Chapter 16
MILES
T he hostess seats us and runs her hand along my shoulder as she leaves. It doesn’t mean anything, but Bryce clocks it and raises her eyebrows at me. I wouldn’t mind her being jealous. At least it would show me where her feelings for me stand.
She must feel the same tension I do when we’re close. Just a brush of her arm, and my dick twitches.
“Thank you for letting us join you, Miles. It’s very nice of you,” her dad says.
“I come here occasionally. They’re good about respecting my privacy. But after that win, I’m happy to have some company.”
Which is true. Cooper said he was hoping to take Ellery to dinner if she finished at the hospital in time, and Damon probably has some hot date who plastered herself to him the minute he walked out of the locker room.
I thought about inviting a few of my defense teammates, but I don’t know them that well, and I didn’t want to have to feel “on” tonight.
“You seem like a guy who doesn’t mind being alone,” her dad says.
“I don’t, really, Mr. Burns. ”
“Please, call me Seth. And that says something about a man. Especially a guy of your caliber.” He side-eyes Bryce, and she picks up her menu, blocking herself off from our conversation.
“I think people assume professional football players should be all “alpha male” and loud with huge egos who need an entourage surrounding them, but that’s not me.”
“Damon,” Bryce mumbles, and I laugh.
“What, sweetie?” Seth asks his daughter.
“Damon Siska, he’s the classic stereotype of a man who needs his ego stroked. He’s also one of those men who never seems satisfied with the woman he has.”
I can’t see Bryce’s eyes behind her menu, but her dad’s sharp inhale tells me she just shot him with an insult.
Is that where her issues come from? Did her dad cheat on her mom?
“What’s everyone going to order?” I ask to change the conversation. The whole reason I didn’t invite anyone else was that I didn’t want awkward or forced conversation.
“I’m a ribeye guy. How about you?” Seth puts down his menu.
“New York strip for me.”
“Oh, that’s Bryce’s too.”
She glares at me over the menu as if we’re not allowed to have anything in common.
“Want to share?” I ask.
Her eyes bore into mine.
Seth laughs. “If you want to eat tonight, I wouldn’t suggest it. Bryce isn’t one of those salad girls.”
She coughs, but it sounds as though she’s choking on her saliva.
“It wouldn’t be the first time we were fighting over something,” I say.
Her dad laughs harder. “Yeah, my girl can be a little hard on you in her articles, can’t she? ”
“That’s putting it mildly. If I didn’t know better, I’d wonder if maybe she was trying to hide the fact that she likes me.”
Bryce’s menu slips from her hands and falls to the floor.
“You okay, sweetie?” her dad asks.
“It just slipped.”
I reach down to grab it, and so does she. She stares at me for a moment and mouths, “Stop it.”
I mouth back, “What?” with an innocent expression on my face.
She tries to convey something with her eyes, something along the lines of “I wish you would die,” so I give her my best smile, full-on pearly whites, which makes her grind her teeth like a little teapot guard dog.
We come up from under the table, and her dad looks at us. “Am I missing something?”
“No,” we say in unison.
Thankfully, the waitress comes over. Her dad orders a bottle of wine as a celebration.
“Miles doesn’t drink,” Bryce says.
My eyes drill into hers.
“Sorry, are you in recovery?” he asks.
“No. I do drink on occasion. I’m just not a very big drinker, but I’d love to share a bottle of wine with you, Seth.”
“Great. But of course, don’t feel pressured to have one.”
“It’s the empty calories, right, Miles?” Bryce’s voice is sweet, as if she’s not knocking me for being a health nut. “The reason you don’t drink.”
“It’s more because I get a headache, and I’m a routine kind of guy. My morning workouts suffer when I’ve had a few drinks.” I tilt my head, telling her the ball is in her court if she wants to toss another insult my way.
“I like it when professional athletes work for what they have. Appreciate that their bodies won’t last forever. When you’re my age, your skin sags, and no matter how hard you try, the middle just keeps getting bigger.” He puts his hand on his stomach and smiles.
“Then Miles is your guy.” Bryce’s eyebrows raise as she sips her water.
The waitress comes over and does the whole taste-testing-the-wine thing with Seth before pouring each of us a glass.
Seth looks around the table and raises his glass. “Here’s to the Grizzlies and winning the Big Game this year.”
“That I can toast to.” I clink my glass with his and Bryce’s.
We order our meal, and Seth keeps the conversation going while Bryce looks around the restaurant a lot, only contributing when her dad asks her a direct question.
“Has Bryce told you that she’s been to every football stadium in the United States?” She huffs, and her dad shakes his head. “I’m embarrassing her, but every weekend when she was younger, and I had her, we’d go to a game.”
“So, you’re the reason she loves football?” I bring my wine glass to my mouth and take a sip.
“I like to think so. Am I, sweetie?” He turns his attention to her.
She shrugs. “I suppose so.”
I’m missing something here. I can tell by the tone of her voice.
“Forgive Bryce. Her mother and I divorced when she was only four. We shared custody of Bryce, and a couple years ago, Katie fell ill.”
“You didn’t share custody. You only saw me every other weekend and on Wednesdays. And she didn’t fall ill , she got cancer.” She looks at me with zero emotion. Not even a glimmer of sadness.
Seth sighs. “She’s right. But her mom is in remission now and we’ve rekindled?—”
“Dad, he doesn’t need to know our life story,” she cuts him off.
“I’m just explaining. ”
“To someone who’s essentially a stranger.”
I raise my eyebrows. “I thought we were friends?” If her dad wasn’t here, I’d remind her just how friendly my cock has been with her pussy.
“You know what I mean. I don’t ask you about your upbringing.”
“You could though. My parents are still married, live in Connecticut, and were college sweethearts.”
She gives me a death stare. “Of course they’re still married.”
Seth puts his hand on hers. “And yours will be soon too.” He turns to me. “We’re getting remarried this spring on a beach. It’s a new beginning for us.”
“That’s great,” I say with a smile. “Congratulations.”
“Maybe you can convince my daughter to attend. She?—”
“Dad!”
Seth laughs and takes his two fingers and mimes zipping his lips shut, then tossing the key.
Bryce slides out of her chair. “I have to use the bathroom.”
She leaves the table, and Seth’s shoulders fall, a bit of his good humor leaving his countenance. “I don’t know how to make it up to her.”
Bryce is right, this is none of my business.
Seth doesn’t even know the kind of relationship we have—hot and cold and more cold at that.
He doesn’t know I slept with her or that I want to sleep with her again.
It should be her decision to tell me these things when she feels she can trust me.
I don’t want Seth to keep spitting out personal details of her life when Bryce clearly doesn’t want me to know.
“I’m not sure I can help you, but tonight may not be the time to discuss it. Bryce is very closed off and likes to keep her life private.” I fail to mention that’s the case especially with me.
His hand slaps the table. “You’re right. What am I thinking? I’m just so lost, trying to get my family together again. I don’t want to cause Katie any stress, but she’s better handling Bryce than I ever was.”
“When she gets back, we’ll just talk about something else.”
He nods and finishes his wine before pouring himself another glass.
I’m talking to Seth about Twyla and Chase when Bryce sits down. “So, I sent them a Grizzlies jersey and said my niece or nephew has to wear it because I’m the uncle. Chase mailed it back, cut up in small pieces.”
Seth laughs. Even Bryce’s lips tip up.
Our steaks come, and Seth wasn’t kidding, Bryce eats every morsel, plus all her brussels sprouts.
We’re in the middle of dessert, and Bryce is telling us a story about Ellery and the first time she had to deliver a baby as a resident, when a woman approaches the table.
“Seth? Seth Burns, is that you?” the woman says. She’s roughly his age, with bleach-blonde hair and a dress that’s a little on the short side.
Bryce stiffens in her chair, her attention remaining on her cheesecake.
“Hi,” Seth says, dropping his napkin on his chair and standing to embrace the woman.
Bryce moves the cheesecake around, but she’s peeking from the corner of her eye.
“Susette, it’s been years.”
“Were you here seeing the Grizzlies? Always such a football nut.” She slaps him playfully on the shoulder with the back of her hand.
“This is my daughter, Bryce, and this is Mile Cavanaugh from the Grizzlies,” Seth introduces us.
I kind of wish he would’ve maybe just left the table to have this conversation because it’s clear how uncomfortable Bryce is.
“Oh really? That’s… wait—you’re having a meal with Mi les Cavanaugh?” She puts her hand in front of mine, completely ignoring Bryce.
I shake her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
She leans down, giving me a clear view of her cleavage, and whispers, “I’d ask you to sign my tits if we weren’t in such a fancy restaurant.
” Her cackle feels like nails scraping the inside of my skull.
She nods to Bryce but focuses her attention back on Seth.
“How about we go have a nightcap for old time’s sake? ”
Bryce’s fork slips out of her hands and cascades off the table onto the floor.
I pick up the spare one the waitress gave me, in case Bryce was sharing her dessert, and hand it to her. “Here you go.”
“Sorry, Susette. I’m getting married in the spring,” Seth says.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I’ve reconciled with my wife. Bryce’s mom.” He steps aside, drawing attention to his daughter, but Susette just smiles at her and doesn’t address her because Bryce’s focus is on her cheesecake and that’s all.
“Well, good luck with that. If it doesn’t work out, call me.” She hands him a card.
I’ve been handed a lot of phone numbers during my time in the league, and if I was him, I’d rip it up or hand it back.
I find myself praying he doesn’t pocket it because I don’t want Bryce to be even more upset.
I think I have all the pieces now on who Seth was when he was divorced, and I figure that’s why Bryce doesn’t ever want to trust a man with her heart.
He kisses Susette on the cheek, and she leaves with a wave to me, continuing to ignore Bryce. Seth sits down, setting the business card on the edge of the table.
“You’re not going to put it in your pocket?” Bryce snipes.
“I’ll leave it for the busboy to clean up with the table.” Seth stares at his daughter, but she never looks up .
I raise my hand for the waitress and signal for the check. She brings it over, and I hand her my credit card.
“Oh no, Miles, I was going to buy you dinner,” Seth says.
“Happy to buy you both dinner.”
“I’ll pay you back,” Bryce mumbles.
“Not necessary.”
“Excuse me, I’ll meet you guys by coat check. I’m going to go to the bathroom.” Seth stands and walks out of the room, Bryce’s eyes on his back the entire way.
“You can go if you?—”
“Why?” Her angry gaze lands on me. “To stop him? I can’t control him. If he’s going to cheat, he is. He’ll just prove me right.”
“I just meant?—”
She stands and tosses the napkin on her seat. “Just stay out of it, Miles. Stop treating me like some charity case. I’m fine. I’m capable of handling my own issues.”
The waitress brings over the check as Bryce storms away. I leave a tip and sign it. So much for a nice dinner.