.”
“Poking the Barlowe bearismy hobby.” He gets up and dusts off his shorts. “Anyway, we should hit the bars in Vail this weekend. You need a release valve before you blow your top. There’s always a girls’ trip or bachelorette party?—”
“No bachelorette parties,” I say darkly. That’s how Piper and I ended up in bed together in the first place. Lightning doesn’t need to strike twice.
He snorts. “How about you just swipe right on someone normal and?—”
“Why is my dick and what I do with it any of your business?”
“Because it’s screwing with your focus.” He lowers his voice. “And probably your sanity. I’ve never seen you wound this tight. You need to chill, Felix. Chilling is your superpower. Whatever it is you’re trying to prove on the field this season, it might be easier if you didn’t have a ticking time bomb of unresolved sexual tension sleeping down the hall.”
“I bet Gronk’s coach never told him to chill.”
“First, you’re not Gronk, and second, I’m saying it as much asyour friend as your trainer.” He softens his tone. “I know this situation with Ellie is a lot to deal with.”
“You have no idea,” I say. I mean for my tone to come across as scathing, but it sounds more like bone-deep desperation. “You can’t possibly know.”
“That’s fair. But?—”
I shake my head. “No more, Tyler. It is what it is, and I’m doing my level fucking best here. I’m hoping to get Ellie settled with her new family by the time I have to report to training camp in late July. But only if the attorney finds people who are a good fit for her. Either way, we’re going to be fine.”
Saying the words out loud should make them feel true. It doesn’t.
His brows lower. “You’re sure that’s the right way to go?”
“It’s the only way,” I insist, even though I’m not sure of anything at the moment.
Well, I’m certain that Piper looks like a literal angel in the morning light, and Ellie’s laugh makes my chest feel like it might crack open. I’m also pretty sure I’ve stopped sleeping through the night because I lay awake thinking of them both.
None of which I’m about to admit to Tyler.
Piper is great with Ellie, which is no surprise, and her help gives me a lot more time for training. But she’s also got me spun up in about a million different ways. As irritating as I find it, Tyler might be right. Maybe letting off some steam is the right call.
It certainly worked in that Denver hotel room.
“Looks like you have a visitor,” Tyler says as we get closer to the house.
