Chapter 51
Preston
“So what’s her name?”
I jolted at my sister’s voice when I came through the garage door.
“Seriously, Liv?” I glared. “You scared the shit out of me.”
She sipped wine from her glass, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t avoid the question.”
“Who are you talking about?” I went for the dumb card, considering that was what this whole timeout thing was
Fucking dumb.
But since the love of my life asked for it, here I was, doing whatever it was one did on a timeout. That would include sulking, working out within an inch of my life, and snapping at everyone who asked me a question.
“The woman across the street.” She canted her head, her blonde curls bobbing with the motion. “That looked intense.”
“I see you still haven’t graduated from spying on me,” I deadpanned.
She snorted. “I never will.” She looped her arm through mine. “Now spill it.”
I glanced around my house that still held the empty remnants of our Thanksgiving dinner. “Where’s Lester?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s Leeland.”
“Whatever. Where’s your date?” I asked.
“Last I saw, Wes was giving him the third degree.” Her face flashed with annoyance. “Like he’s someone I would trust when it came to a good judge of character.”
“You’re not wrong.” I snickered.
“Anyway.” She guided me into the den. “Talk to me.”
I trusted my sister. It was not like she’d be down at the dean’s office tomorrow morning to report me.
“Her name is Trinity.” I eased down into my oversized chair. “She’s Rodney’s daughter.”
Her eyes widened. “As in Rodney Maxwell, head coach?”
“Yeah, that one.” I hesitated. “And she’s shadowing Julia, our athletic trainer.”
A brow lifted. “Meaning?”
“She’s a grad student.”
“Ah.” She placed her wineglass down on the end table. “Messy.”
“You could say that.” I ran a hand through my hair.
“It must be serious.” She tucked her feet beneath her. “I know you, Preston. You don’t veer off the beaten path. You’re disciplined. If you started something with this woman, it must be special.”
“She is.” I stared down at the carpet. “I’ve never loved another woman besides you and Cecile. Of course this love is different…it’s…”
“Real. Heartbreaking,” she finished.
I nodded. “Some outside things have come into play. It’s made things complicated.”
“So now you two are just staring at each other from your driveways instead of speaking?” She mused.
I leaned my head back. “We’re in a timeout.”
“A timeout,” she repeated with a slow nod. “What does that mean?”
“Hell if I know.” I tossed my hands up. “She wants to cool it until she graduates, I’m assuming. She doesn’t want me to lose my career.”
“And that’s when?”
“In six months.”
“Yikes.” She reached for her glass. “Can you wait that long?”
“I’d wait as long as she asked me to. If she needs two years, I’d do it. But the problem is I don’t want to. I don’t want to be away from her. I don’t want to sneak around. I want her to be mine, and for everyone to know how proud I am that she is.”
Liv smiled, big and genuine. “Well, big brother. Looks like you just made your decision.”
I guess I have.
The next morning, I knocked on Rodney’s door.
“Come on in.” His voice flowed from the other side.
I twisted the knob, my hands unsteady as I walked into the room.
This was either going to go really well or really bad.
But I made my choice. Now I just had to execute it.
Just like any game I’d ever played. Sometimes your opponent struck, and you had to reevaluate your strategy.
Switch up the play. Sometimes, circumstances changed the game.
I sat down in the open chair in front of his desk, then met his eyes. “Rodney. We need to talk.”