Chapter 37 Reese
Reese
I hesitate with my fist held up to the front door, ready to knock.
But I can’t. I’ve been out here for a few minutes already, baking in the summer heat, and still, I can’t find it in me to let them know I’m here.
As soon as we landed back at the Chicago airport, I got in my car and came here.
My grandparents live about forty minutes outside of the city limits, and I came all this way. So why can’t I find it in me to knock on the door?
Because everything is about to change, that’s why.
Closing my eyes, as if that’s going to help anything, I drop my fist against the wood. Then I do it a little harder two more times.
The wait afterward is the worst part of the anticipation. I can no longer run back to my car and leave, pretending I was never here. I’ll have to go inside. I’ll have to have this conversation.
One that I’m terrified of.
“Reese?” My grandmother beams as she opens her front door. “What are you doing here, honey?”
Her arms are wide to hug me before I’ve even told her the reason for my visit.
I love my grandparents. They’re kind and sweet, exactly how you’d hope your grandparents to be. Sure, my grandfather became my business mentor when I got older, but when we’re not at the field, he’s just my grandfather.
Which is why I wanted to have this conversation here, I suppose. At his home—where I’ve celebrated almost every Christmas and more than a handful of birthdays over my life. As if the familiar territory will soften the blow of what I have to tell him.
I give my grandmother a hug before she pulls back, hands on both my shoulders to look me over. “Is everything okay with you?”
Lying, I nod. “I was hoping to talk to Grandad.”
“Is that my Reese’s Pieces?” I hear my grandfather call out. His wife moves out of the way so he can see me. “It is! Come in! What a lovely surprise.”
I step into their family home, closing the door behind me.
“She wants to talk to you, Arthur.” My grandmother’s tone clearly hopes to convey something to him. Not that she knows what.
“Oh.” His previous cheery tone settles. “Okay. This seems like it may be serious. Should we talk in my study?”
My attention bounces to the French doors that lead to his study, but there’s a reason I came here instead of having this conversation in my office. There’s a part of me that’s hoping he’ll be my grandfather more so than my business mentor today.
“Would you mind if we talked in the living room?”
“Great idea.” My grandmother pats me on the back. “You two talk in there and I’ll make you both some tea.”
My grandfather eyes me cautiously, a bit resigned in the way he’s holding his shoulders. As if he knows he’s not going to like what I have to tell him.
We wordlessly make our way into the living room. This one is less formal than their sitting room with all the stiff antique furniture. It helps add to the comfortability. I’m desperate for a bit of comfort today.
My grandfather takes his usual seat in his worn-in leather recliner. But I can’t even attempt to relax, so instead of taking the matching one where my grandmother usually sits, I opt for the sofa across the room.
It’ll give me a bit of space to breathe from his inevitable disappointment.
Awkward silence stifles the air. I don’t have it in me to start this conversation and he clearly doesn’t want it to happen at all. As if not having to hear whatever I’m going to say would give me the chance to fix it. To change it on my own.
But there’s no changing this. Even if I wanted to.
Our family photos line the walls of the room.
There are a few photos of my dad’s mom too, but any of the ones where I’m older than a baby, the woman who I now call my grandmother is in them.
In every photo, there’s only five Remingtons.
My grandparents, my parents, and me. As an only child, who didn’t see myself having my own children one day, I assumed I’d probably never have a family bigger than this.
As if that was the only way it could expand.
But here I am at thirty-five, feeling like I’m on the edge of it growing bigger than I ever imagined.
“Reese.” My grandfather uses his professional voice. “What’s going on?”
I look him over, soaking in the mental image of this moment. Because there’s an awfully good chance this is going to be the last time he views me as a respectable businesswoman. Or as the girl who was so eager to follow in his footsteps. The girl he was so proud to lead the way for.
“Are you stepping down?” he finally asks, unable to bear the silence any longer. “Is that what this is about?”
“What? No. No, that’s the last thing I want.”
Relief washes over him. “Then what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
“It’s Emmett.”
“Monty?” He sits up in his chair. “Is he okay? What happened?”
“He’s okay.”
“Is it his contract? I don’t understand why you haven’t had him sign an extension yet. Time is ticking, Reese.”
None of this is going to be easy, is it?
“I don’t know if I can extend his contract,” I admit.
My grandfather rears back. “Why not? He’s the best man for the job.”
“I know. I fully agree. It’s just that he and I . . .”
I pray for that to be enough. That he won’t force me to finish the sentence.
“He and you, what?”
I guess not then.
“What?” he asks again. “You two aren’t getting along still? Reese, you have to move past that. For the good of your team. You need to think about the future of the club—”
“Grandad,” I interrupt. “We are getting along. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. We’re getting along too well.”
His gray bushy brows narrow in confusion.
I love the man, but I hate that he’s not piecing this together.
“Arthur,” my grandmother says from the entryway off the kitchen. She’s behind his recliner, two glasses of iced tea in hand. Adoring eyes locked on me across the room. “She’s trying to tell you that she and Monty are together. Romantically.”
There they are. The words are out there in the open now.
I offer my grandmother a grateful smile. She nods toward the kitchen, silently telling me she’s going to let us have this conversation privately.
I look anywhere else I can. The wall. The carpet. My lap. Finally, my eyes hesitantly track back to my grandfather.
“Reese.” He says my name coolly. “Please tell me that’s not true.”
The dissatisfaction in his voice. The hurt on his face. It’s already burning the backs of my eyes. This is the last thing I wanted, for him to be disappointed in me. But after our trip to Colorado, with the way I feel about Emmett, I had to tell him. It was time.
“I can’t lie to you anymore.”
“Oh, Reese.” He sighs heavily. “I told you not to give them anything to talk about. The press is going to eat you alive for this.” He stays silent for a long while until he eventually asks, “How long?”
“Long enough.”
He closes his eyes and drops his head back as he takes in that statement.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“You didn’t mean to what?”
“I didn’t mean to fall in love with him.”
His expression earns a bit of understanding. “Oh, Reese.”
“I’m sorry,” I choke out. “I tried not to.”
He takes a long moment to collect himself and once he does, he settles me a bit by saying, “You can’t apologize for loving someone, honey.”
“But I’m still sorry. I know you trusted me with this franchise. And after everything that happened with Jeremy, I’m sure you think my decision-making skills are absolute shit. And now here I am with the field manager of the team.”
He sits forward in his recliner. “Let’s get one thing straight.
I do not think your decision-making skills are shit, so get that out of your head.
I would have never held on to this team for you if I didn’t trust your gut.
If I didn’t trust you. And Jeremy tricked all of us, Reese.
That wasn’t your fault. Monty, on the other hand .
. .” He leans back in his chair, shaking his head. “They’re not the same, okay?”
No. No, they’re not.
“I thought you two hated each other?”
“Well, apparently not anymore.”
He chuckles, but the way he’s looking at me, his expression is full of sympathy, as if he knows whatever happens next is going to be a terrible decision for me to make.
“You couldn’t have picked a better man, Reese. More than anything, know that.”
That is something I undoubtedly already know.
I nod, trying to swallow back the thickness in my throat. I can’t fight the emotions today. My heart feels heavy. This conversation has been weighing on me. Being in love with someone you’re not supposed to is really fucking scary.
“I need to take my grandad hat off now,” he says. “We need to talk business.”
I brace myself, already knowing what he’s going to say. He and I are both aware there’s no way things can continue the way they are now. We’re both aware that’s why I finally came to him.
“Grandad, I promise I’m not trying to ruin the franchise you just left behind.”
“Then don’t.” His eyes are fiercely glued on mine.
“You don’t have the luxury of doing whatever you want, Reese.
That’s something you gave up when you took on this position.
You have a responsibility bigger than yourself.
You don’t get to be selfish, and you don’t get to have a choice. Do you understand?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“This is a business, Reese.”
“I know.”
“Good. Then you also know exactly what you have to do, whether you like it or not.”