Unforgettable (Cloverleigh Farms #5)(56)

Not wanting to hurt my sister’s feelings, I took the box and tossed it in the back of my SUV, which Rental Car Steve had said I could rent for the week . . . not that I’d booked a new return ticket to San Diego yet. I really needed to get on that—it was already Wednesday. I’d been here a full week at this point. Wasn’t it time to get back to my real life?

I thought about it as I drove back to the hotel—the long way, past our old house so I could see if that apple tree was still there . . . it was. Parked across the street, I stared at that damn tree and thought about the offer David Dean had made me this afternoon. I thought about the second act of my life, for which I’d made no Plan B.

I thought about returning to my big house with its security gate in San Diego and my little cabin in the mountains. Both offered the privacy and solitude I’d craved over the last year, but was that really what I wanted for the rest of my life?

On the way back to the hotel, I thought about buying a place on the water here, where Sadie and Josh could bring my nieces and nephews to go swimming or fishing or boating. I thought about having an influence over the next generation of players, of passing on the wisdom that had been given to me, not because they were going to make millions of dollars or become famous pro athletes, but for the love of the game. And I thought about the woman who, within the space of one week, seemed to know and understand and accept me better than anyone ever had.

All of it was making me wonder what if.

What if I stayed more than a little longer? What if my worth didn’t have to be measured in balls and strikes? What if the way my life had veered off course wasn’t a punishment, but an opportunity?

What if this place started to feel like home to me?

Late that night I was lying in April’s bed, my arms wrapped around her soft, warm body, when I realized it already had.

“Hey,” I whispered. “Are you still awake?”

“Yes.” Her voice was sleepy.

“I was thinking.”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to do that.”

I laughed gently, nudging her hip. “Smartass.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“About . . . staying. Maybe for good.”

She rolled onto her back and looked up at me. “Really?”

“Yeah. David Dean offered me a permanent position on the coaching staff at the high school. I was thinking about maybe getting a place here.”

“Like a house?”

“Yeah.” I grinned at her in the dark. “Somewhere I can leave the cap off the toothpaste and not worry about it.”

“I only scolded you about that once this week.”

“Well, I feel like I’ve imposed on you long enough, with all my cover hogging and my dirty laundry. And I don’t really want to live in a hotel—too many people around all the time. Earlier today I was picturing a big house on the water, maybe a boat. A place where we can hang out on the deck and drink good bourbon and I’ll yell at kids to get off my beach.”

Laughing, she shook her head. “Wow. That sounds amazing. But . . . that’s a big decision. A big change.”

“I know.” I brushed the hair back from her face. “But I was thinking today about why I haven’t booked a ticket back to San Diego yet. And I realized it’s because I just don’t want to go. Something about being here feels right to me, and I haven’t felt that in a long time.”

She looped her arms around my neck. “It makes me really happy to hear that.”

“I’m happy too.” I rolled on top of her. “Can you tell?”

“Yes. And I love when you’re happy. In fact, making you happy is my new favorite sport.”

“Better not skip practice then.” I lowered my mouth to hers, my body igniting, my heart racing, my mind full of possibilities for the future.





Sixteen





April





Thursday morning, I burst into Chloe’s office without knocking. “He’s staying!”

Seated at her desk, she looked up at me in surprise. “What?”

“Tyler. He’s staying.”

A grin broke out on her face. “You’re kidding. For real? Like he’s moving back?”

I nodded. “That’s what he said last night. He’s talking about buying a place on the water.”

“Oh my God!”

I put a hand on my chest. “I swear, my heart has not stopped racing since he told me. It’s so crazy!”

“So, what did he say, exactly?”

“He said he hadn’t booked a ticket back to San Diego yet and when he thought about why, he realized it was because he didn’t want to go. He said something about being here feels right to him.” I paused and smiled. “And then we had sex again.”

Chloe burst out laughing. “Listen to you! First you were all, ‘Oh I’m totally not going to bang him, I’m just wearing perfume for fun,’ then you were like ‘Well, maybe I’ll bang him, but first I’m going to overthink it,’ and now you’re head over heels in love!”

I rolled my eyes, even as my heart continued to gallop. “Stop it. I’m not in love. We’re just spending time together. Getting to know each other. Having a lot of amazing sex. I’m just happy it doesn’t have to come to an end before it even has a chance to begin.”