Game On (16 page)

Ryan laughed as he slammed his hand down on
the tabletop. “Man, you guys are too easy tonight.”

“Give it a rest, Ry,” Dominic said,
reaching for a handful of pretzels. “Everybody’s on edge. It’s been a long work
week. Let’s just kick back and have a little fun.”

“Uh, I don’t know if I’d count on that,
Dom,” J.T. said as his eyes focused on the front door.

Ryan turned around to see Brianna standing
in the doorway. “I don’t know about you guys,” he said, grinning, “but my night
just got a whole hell of a lot better.”

***

Brianna couldn’t stop the slow smile from
spreading across her face at the sight of Ryan. God, she missed him. He had
only been out of town a few days, but she would go home after work, watch some
late-night drama or sit-com re-run, and fall asleep on the sofa with a
half-pint of melting ice cream on the coffee table as she drifted off waiting
for the call that never came. She had no idea how he would react when he saw
her tonight, but if his sexy smirk was any indication, he was as happy as she
was to finally have some face time.

“Oh no,” Erika said, groaning at the sight
of her ex-boyfriend crossing the dance floor, an angry scowl on his face. “I
can’t believe you did this,” she said, turning on their group. “I thought you
were my friends. It’s obvious your loyalty lies with
him.
”

Lena grabbed her arm when she tried to push
through them to get to the door. “You can’t run away from the way you feel
about him, Erika,” she said quietly. “You can lie to us, but don’t lie to
yourself.”

“I’m not lying to anyone,” she said,
squaring her shoulders.

Erika was a petite little thing, but
Brianna knew better than to think she was weak or fragile. She’d once witnessed
Erika carry a sick dog that must have weighed more than she did back to their
exam room when he wasn’t strong enough to walk by himself, and his owner, a
tearful old lady with a walker, couldn’t offer to carry him.

“I did what I had to do,” she said, looking
Lena in the eye. “But I’m not going to pretend it was easy. I’ve loved that man
for a long time. I wanted the fairy tale ending with him.” She looked around
their small group. “Like the one you got with Liam,” she said, glancing at
Alisa. “And the one you’re getting with Dom.”

“Who says you can’t have that?” Lena asked,
gripping her shoulders.

“If you were really my friend, you wouldn’t
encourage me to settle for less than I deserve,” Erika said, raising her chin.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t I deserve a man who’ll put me first,
just like you and Alisa have?”

“Of course you do,” Lena said. “But-”

“You don’t know what it was like being with
Evan, especially toward the end.” Her voice sounded unsteady as she said, “It’s
like I was invisible to him. I was just this stranger sleeping in bed next to
him every night.”

“You were never invisible to me,” Evan said
quietly.

Erika closed her eyes, almost as though she
had to prepare herself for the inevitable wave of pain she was sure would come.
Turning to face her ex-boyfriend, she forced a tremulous smile. “I’m sorry, I
didn’t know you would be here tonight.” She gestured behind her. “I never meant
for this to turn into an awkward scene. I’ll go.”

“No,” he said quickly, reaching for her
hand. “Please, just give me a minute. I need to talk to you.”

Brianna’s heart broke for him, for both of
them. Witnessing the death of a love that she thought would last forever was
painful. She could only imagine how they must feel.

“Evan,” Erika said quietly, “I’m going to
say something I should have said to you the night I left.”

“What?” he asked, letting her hand fall to
her side. He looked as though he was bracing for the emotional impact of the
blow she intended to deliver with her carefully chosen words. “You couldn’t say
anythin’ that would hurt me more than you did when you told me you were leavin’
me.”

Brianna had known Evan all his life, yet
she’d never seen him look so lost or defeated. She wanted to reach out and
comfort him, but she knew the only person who could offer him comfort now was
Erika.

“I don’t love you anymore,” Erika
whispered.

He winced and closed his eyes. “I guess I
was wrong. You still had the arsenal to blow me apart and I didn’t even know
it.”

Brianna knew they didn’t need an audience
for this deeply personal conversation, but when she tried to tear herself away,
her feet felt rooted to the spot. It was almost like driving by a tragic car accident.
Your heart went out to the victims, but you couldn’t resist the urge to sneak a
peek at the devastation.

“You were my whole world,” she said,
touching his forearm. “I used to cut pictures out of bridal magazines, ‘cause I
really believed you’d want to make me your wife someday.”

“I did,” he said, raking his hands through
his hair in frustration. “I would have… eventually. The timing was never
right.”

“That’s just it, Ev,” she said, placing a
hand on his chest. “The time was never going to be right for us.”

“Yes, it would have,” he said, holding her
hand against his heart. “If you’d just given me a little more time.”

She shook her head sadly. “I gave you
almost six years.” She looked up at him. “Do you know, I would have married you
when I was a starry-eyed twenty year-old with years of medical school ahead of
me. The timing would have been terrible, but that’s how much I loved you.”

“Baby, just give me one more chance,” Evan
pleaded, bending to look into her eyes. “Please. Let me prove to you that I’m
ready to make our relationship more of a priority.”

Brianna held her breath, waiting, praying
that her friend would take another chance on a man who obviously loved her
enough to pour his heart out to her in front of the rowdy crowd at Jimmy’s bar.

“I can’t,” she said, her eyes filling with
tears. “I meant what I said. I’ll always care about what happens to you and
love you because of all of the wonderful memories you gave me, but I stopped
being
in love
with you a long time ago.”

“How can you say that?” His voice was rough
and raspy as he let her go and shoved his hands into his pockets. “You said you
would’ve married me if I’d asked. Hell, if I’d come home with a ring in my
pocket that night, are you telling me you wouldn’t have accepted it?”

“I guess we’ll never know the answer to
that question, since you didn’t.” She stood on her tip-toes to press a kiss to
his cheek. “Just know that I’ll always care about you. I’ll always want what’s
best for you.”

His arms closed around her and Brianna
feared it may take three men to force him to end the hug everyone knew would be
their last.

Finally, Erika braced her hands on his
biceps and withdrew from his embrace before turning to her friends. “I’m glad
you brought me here tonight.”

Lena blinked back tears as she said, “I’m
so sorry. It was all my fault. I didn’t mean to hurt you guys any more than
you’ve already been hurt.” She glanced at Evan.

“It’s okay,” Erika said, hugging her. “We
needed to have this conversation.” She hugged Anna, Brianna, and Alisa before
she said, “I think it’s time for me to go. I’ll catch up with you guys another
time. Have fun tonight.”

Evan watched her leave as the girls parted
in search of an empty table.

“They’re playing our song, cowboy,” Brianna
said, tugging on the front of his shirt to draw him closer. “Come on, let’s
dance.”

He looked at the door. “I think I’m gonna
head out too, Bri. I’m not in the mood to party tonight.”

“That’s exactly why you have to stay,” she
said, taking his hand and leading him towards the dance floor. “Nothing good
can come of you going home to that empty apartment.” When she turned into his
arms, she said, “Maybe you should think about selling that place, Ev.”

“Not ready yet,” he said, clasping his
hands at the small of her back. “Don’t know if I ever will be. I don’t want a
new life, Bri. I want my old life back.” He closed his eyes and tipped his head
back. “I just want someone to tell me how the hell to get my old life back.”

Brianna forced back the tears lodged in her
throat, knowing her sadness would only make him feel worse. “Sweetie,” she
said, stroking his shoulder, “you can’t make someone love you if they don’t.
You have to let her go.” She knew that was easier said than done. If someone
asked her to let Ryan go so he could find happiness with another woman, it would
be like asking her to lie down on the train tracks, knowing that a train was
coming, but not knowing exactly when to expect it.

“Tell me how to do that,” he said quietly.
“Tell me how to forget her and I will. Tell me how to fall asleep with
somethin’ other than her on my mind or how to wake up without this ache in my
chest that reminds me she’s gone and she’s never comin’ back. Just tell me how
to let go.”

“I wish I knew,” she said, laying her head
on his chest. “Just know that I’m here if you ever need to talk.”

“That goes for me too,” Ryan said, coming
up behind them and slapping his brother on the back. “I’m sorry I was such as
asshole earlier.”

“You weren’t,” Evan said, clearing his
throat. “I was.” He placed Brianna’s hand in Ryan’s and gripped his brother’s
shoulder as he whispered in his ear. “Whatever you do, don’t make the same
mistakes I made, man.”

Brianna knew she was being selfish for
enjoying this moment while Evan was obviously agonizing over his loss, but
being back in Ryan’s arms felt so right.

“I missed you,” he said, brushing his lips
over the top of her head. “A lot.”

“I missed you, too,” she admitted, closing
her eyes as she rested her head on his chest. “Why didn’t you call?”

“After our last conversation, I thought you
could use a little time to sort things out.”

Her heart started beating double time as
she realized this was the moment of truth. She had to be willing to take a
chance on him or let him go. “I… uh…” She tipped her head back to look at him
and was surprised to see something she’d never seen in Ryan’s eyes before.
Fear
.

“Have you talked to Clint lately?” he
asked.

She knew he was trying to side-track her,
in case she planned to say something he wasn’t prepared to hear. “No, he’s been
out of town, too.”

“I know.” He smiled, tucking a strand of
hair behind her ear as he cupped her cheek in his palm. “Who do you think sent
him out of town?”

“Why?”

“You think I wanted him here makin’ inroads
with you while I was away?”

She reached up to mindlessly brush her
fingers through his hair. “You’re supposed to use your powers for good, not
evil, Spencer.”

He chuckled. “In my mind, gettin’ Clint
outta the way is a damn good thing.”

“I told you before, there’s nothing between
us,” she said, biting her bottom lip.

“When are you gonna tell him that?”

“As soon as I see him.”

“Good.”

Brianna smiled at his quiet conviction.
That was the man she knew and loved. “Not because of you,” she said, knowing
how important it was to rein him in once in a while. Someone like Ryan, who was
so used to people doing his bidding, could easily step out of line, given half
a chance. “Because I know he’s not the man I want.”

“Interesting,” Ryan said, pretending to be
deep in thought. “Why don’t you tell me a little more about the kind of man
you’re after?” He winked and flashed a quick grin that turned her insides to
mush. “I just might know someone who’d be perfect for you.”

“Really?” she asked, satisfied to engage in
his game of cat and mouse. At least fun, playful Ryan was back, and she knew that
meant they were back on track. “Well, let’s see. He’d have to have a sense of
humor.”

“What else?”

“That tall, dark, and handsome thing works
for me,” she said.

“Check, check, and check.” He grinned and
she couldn’t help but smile at his smugness.

“He’d have to be confident and sexy. Of
course, for me there’s nothing sexier than a guy who’s comfortable in his own
skin.” She ran her hands up his biceps and watched his eyes drift closed as he
continued to move effortlessly in time to the music. Deciding it was time to
beat him at his own game, she said, “He’d have to be an incredible lover.”

“Jesus, Bri,” he whispered, sounding
tortured as she felt the proof of her effect on him. “Don’t do this to me.”

“I’m not doing anything to you,” she said,
letting her hands travel over his chest to his ribs. “You asked me what kind of
man I’m after. I’m merely telling you what I’m looking for.”

“When are we gonna stop screwin’ around?”
he asked, opening his eyes.

His piercing blue eyes were heavy with lust
and longing and she knew a man like Ryan couldn’t be contained forever. He may
claim he was willing to take their relationship slow, to let it evolve
naturally, but she knew his patience wouldn’t last much longer.