Let Love Heal (The Love Series) (12 page)

The dorm is not all that far from the soccer field. But everything in Ithaca is uphill. You know that old saying about “when I was a kid, I walked to school uphill both ways?” Well, I’m pretty sure that originated in Ithaca.

As I approach the entrance, I hand the ticket collector my ticket and walk through the gate. Bryan told me to sit in section ten, and that his mom would be wearing his jersey with the number 17 on the front. While part of my brain actually considers sitting anywhere
but
section ten, the other part tells me to just put on my big-girl panties and do the right thing.

Big-girl panties, here we come!

It doesn’t take me long to spot Bryan’s parents. They’re in the first row of the section, which is sparsely filled at this point. Taking a deep breath, I walk toward them and hope for the best. When I get to the end of the metal bleachers, Bryan’s mom stands and extends her hand to mine.

“You must be Melanie.” Her huge smile is so genuine that I instinctively think of my own mom and how much I miss her. I should definitely call her.

“Hi, Mrs. Mahoney. It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Shaking her hand, I smile happily and she returns the look. Unfortunately, I don’t get the same reception from Mr. Mahoney.

He’s all too busy to stop tapping away at his BlackBerry lost in what must be an important message. When Mrs. Mahoney nudges his arm, he looks up from his phone, assesses me and then returns to whatever he was just typing.

“You’ll have to excuse him, Melanie. Dan has been working a huge business deal these last few months and,” she cups her hand around the corner of her mouth as if doing so will keep him from hearing what she’s saying, “well, he’s just been a bit distracted, that’s all.”

“I am not distracted, Jane.” Mr. Mahoney smiles, but there’s something off-putting in his eyes. Whatever it is, he recovers quickly from it, and extends his hand in front of him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Melanie.” His lips quirk up into what I can only describe as an odd smile toward Mrs. Mahoney.

Okay, I’m not sure what to make of him, but it’s not like I can just come out and ask Bryan, “So, what’s up with your dad?”

Besides, it’s not like I have much experience with dads in the first place. Maybe they’re all just that weird.

Ignoring the weird vibe I’m getting from him, I choose to focus on the soft kindness twinkling in Mrs. Mahoney’s eyes. Setting my bag down next to my feet at the end of the aisle, I extend my hand to him, and say “It’s more than a pleasure to finally meet both of you, Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney.” I know I sound way too formal. But there’s something in the way that initial introduction went down that just rubbed me the wrong way.

As if I wasn’t nervous already.

“Oh, please, Melanie. None of that ‘Mr. and Mrs.’ call us Dan and Jane.” She sits in her seat and pats the bench to her side. I slide in next to her and cross my legs to keep them from bouncing wildly in nervousness.

The rest of the game passes in casual conversation. Jane asks me the standard stuff: What’s my major? Where do I live? What are my parents like?

My answers are standard as well. I’m still undecided and I live in the dorms. There isn’t much to tell. And, rather than get into that my dad is dead and that my mom never remarried and how that makes me feel guilty as hell, I just tell her that “my parents are great.” I know I can’t be sure about that as far as my dad is concerned, but if the memory that my mom holds of him is any indication, “great” is actually selling him short.

Dan doesn’t say much of anything throughout the game. Occasionally, he looks up from his phone to watch his son get pummeled into the ground. He never happens to see a hard-won goal, or brain-jarring head-butt.

By the end of the game, my throat is sore from the constant cheering and my hands are chapped from the non-stop clapping. Jane has been right alongside me the entire time. We’ve had a lot of fun talking and cheering for Bryan. I just wish I knew what the hell was up with his dad. I guess whatever business deal he’s working on must be really important because he even had to leave the stands a few times to take a few calls. Jane doesn’t seem to mind though, so I let it go.

Watching Bryan score the winning goal is the shining moment of the day. As he turns the corner of the field, he expectantly looks up to the bleachers. I only hope that pride I feel for him shines through on my face. I’m in awe of his talents. Besides, watching his muscles strain under the clingy soccer jersey hasn’t been all too hard on my eyes for the last ninety minutes.

Nope. Not bad at all!

After the game is over, there’s a brief trophy presentation and the team lines up for their last picture. Even though Ithaca is only a Division III school for sports, the athletic competition is still fierce. So is the bond that’s created between teammates. All of the guys are smiling and clapping each other on the back – congratulating everyone on a great season.

All of the parents stand in a line, snapping their own photos as well. As usual, I stand in the background and try to go unnoticed.

When the crowd clears, I make my way over to Bryan and his parents. But, rather than cheery smiles and happy conversation, I walk into a tension-laden atmosphere filled with jilted words.

“Fine. Leave then.” Bryan’s curt words are laced with hurt.

“Oh, honey. We don’t
want
to leave. It’s just that your father …” Jane’s voice is tenderly apologetic. I can tell that she really is sorry that she can’t stay for rest of the weekend.

Dan stalks back over to Bryan and Jane as he slides his phone back into the front pocket of his khaki pants. “Sorry, son. But I have to get back. This can’t wait until Monday.” Dan may be saying that he’s sorry, but his face conveys anything but an apology.

“Let’s go now, Jane. I was able to move the flight, but we have to be at the airport in an hour.” Dan is pulling Jane off the field as Bryan and I stumble behind them.

“What happened, Bryan? I thought they were staying.”

“Yeah, well, I guess other things are more important,” he mutters as we approach his parents’ car. When I lace my fingers with his, I can feel the tension radiating off his body. He squeezes my hand in return and looks down at me with sadness in his eyes.

When we get to the car, Bryan releases my hand and gently brushes his lips against my temple. Opening the door for his mother, Bryan helps her into the car. The sweet kiss that he plants on her cheek suggests that he’s not mad at her. The glaring look he shoots at his father across the roof suggests that he’s more than angry with him. His father says nothing and just slides in to his seat.

Leaning into the window, Bryan tells his mom, “Be sure to call me when you land. I’ll talk to you later, I guess. Tell Emmie I love her and I’ll talk to her soon.”

Smiling brightly up at her son, of whom I know she is so proud, Jane says, “I will, Bryan. Love you. You played great today. We’ll celebrate in a few weeks when you’re home, okay? I know Emmie would love to be there too.”

“Sure, Mom. That sounds good. I’ll talk to you later.” He’s trying to make his words seem cheerful, to make it sound like he’s not affected by their departure, but I know different. Bryan has been so excited to have his parents finally come here for a visit. Since he lives down in North Carolina, they don’t often get the chance to fly to upstate New York for a random weekend to visit their son. He won’t admit it, but I know he’s upset that they’re leaving.

Bryan’s parents pull out of the small parking lot next to the soccer field, and when they’re nothing but a small dot in the distance, I reach down and lace my fingers with his. “I’m sorry, Babe. I know you were looking forward to them being here.”

He pulls our joined hands up to his lips and kisses my knuckles sweetly. “Ehh, it’s okay.” He’s trying to play it cool, but I can see through his little act. I’m not going to push it, though. He deserves to celebrate and enjoy the last day of his successful soccer career.

“Come on. We’ll go have dinner at Bella’s and you can chew my ear off about soccer all night.” I look up at him with my big, blue eyes and hope that his mood shifts. “You know Bella would love to hear how your game went.” At the mention of Bella’s name, Bryan’s face softens and he smiles at me.

“Sure. Sounds good.” A soft kiss to my lips and we’re walking off to the dorms and hopefully into a good night.

To say that Bella is excited to see us again is an understatement. She practically hangs on every word as Bryan tells her about his game and the end of his soccer career. His parents may not be here to celebrate with him, but Bella has more than made up for that.

After she seats us at a quiet table in the corner, she insists that she’ll bring us something special, so she doesn’t even give us the menus. As she gently places her hand on his shoulder, she says to Bryan, “It’s so nice to see you here for more than computer repair.” Her warm face lights up with appreciation as she walks away to the kitchen.

“So what do you think she’ll bring us this time?” It’s a pointless question, really. We’ve been here a few times in the month we’ve been dating and every time it’s something different, something not on the menu, something just for us.

“Whatever it is, she better bring it out soon. I’m starving,” he says before he bites off a huge chunk of bread.

“Yeah, well you ran your ass off during that game.” I smile and then, pitching my voice a bit lower, add, “It’s a mighty fine ass too.” His eyes widen a little at my somewhat forward statement.

“You’ve got quite a fine ass too, Melanie,” he says without missing a beat.

Rather than roll my eyes at his compliment, I opt for playfulness. “Yeah, I know, right? This guy I’ve been seeing keeps telling me that.” I deadpan, but rather than lightening the mood, what was supposed to be a playful quip, forces Bryan’s look to harden. The atmosphere suddenly feels chilly, his stare cold and hard.

“You’re seeing someone else?” His disbelieving and hurt voice makes me instantly regret my words. “I thought …” The rest of his words trail off and he reaches for his water.

“Bryan, I was just kidding. I was playing around. You know, like we usually do. I didn’t mean anything by it.” I wish I could take my words back, swallow them down along with the embarrassment and stupidity I’m feeling.

The moments stretch out long and awkwardly before he can even look at me again. When his warm brown eyes meet my blue ones, it’s like he’s baring his soul. “I just thought that … well, I mean … We’ve been dating for a while and I guess I just thought that you were only seeing me.”

“Oh my God, Bryan. Of course I’m only seeing you. There’s no one else. Is there anyone else for you?” I hadn’t even thought of that. What if he is seeing someone? What if it’s Courtney? No matter how many times I try to keep my insecurities at bay, they always seem to resurface.

Reaching for my hand across the table, he squeezes tenderly as he says, “Look, I know we haven’t been together all that long, but I don’t want to see anyone else besides you. We may not have gotten off to the easiest of starts, but I really, really like you, and just the thought of you being with someone else … well, it bothers me, a lot.”

Talk about turning the tables. I now realize how he feels every time I mention him wanting Courtney over me. I make a silent promise to myself to bury down my feelings where she is concerned. I don’t like how this feels so I can imagine it hurts him just as much.

I squeeze his hand in return, wanting so badly to take back my joke. “It was a stupid thing to say, Bryan. I really didn’t mean anything by it. Believe me. You have nothing to worry about. I’m all yours.” With pleading eyes and a face contorted in concern, I hope that my soft apology is enough to erase my words.

“Good. Because I really don’t want to share,” he adds as he pops another bite of bread into his mouth. If I’m not mistaken, there’s a hint of seduction in the way he licks the drop of olive oil from the corner of his mouth.

I don’t want to ruin the evening any more than I already have, so rather than say something about Courtney – about worrying that she’s going to come and take him away from me – I smile brightly, take a bite of bread, and say, “Good. So since we’ve got the ‘no sharing’ thing out of the way, why don’t you tell me more about that goal you scored, which was amazing by the way.”

When his face lights with pride at his accomplishment, I feel like the crisis has been averted. Who knew he would be so possessive. I mean honestly, I’ve got him, why on Earth would I look anywhere else.

As he’s giving me the play-by-play run down of the final minutes of the game, Bella brings us over two huge plates of her world-famous lasagna. “Enjoy,” she says before she walks away.

I thought it was lasagna, but I was wrong. It is heaven - pure heaven on a plate covered in cheese and sauce and goodness. Bryan must agree because he’s done with more than half of his in no time flat.

“So, who’s Emmie?” I ask around a forkful of sauce-covered yumminess. Bryan and his mom mentioned the name earlier and it wasn’t one that I had heard before. Maybe it’s his dog or something like that.