Page 59 of Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends

But now, she’s coming to my games, we’ve gone out to eat together more than once, she likes spending time with my friends, which are now our friends, and I think she is seriously considering the book signing.

A book signing just for her.

I’m so proud of her.

Maybe it’s because I’ve watched her grow over the years and make something of herself. Perhaps it’s because now we’re friends. Or maybe it’s because I feel so much more for her. Either way, she is incredible, and she did this all on her own.

“You ready to head in?” Ryder asks. We’ve been running routes against each other, trying to fake the other out and get by, all the while having the sun blare down on us. When we’re practicing, we’re at the training facility. There’s a roof over us. Being out here in the heat and the sun sucks.

“Yeah, let’s go,” I tell him, patting him on the back to head toward our tunnel. I’d love to run a cold towel over my head and drink some electrolytes.

“Do you like playing with what’s mine?” a voice asks behind us. I don’t even need to turn around to know who it is. He’s so narcissistic; he just can’t help himself. Whereas I thought just maybe I’d get through today without an interaction with him since we’re both on the offensive side of the team, I should have known he’d never let today go by without trying to get the last word in.

“Bro, what did you say?” Ryder asks as he and I both turn to see Dean and Brad Stoll standing there on the fifty-yard line. Dean’s arms are crossed over his chest. He’s attempting to look menacing, but I have four inches and at least thirty pounds on him.

“Do you like playing with what’s mine?” he asks again, in a tone that says he really believes this.

There is no explaining the hot pulse of jealousy as it pumps and burns through my veins. It’s fitting that sweat is rolling down the side of my face from the heat, when really all I can think is he’d had her for so long and nothing in this world sounds more horrible than that.

Why did she stay with this asshole for so long?

“I can assure you, I don’t have anything that belongs to you,” I tell him, emphasizing the word anything.

“Is that what you think?” He steps closer to me, across the line into Tarpons territory as a sign of intimidation, but all I see is a bug that needs to be squashed. “Is that what she tells you? If you haven’t figured it out by now, she’ll come back. She always does.”

Brad looks back and forth between the two of us and then steps up next to his QB. Whether or not he agrees with this conversation, it doesn’t matter. He’ll be there for his teammate, just like Ryder is standing next to me.

I smirk and the muscles in his face twitch.

He’s so full of shit. They’ve never been the couple to play the break-up-and-get-back-together game. They were solid. Lance would have known, and therefore, I would have. These things don’t stay hidden among your family. Certainly not one as close as they are.

With that smirk, he knows I know the truth, and he doesn’t like it.

“Dean, she is never getting back together with you. You blew it, and I know you know this.” I tilt my head. “But maybe it took her leaving for you to realize you lost the best person in the world?”

His eyes narrow as he hears what I’m basically confessing to and tries to imagine us together.

“Nah, man. She just needs to get this out of her system,” he says, like the thought disgusts him.

“Get what out?” I ask, noticing a few more players have wandered up to the conversation. I hate that he’s talking about her. She deserves better than this.

“This infatuation for you. She’s always had it. I knew it, her family and friends knew it, and I’m pretty sure you knew it too, which is why you begged her to come to Tampa.”

I honestly have no idea what he’s talking about, but you can bet your ass she and I will be discussing this later. Did she have an infatuation with me? Is he saying that basically I could have been with her all these years instead of him?

“How sad for you, then. To know your girl was dreaming about someone else. I wonder why that was? Certainly wouldn’t be because you took the time to really get to know her, ask her how her job is going, if she liked where you were living, or all the people you were constantly inviting over. I mean, hell, I’m certain you told her how much you loved her ideas and plans for your future.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You know nothing about our relationship.” He bristles, his hands tightening into fists down by his sides.

“I know you don’t have one anymore, and that’s all that matters. And this doesn’t have anything to do with getting me out of her system because as far as I can tell, her system’s already been cleansed and is toxin-free.”

Could I have dropped an innuendo in there about me being in her system to throw more fuel on the fire? Absolutely. But this isn’t about me. It’s about her and putting this guy in his place.

“Just tell her to answer my texts. I’m ready for her to come home.”

And he still doesn’t get it. He’s so blind to reality that he thinks this is about him. What he wants, when he wants it, et cetera.

“Nah, I think I’ll pass. She likes the quiet. Something about how exhausting it is listening to you talk about yourself all the time.”