Wild Card: Boys of Fall (14 page)

“You love my daughter?”

Glen couldn’t deny it. Hell, he didn’t want to. “So much it hurts.”

“Sounds to me like you
already
made a life-altering decision. In just two weeks.”

Coach’s words hit him like a two-by-four between the eyes.

He was right. Glen’s life had already been tossed on its ear. And no matter
what
he did next, his life was going to change.

Glen tried to wrap his mind around that fact. He’d been living on borrowed time. Time that had run out this morning. Lorelie had given him a way to return. She’d fixed up the barracks and issued the invitation. He could potentially have his cake and eat it too. Return to the tour and come back here in between concerts and recording sessions. Wade was doing that. Was making it work.

He dismissed the idea instantly. For one thing, Wade set his own schedule, and he’d scaled back a lot so he could be home with Charlene.

As a member of Trent’s band, Glen didn’t have that luxury. Which meant he would be away from Quinn ninety percent of the year. That wasn’t fair to Lorelie. She deserved all of a man’s attention, not some walkaway Joe who popped into town whenever he could squeeze in a trip.

And then there was Coach to consider. Glen had felt the man’s approval, but he’d never come right out and asked the guy what he thought about him and Lorelie together. “You really wouldn’t mind it if I stuck around?”

Coach didn’t hesitate, just shook his head. “No. I wouldn’t mind.”

“You’re a lot different from my dad.” Glen didn’t have a clue where that had come from, but as more time passed, he couldn’t help making the comparison.

“Yeah. I got that impression. Your dad a drinker?”

“No. Just a cold son of a bitch. Got my mom pregnant with my older brother when they were younger. Their parents made them get married. Rather than make the best of it, he made us all suffer. Let us know every minute of every day how miserable he was and how it was our fault. My brother is a few years older. He took off right after high school and never looked back.”

“Your mom could have left your dad. Found a better place for y’all.”

Glen snorted. “She liked being miserable too. Good Catholic girl, raised to believe we were meant to suffer so we could live the good life in the ever-after. She took her suffering very seriously, made it an art form.”

Glen was surprised to realize the usual bitter tone that accompanied any conversation about his family was missing. It was as if he’d finally managed to let go of all that. His time with Coach and Lorelie had shown him he hadn’t left behind anything that was worth missing. What they had, their family of two—or five, really, considering they’d extended it to make room for Oakley, Joel and Sadie—had taught him what a good family looked like.

He had never missed his family. Not once. But if he left Quinn, he would miss
this
family intensely.

“Couldn’t have been an easy way to grow up,” Coach said.

“I got out at sixteen. Enough years have passed that I can’t remember much of it anyway.”

“You’ve grown up to be a good man. That’s pretty exceptional, when you consider it doesn’t sound like you had anyone showing you how.”

And there it was again. That unconditional acceptance he’d felt from Coach, right from the start.

“Haven’t been here that long, Coach. How can you know that?”

“I’ve been around long enough, son, to know the lay of the land. I can usually get a feel for a man’s character pretty quick. Got good intuition.”

“What does it tell you about me?”

Why does it matter so much?
Glen didn’t know. All he knew was…it did.

“I didn’t even have to try to figure you out. Lori did that for me. Knew that day she brought you home for Sunday supper and I saw the way she looked at you. You make my daughter happy, Glen. There’s no man on earth who doesn’t want that for his baby girl.”

“She’s something special.”

Coach’s face sobered, which surprised him. He would have expected the man to be pleased to hear Glen admit that. “She’s had a rough time since my heart attack.”

“I know.”

“I’m going to tell you something I haven’t said to anyone else.”

Glen swallowed heavily, suddenly afraid by the seriousness of Coach’s tone. If he confessed to still being ill…

Glen thrust the thought aside. “Okay,” he said at last.

“When I was laying in that hospital bed back after the heart attack, all I could think about was Lori. If I died, she would be alone. I know she thinks I told the football players to look after her in high school, but in truth…I restated it back in June. Made them all promise to look after her, to keep her safe for me, and to make sure she found a man who was worthy of her love and her trust. I also made them swear they’d never tell her why they were doing it.”

That explained the defensive line surrounding her. “She’s pretty annoyed at those guys.”

“Yeah. I know. Thing is…you got by them.”

Did Coach think that was a bad thing?

“They didn’t exactly make it easy.”

“They weren’t supposed to. There haven’t been any other men with either the backbone to take on her guardians or the vision to see why she was worth making the effort. You had both.”

He had Coach’s approval. He’d felt like he had all along, but hearing it spoken aloud…it went deep, made him feel happier than he’d been in a damn long time.

Fuck. What the hell was he supposed to do? If Toby hadn’t texted, hadn’t told him to come back, he would have had time to consider his next move. But he had to go now. Return to the tour tomorrow or lose his job.

“My manager texted me this morning. They want me back on the tour,” Glen confessed, relieved to be able to get the truth out there. “Tomorrow.”

“You’re leaving?” Lorelie had approached the table without him seeing her.

Glen’s heart shattered at the sound of her voice. He hadn’t wanted to ruin her night, intent on waiting until morning. It had been his cowardly way of prolonging the inevitable confrontation, while holding on to the hope that maybe some easy answer would appear overnight.

“Lori,” Glen said, rising. “I was going to tell you.”

A million different emotions crossed her face in the course of only a minute. Glen managed to catch every one. Mainly because he felt them as well. She’d started with upset, which morphed into the briefest flash of anger before she sucked in a deep breath and strengthened her resolve and gave him exactly what they’d promised each other from the beginning.

An easy out.

“Guess we’ll need to make tonight count then,” she said softly.

He frowned. Not because he believed for one second she was taking this news lightly. But because she genuinely thought he’d want that from her.

Glen stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his. “No.”

Her forehead crinkled. “No?” Then her eyes went wide and she didn’t bother to hide her disappointment. “You’re leaving tonight?”

“What? Wait. No. God no! I just…we need to talk, Lori. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this all damn day. We both knew this was coming. And we were both dreading it. I don’t want you to pretend it’s okay. Because it’s not. This sucks. All of it.”

He hadn’t noticed the stiffness in her shoulders until they fell. It occurred to him she’d been holding herself stiffly, but his words appeared to release her from that. He was glad. He needed the truth from her, needed to know how she genuinely felt.

“Been thinking all day, huh?”

He nodded.

“No answers?”

He shook his head. No answer.

Just one big fucking realization.

He was in love with her.

“Then come on.”

“Where are we going?”

“The gang has decided to move the party to Pitchers. Sadie’s created a special shot for Valentine’s Day. We’re moving ahead with Plan A.”

Plan A. Glen recalled her itinerary for the evening. Dancing, shots, laughing and sex. Lots of sex.

“Lori, I’m not sure—”

“Glen, you don’t know what to do. And I don’t know what to do. That fact will be the same come sunrise, so let’s just give ourselves one more night to pretend like the world doesn’t exist. Tomorrow, we’ll be grown-ups. We’ll talk and figure out what comes next together. Okay?”

He had never, for one second, considered that they would make this decision together.

Together.

The word repeated itself over and over in his head.

He wasn’t alone anymore. He had someone standing in front of him who gave a genuine shit about him and his life. Someone who would help him.

“Together?” It slipped out unbidden before Glen could stop himself.

Lorelie smiled, even as she rolled her eyes at him. “Yes, you idiot. Together. What you do next impacts both of us. Don’t you think for a second I’m not getting my say-so.”

He chuckled, amazed to feel the pressure on his chest disappear. The problem remained, but the idea of not having to face it alone made it seem less dire somehow. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m actually looking forward to hearing what you have to say.”

“Yeah. Well. Don’t get too excited. You might not like it.”

“You going to tell me to leave and never come back?”

“Nothing even close to that,” she replied, clearly horrified that he would suggest such a thing.

“Then I’m gonna like what you have to say. Come on. You promised me Plan A.”

They both glanced back at Coach, who shooed them away. “Go on. Have fun. I’ve had my eye on that pretty woman sitting across the room all night. I’m going to go dance with her.”

Lorelie looked in the direction her father pointed and then narrowed her eyes. “Dad, that’s Ms. Kinnaman, my fourth-grade teacher.”

“I know who she is.”

“Seriously?” Lorelie put her hands on her hips, clearly ready to express her opinion on the matter.

Glen decided to run interference. “Let the man work, Lori,” Glen teased as he took Lorelie’s hand, intent on leading her to the exit. “Where are the others?”

“They already headed over to Pitchers. I told them we’d catch up.”

“Good. Then we have time for one more slow dance. I like this song.”

Glen changed directions, guiding her to the floor, wrapping her in his arms. Martina McBride sang about her own Valentine as Glen pressed his face to hers. Lorelie laced her fingers behind his neck as she turned until her lips touched his. Glen kissed her softly.

And just like that, the easy answer did appear.

He wasn’t leaving her. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

* * *

T
wo hours later
, Glen was sitting at a table at Pitchers with Tucker, drinking a beer as Lorelie and her girlfriends stood at the bar, doing some special shot Sadie had created for the holiday called Cupid’s Cock. It was pink and fruity and the women were crazy about them.

It had been a hell of a night. He and Lorelie had done just about everything on her list for a romantic Valentine’s Day. There was only one thing left—and Glen planned to give her about twenty more minutes with her friends before he dragged her out of here and back to the barracks. That damn handmade quilt was beckoning him.

Tucker was watching Lela the same way he was looking at Lorelie. Hungrily.

“One more shot, and I’m getting my girl out of here before she gets too drunk for what I have in mind for later,” Tucker said. Part of Glen was still amazed every time he hung out with Tucker. The man was a football legend, the quarterback who had almost taken his team to the Super Bowl last year. “And my intentions for the rest of the night do
not
include holding her hair while she gets sick.”

Glen chuckled. “I hear that.”

Tucker’s attention turned away from Lela and over to him. “Hey, listen. I know you’ve been staying at Coach’s while you’re working on the ranch.” Tucker reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. “Lela and I are going back to our farmhouse tonight. Won’t be using our weekend lake house. If you and Lorelie want to stay there…”

Glen wasn’t sure what to say in the face of Tucker’s complete one-eighty. The former quarterback had been hell-bent in keeping him away from Lorelie. He was surprised—and touched—by this sudden show of support. He shook his head when Tucker started to hand him the key. “I appreciate the offer, but Lorelie has already fixed us up a nice place to stay tonight.”

Tucker smiled. “Good. Figure it can’t be easy for you, staying in the same house with Lorelie and her dad.”

Truer words were never spoken. But at the same time, Glen had enjoyed his time at the ranch, living in the main house. He’d been struck by all the activity and noise. His apartment was damn quiet in comparison. Joel, Oakley and Sadie were almost always there for dinner, the six of them sitting around the table, discussing the day, telling jokes, laughing.

“It’s actually not that bad. I like being at the ranch.”

“Coach is a good guy.”

“The best,” Glen added.

If he hadn’t completely won Tucker over before, his quick response had just sealed the deal.

“Yeah.” Then Tucker was distracted by Lela’s loud laughter and request for another shot. “That’s it. We’re out of here.”