Game On (8 page)

Eleanor Davis seemed like she’d endured her
fair share of hard knocks, and Brianna felt sorry for her. She’d barely gotten
a word in over dinner, with her husband and son talking over her every time she
opened her mouth to speak. “I’m sure they’ll work it out eventually, Mrs.
Davis.” She nodded toward the two men, who were now in a heated argument about
who was going to win the World Series. “At least they’re keeping the lines of
communication open.”

Eleanor rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I’m not
sure that’s such a good thing.”

Brianna smiled. “Take my friend Ryan, for
example. He and his father have been at odds for as long as I can remember, but
they’re still as close as any father and son I know.”

“Ryan?” she asked, sitting up straighter.
“You don’t mean Ryan Spencer, one of the owners of Clint’s label?”

“Yes, that’s him.” Brianna reached for her
coffee cup and took a sip. “He and his brother, Evan, took over for their
father, Luc, when he retired. My father and Luc go way back. In fact, my father
worked for Titan for years.”

“Clint has so many wonderful things to say
about those boys. Ryan, especially. He says he admires him for being so
fearless. He speaks his mind, no matter who he might offend.”

Brianna laughed. “That’s Ryan, all right.
Diplomacy is not in his vocabulary.” She set her cup down and thought about how
she would describe her best friend to a stranger. “It’s not that he’s not
respectful; he is. His mama raised him right, but he just doesn’t believe in
sugar-coating things, if you know what I mean.”

“I sure do.” Eleanor smiled at her. “It
sounds like you two are quite close.”

Brianna dipped her head when she felt her
cheeks grow warm. People had questioned her relationship with Ryan for as long
as she could remember. It seemed implausible to most that they could share such
a strong connection without being intimate. Well, there was that one time… But
she refused to let herself go there. She’d wasted too much time thinking about
that kiss, comparing every other man she’d kissed since to Ryan. The way he
smelled, tasted, the way he held her…

Clearing her throat, Eleanor stole a glance
at her son. “Are you sure y’all are just friends?”

“Oh, yes,” Brianna said, wincing when she
moved abruptly and her spoon clattered against her saucer.

“Everything okay?” Clint asked, leaning in
to whisper in her ear.

“Fine,” she said, smiling for his mother’s
benefit. “Just fine.” She glanced at her watch. “I hate to cut the evening
short, but I really should be getting home. Even though tomorrow’s Sunday, I
have a few things to take care of at the office in the morning.”

“Say no more,” Clint said, getting to his
feet. He made his rounds, saying good-bye to his parents as Brianna did the
same.

She walked out and felt the blast of cold
air hit her in the face.
Thank God that’s over.

Sunday dinner had been a tradition at the
Spencer house for as long as Ryan could remember, but this was one dinner Ryan
knew his brother wasn’t looking forward to. When people saw him show up alone,
he would have to admit to their friends and family that his relationship with
Erika was over.

Ryan offered to drive Evan to their parents’
house when he admitted he was planning to bow out of dinner, just this once.
Ryan convinced him that since he would have to tell them eventually, it was
best to get it over with.

The silence in the car was deafening, even
with the demo Ryan was using to try and take his brother’s mind off his
problems. “I think this guy has potential, don’t you?” When Evan didn’t
respond, Ryan continued. “It’s not often you hear that raspiness with that kind
of range.” He sighed when the comment still didn’t earn him a response from his
passenger. “I’m told he’s been writin’ songs for eleven years now, just waitin’
for his big break. He’s written songs for-”

Evan held his hand up. “I appreciate what
you’re tryin’ to do, but I can’t think about that right now, okay?”

Ryan considered pointing out that if Evan
had spent more time thinking about his girlfriend and less time focusing on
work while they were together, he wouldn’t be in this mess. But he knew if the
situation were reversed and he lost Brianna, he wouldn’t want to be reminded of
all the mistakes he’d made. “She’s still not taking your calls?”

It had been several days since their
break-up and Ryan knew each day of silence made it harder for Evan to hold on
to hope.

“Nope. I went in to the boutique to talk to
Lena yesterday. I was hopin’ she could talk some sense into her.”

“How’d that go?”

Evan sighed. “She told me I need to give
her some space. She said if I’m serious about makin’ some changes in my life, I
need to prove it. Otherwise, I just need to let her go.” He clenched his fists.
“How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

Ryan turned down the street leading to
their childhood home. “What? Change or let her go?”

“I can’t let her go, but I don’t see how I
can cut back at work either. One bad year and everything our father’s worked
his whole life to build could fall apart. I can’t do that to him. He trusted me
to look after things. I don’t wanna let him down.”

Evan’s relationship with their father was
different than Ryan’s, and he’d accepted that a long time ago. Luc expected
more from Evan because he was so much like him. Ryan was the free spirit who
lived for a good time. He didn’t live to impress his father like Evan did, and
Ryan wouldn’t trade places with his brother for anything.

“He wouldn’t want you to sacrifice your
happiness for Titan, Ev. That’s not why he left you in charge.”

Evan propped his elbow on the door, closed
his eyes, and dropped his head into his hand. “I just can’t believe this
happened. I can’t believe she really left me.”

Ryan drove through the iron gates at the
end of the driveway. The circular drive was filled with familiar cars. It
didn’t look like his brother was going to get the reprieve he’d hoped for
tonight. “What did you expect? You said yourself she’s been complainin’ about
your relationship for a long time now. Did you really think she was just
blowin’ smoke?”

“Six years,” Evan said, staring at him in
the darkness. “We were together almost six years. You don’t just throw that
away on a whim, man.”

“I don’t think she did it on a whim. I
think she did everything she could to let you know that things had to change or
she was gone. You chose not to listen.” Ryan had been dancing around the truth
all week. It was time for brutal honesty. “If you wanna blame someone for this,
bro, ya need to take a look in the mirror. You can’t expect your woman to be
satisfied bein’ last on your list forever.”

Evan scowled. “What the hell would you know
about it? You’ve never been in a serious relationship in your life. I’d be
surprised if you even remembered the names of any of the women you’ve banged in
the last three months.”

Ryan didn’t tell Evan that he hadn’t slept
with anyone since Brianna started working at Titan. Just seeing her everyday
gave him more satisfaction than meaningless sex with a random stranger ever
had. “This isn’t about me, and you know it. You can tell me to go to hell. You
can tell me that I don’t know what I’m talkin’ about, but we both know I’m
right about this.” He reached for the door handle. “Nothin’s gonna change until
you change, man.”

Ryan let his brother lead the way up to the
front door in silence and watched him take a deep breath before turning the
doorknob and pasting a fake smile on his face for the benefit of their family
and friends.

“You’re not foolin’ anybody,” Ryan
muttered.

“Shut the hell up.”

Their mother, Marisa, rounded the corner
from the kitchen, her arms outstretched. Her arms fell and a frown marred her
face when she looked past Evan. “Where’s Erika? She couldn’t come tonight?”

Ryan put his hand on Evan’s shoulder,
propelling him further into the room. “Why don’t you let him explain to
everyone at once, Ma?”

She looked from one son to the other. “Why
do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”

“’Cause you’re not,” Ryan said. He shrugged
when Evan scowled at him. “It’s time someone starts tellin’ it like it is,
man.”

Marisa slipped her arm around Evan’s waist
and led him into the family room, where a dozen of their closest friends were
enjoying drinks and appetizers.

Ryan’s eyes locked with Brianna and she
smiled before stealing a quick glance at Evan. It was obvious her heart went
out to him, but Ryan couldn’t help feeling resentful he hadn’t held her
attention a little longer.

Lena sat beside Brianna. She raised a hand
in greeting. At least Brianna hadn’t invited Clint to their family dinner. That
had to mean their relationship hadn’t progressed as quickly as Ryan feared.

“Hey,” Luc said, glancing at his sons. “Where’s
Erika?”

She had been a part of their family
gatherings almost since the day she’d met Evan. Ryan knew her absence would
leave a void everyone felt, especially Lena, who was one of her closest
friends.

“Uh, I kinda wanted to talk to y’all about
that.” Evan glanced at Lena, who offered him a small smile of encouragement.

“Is there a problem, son?” Trey Turner
asked, looking up from the baby he was holding.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

He glanced at his brother, and Ryan wished
he could step in and make this easier for him, but he knew Evan had to acknowledge
the truth before he could start to move on with his life, with or without
Erika.

“Erika and I are takin’ a little break.” He
stole a glance at Lena, who was holding her fiancé, Dominic’s, hand. Evan and
Dom had been friends for years, and aside from Ryan, he was probably the only
other person who knew what this separation was doing to him. “Actually, she
said it’s over… for good.”

Ryan put a hand on his brother’s shoulder
when a collective gasp moved their group. Only those closest to the couple
would have known they were having serious problems. When they were at a social
event, they always made an effort to hide the tension so they wouldn’t make the
other guests uncomfortable.

“I can’t believe it,” Alisa said quietly.
“You two were perfect for each other.”

Evan stuck his hands in the pockets of his
leather bomber jacket as his eyes zeroed in on the baby, Alisa and Liam’s
newborn son. “Yeah, well, I guess she didn’t think so anymore.”

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Marisa said,
reaching up to hug him. “I know how much you loved her.”

“I still love her,” Evan said quietly. “I
probably always will.”

Ryan knew how hard it was for his brother
to be so vulnerable, but sharing the truth with the people who cared about him
the most must bring some small measure of comfort.

“Things may still work out,” Nick McCall,
Avery and Ty’s son, said. “Maybe she just needs a little time to sort things
out.”

Evan offered his friend a small smile of
acknowledgment. “I wish I could say I believed that, buddy. But with every day
that passes, it becomes more and more obvious that she doesn’t intend to come
back to me.”

Luc looked his son in the eye. “This was
because of your commitment to Titan, wasn’t it?” When Evan didn’t respond, Luc
swore softly. “I never meant for this company to cost you so much, Evan.”

“I made the choice,” he said with the quiet
conviction they’d all come to expect from him. “No one forced me to make the
choices I have. This one’s all on me.”

“I’m drivin’ tonight,” Ryan said, inclining
his head toward his brother. “What’s say we set this guy up with a drink… or
ten?”

Evan shook his head as a few chuckles moved
through the group. At least they could always count on Ryan to lighten a somber
mood.

***

Brianna sat on the couch watching sports
highlights with Dominic and Lena when Ryan made his way down the stairs. She
hadn’t seen him much this week, and she was surprised how much she’d missed his
daily visits to her office.

“Did Aiden and the boys win tonight?” Ryan
asked, claiming the empty spot beside Brianna on the couch.

She felt the heat of his leg through her
jeans, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world when he grabbed
her leg and squeezed. He grinned when she looked up and smiled at him, and her
breath caught in her throat.

Women had chased the Spencer brothers for
as long as Brianna could remember, and it was little wonder. Both men were
gorgeous and successful in their own right, but Ryan’s playful personality made
him a hit with the ladies.

“Hello?” he said, chuckling. “Are you
suddenly spellbound by my sex appeal?” He looked at Dominic and winked. “Poor
girl can’t even string two words together. See, man, that’s the effect I have
on women.”

Lena rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at
him, hitting him in the face. “In your dreams, Spencer.”