Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
I t was two long days before Riley could get back to Antony’s place again. She had texted him several times, but his responses were scattered, at best. Riley could imagine they would have mostly been grunts if they’d been chatting in person.
She pulled off to the side of the road and stared at the fence, pursing her lips. Part of her was dancing and jumping at the thought of seeing Antony again. Another part was curled up in a ball, painfully aware of how much it hurt to see him struggling. And a third part was so depressed, she could barely function.
Every time she made the choice to push instead of leave him alone, Riley knew what it was doing to their relationship. She was under no delusion that someday Antony would thank her. This wasn’t like all the sports movies where the hard-nosed coach is eventually proven right.
That was great for stories, but it rarely happened in real life. She was playing the hard coach, but there would be no thanks. By the end of this, Riley was pretty sure Antony wouldn’t even like her any more. He’d probably view her with utter contempt. But she loved him too much to walk away. Maybe half of that love was still familial love, but it had been changing for some time and there was more woman-loves-a-man inside of her than she was ready to acknowledge.
That piece of her hurt more than anything else, and it was the piece of her that Riley knew would never heal. This gaping wound would be a permanent scar by the time Antony was back on his own two feet.
Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for bitterness, anger, and rejection. Antony had probably been stockpiling them for the last two days, and his arsenal would surely be impressive.
Grabbing the door handle, she climbed out and shut the door, locking it behind her. Walking around to the sidewalk, she stepped up, but paused when she heard a noise. Frowning, Riley looked around, then froze.
“Ri!” The call was followed by an excited yip.
“Tone?” Riley gasped.
Antony was smiling so wide, Riley’s own cheeks hurt as he hurtled toward her in his wheelchair.
“Whoa!” Antony called, trying and struggling to stop the chair and bring Griffin to heel.
Riley stepped back quickly, trying to keep her toes away from being flattened. “What in the world are you doing?” she gaped. Antony’s face was flushed and his hair blown back, showing off his good looks, but also all the scarring on his right cheek and the side of his neck. Did he even realize how exposed he was right now?
“Running, or I guess rolling,” Antony said with a smirk. “What are you doing?”
“Coming to make sure you ate dinner and finish cleaning the kitchen.”
Antony shrugged. “I’m not really hungry, but I should probably eat after that.”
“I…” Riley shook her head, and she opened and closed her mouth several times. She didn’t even know where to start with everything she was seeing.
“Who am I, and what did I do with Antony? ”
“Yes?” Riley squeaked. She’d been so prepared for his surly, hate everyone attitude, and now she was completely thrown off guard. What was she supposed to do with this? Did she do anything? Was her work here done? Had two days of being a mean drill sergeant been enough to snap Antony out of his depression?
Antony chuckled and wiped at his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. “You gave me an idea the other day.” He squinted up at her.
“I did?” Riley put her hands on her hips. “Was it that you should plan my death by running me over with the wheelchair? You might need to work on your aim.”
Another chuckle.
No one, not even Aspen, would ever know what that sound did to Riley’s belly.
“Come on in,” Antony said. “We can talk inside. I need a drink.”
Riley followed mutely. Of all the things she’d been trying to help him with, racing wildly down the sidewalk had never even occurred to her. Just what had he taken from their fights that had brought this on? The apartment smelled of bleach, and Riley winced when they walked inside. “I guess I should have aired things out before I left,” she muttered.
“Ah…so it’s not just me.” Antony looked over his shoulder as he rolled inside. “I have no nose hairs left. All burned off.”
Riley made a face. “But no diseases either.”
“True.” Antony detached Griffin, who immediately headed for his water bowl, while Antony rolled toward the sink. Once there, he grabbed the counter and braced himself and his chair so he could rock his way into standing.
Riley clenched her fists and folded her arm to keep from going over and helping. He was actually doing things himself. She needed to let him have his independence. After all, this was exactly what she wanted.
Right ?
“Thirsty?” Antony’s voice was slightly muffled as his head was in an open cupboard.
“I’m fine.” Riley cleared her throat. “Are you going to tell me why I’m responsible for your wild ride out there?”
Did that man have any idea how beautiful his smile was? The scars didn’t detract in the least from the perfection of his face and jawline, and it made Riley squirm. She needed to stop thinking this way. She’d given up her right to pursue anything with Antony when she’d chosen to be Chief Meanie.
Antony waved for her to wait while he finished his drink. Sighing, he set the cup down and worked his way back into the chair. “I haven’t felt this alive in ages,” he admitted, then glared. “Don’t you dare tell anyone I said that.”
Riley mimed zipping her lips. “What’s said after an oxygen depriving run, stays after an oxygen depriving run.”
Antony frowned and spun his chair around. “I don’t think that made sense, but I’ll take it.”
Riley’s legs wobbled. Seriously, what was going on here?
Antony rolled over until he was just a few feet from her, then stopped, folding his hands in his lap, his lips pulled down at the corners and his shoulders slightly shrunken. “I, uh…” He pushed a hand through his hair, leading it away from his face. “I feel like an idiot, admitting all this.”
Riley shrugged. “It’s just me.” She ignored the painful heart-prick those words cost her.
Antony nodded. “Right.” He took in a slow, long breath. “I’ve really been struggling since I got back and one of the biggest things is losing my ability to…to, well…move, I guess.”
Riley stayed still, trying to listen between the lines. Nothing he’d said so far was much of a revelation.
Antony chuckled darkly and pushed his hair again. “I’m sure you knew all that. I’ve always been active, and suddenly I couldn’t do anything. Including stupid stuff, like taking care of myself or feeding myself or even showering by myself.”
He eyed Riley after that last one, but she kept a stoic expression on her face.
“It was when you mentioned that you’d first trained Griff to be a running dog.”
Riley’s heart leapt at the nickname. Antony only called those closest to him by nicknames. Her heart picked up speed at the flicker of hope.
“I’m going to need some training,” Antony said, tilting his head back and forth. “But…I…haven’t been this excited about anything in forever.” He looked up at Riley, and she stared back.
Blinking, she finally spoke. “Uh…I missed something. What are you so excited about?”
Antony snorted. “I’m going to run, or roll, I guess, the Summer Fling with you.” His hand waved toward the dog. “And Griffin is going to help me.”
Antony managed to hold back his laughter, but the grin couldn’t be contained. This felt so similar to when he’d found the apartment. There was something so freeing about the situation.
He hadn’t been sure how things would go when he’d worked his way out of the apartment about an hour ago. But once the wind was blowing through his hair and the sidewalk was flying by, Antony had felt something break…in a good way. Like a weight was released around his chest, and he could breathe for the first time since getting home.
His muscles ached, his back was a sweaty mess, and he probably stunk to high heaven, but Antony would go back out in a heartbeat just to find that emotion again.
Everything crossing Riley’s face, however, said she hadn’t reached quite the same conclusion he had.
“You’re going to race in the Summer Fling?” Her voice rose at the end, like it should with a question, but there was a small squeak that was endearing and yet told Antony she was questioning his ability to think rationally.
“Race is a strong word,” Antony mused. “I’m pretty sure I won’t be riding in the front, but hey, if I’m the only one in my division, maybe I’ll win a prize.”
“Division?” Riley shook her head and rubbed her forehead. “Do they even have a wheelchair division?”
“You tell me.” Antony spun around and headed back to the kitchen. His appetite was definitely coming back. He hadn’t felt truly hungry in a while, but his little stunt outside was already making a difference. “On second thought,” he muttered, steering toward the fridge. “I think I’m gonna have a protein shake. Do you want one?”
Riley didn’t answer, and when Antony looked over his shoulder, she was walking slowly across the space until she plopped into one of the metal chairs in the dining area.
After grabbing his shake, Antony slowly turned. His enthusiasm was beginning to wane as he watched her. Why was she so upset? Didn’t Riley want him to be up and doing things? Wasn’t that the whole point of why she’d been hanging around?
“Just say it.”
Riley’s head came up. “What?”
Antony worked to keep his anger out of his tone, but it wasn’t completely masked. “Just say what you need to say.” He pushed the chair toward her. “You think I’m stupid? You think I can’t do it? I’m gonna fall on my face or embarrass myself?”
Riley’s eyes opened wider the longer he spoke, and she began to shake her head. “N-no,” she stammered. “Nothing like that at all.”
“Then why are you acting like the world’s ended?” Antony snapped his mouth shut, chewing on the next words he wanted to say. He was so tired of disappointing everyone. Every time he was angry, he hurt the people around him. Now that he was trying to move beyond that, he was still hurting them.
He squirmed in his seat. Something about hurting Riley hit him differently. Dang his ridiculous attraction to her. She’d already made her own feelings clear. He needed to just focus on the race and forget the idea of ever having a girl like him back.
Riley was a friend. A friend of his sister’s. She was like a sister.
There would never be anything more between them. Ever.
Riley’s eyes softened, and she leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I…” Taking a deep breath, she sat up straight. “You just surprised me.”
“I thought this was what you wanted,” Antony snapped.
“I do,” Riley said, a little too quickly. She slumped in her seat. “I just wasn’t prepared.”
Antony frowned. “Prepared? For what?”
Riley pursed her lips, but didn’t speak.
Antony pointed a finger toward her. “I told you how I was feeling. It’s only fair you do it in return.”
If looks could kill, Antony would be dead right now. But it didn’t last, and Riley’s bright gaze went back down to her lap just as she muttered under her breath.
Antony paused as he was taking a drink of the shake. “What? I couldn’t hear you.”
She looked up at him and huffed. “I wasn’t ready for this all to be done,” she practically shouted at him.
Antony felt his eyes widen and he fell back in his chair. “You weren’t ready for this to be done?” he croaked, his mind flying like a jet engine as he tried to decipher what she was saying.
Had he missed something? Did Riley just have nothing else to do in life? Didn’t the shelter keep her busy? Wasn’t she tired of taking care of broken animals, of which he fit the category a little too well?
Or did she mean…
No. Antony shook his head. She’d been clear from the beginning. This was a family matter. Riley considered him family. Antony needed to consider her family. Too bad he was struggling with that, which Riley would never know.
“Well, keep your disappointment to a minimum,” he muttered right before taking another drink. “Because I’m gonna need some pointers on how to survive this race. I’ve always been more of a weight resistance guy, than cardio.”
There was no way that the flash of emotion that went over Riley’s face was longing. Antony really needed to work on his people reading skills because there was nothing for her long for.
“Think you can do that, Sumner?”
Riley’s smile was slow, but at least she gave him one. “I don’t know,” she teased. “Think you can finally follow directions? It seems to me that every time I turn around, you’ve undone all my hard work.”
“What are you talking about?”
Riley pointed to the hallway. “I cleaned that up only two days ago, mister. Why is there a pile of clothes?”
Antony cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his suddenly hot neck. “It’s a temporary laundry hamper.”
“The floor?” Riley shook her head and stood up. “Men would never have survived if it weren’t for women.”
“Don’t you dare touch that.” Antony practically dropped his drink as he pushed the chair to follow her.
Instead of obeying, Riley lunged forward and grabbed the clothes. “Okay…maybe men would have survived, but they would certainly stink a lot more.” She wrinkled her nose when she turned around to face him.
Antony purposefully didn’t look at the pair of boxers hanging from the bottom of the pile. Did that woman have no shame? Or sense of propriety? “Riley Roo,” he ground out, using her childhood nickname. “Put the clothes down now.”
Riley smirked and cocked a hip. A very nice looking hip.
Antony shook his head. “I mean it.”
“I’ll help you train as long as you let me finish my work in the apartment,” she said coolly. “We need to get you outfitted with enough furniture that you have a place for your stuff.” Her arm with the clothes dropped, and Riley grew serious. “Tone, you can’t wheel around an apartment with things all over the floor. You’re going to have to become a total neatnik if you’re going to make this work.”
“Are you seriously saying that if I let you do my laundry, you’ll help me run in the Summer Fling?”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Riley responded with a firm nod.
Antony smirked. “You realize that I get the better end of the deal on both sides, right? I’m totally taking advantage of you.”
Riley walked forward until she was leaning over him.
He hated how small he felt in this chair.
“There’s no better deal here,” she said softly, dumping the clothes in his lap. “I won’t take it easy on you either way. I’m willing to help clean until you can clean yourself, and if you want me to coach you on running, then you’ll probably find yourself cursing me as you lay down at night.” She raised a challenging eyebrow. “Really think you can handle that, soldier? Are you ready to make me your enemy?”
Heaven help him, but Antony wanted to grab the back of her head and kiss that sauciness right out of her. It was causing his attraction to flair to unhealthy levels and he wasn’t sure if he could continue to be around her without Riley eventually figuring it out.
Riley was unlike any other women he’d ever dealt with, and that included his crazy sister Aspen. She was gorgeous, strong, capable and challenged him in a way that had Antony eating out of the palm of her hand. She’d said so, quite literally the other night.
Sticking his hand out, he kept her gaze. “Bring it on, chief.”
One side of her mouth quirked, and she gripped his hand. “We start now.”