I wish it were that easy. “Have a good one, Sanders.”
“I plan to,” he grinned, before taking off toward the entrance.
Making my way through the crowd to my car, I replayed the last two weeks, weighing it all. Climbing in, my conversation with Evan by the pool was set on replay in my head. He’d put two and two together one night when we sat by the pool, figuring thetension between me and Colin was more than what it appeared to be.
“I’m destroyed,” I confessed. “We spent one night together, and I can’t get past it. There’s more to him than all the media coverage suggests. He’s a loner, and I’m a caretaker. I don’t know if it’s the forbidden thing or if it’s just who he is. And for the record, that fucking them out of your head thing is bullshit.”
Evan laughed. “Don’t I know it. When I met Hudson that first night, I was drawn to him. All it took was one conversation to know he was the one. But he’d never been with a man, and I had to settle for friendship for a while. No one has ever made me feel the way he does. And I love those kids.”
He smiled when he talked about them, but there was a hint of sadness in his tone, too.
“I remember that night. But isn’t the distance going to be a problem?”
“Nope. We’re not going to let it. Five hundred miles is less than ninety minutes on a plane. I’ve contracted one for the entire season, so we can be together whenever our schedules allow.”
I thought about the seventy-five hundred miles and the Pacific Ocean separating San Diego and Sydney. That was an impossible distance to manage.
“I can tell you this, my friend. If you care about him, the distance won’t matter. You’re loaded, and so is he. He’s here now, and you only live once.”
I laughed. “But we’re on the same team.”
“So? Why does that matter?”
“The league…” I started, but Evan cut me off.
“Has no formal regulation about two players being in a relationship. Staff and players, as well as cheerleaders and players, have regulations. Some teams have more restrictions than others. But they leave the decision about teammates to thefranchise. Look it up. If that is what you think is forbidden, then I’m happy to tell you, you’re wrong, St. James.”
He’d given me a lot to think about, and there was a possibility I’d waited too long. If he were interested in Lucas, then I might have lost my chance.
When I pulled into the garage forty-five minutes later, I got out of the car and went inside. My parents were on the sofa, watching a documentary on Air Force One, with Bella and Allister.
“What’s he doing in here?”
My mother ran a hand over his soft fur. “He’s been here for two weeks. The little guy didn’t need to live all alone out there. I hope you don’t mind.”
I shook my head and rubbed his back. “No, I don’t mind.”
And I didn’t. It felt like he belonged here. I just had to figure out a way to get his daddy here if it wasn’t too late.
After dinner, my parents went up for the night, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Allister was curled up on the sofa with Bella, so another run on the beach was out. The tide was probably in any way.
Needing to clear my head, I changed clothes and headed out to the pool. Even though I was sore from two weeks of intense training, a swim might help me clear my head.
I’d done exactly what Evan had suggested and spent part of the evening reading my contract. He was right, and there was nothing there that prohibited anything. What it would come down to was whether we could keep a relationship off the field, and if I was ready to come out. My moral high ground wouldn’tlet me do this without a conversation with the Coach, and if he advised against it, I wasn’t sure what I would do.
Did I think we had a shot? If the intense chemistry was any sign, then yes, I did. But the miles between us when he had to go home to Australia hurt to consider. We weren’t together, and I already missed him.
There was also the possibility that Colin wasn’t interested. It was supposed to be a one-night deal to get it out of our systems, but it had been so much more. Neither of us could have imagined feeling like this. I’d shut him down at every opportunity, and he had every right to do the same.
Sliding into the water, I sank down, letting it chill my heated skin. Moving to the end, I swam lap after lap until my muscles protested.
Clinging to the side of the pool, I stretched my arms along the wall and tilted my head back to face the night sky. I lost track of time as the breaking waves on the shore soothed me.
Car doors closed close by, and masculine voices caught my attention. My brain latched onto the Australian accent and piqued my attention. Just like I’d feared, he wasn’t alone. And why should he be? He was gorgeous and deserved to be loved by someone who could give him what he needed. I was afraid he’d never had that, and I wanted to be the one to give it to him.
Needing to get out of the pool, I didn’t want to see him come home with another man. Especially one that could end up being a teammate if he made the cut. But it would serve me right if he found something with Lucas.
