After All These Years (One Pass Away #2) (16 page)

Sean didn’t care about the speculation. He cared about
Riley. Rubbing his face, he sighed. There was no point in mincing words. What
he felt was way beyond caring or wanting. Lust? Definitely. However, a man didn’t
feel like this about a mere sex partner.

For the first time in his life, Sean McBride was in love.
Head over heels, no coming back, until the end of time, love. And wonder of
wonders? He didn’t want to run.

Sean loved Riley.

Damn. Five years ago, who would have predicted that? The kid
had grown up. And he wasn’t talking about Riley. When it came to maturity, she
had always been years ahead. Slowly, with a touch of reluctance, Sean had
finally caught up.

Even a year ago, he hadn’t been ready for her. Now that he
was, would his wild past ruin his chances with the woman who had shown him what
love was about?

“Excuse me? Mr. McBride?”

Sean turned. A small boy, maybe seven years old, stood at
his side. His expression was a combination of excited and terrified. In one
hand he held a pen, a white jersey in the other. In big black letters, McBride
was sewn on the back.

“Hey.” Sean pushed away his unhappy thoughts. Smiling, he
crouched to the boy’s level. “What do you have there?”

“I—Mom?”

“It’s okay, Tad.” She patted her son on the shoulder. “Ask
Mr. McBride for his autograph.”

“Tad? May I sign your jersey?”

With a shy nod, Tad handed him the shirt. Sean understood
how much a moment like this meant to a boy. He grew up idolizing Jerry Rice.
When they finally met, it was everything Sean hoped it would be.

Sean had a duty to the boy, and all his fans. It didn’t
matter what crap rained down on his personal life. It was up to him to make
this moment something Tad would look back on with fondness for the rest of his
life.

He spent five minutes pulling Tad out of his shell. When he
and his mother walked away, they grinned from ear to ear. In addition to the
autograph, Sean gave the boy a poster from the stash he always kept in his
trunk. And promised to have tickets waiting at the box office next Sunday for
Tad and his entire family.

Feeling a little better about the world in general, Sean
used his phone to send his assistant a message about the tickets. That was the
best five minutes he’d had since leaving Riley that morning.

Taking a deep breath, Sean was about to call her again when
his phone rang.

“Claire. Any news?”

“She’s at Providence Hospital. I’ll text you the address.”

“Hospital? What happened? Is she all right? Claire?
Claire
!”

Wild-eyed, Sean hit redial while fumbling with his keys. He
had the car started before he realized Claire was not picking up.

“Fuck!” he yelled. Checking the address, Sean tossed his
phone on the seat. A quick programming of his GPS and he shot out of the
parking lot.

Was Claire on the way to the hospital and couldn’t talk? Or
was she trying to torture him, making his brain dream up the worst scenarios
possible? Sean didn’t care. He needed to get there as quickly as possible.

As it turned out, the hospital was surprisingly close. Sean
ran a few stop signs without a thought of the consequences. For once, the
streets were clear of traffic and police cars.

Briefly, Sean considered leaving his car at the emergency
entrance but thought better of it. He found an empty parking spot that had just
been vacated. He estimated the distance from here to the entrance to be about
half a football field. Piece of cake. He was in the hospital in a flash. His
breathing was normal, but his heart rate was through the roof with anxiety.

“I’m looking for Riley Preston.”

“Do you know when she was admitted?”

“After nine this morning.” Sean took a calming breath. It
didn’t work. “I can’t—”

“Sean?”

His head whipped around at the sound of the wonderfully
familiar voice.

“Riley. Thank God.”

Sean pulled her into his arms. He might change his mind in
an hour or two. But for right now, he never planned on letting go.

“What’s wrong? Are you here to see Kyle?”

“Kyle?” Sean didn’t let go. He spoke into her ear, taking in
her soothing fragrance. “What the hell does he have to do with anything? Claire
told me you were in the hospital.”

“Because Kyle Trenton, your teammate, was transferred here
from Denver earlier this afternoon. I came over to see how he was and to lend
some support to Lynette.”

“The next time I see Claire I will gleefully strangle her.”

Still not himself, Sean let Riley lead him away from the
front desk to a nearby waiting area. Gently, she pushed him onto a plastic
chair.

“Why would Claire make you think I was in the hospital?”

“Pure spite.” Sean held onto Riley’s hand. He needed the
connection.

“That doesn’t sound like her. Unless—what did you do to her?”

“Nothing. I swear.”

Gradually, Sean became aware of his surroundings. He and
Riley were not alone. The waiting area was full and everyone was listening with
unabashed interest.

Smiling at the gaping fans, Sean said under his breath, “We
need some privacy.”

“Come with me.”

Riley took his hand. It was such a natural gesture. She
couldn’t be too pissed off if she didn’t mind touching him.

“We can talk in here. Kyle is down getting x-rays and
Lynette went with him.”

The room was filled with flowers and balloons. Sean knew one
of the arrangements was from him. He signed the card before practice. Another
task his assistant took care of for him.

“How is he?”

“Great.” Riley shrugged. “All things considered. He’s upset
about missing the rest of the season but his doctors see no reason he won’t be
back at full strength for training camp in July.”

“That’s a relief. Lynette and the kids? This must be tough
on them.”

“Lynette has a rod of pure steel in her spine. She was
shaken. Now that the crisis has passed, she’s taken over like a proper drill
sergeant. I don’t envy the hospital staff.” Riley met his wary gaze. “You want
to tell me what’s going on? Or is there another bush you want to beat around?”

“Here.”

Sean handed Riley his phone. He could stall like she said,
or he could face it head on. God, stalling sounded good about now.

“Okay.” Calmly, Riley looked up. “I give up. Why are you
showing me a picture of you and Ava?”

“The article implies I slept with her on the team’s last
road trip.”

“Did you?”

“No! Jesus, Riley.”

“Because, yes, I would be upset.” Riley took a deep breath. “But
we haven’t laid down any ground rules, Sean.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Are we exclusive? Just you and me? No one else?”

“Of course!” Sean ran a distracted hand through his hair.
Flecks of gold in his hazel eyes seemed to turn molten with emotion. “I don’t
want anyone else, Riley.” A sickening thought occurred to him. “Do you?”

“No.”

“Then I’m saying it. Straight out. No one else. I—”
Something stopped him from saying he loved her. The setting? A hospital room
wasn’t the most romantic place to tell a woman something like that. Though
there were roses. “I like what we have.”

“So do I.” Riley handed him the phone. “The idiot who is
trying to stir up trouble needs to do a better job with their choice of
pictures.”

“I’m not a fan.” Sean glanced at it again. “Everyone who has
seen this has given me hell. Why didn’t you?”

“Honestly.” Riley shook her head. “Look closely, Sean. In
the picture, your hair is, at least, three inches shorter than it is now.
Unless you can magically grow it at a superhuman rate, that is obviously an old
picture.”

“Why didn’t I notice that?”

Riley slid her arms around his waist. “Don’t beat yourself
up. I notice everything.” She lightly kissed him. “You might want to remember
that. For future reference.”

“Mmm.” Sean sank into the kiss, the tension that had built
up for the last few hours draining away. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Not jumping to the obvious conclusion. I’ve learned today
that it’s hard to leave your reputation behind.”

“You earned it honestly, Sean. One. Or two. Or three women
at a time.”

“You don’t want to go there.” Sean knew he was being teased.
The weight was gone from his stomach—and his heart. So he had no problem
teasing back. “The stories I could tell.”

“Why don’t we save those for another time. Far, far into the
future.”

Sean liked that idea. Not the part where he shared his
sexual exploits. The part where they had a future. A long, long one.

“I’d like to see Kyle. Then, how about dinner?”

“Kiss me.”

“Instead of dinner?”

Not waiting for an answer, Sean gladly took what she so
sweetly offered. This kiss felt different. Deeper. More emotional. Sean
wondered if she felt it. Did Riley understand that something elemental had
changed inside him? Could she understand it was because of her?

Sean’s arms tightened around her, pulling her close. Not
long ago, the thought of spending the rest of his life with one person would
have scared him to death. Now, his only fear was living a moment of his life
without Riley.

“MY BODY IS is saying thank you very much for the bye week.”
Sean nuzzled Riley’s hair.

“And the rest of you?” Riley smiled.

“I hate to break our rhythm. We are running on all
cylinders. I can’t remember the last time I was on a team that felt this in
tune with each other.”

The music from the jukebox blanketed the bar in a mellow,
bluesy atmosphere. The dance floor in the corner of the room wasn’t meant for
anything more than swaying in the arms of your partner.

That suited Riley and Sean just fine. There was no place
they would rather be than in each other’s arms. It didn’t matter that they were
surrounded by thirty plus Knights and their significant others. It felt as if
they were in a world of their own.

“Coach Coleman wants you guys to forget about football for a
few days.”

“He knows that won’t happen.” Sean slid a hand through her
silky hair, idly playing with the strands. “The best he can hope for is that no
one will do anything stupid during his time off. Give an athlete a few days on
his own, idiocy often ensues.”

“I’m glad you have so much faith in your brothers.”

“It isn’t a lack of faith. It’s years of experience.”

“What is the stupidest thing you ever did?”

“Hmm. Are you asking as my girlfriend or my future boss?”

Riley pretended to think over the question. Any worries that
her impending ownership of the Knights would be a sensitive subject dissipated
long ago. It had never been about the team. It was the money. Once Sean wrapped
his head around the concept of dating a very, very wealthy woman, it became a
non-issue.

Sean was rich. So was she. The degree didn’t matter.

“I’m your girlfriend.”

Sean laughed. Most women would have jumped at the chance to
hear one of his dirty little secrets. Not Riley. One reason to love her. The
list grew daily.

“Yes, you are. And I’m your boyfriend.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Me too.”

Sean hadn’t meant the kiss to be more than a sweet
affirmation of their words. When it grew into something more, his mind wondered
how soon he could get her back to his place. He loved Riley any way he could
get her. However, naked Riley was his favorite.

“Break it up, you two. This is a respectable joint.”

“Go away, Gaige.” Blindly, Sean slapped in the general
direction of his friend’s voice.

“As captain and QB of the Knights, I am using my power to
cut in. Go get a beer while I show the lady how a real man dances.”

With a good-natured grumble, Sean transferred her into Gaige’s
arms.

“How does a real man dance?” she asked.

“With the grace of Fred Astaire and the cool of James Brown.”

“That’s quite a combo. You’re setting yourself up for a big
fall if you can’t deliver, fella.”

A twill, some fancy footwork, and an elaborate dip had the
room applauding and Riley eating her words.

“Is there anything you can’t do, you blond football God?”

“Calculus.”

“Not exactly a fatal flaw.”

Gaige settled them into an unhurried rhythm. Riley’s dreams
were coming true. A successful team. A thriving business. And Sean. First and
foremost, Sean. She didn’t know how many wishes she had left.

If she only had one, it would be for Gaige to find someone
to love. He put on a damn good
I don’t give a shit
face to the world.
Riley knew better. He wanted what they all wanted.

That special someone to make the world a little less lonely.

“Let me set you up with—”

“No.”

“When was the last time you went on an honest to goodness,
dinner and a movie, date?”

“June sixth, two thousand five.”

“That’s specific,” Riley laughed. “It must have been
God-awful if you haven’t done it since. Who was she?”

“The friend of a friend.” Gaige’s bright green eyes bore
into her blue ones.

“Point taken.”

They danced in the easy silence of good friends. Riley laughed
to herself over the kooky Christmas decorations hung haphazardly around the
bar. In spite of the name,
Overtime
didn’t cater to the sports fan. It
was a hole in the wall with a little buzz attached. Exactly how the owner
wanted it.

Gaige frequented the place when he wanted low key and
mellow. A Wednesday in early December was the perfect night to get a bunch of
the team together for a private party. The closed sign was on the door. They
were free to laugh and unwind without worrying about their pictures ending up
on TMZ.

“Life is good?”

“No complaints.”

“Except—?”

“I hate when you do that.” Riley gave Gaige a playful punch
on the shoulder. “Get out of my mind, Kreskin.”

“You’re too young to know who that is.”

“So are you.” With a sigh, she relented. “The poison
pictures.”

“They’ve stopped. There’s no reason to think they’ll start
up again.”

“We all know who was behind it, Gaige.”

“Your father, and, or, your mother.” Not a question. Bald,
unadulterated fact.

“See? You didn’t hesitate. For the rest of my life, I will
have them hanging over me like a couple of demented swords of Damocles.”

“Interesting analogy.”

“And accurate.”

Riley hated to bring up her parents. The ultimate buzzkill.
She avoided the subject with Sean for that very reason. Why remind him of that
less than stellar branch of her family tree.

“There isn’t any proof, Riley,” Gaige reminded her. His
sympathy was tinged with reality. “You have to let it go.”

“In a perfect world?”

“Go on. I’m all for one of those.”

“Once the season is over, I would convene the board. After
wowing them with my charm and eloquence, a unanimous vote would send my father
packing.”

“Followed by endless rainbows and dancing unicorns.”

“You asked.”

Gaige squeezed her hand. “In a not so perfect world?”

He had that,
I’m your friend, tell me your
troubles
,
look on his face. Riley caved every time.

“I would stop worrying about Sean waking up to fully realize
what my family represents. Grandpa isn’t around to temper the insanity, Gaige.”

“No, but you are.”

“Am I enough?”

Riley had few insecurities. Most of them centered around
Sean.

“You, my dear, are a handful.” Gaige dipped her again,
bringing a smile to her face. “I think Sean is the man to take you on.
And
the baggage that comes with you.”

Riley wished she was as certain as Gaige. By nature,
relationships were never insular. The outside world would always want to chip
away at the foundation. Riley could handle Sean’s crazy fans and old lovers. He
accepted that her money wasn’t going anywhere.

Could she expect him to weather every storm her parents
threw at them when each was bound to be crazier than the last? Was it fair to
ask it of him?

“Enough about me. Tell me your problems.”

Gaige had a great poker face. If Riley wasn’t a good friend,
she might have missed the hesitation—the slight shadow in his normally clear,
green eyes.

“What could I have to complain about?”

Riley sighed. The shutter was back on the lens. Gaige kept
his personal life close to the vest. Something troubled him, but he wasn’t
going to share it with her.

“I’m always here. You know. A sympathetic ear and all that
stuff.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Honestly?”

Gaige lightly kissed her cheek before whispering, “Honestly.”

There wasn’t anything else to say. She couldn’t pull his
problems from him. He was a rock for all of them. If the day came when he
needed someone to lean on, Riley hoped he would finally let in the people who
loved him.

Gaige gave her another quick kiss, then spun her into Sean’s
waiting arms.

“Hello, beautiful.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” Sean chuckled, his lips
brushing her temple.

“I don’t want us to play by anyone else’s rules, Sean.”

If they made their own rules, her family wouldn’t matter.
Riley knew it made no sense. However, if it helped banish her worries, even for
a little while, that was all that mattered.

“Okay.” Riley was grateful he didn’t ask the question she
could see in his eyes. “I like the idea of going our own way. The hell with
what anyone else thinks.”

“I’m with you.”

Always
, she thought, resting her head on his shoulder.
And for tonight, she was content to sway in Sean’s arms and shut out the rest
of the world.

THERE WERE DAYS when the business world made her head want to
explode. From sun up, to sun down, nothing went right. One thing piled onto
another until she couldn’t figure why she willingly put herself through the
aggravation.

Then a day like today happened and it became clear. Riley
would suffer a few headaches just to see the joy and excitement on Claire’s
face.

“Are those numbers real?”

“They are projections,” Riley cautioned. Then, she grinned. “My
staff is never off by more than a few percentiles. Write it down. Next
Christmas, your line of balms and creams will be flying off the shelves.”

They were in Riley’s home office. As soon as the mock ups
arrived, she had called Claire. The tall, leggy blonde looked fresh, well
rested and at the moment, stunned.

Actually, she looked drunk. A little loopy. Riley doubted
she could have walked a straight line without tipping over. Discovering all her
hard work was finally going to pay off—in a big way—could stun the most
grounded person.

Even someone as solid as Claire.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you like the labels. Or don’t. We have plenty of time
to tweak them before Claire’s Creations hits the market.”

“The labels are great. I don’t know how you did this so
quickly.”

“I delegated. The people who work for me deserve all the
credit.”

“If that were true, I would still be shopping my product
around, hoping to find a manufacturer and distributor. Not to mention the worry
of getting ripped off. I owe my lack of sleepless nights to you, Riley.”

“I’m not doing this for nothing.” Riley winked. “I expect to
make a nice chunk of money off your toil and sweat.”

“All of which you are donating to the Shriner’s Hospital.”

“It’s a tax write-off.”

“Stop!” Claire picked up her freshly delivered coffee. “Why
won’t you let me heap the praise where it’s due?”

“Fine.” Arms wide open, Riley sat back in her chair. “Heap
away.”

“You crack me up.”

“Good to know. If everything goes south, I can always make a
living as a comedian.”

“Or a smartass.” Claire paused. “Riley…”

“Do you have a problem with the label design?” Riley picked
up a bottle of lemon-scented lotion. Their demographic was women. The line of
men’s products would roll out later next year. For now, they were concentrating
on an upscale clientele with plenty of disposable income to spend. “Don’t be
afraid to speak up. It’s your name on the product. You need to be one hundred
percent happy.”

“My name.” Claire shrugged. “Do you think that’s the way to
go?”

“Ah, now I see. Face to face with success, my
ultra-confident friend is morphing into a shrinking violet.”

“No. I don’t know. Maybe. Have you ever wanted something for
so long you can’t quite believe it’s finally happening?”

Only every day—with Sean
. Waking up next to the man
she loved wasn’t a dream. It was the best and brightest reality. She would
never take it for granted. Though she couldn’t get past the fear that it would
suddenly be snatched away.

“You need to get used to your good fortune, Claire.” Riley
silently reminded herself of the same thing. “Enjoy it.”

“That’s what Logan keeps telling me.” Claire looked at the
ring shining on her left hand. “Not that he’s one to talk. He doesn’t say it,
but I know he worries before every game that his knee isn’t going to hold up.”

“Is it that bad?”

Logan always appeared to be happy and carefree. On the
football field, he played with complete abandon. Riley had no idea that he
dealt with doubts.

“It’s getting better every week. He didn’t think he would
ever play again. I can’t blame him for being cautious. He was in a dark place
when we met. Each game is a gift because he knows what it’s like to have it
taken away.”

“That’s the key, isn’t it? You have to enjoy the moment
instead of worrying about what might happen.”

“Exactly.”

It was good advice. And Riley planned on taking it to heart
in her own life. Enjoy Sean—here and now.

“That’s a nice smile,” Claire said. “Want to share its
source?”

“I’m happy.”

“Me, too.”

“Good.” Riley snatched up her purse. “How about some lunch?”

“That Mexican place over on Hawthorne? My treat.” Claire
linked her arm with Riley’s. “My business partner tells me that I can afford
it.”

Buoyed by their mutual good moods, they decided to walk to
the restaurant. It was a sunny December day. Brisk but not freezing.

Riley and Claire turned a few heads. One tall and slender,
the other more compact, with curves in all the right places. But it was their
glowing faces that drew the most attention. Beauty, inside and out. It was an
irresistible combination.

“Riley,” a voice called out.

Hearing her name, Riley turned one way then the other.

“Over here!”

Riley didn’t know what to call it. A whispered shout? Across
the street, Sapphire stood in the shadowed doorway of a hardware store. She
waved her arms, looked around furtively, then ducked out of sight.

“That’s not the least bit odd,” Claire frowned.

“Are we supposed to go over there?”

“Logan loves spy thrillers. I’ve watched so many I think I’m
becoming paranoid.” Claire glanced around for anyone in a trench coat. “If this
were a movie, the smart thing would be to keep on moving. Shadowed figures
never bode well for the protagonists.”