Текст книги "Love Surfaced"

Автор книги: Michelle Lynn

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

“To win you back. He told me about you guys two years ago and how you got mad. He never asked me permission to tell you the truth. He just said he was going to at some point.” Brad sits up in the chair, facing me. His forearms rest on his legs, and his honest eyes peer into mine. “He loves you and deservingly so. He’s a good guy, Piper, and I’m not saying that because he’s my best friend. He’ll treat you right, make you laugh, and since you love him, too, I’m not going to try to stand in the way.” He stands up. “One of us has to be happy, so go for it. Take the leap, and I guarantee, it will pay off for you.” He begins walking away from the pool.

“Brad!” I call out.

He turns around, his mood somber.

“Do you want to talk about you and Bayli?”

He shakes his head. “Nah.”

He turns again, and even after I call his name a few times, he never looks back

eighteen

“SHOOT, PIPER.” TANNER BOUNCES THE basketball to me.

I catch it, immediately shooting it at the basket. The ball sinks through the net, and the boys cheer.

“Let’s play a game. Ashbys versus McCains,” Tanner says.

As much as I love basketball, I’m exhausted from the running around I did with my mom today.

“Nah. Go ahead.” I wave Dylan, Brad and Tanner off, plopping down on a lawn chair next to my dad.

“Hey, sweetheart.” My dad pats my knee.

I smile over at him. “Hi, Dad.”

My mom and Lana busy themselves, gossiping in the corner.

“Why don’t you get out there?” I nod my head toward the boys.

My dad laughs. “I’ll wait for Patrick. Plus, the boys go easy on us now, so it’s not as much fun.” The warmth in his grin shows how proud he is of my brother. “I’d rather spend time with my daughter anyway.”

He pats my knee again, and we share a smile. I was never a pure daddy’s girl, but he has that instinct to know when there’s too much on my mind.

Admiring Tanner bouncing the ball back and forth between his legs makes me wish he were mine already, so I could saunter over there, wrap my arms around his broad shoulders, and rise on my tiptoes to kiss him. As though he can read my mind, he glances over to me with a sly smile and then turns his attention back to the net. Shooting the ball, he scores and then glances over again, tossing me his classic wink, before Brad takes his shot.

A little bit of guilt surfaces because I haven’t ended it with Curtis yet. Tanner still thinks he has to earn me back, but he won last night. He just confirmed that he’s the only one out there for me, and what I have with Curtis doesn’t even enter the stadium.

For all those years I was scared of Tanner cheating on me, I’d never do that to someone else. The problem is, every time I’ve called Curtis today, it has gone straight to voicemail. It’s almost as if he knows what I ‘m going to tell him, and he thinks, by not answering, he can delay the inevitable. My mind is a jumble, and I have no clue how I will tell him I lied. That not only did Tanner and I have a relationship prior, but Tanner’s the one I’m breaking up with him for. Worse yet, he’ll lose me and the possibility of signing Tanner.

“Come on, Pipe.” Brad walks over, dribbling the ball in front of me. “You know we can beat the McCains.”

“Yeah, come on, Piper. Let me cover you,” Dylan hollers over.

Tanner hits him in the chest.

“Ouch!”

They share a look between them, and Dylan laughs.

Smiling, I sense my dad’s eyes on me, but I ignore them for the time being. I’m sure they’re filled with curiosity.

“No way. I’m exhausted.”

“Pipe, our parents did me a huge disservice by not giving me a brother. Now, you’ve always held your own with us, and you can’t stop now.” Brad does a variety of fancy moves with the basketball, lastly spinning it on his pointer finger.

I jokingly look around for a sign of girls anywhere. “There’s no one to impress here, Brad.”

Then, it dawns on me. There’s no Bayli, no Bayli’s parents, no Bayli’s bridesmaids.

“Where’s Bayli?”

The ball drops and bounces down the driveway. Brad jogs down to get it, and I make my way to meet him halfway.

“Brad?” I question.

He blows a bubble with his gum. “Relax. She’s with her friends. Something about the dresses. They’re on their way.”

He walks past me, and I see the dullness of his eyes. He’s terribly unhappy.

I turn around to go back to my chair and Brad swivels to face me. “Now, go get your shoes on, and let’s beat these guys’ asses.” He pretends to elbow them and puts Dylan in a headlock.

The four of us laugh, and I’m about to walk up the driveway to join them in a game because it will be good for us to get to a state of normalcy.

“Hey, beautiful.” Curtis’s arm swings around my shoulders.

My eyes veer to Tanner first. He’s shooting lasers at Curtis and then softens when he turns them at me.

I bite my lip, and Tanner turns around to shoot layups with Dylan and Brad. I slowly move my head up to see Curtis, and see him beaming down at me.

“Hi,” I greet him.

He steps in front of me. “What kind of welcome is that?”

He pulls me into a hug, and I loosely place my arms around his middle, trying to figure out how I’ll dodge a kiss.

“I tried to call you today,” I mention with the hopes that I’ll find out if he’s clued in on the fact something is coming.

“I know. Sorry. I was busy the entire day. Dad had a stick up his ass, and he was hell-bent on taking it out on me and my brother.” He pushes back, takes my hand, and begins to lead us up the driveway.

I try to non-verbally grab Tanner’s attention. To somehow tell him that this isn’t what I imagined, but he’s doing everything in his power to ignore me. Actually, Dylan is, too. Strike that—all three of them won’t even look at me or say hello to Curtis.

“Hi, Chris. How are you?” Curtis extends his hand out to my dad.

It’s not hard to miss my dad’s confusion about the sudden tension on the basketball court.

“Hi, Curtis. I’m good. Thanks.” Then, my dad goes back to watching the guys. My dad isn’t an outgoing guy by any stretch of the means, so his behavior isn’t abnormal.

Curtis approaches the guys, and I cringe at the reaction he’s about to receive.

“Take a seat, Piper.” My dad points to my vacant seat.

My eyes flicker back and forth between the driveway and my dad.

“Relax. He’s a big boy.” He laughs.

Reluctantly, I sit down.

We both watch Curtis bounce around him, each giving him a nod. Then, Tanner surprises me when he stops bouncing the ball, walks the two steps, and shakes Curtis’s hand. Afterward, Tanner cuts his eyes over at me, until Dylan bounces the ball to him.

My body ramps up to a heat level so high that I’m barely able to remain seated. Tanner is so transparent. No one can miss how torn he is right now, how hurt he probably feels that I haven’t ended it with Curtis yet. Even though Tanner never asked me to, he assumed after last night I would. Truthfully, he should have believed it would and if Curtis answered one of my ten phone calls, it would have.

“Hmm . . .” my dad sighs. “It’s like a showdown. Something going on that you haven’t told me?” He’s perceptive, figuring out things are awkward out there.

I’m half-tempted to ask my dad for advice. At this point, I just need to get a hold of Curtis and tell him.

I turn toward him, and he laughs at my fingers in my mouth.

Pulling my hand away, he gives me his best sorrowful look. “I don’t envy you.” He pats my knee again and stands up. “Here you go, Curtis. Take my seat.” Then, he runs out to the driveway like an old man. “Come on, guys. I’ll be the Ashby.”

“Dad!” Brad yells. “We need Piper.”

My dad smacks his back. “I showed you how to play this damn game.”

Brad cowers down, laughing, and slaps my dad’s back. “Let’s go.”

My dad smiles.

I love seeing them together. Then, it dawns on me how close my dad and Brad are, and there’s a high probability that my dad knows what happened two years ago. All this time I thought he was ignorant when he wasn’t.

“So, did you just miss me?” Curtis grabs my hand, entwining our fingers.

Again, my eyes fly to Tanner, who’s enthralled in the game. Or acting as though he is.

“Piper?”

I shake my head and twist to face him. “I’m sorry. What?”

“You called me, like, five times. Did you need something?” His eyebrows rise.

My teeth nibble on my bottom lip. “Um . . .” I stall when I should ask him to go on a drive or go out back, somewhere other than right here, but I can’t seem to pull the trigger on breaking up with him. My stomach plummets with the thought of him trying to change my mind. Then again, maybe I’m assuming he’ll fight for me when, in reality, he might not care.

“Hi, Curtis.” My mom scoots her chair over. “Do you want something to drink?”

I crinkle my eyebrows at her, and she smiles wide at me.

“No, I’m good, Susan. Thank you.” He shoots her his win-the-parents smile that wraps her in his web every damn time.

My mom eats it up. “Well, you know where everything is. Help yourself to anything.” My mom turns back around to talk with Lana.

“Hey, guys. You started without me.” Patrick walks across his own driveway to ours before stealing the ball from Dylan. “Not so bad in my old age, eh?” he says, showing his Canadian accent. He never did lose that after moving down here back in college.

“I’d give you a round of applause if you were actually able to steal the ball when I knew you were here,” Dylan eggs his dad on.

Patrick turns on his heels, and his hands swipe at the ball while Dylan dribbles it to each side of him.

“You talking trash to the man who is responsible for you being on this earth?” Patrick continues to banter back and forth with Dylan.

“Come on, Dad. You and I both know that Mom did all the work on getting me here.” Dylan laughs.

Tanner joins in.

“She needed a key part from me. You should thank me for making you a boy!”

“I don’t know. I think I’d like to be a girl. It’s easier being a girl. Right, Piper?” Dylan yells over to me.

All the men laugh.

“Shit, if I were a girl, I’d have it made. I’d be sitting my ass on the couch all day, letting my husband make the money,” Brad chimes in.

I narrow my eyes at him. “You think it’s so easy being a girl?” I stand up, walking over to them. “You want to be hormonal every month? Do you want to carry one of these for nine months?” I take the ball and shove it under my shirt.

“Your back hurts. Your feet get swollen,” Lana adds in, joining me in the driveway.

“Then, you have to pop the thing out from the size of a pea opening.” My mom saunters over in the fight against the men. “How about doing it twice, one after the other?”

My dad puts his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. “Oh, honey, I’ve thanked you every day for my two miracles.” He kisses the top of her head and then glances over to Brad and me.

“You boys had better treat your girls like your dads do us.” Lana cuddles up to Patrick, and he hugs her tight.

Tanner’s eyes find mine, and they intently fixate on me. Then, his head turns into a slow nod, and my stomach flutters from his silent promise to me.

“We taught them well.” Patrick pats Dylan on the back, but none of them say anything. “Didn’t we, boys?” He slaps his son a little harder, and Dylan loses his footing.

They all simultaneously answer, “Yes,” nodding their heads.

With the basketball under my shirt, I begin to walk away when two arms wrap around me and spin me in a circle.

“Give us the ball, Piper.” Tanner says loud enough for everyone to believe his act is normal behavior.

I melt into his arms a little.

As I’m trying not to get nauseous from the spinning, he whispers in my ear, “I just had to touch you. God, Piper, I want you so damn bad.”

As if knowing what his words do to me, he stops me with my back to Curtis. His two hands reach up my shirt, his backside of his fingers grazing along my stomach, and then he grabs the ball. The motion is so quick that I’m positive no one saw it, but I felt the touch in every nerve ending.

Then, he dribbles the ball away and down the court as though he didn’t just make me a little wetter for him. When I turn around to Curtis, I find him on his phone, not even paying attention.

As if on cue, Bayli’s car pulls up along the curb, and her entourage emerges from her BMW. She saunters up the sidewalk, and Brad continues bouncing the ball, not even saying hello.

“Hi, Bayli . . . girls,” my mom greets them.

Bayli smiles. “Hi, Mrs. Ashby.”

Her friends stand by Curtis while Bayli tries to grab Brad’s attention. She winds her way through us with smiles and low hellos until she’s right in front of Brad.

“Hi, Brad.”

He takes his last shot, letting the ball bounce into the grass. I witness a change of personality with the snap of my fingers when Brad smiles, picks her up, and circles her around.

“Hey, baby! How was your day?” He stops the spinning and then bends down to kiss her.

I cock my head when his tongue thrusts into her mouth, and he pulls her against him. She squeals, taken by surprise, and then relaxes into his arms.

Tanner knocks his shoulder with mine, and we both shift our attention to them in awe.

“Huh,” he murmurs.

I nod in agreement.

“Hey, Piper. Where’s your friend?” Dylan comes alongside me.

Tanner laughs.

“Bea? She’s working.” I smirk, intrigued by his interest. “Why?”

“Yeah. Why, Dylan?” Tanner mocks my own curiousness about the situation and circles around to Dylan.

“No reason. She’s always around,” he remarks, busying himself with the basketball.

“And?” I ask.

“And nothing.” He ventures away from us.

“Is there something in the air tonight?” Tanner jokes. “Everyone’s acting odd.” He chuckles.

“I agree.”

He looks down to me, nodding his head a few times.

My eyes flick to Curtis, seeing him chatting with one of the bridesmaids. When I turn back to tell Tanner that I picked him, he’s gone. He’s by Dylan now, dribbling the ball at his side with his back to me. My stomach drops. He’s assuming I want to be with Curtis, and that isn’t the case.

Tentatively, I find my way back to my chair that’s now occupied by another bridesmaid. Curtis has quite a fan club tonight. My decision to pick Tanner is confirmed when I have no gut-wrenching jealousy symptoms from witnessing it.

“Hey, baby,” he calls out. “Do you mind grabbing me a beer?”

“Sure.”

The girl next to him shoots me a look of disgust.

Like I give a shit what she thinks of me.

Deciding I need more space than just the fridge in the garage, I enter my house to fetch his beer. I debate with myself when to take Curtis aside because I don’t want Tanner to be hurt from seeing us together. If the situation were reversed, I’d be a basket case from witnessing him being with another girl.

After I have the beer, I walk around the back of the house for more time alone. I’m surprised by how many people are here since tonight was supposed to be low-key before tomorrow’s bachelor party. I roll my eyes at the tables quickly being occupied by Brad’s buddies. He never could do low-key. He’s always been into huge parties. The more, the merrier is Brad’s philosophy. It’s funny because Bayli seems to be the opposite. When there are so many people around, she withdraws and finds a quiet place while Brad’s overtakes being the loudest in the room.

Weaving past everyone, I’m near the driveway when I’m pushed into the side door to the garage.

Tanner shields my body, his arms above my head, as he peers down at me. “I can’t do this. This isn’t me.”

He’s so close that the smell of his cologne lingers around us.

“I tried to tell him, but he never answered his phone.” I panic, wanting him to be assured.

He quiets for a second, intently looking down at me “I know I told you to take your time, but it’s killing me, Piper.” He steps back, and his fingers entwine behind his head as he paces back and forth in front of me.

“We can’t talk about this here.” I glance back and forth to make sure no one’s coming.

I grip the doorknob of the door in my hands, but he lightly places his hand on my forearm.

“You have to put me out of my misery here.” He shakes his head. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.” His hand releases me.

I’m baffled with the bipolar Tanner McCain who is now front and center. I have to admit that it’s nice that he loves me this much that he’s becoming unglued and slightly psychotic. I’m absolutely certain that I’m making the right decision.

“Tan—” I begin.

He places his finger in front of my lips. “I’m sorry, Piper. Take more time. I’m sure there’s a reason you didn’t end it today. Just remember how good we were together,” he says, not giving me a chance to speak.

I’m thrown from the different thoughts rambling out of his mouth.

“Tan—” I try once more.

But he won’t stand still. “It’s just so hard to put up this shield of indifference when we’re around each other. I’m not sure what moment I’ll snap.”

I grab his arm, and he twists my way.

“I’m breaking up with Curtis.” I giggle.

His eyes shine, and he releases a deep breath, but he remains speechless.

“Tan?” I question.

Soon, he’s back to where he was a second ago. His body leans against mine with his hands resting above my head. “You won’t regret this. If you want to take more time before we date, I understand. I mean, I don’t want you to, but at least you won’t be with him.” He tosses his head in the direction of the garage.

“No!” I screech and then bite my lip. “I mean, I don’t want to wait.” I shake my head.

His whole body relaxes and leans in closer to me. “You just made me the happiest guy.”

“Good.” My own shoulders relax that it’s all out in the open, and I allow my fingers to graze down his chest.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” he remarks, his own fingers dipping down, rubbing along the base of my neck.

It’s amazing how one touch from him makes my body tingle.

“Oh, I’ll finish it all right.”

Then, he stands straighter, and I fear someone’s coming, but his hands land on my shoulders as a small smile begins to erupt from his mouth.

“End it with him tonight, and afterward, come find me.” Then, he leans forward, and his lips gently press to my forehead.

I close my eyes at the feeling of comfort. “Okay.”

He backs up and walks away, leaving me wanting more of him.

“What’s up?” He tosses his head at one of their friends. Slyly giving me a clue someone’s coming.

I sneak through the side door of the garage. Shutting the door behind me, I notice Curtis sitting there, talking to the girl from earlier, and I shake my head, questioning if he’ll even care that I’m breaking off our relationship.

Right after I hand the beer to Curtis, Brad screams across the cement driveway, “Three on three. Piper, it’s either you or Curtis.” He points his finger between the two of us.

This grabs Curtis’s attention. “What’s he talking about?” Curtis questions me.

I point to the court. “They want one of us to play basketball. Do you play?” I’m not even sure why I’m asking. I can probably predict the answer.

“Yeah, I’ve played a few times. Do you not want to play?” He stands up, looking down at his khaki pants and button-down shirt. Unbuttoning and rolling up his sleeves, he announces, “I’ll play.” He didn’t even wait for my answer.

Tanner and Dylan snicker to one another as Curtis walks toward them.

Meandering over to the fridge in the garage, I grab a beer and take a seat again. With three balls, they all take turns practicing shooting while razzing one another. Taking a sip of my beer, I wait for the drama that’s sure to unfold.

Tanner bounces the ball to Brad, and Brad does the same back to him from “the top” of the makeshift court. Tanner dribbles around, dodging Brad by spinning around. With his back pressing into Tanner’s chest, the two are fiercely competitive with one another.

His athleticism has always turned me on, and that hasn’t waned since his time away. Glancing to find out where his brother and dad are, Tanner bounces the ball to Dylan, and then Dylan shoots and scores. The McCain boys go wild, arms raised, screaming about how great they are.

Brad’s pissed off, but he calms fast and takes the ball himself. He bounces it back and forth with Tanner, and then Brad throws the ball to my dad. He shoots, but Patrick blocks it. Then, Curtis picks it up and shoots, and it sinks through the net. All of them look at each other, surprised that he made the shot. My dad raises his hand to give Curtis a high five. Curtis sneaks a look at me and gives me a thumbs-up. I smile, but I hate how empty it makes me feel, how guilty I feel that I haven’t told him yet.

Tanner grabs the ball and retreats back up to the top of the court. Tanner quickly passes it to Brad for a ball check, and after Brad tosses it to Tanner, he shoots from the designated three-point line. It sinks through the net.

“There’s the man!” Dylan yells.

Tanner high-fives his family.

“Take it up, Curtis,” Brad says, staying down by the net.

Dylan lazily has his arms out as though Curtis isn’t much of a threat.

He dribbles it down the court, and Dylan lets Curtis by him, jogging up to the net. Then, Tanner reaches up, and hits the ball so hard, it flies down the driveway.

“Oh my,” Lana says next to me while the ball bounces past us.

Tanner and Curtis are standing chest-to-chest.

“I’ve never seen that look on Tanner’s face before,” Lana says.

I glance over, and she has her hand over her heart.

“It’s so—” Lana begins.

“Predatory,” my mom finishes, her hand reaching for and squeezing my arm.

“They’re just being competitive.” I attempt to veer their course of thinking.

My mom shakes her head but doesn’t add anything.

The boys continue to play.

Dylan runs back up with the ball in his hands. “Out on us. Your ball.” He tosses it to my dad.

Dad takes it up.

I’m astonished—and I’m sure the guys are, too—at how well Curtis is holding his own with them. For a country-club, silver-spoon kid, he’s good. Tanner and Curtis become more aggressive with elbows jamming into one another’s chest. Mostly, they guard one another instead of their designated opponent.

My fingers are in my mouth as I bite my nails during most of the game.

Curtis plows toward the net, and Tanner loses his footing, ending up on his ass. It’s the first time that Tanner never turns my way, and I almost wish he would, so I could silently tell him to lay off, to assure him that he won the girl, to let Curtis leave with a little dignity. But that never comes because the next time when Curtis shoots the ball, Tanner reaches up to grab it before it can go in the net, his elbow jabbing Curtis.

“Shit!” Curtis screams, his hand flies up to his nose.