CHAPTER 6 Liam Bradley
Dolores
I walk back to my place solo after she peeled out of the parking lot.
See you around? Really, Bradley? That’s the best you could do?
I tried. I tried to give her my truth—that I felt changed after last night.
And she all but rejected it. She said it was an incredible night but that she had to get to work.
And okay, fine. I get it. Really, I do. I wanted her to stay, but she’s fighting her way through what sounds like a pretty brutal divorce, and she needs to keep things status quo for her family.
None of it matters, anyway.
Penny has two kids, and that life is not for me. I’m pretty sure, actually, that I don’t want any kids at all. I didn’t exactly have the two best role models, and I haven’t the first clue how to parent a kid.
So she’ll go back to her life, and I’ll go back to mine, and we’ll both leave last night exactly where it belongs.
She can’t just call in sick and spend the day naked in my arms no matter how much neither of us wanted our night to end, anyway—just like if I were in season, I wouldn’t be able to spend my day that way, either. No matter how much I want it.
Except I’m not in season. Even if I were in season, I’m not on a team, so I don’t have a job to return to.
Not even a practice squad.
But I’m hopeful after hearing from San Diego, and it seems like a good possibility. Tanner Banks is a hell of a quarterback. He’s got one of those incredible comeback stories after an ACL tear, and I admire the hell out of him. Working with him would be great.
Jesus. I sound half-hearted even in my own mind.
It would be great. He’s a good dude. But the fact remains that I’d be his backup. I don’t want him to get hurt just so I have the chance to play, but at the same time, I’m fucking tired of being a career backup.
Maybe that’s why I’m so affected by our night.
She never made me feel relegated to second best. She made me feel fucking alive when my general disposition lately is that I’m not good enough.
I guess I just want to cling to that a little longer, but it’s better if I put last night behind me.
Once I’m back home, I check my phone, and sure enough, I have my flight for my San Diego visit waiting for me. There are hotel accommodations, too, but I’m not staying the night since after my visit, I’m heading to Vegas for Maverick’s bachelor party.
I need to get my ass in gear. The flight leaves tomorrow morning so I can land and be in the practice facility by ten local time. I’ll have meetings and a physical tomorrow, which means I need to hit the gym today to work off all the beer I drank last night.
I’m tired, though. I’m spent after she took everything from me last night.
The last thing I want to do is hit the gym, but it looks like I’m out of options.
I head down to the fitness center in my complex. I start with a run on the treadmill, and I’m by myself. I’m listening to Killswitch Engage, rocking out as I lock in and block everything else out to focus.
I end by swimming laps back and forth across the indoor pool, and when I get out of the water, Heidi, one of the staff workers in this building, hands me a towel.
“Thanks,” I say, and I can’t quite muster up the same smile I might’ve given her yesterday—the flirty one that would land her in my bed after her shift.
Okay, so we’ve been together once or twice. Do I regret it? Not as much as I regret the thing with Izzy.
I wipe my face first, hoping she’ll disappear by the time I lower the towel. No such luck.
“You busy at five?” she asks.
I should know better than to stick my dick where I live. I don’t want to issue a rejection, but after last night…I sort of just want to be alone.
“Sorry, beautiful. I’m heading out of town early tomorrow, so I need to get packing.”
She twists her lips as her face falls with disappointment, but she takes the hint and backs off, thankfully.
I blow out a breath and head up to my place, and Dolores, my housekeeper, is here. Unlike Heidi, who’s a few years younger than me, she’s in her sixties and has children my age. She’s old enough to be my mother, but she’s more of a friend than a mom.
She’s funny as hell and isn’t afraid to put me in my place. And truth be told, if she were a mother figure, she’d be one who has walked in on me having sex more times than my actual mother ever did.
She’s the one who keeps this place looking like it does, and I’m eternally grateful for her. When I walk into my place after my workout, she’s in the guest room, organizing all the shit I brought home from Pittsburgh as she gets the room ready for my sister’s arrival.
“Hey, Dolores,” I say in greeting.
“Hey, kiddo,” she says. “What are we doing with all these things?” She nods to the pile of jerseys on the bed, duffel bags stuffed with gear, and cleats on the floor.
I shrug. “No clue. The jerseys we can donate, I guess. I’ll use some of the gear in the bags, but wherever I land will probably issue new cleats.”
“I’ll make a donation pile and a keep pile for you to sort through. Sound fair?” she asks.
“Thanks, Dolores.”
“Are we talking about the water bottle on your nightstand?” she asks, referring to the bottle Penny left on the nightstand.
Dolores knows which side of the bed I sleep on, and she knows I’m anal about keeping surfaces clear of clutter.
I guess I get that from Madden, and that’s also why she went right for the guest room since the mess in here—organized though it was—was starting to give me hives.
“No ma’am.”
She laughs. “Oh, Liam. What am I going to do with you?”
I lean on the doorway, and she tilts her head and studies me.
“You look different.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Different how?”
She shakes her head a little. “I’m not quite sure how. Maybe a little…tired. That’s all.”
“I was up late with the water bottle woman.”
She chuckles. “When are you going to settle down?”
“Never.” I wiggle my eyebrows, and she laughs. “Truth be told, I had a nice time last night. I didn’t want it to end.”
“So why did it?” she asks.
“I thought we weren’t talking about the water bottle woman.”
“You brought it up.” She shrugs, and she’s really good at being direct with me while also being gentle. It’s one of the things I love about her. She makes it easy to talk to her, but she also loves to give me shit—which I dish right back.
I clear my throat. I guess it couldn’t hurt to get some perspective. “She’s Everleigh’s best friend.”
Dolores gasps.
“I ran into her at a bar last night, and one thing led to another. She’s going through a divorce. She’s got two kids.”
“And you gave her the night of her life, I presume?” she asks.
“More like she gave me the night of my life.” I shrug. “We had a good time. Actually, a great time. She’s just…fun. But today it’s back to reality. San Diego offered me a visit, and I have a flight tomorrow bright and early.”
“Good. Get on out of town so I don’t have to clean up your mess every day.”
I laugh as I make a face in jest that I’m deeply offended by her words, and she laughs, too.
It’s only then that I realize something.
My best friend is a sixty-three-year-old woman with four grandchildren.
Actually…it feels like she’s my only friend.
When I was drafted to Pittsburgh, I dedicated my life to the game.
I made friends there, but it feels an awful lot like I left them behind when I wasn’t re-signed.
My dad’s crimes have isolated me from local friends.
Sometimes it feels like my family is all I have left, though I suppose I’m working overtime to destroy my relationship with my oldest sister after what went down last night.
“You know I’ll always come back home to you, Dolores.”
She smiles affectionately. “So you’re visiting with the Storm? Don’t they have a quarterback?”
“They do. Their backup was hurt at practice. Out for the season, if not more. So they’re looking for a QB2.”
“But that’s not what you want,” she surmises.
“No, it’s not. But it’s better than a practice squad, and it’s better than all the other offers I’m getting.”
“Which are zero.”
“Zilch,” I confirm.
“Nada.”
I nod in agreement.
“Well, give it all you’ve got, then,” she says.
“You know I always do.”
“I know you do, and if it means anything at all, I believe in you. Whatever comes your way, you’re strong and smart. You’ve got this.”
Her pep talk actually goes a long way to help.
“And the girl from last night, Everleigh’s friend?” she adds, and I nod as I glance up at her. “Maybe she doesn’t just have to be one night like all the others.”
It’s like she can read on my face that I want more time with her, and maybe that’s what she meant when she said I look different. I feel different today, but I also just got done with an intense workout that lasted the better part of several hours.
“I left you some breakfast casserole. Eat it before it gets cold,” she says. She’s an incredible chef, and there’s nothing quite like a home-cooked meal.
“You’re the best,” I say, and I cross the room to give her a hug from the side while she continues working.
“Don’t you forget it.”
I most certainly will not.
She finishes cleaning and heads out, and I put away the stuff she sorted into my keep pile, mainly stacking the gear into the closet in my workout room.
It’s getting late when my phone starts to ring.
Madden Bradley flashes across my screen.
“Hey,” I answer.
“Greetings,” he says formally, and I chuckle. “Any word on Dad?”
“Nothing new. The trial is set to start June seventh, and I haven’t spoken to him in a few weeks. You?”
“Kennedy and I traveled a bit after the season ended, but we avoided Chicago since he’s been staying at my place. I heard you’ll be in San Diego and just wanted to check if you need anything while you’re here.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that. What happened with the backup?”
“Rotator cuff. He’s thirty-four, sitting at QB2. He’s likely to just hang it up at this point.”
“Are you still close with anyone on the team?” I ask. He just retired from the Storm to run our family’s real estate development company after he merged it with his fiancée’s family company.
“I had dinner with Clay last night. He filled me in on everything. I see a few of the other guys, too.”
“Are Clay Mack and Mad Brad running the city?” I ask.
He chuckles. “Clay is trying his best to sample the female population. I, on the other hand, am retired from both the game and that line of work now that I have Kennedy. When are you going to find a nice woman to settle down with?”
I think about telling him I spent the night fucking Penny Calloway. I know how well that’ll go over.
“Why is everyone so goddamn interested in me settling down? I’m twenty-six. You had ten more years on me before you gave it all up, so for me? Not anytime soon,” I say instead.
“All right, well, hope your visit goes well. Just checking what time you’re leaving town tomorrow. Maybe we’ll be on the same flight.”
I pull my phone away from my ear and check the details.
“Flight takes off at five fifteen,” I say.
“Ours too. We’ll see you there.”
I take a quick shower and get ready for bed since tomorrow will be an early morning, and I head down to the kitchen for some water before bed.
I never take my phone up to bed. I hate the idea of scrolling in bed.
Beds are for sleep and sex. But I spot a text I missed, and something prompts me to grab my phone just in case it was from Penny.
It wasn’t. Honestly, I don’t even know if she has my number.
Instead, it’s from her best friend…my sister.
Everleigh: Heard you spent the night with Penny.
Oh, fuck.
I don’t even know what to say to that.
Did Penny blab? Did someone see us? What the fuck?
I was planning to never tell her. Ever.
I stare at the text for a full three minutes as I contemplate what to say, and eventually I land somewhere safe just in case she didn’t mean it how it sounded.
Me: She stopped for a drink at a bar by my place, and I ran into her.
Everleigh: She told me. Said she had fun catching up with you.
I tread carefully, but it doesn’t seem like she knows.
Me: Yeah, she’s nice.
She’s nice. What the fuck, Bradley?
Her tits are nice. Her cunt is nice. Her ass was nice when it was in my bed.
What a stupid fucking thing to say.
Everleigh: She’s having such a hard time with the divorce and everything. It was nice of you to be there for her even though she’s my friend. I appreciate you.
I blow out a sigh of relief.
Me: No problem.
Everleigh: She mentioned you offered her a place to stay.
Me: I did. I may not be around, so I might as well have someone else here for Dolores to clean up after.
Everleigh: LOL—and yes, I heard you’re going to San Diego tomorrow. Good luck. Would be nice to see you out of Chicago.
Truth be told, I kind of agree.
My dad’s trial starts next month, and it would be nice to be far, far away from it instead of being the one expected to show up.
Me: Thanks, Ev. See you in Vegas.
Everleigh: Just in case you need it, I’m going to attach Penny’s contact info, and I sent her yours, too. Just since she’s my maid of honor, if anything comes up, you can all get in touch. Or if she needs to run away from Brent.
The contact comes through a second later, and I save it to my phone.
Me: My door is open if she needs it.
Everleigh: I told her the same, but your place is much closer to the kids’ school and her office. Thanks for being a solid bro.
I’m not sure how solid of a bro I am for fucking her best friend last night, but it didn’t come up, so I imagine Penny didn’t say anything. And…I guess I have Penny’s number now. And she has mine. Interesting.
It’s not like either one of us is going to use it. Not tonight, anyway.
I’m tempted. I want to tell her that I’m still thinking about her, that my sheets still smell like her, like a fucking bouquet of fresh flowers. That I can’t stop thinking about how we just lay there afterward, my fingertips dragging up and down her spine as we talked about nothing and everything.
I’ve never done that after sex.
I’m usually too spent, but it was like I didn’t want to waste a minute of the time we were blessed with. I wanted to know everything about her. I wanted the night to last forever.
But nothing lasts forever.
The reminder has me setting my phone down on the counter and heading up to bed.