Reed's Reckoning (2 page)

“But what—”

“No buts! I’ve talked to Luke and this is the perfect getaway. Go! Between graduation, work, and Davis, you haven’t had a break in a while. Take one! Enjoy the beach, get a tan. Maybe meet a guy and have some fun.”

“Grandma!”

“I may be old, but I’m not stupid. You need to have some fun. Let Luke and Davis enjoy themselves and you get some rest. Isn’t Sophie coming up Saturday?”

“I don’t think so; she has a few things going on this weekend.” I sit down and run my fingers through my hair. She walks over, sits next to me, and pulls me close.

“Ari, I love you and Davis, but you need some downtime. He’s a pistol. This trip will do you good. You’re not too far away, I’ll call if I need you. Luke needs this too; this business meeting is the perfect excuse.” There’s concern in her eyes and I know she is saying so much more.

“I’m really okay. It’s just another weekend.”

“Honey, the draft isn’t just another weekend. Every year you sink into a depression and it worries us. We know it brings back memories.”

“Jesus! He screwed me and then screwed me over! Why can’t I let it go? We all know I was a stupid twenty-one year old.”

“ARIANNA!”

“I’m sorry, Grams, he’s off limits. I want to enjoy the weekend, I really do.”

“I heard Luke met someone?” she says changing the subject.

“Yeah, I introduced them. She works with me and seems cool. I invited her over for dinner and they hit it off.”

“Sweet girl, I hate to say it, but what if they do more than hit it off? He’s a fine catch and one day he may want to have his own family.”

The words catch me off guard and I gasp. “Do you think I’m holding him back?”

“No, he loves you. But it’s obvious y’all aren’t together, but he has a life in front of him too.”

I lean into her and nod my head in agreement, knowing she’s right. She’s raised me since my parents were in a fatal car crash when I was fifteen. She’s the only family I have left, and she shows me every day how important Davis and I are to her.

“Okay, I’ll enjoy this weekend. Then I’ll have a serious discussion with Luke. He needs to be happy.”

“Gracious, girl, he will never be far away.”

I move against her, knowing that in my mind this is her way of telling me to let Luke go.

Fucking, finally; peace and quiet. This is the perfect day to throw some lines in the water and enjoy the beach. I have been doing physical therapy and rehab for months. My shoulder feels better and my knee is healing great. I’m avoiding not only my family for the day, but also my trainers. I need a fucking break.

My mind flows through the memories of the last few years. Being drafted, the instant fame, the gridiron, proving myself, all of it.

Fucking amazing wide receiver, I was living the life. I had everything I’d ever dreamed of, providing for my mom and sister after the draft, a huge house near the beach, fucking endless women who wanted me. But what happened when the star went down? One hit—that’s all it took—one hit, to dislocate my shoulder and tear my ACL.

“‘Cuse me. Do you haf a fish I can see?”

The words break me out of my memories. I look down to see a beautiful boy looking at me with huge blue eyes. His darks curls and tan skin hit me with a wave of familiarity.

“Fish?” he blubbers again, pointing to my two fishing poles.

I shake myself out of my stupidity and answer. “No, buddy. No fish yet. If you hang around, I might have something to show you.”

I reel in my line and see my shrimp is gone. I make a point of showing this little boy how to bait a hook. Looking around, I wonder where the hell his parents are. A man runs towards us screaming, but the little boy doesn’t move. I cast the pole and set it in the sand.

The man gets to us and grabs the little boy in his arms. “DL, you can’t run off like that. You scared your mom and me to death.”

“I wanted to see fish.” He points to my line in the water.

“I know, little man, but next time wait until one of us is with you.”

When the man looks up, my pulse races. I’ll never forget his face. It’s the same face that has haunted me for years. The face of the man holding Arianna Williams right after she broke my heart. Luke Adams.

He recognizes me too. Not for the mega-millionaire football player, but for the college friends we once were. Or at least I thought we were.

“Say goodbye to this nice man, we need to go back.” Luke says picking up the little boy.

“‘Bye.” He says waving at me.

Then it hits me. Faces side by side, these two look nothing alike. My heart races faster. “Yeah, buddy, sorry I didn’t have a fish for you.”

He shrugs at me and smiles the most beautiful smile and my world rocks. It’s the smile in my dreams; deep dimples in each cheek and a shine in his eyes staring back at me. I can’t speak. My mouth goes dry and my stomach drops to my feet.

“Thanks, man.” Luke walks away towards the hotel behind us. He stops to pick up a towel and beach bag and a woman runs to them franticly waving her arms. She takes the little boy and buries her head in his shoulder. Luke puts his arm around her and guides her to the walkway. He says something in her ear and she goes still. Ever so slightly, she looks back at me and my world stops again.

I catch her stare briefly before she turns and practically runs up the stairs. My heart beats so fast I have to sit down. Now I know why the little boy’s eyes captured mine, it was like staring in a mirror.

When the team doctor told me about my injuries and confirmed I was out for the season, the first person I thought of was her. Even after all the time that passed, her face came to mind. What the fuck went wrong?

I remember the night of our second date and allow myself to smile at the memory. Even though it hurts to think back to that time in my life, I can’t deny that Ari held a huge piece of my heart.

“Reed, why are we at a park? I thought we were going to dinner?” She looks at me confused from the passenger seat.

“We are; I brought dinner with us.” I get out and walk to open her door. When she is out of the car, I go to the trunk and bring out the bag I packed earlier.

She watches me closely and looks around nervously. I reach over, take one of her hands in mine, and lead her to a spot near the lake. There are a few people around, but mostly we have the area to ourselves. Letting go of her hand, I set up the blanket and unpack the food.

“A picnic?” she whispers with a grin.

“Yeah, I didn’t want a repeat of last week. It’s hard for me to be in public right now with the season starting. I figured if I wanted a real date with no interruptions, I needed to get creative.”

Her grin turns into a full-blown smile. The deep dimples and shine in her eyes stirs something in me. I motion for her to sit down and then open the containers of food.

“Oh my God! Is that Mrs. Jones famous pasta salad?” she squeals when I nod. “It’s my favorite!”

“I know, you mentioned it last week.”

I picked up a variety of things but knew the pasta salad would score me points. Ever since meeting Arianna Williams, I’ve paid attention to everything about her. Her voice, her laugh, the way she sways when she walks, I can’t get enough. I’ve never been like this in my life; she has me under a spell.

The first time I saw her studying near the Business building, I knew I had to meet her. Her beauty was radiant, but when she grinned at me, my heart raced. When I introduced myself, she shook my hand politely but didn’t make any effort to talk further. Then I realized she had no idea who I was. It was refreshing to have true sincerity in her greeting.

It took a week for me to convince her to go on a date with me and it was a disaster. We had spoken on the phone several times, and I explained I was a football player but she didn’t care. She was honest about knowing nothing about the sport. I tried teaching her, especially since our opening game was coming up, but she zoned out when I spoke.

That night when we sat down at the restaurant, I was so sidetracked by her; I didn’t take in our surroundings. The hostess sat us at a middle table where everyone could see. As soon as we ordered our drinks, people swarmed the table. Students, Alumni, and fans all wanted to know the game plan for the upcoming season. Even when the waitress took our order and returned later with our meals, people still hung around. Every time I looked up at Ari, she smiled encouragingly, but I didn’t see the dimples. She barely ate and as soon as the bill was paid, I whisked her out of there.

When we got to her place, I was shocked she agreed to another date. So I spent all week thinking about what to do and came up with a plan for tonight. A quiet, simple picnic should provide the perfect environment for us to talk.

It’s a Thursday night and our game opener is on Saturday afternoon. Coach puts us all on lockdown starting tomorrow after classes, so I won’t be able see her until after the game.

“This is really nice,” she says offering me a plate.

“Yeah, I really fucked up last week.”

“No, you didn’t. It was interesting to say the least. I suppose I have to get used to all the attention you receive.”

My heart beats a little faster because I like the fact she wants to ‘get used to’ anything with me. I don’t know what it is about this girl, but she is completely different than anyone I have ever gone out with. That’s not saying a lot because I don’t really date. I had a few girlfriends in high school and I’ve attended my share of events the last four years, but I have NEVER had a girlfriend. Too much riding on my football career to get wrapped up in the drama of commitment, but since meeting her, my feelings have done a one-eighty.

“Yeah, well the attention comes with the territory, but l hoped to take you on a proper date.”

“This is perfect.” She blushes a little and continues eating.

“Ari, I wanted to ask you something. I know we’ve only been out twice, but I’d love if you came to the game Saturday. If you don’t have anyone to sit with, I can arrange for you to be with my friend Jack. He’ll watch out for you and help explain what’s going on.”

I watch her face for any sign of interest. Nerves bundle in the pit of my stomach when she doesn’t say anything.

“Umm, I don’t need to sit with your friend. I’m already going.”

I don’t hide the excitement and move closer to her. “That’s awesome! Were you going to tell me?”

“I don’t know. You hadn’t mentioned it; I didn’t want to be presumptuous.” She says shyly.

“Of course I want you there. Are you sure you want to go alone?”

“Oh, I won’t be alone, Luke’s bringing me. And maybe my friend Sophie.” She laughs.

Wait—WHAT? “Who the hell is Luke?” I growl rougher than I meant. A sense of jealously I didn’t even know existed floods over me.

She raises her eyebrows and stares. “I’ve told you about Luke, haven’t I?”

“Nope, pretty sure I haven’t heard of a Luke.”

“He and Sophie are my best friends. Luke loves football.”

Great, competing with the best friend never ends well. I may not have experience with girlfriends, but I know I don’t want mine to be closer to another guy than me.

“What are you thinking? Why are you so quiet?” she asks.

“Trying to comprehend how I feel about you bringing a date to my first game.”

“Oh, Reed, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Luke is like my brother. We’re really close. There is nothing there. You’ll meet him and understand.” She tries to reassure me.

Her pouty lips tempt me and I reach up to run my fingertips over them. Her breath catches and her eyes find mine. We stare at each other a few minutes not moving but the current between us buzzes. It hits me right there in the moment—I want Ari to be mine.

A dog barking in the distance causes us both to turn, breaking the moment, but desire still fills the air. I take our plates and move them away, then pull her between my legs with her back to my chest. She braces but then relaxes into me.

“Ari, I don’t share. Granted, I’ve only ever casually dated so I’m not sure exactly what to do here, but I need to make my intentions clear. I don’t want casual with you. I want it all.”

“How can you say that? We’ve only been on two dates. We don’t even know each other that well.”

“I can say that because I go after what I want, and that’s you. We’ll take things slow, get to know each other. But we’ll do it knowing you are mine.”

Her chest shakes with laughter and I lean to the side to see her face. Tears are starting to form which surprises me because I don’t see what’s so funny.

“Mine? Did you just refer to me as a possession?”

Her laughter is contagious so I chuckle at my caveman behavior. “Yeah, I guess I did. My possession. And I promise to take care of what’s mine.” I kiss her forehead softly and she stops laughing.

“I didn’t think men like you existed outside of books. Hot, alpha personalities with super jealousy issues.”