Chapter Nine
When he’d gotten the message from his old teammate Greg Rhodes that he was interested in having a look at Kelvin, Adam never thought he’d follow through. Greg recruited from big D-1 schools, and Jennings had a good program, but it was small potatoes for a superstar agent like him. But his old friend had a way of surprising people. And there he was, walking down the field like he owned it.
Greg smiled, winked at a couple of women who were at the front of the stands, and Adam was thankful that Mia was sitting a little farther back, out of Greg’s line of fire. There was a part of him that was glad to see his college buddy, but that didn’t mean he wanted Mia to meet him.
Now Adam had to wonder what was going to happen with Kelvin. Greg wouldn’t be here unless he saw big money possibilities, and since Kelvin was a freshman who had started one game, it was a little early to know how things were going to go. But Greg was one of the best sports agents out there, and he didn’t get to be the best waiting for things to happen.
“I can’t believe you moved back to East Bumblefuck, man,” Greg’s voice boomed, as always, and Adam hoped all the kids who were around didn’t hear him. “I’d forgotten how isolated this place is.”
Adam took his friend’s outstretched hand and was quickly pulled into a bro hug, Greg giving him three hearty slaps on the back. “Damn, it’s good to see you, Miller.”
“Same, man. Never expected you to show.”
“I hear your kid has wings on his feet. You think I’m passing that up?”
“He’s still green, but yeah, he can run. I’m warning you, though, don’t push it. He’s not going to make a move without talking to his momma.”
Greg laughed. “Well, I’ll just have to charm his momma, then.”
“Coach Miller?” Adam looked down and saw Ben holding some papers. “Coach Rand wanted you to have these.” Ben handed off the papers and looked suspiciously at Greg.
“Thanks, buddy. Ben, this is Greg Rhodes. He also played pro.”
Ben shook Greg’s hand, still not sure what to make of him. One thing Adam had learned about Ben over the past couple of weeks was that the kid had a first-class bullshit detector. This close to Greg, the alarm bells were probably screaming. “This is Ben DeAngelis. He helps out around here.”
“Cool. You play ball, kid?”
Ben shook his head. “No. I want to, though.”
Adam patted Ben’s shoulder. “Why don’t you head back to Coach Rand.”
Once Ben was out of earshot, he filled Greg in on the story. “His aunt is his guardian and she’s a little skittish about football.”
“Ah, well someone should let Auntie know she can’t put the kid in a bubble.”
“I’m working on it.”
Coupled with a wicked grin, Greg’s eyebrow shot up. “I bet you are,” he said.
“Look, I gotta get inside,” Adam said. The team was on their way off the field.
“I’ll catch you after the game.” Greg shook his hand again. “We can grab a beer.”
The invitation caught him by surprise but thinking about it, one beer he could do. Adam wasn’t picking Mia up until eight for their reservation, and having a long chat with his old friend was a in order. “Meet me in the field house after the game. I’ll introduce you to Kelvin, and we can take off from there.”
Greg smiled and waved before making his way toward the stands. There were so many things he’d cut out from his old life, and Greg Rhodes, who’d been a good friend, was one of them.
He’d almost said no when Greg had suggested to go out, mostly because Greg was never about one beer. But he had to find out what the guy wanted from Kelvin. Before he left the field, Adam turned and caught sight of Mia. She was sitting with her friends, and Noah Connolly was there, but he wasn’t concerned now like he was just a week ago. Not since they’d spent all that time at the baseball game the other night. Hell, not since the kiss they shared in the parking lot that left them both staggered.
Adam planned on stealing plenty of kisses from Mia tonight, and if he was lucky, maybe more than that.
*
After fighting off wave after wave of humiliation, the text finally came at 8:45.
Adam wasn’t coming.
Oh, he felt bad, according to one message. There was an agent there scouting Kelvin. An old friend. He had to put his player first.
Adam said he was sorry. Again.
That he wanted to watch out for Kelvin wasn’t the problem. Canceling their date wasn’t even the problem if he was that concerned about the situation with the agent.
It was the way he treated it. He was late, and he dismissed her in a text message.
A text message.
Mia wondered if she was being naïve? Was she being too sensitive? This was their official first date, and maybe she was overreacting, but it felt wrong.
Nana kept poking her head in the living room, asking if Mia needed anything, but what was there to do? She’d been stood up. If there was anything more embarrassing, she didn’t want to know what it was.
Realizing that sitting in the living room stewing about it wasn’t doing her any good, she kicked off her killer heels and went to the kitchen. There was a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in the fridge calling to her, and once she had the bottle and the glass in hand, Mia retreated to her room.
Thank God Ben wasn’t home. He’d been invited to a baseball team sleepover at Gabe Rand’s house, so he didn’t have to see his aunt fall apart over someone who wasn’t worth it.
“Asshole,” she muttered, thinking about Adam and his buddy. “You could have called.”
Pouring a glass of wine, she set the bottle on her dresser and slipped the black silk dress over her head, flinging it without much care. It landed in the corner, leaving her staring at her reflection in the mirror. A few days ago, she and Fiona had gone shopping, and without saying why, she’d splurged on new bras and panties because she discovered she enjoyed having frilly things next to her body. She liked that she was starting to feel confident enough to put on things that were so girly, so pretty. So sexy.
But as she looked at her breasts pushing over the top of the bra and her soft belly and thighs, Mia heard her mother’s voice scolding her foolishness, and picking apart her appearance. Once again, she felt anything but pretty, and she wondered what she’d been thinking.
Taking a large gulp from the glass, Mia blinked back the tears that burned her eyes. She would not cry. She would not be weak. He was not worth it.
If Adam was going to be a jerk, screw him.
But she couldn’t help it—the first tear slipped down her cheek, and then another and then another, but to her surprise the emotions weren’t what she expected. Frustrated with herself, angry that she’d allowed herself to be drawn in by the handsome face and the hot kisses, Mia decided right then and there that she was done being a doormat. Dabbing at her eyes, she vowed things were going to change. Her mother, Adam—the whole damn world for that matter—no one would ever treat her like she didn’t matter ever again.
*
Pinching the bridge of his nose, his head throbbing, Adam made his way to the kitchen door. Calming the dog as he walked. He had no idea who was knocking at the butt crack of dawn, but there was a good chance the person was going to die.
More knocking. “All right. I’m coming. Calm your ass down.”
Adam grabbed the dog’s collar and opened the door to the smiling face of his mother.
Shielding his eyes from the bright sun, he realized it wasn’t as early as he thought. Bubba pulled, and knowing the dog was probably ready to burst, Adam let him go into the yard. “Mom?”
“Good morning, handsome son.” She kissed his cheek as she stepped into the kitchen. Something was up. Linda Miller managed her family like a pro. She had a reason for being here on a Sunday morning, with what looked to be a bakery box from Rinaldi’s Café.
“Good morning.” He cringed at the bright light that flooded the kitchen when she pulled open the blinds covering the large kitchen windows. “What a surprise.”
She grinned and turned on the coffee maker. “Oh, bullshit. You should have known I’d show up. I want to know how your date went, and I don’t want to hear it through the old lady grapevine. I want to hear it from you.”
“My date?” Why was this happening? He could only imagine how the news had travelled regarding his date with Mia. The date that never happened.
Adam rubbed his temple. What had happened was that he’d had way too much to drink and his head was throbbing. His mother, God love her, and the sunlight weren’t helping. But she wanted to talk, and when mom wanted to talk, he listened. Damn. Adam always liked a good time, but he couldn’t remember ever having a hangover like this. He must be getting old. It was like there were a thousand little librarians smacking him upside the head with big fat reference books.
“So?” his mother said while popping a coffee pod into the brewer. “Did you have a nice time?”
“You know,” he teased. “If I’d had a really nice time, you could have interrupted something.”
Mom froze. Blushed. “Oh.” She bit her lip and looked around. “Is she here? Should I leave?” she whispered.
“No. It ended up that we didn’t go out. But you have to promise me you’ll never do this again. It’s awkward.”
“Well, if you called me I wouldn’t have to stop over.” She put down the box. “Why didn’t you go out?”
Her voice rang with disappointment, and he could totally relate. He’d wanted nothing more than to have Mia all to himself.
Adam took a seat at the island and opened the bakery box. He needed sugar and starch to help his head. “Greg Rhodes came into town. Do you remember him? We played at Notre Dame and were drafted the same year. He’s an agent now and he was looking at one of my players.” He took a bite of the best bear claw he’d ever had. “Mrs. Rinaldi should be canonized for this pastry.”
“Adam, he was your roommate for three years. Of course, I remember him.” She fiddled with a dishtowel that was folded on the counter. “I don’t understand. You cancelled?”
“Yeah. Greg and I went out for a couple of beers and time got away from me.”
His mother moved toward him, setting a cup of coffee on the granite in front of him. “You didn’t stand her up, did you?”
“Nah! No. What kind of guy do you think I am? I sent her a text. It’s fine.”
“Fine?” She folded her arms and waited. His mother, who was a social worker by profession, was never at a loss for words, but she appeared to be struggling. “You texted her? Is that what you said?”
Uh oh.
Adam took a healthy swallow of his coffee and realized this might not end well. He’d broken dates before. Things happened. But something was swirling around his kitchen, and he was starting to smell a little bit of crazy on his mom.
“It’s not a problem. I told her why, and she said it was fine.”
“She actually said the word ‘fine’?”
Adam nodded and wondered, suddenly, if he’d missed something big. “Am I in trouble?”
“Oh, yeah. Fine is not fine. Fine is bad.”
He took another bite of the bear claw and watched his mother’s face. Mia would tell him the truth, wouldn’t she? “Isn’t that whole ‘fine’ thing kind of a cliché?”
His mother was stirring sugar into the coffee she was holding. “Now that you’re back in the real world, Mr. Quarterback, you will realize that not all women consider your attention a gift from above.”
“That’s not fair…”
“Oh, it’s very fair. I love you, Adam. You’re a good man, but if you want a real relationship, you have to learn to give more than you take. Cancelling a last-minute coffee date is different than a Saturday night dinner date. Much different. When did you let her know?”
He groaned. Shit. “A half hour after I was supposed to pick her up. No. Forty-five minutes.”
Mom took a seat at the island, tapping her index finger against the mug. Her cold stare said everything. “So you left her sitting at her house, waiting for you to show, and then, without even the courtesy of a call, cancelled.”
He nodded. When she said it like that…
“You stood her up, and you did it by text message. You’re lucky you even got ‘fine’ in response.”
“I didn’t think.”
“No kidding?”
“I did things the same way I’ve always done them. It didn’t occur to me that…I don’t know. Like I said, I didn’t think much about it.”
“You didn’t think about her, that’s for sure.” His mother broke off a piece of a croissant in the box and popped it in her mouth. She wouldn’t look at him. Wouldn’t make eye contact. After a long minute, she pushed her coffee away. “I have to go.”
“You just got here.”
Without saying a word, she eased herself off the stool. There was nothing quite as intimidating as his mother’s disapproval. Never one to pull punches, she loved without hesitation, and gave her family everything she had. She’d endured the loss of her husband at a young age, and raised four children without a thought for herself. He saw a lot of the same qualities in Mia.
“People deserve your best, Adam. For the record, you’re too old for the ‘I didn’t think’ excuse. I raised you better than that.”
He couldn’t disagree. He’d been cut a lot of slack over the years, and it seemed that if he were going to turn the corner, he would have to do better. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
She’d taken her jacket from the hook by the back door where he’d hung it, and kissed his cheek before pulling open the door. “I’m not the one who needs an apology. Good luck.”
The dog ran in from the yard to bid his mother a proper goodbye, rolling over by her feet so he could get his belly rubbed. Once Bubba was satisfied, she turned toward Adam, who waved to her from the door and patted the dog’s head when he ran inside the house.
Closing the door, his mind went in two directions. On one hand, he didn’t need his mother meddling in his relationships. He was thirty-seven years old and he’d been taking care of himself for a long time. On the other hand, he hadn’t done too good a job with his life on his own. Sure, he was successful, well liked, but what did that mean? Letting it run through his head, it became obvious that this wasn’t only about his broken date. Adam needed to rethink how he did things, how he treated people.
“I have some work to do, Bubba,” he said to the dog. “Think I can fix this?”
The dog lay at his feet with a moan and a heavy sigh.
Not the answer Adam was looking for.
*
Mia leaned back in her chair and gazed across her desk at Adam, who, along with being gorgeous, was obviously certifiable. “You want to go out next weekend?”
“I feel bad about canceling. I figured I could make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she muttered. “I’m sure you’re busy.” Way to sound pathetic, Mia.
“Not too busy for you.” He’d turned on his charm, full force.
She could not be affected by him. Be angry. Remember how you felt the other night.
“And it’s a bad idea.”
“We get along great. How is it a bad idea?”
Was it possible that he had no clue?
“You’re angry about me cancelling. I had to deal with the agent…”
Mia waved him off. “Adam, it’s not why you cancelled, it’s how you did it.
He was stalking the room like a nervous cat, and after some extended pacing, approached her desk. The closer he got, the more she felt her stomach tighten. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”
“That’s obvious.”
“Jesus, Mia. Was I supposed to call you? I was in the middle of a crowded bar.”
“Yes, you were supposed to call. You should have stepped outside well before you were supposed to pick me up and let me know what was going on. That’s what you should have done. It would have been the considerate thing to do.” Pausing because she didn’t want her hurt to show, she added, “I would have understood, you know? You were looking out for one of your players, and I would have understood.”
Adam sat on the corner of her desk and leaned in. Now Mia could smell him, and she was angrier with him for making her want to jump him than she was for being so obtuse. How could he do this? Kiss her the way he did, make her dream about him, and then humiliate her. The bigger question was, why was she surprised he’d pissed her off? He was behaving in character—like an arrogant, self-serving jock.
“You’re right.”
“I am?” Holy shit.
“Yes. I don’t know how else to apologize.” He reached out and skimmed his fingers over her check, cupping it with his hand. “Give me another chance, please?”
Oh, God. Why did speech leave her now? Just that simple touch warmed her nerves, set her senses screaming. She rested her cheek in his palm like a needy kitten.
Adam’s jaw was set, his eyes fixed on hers. He was so much man. She swallowed hard and could only imagine what he had in mind—she wanted to know. And that was the problem. As pissed as she was at him, she wanted him. Taking a deep breath, Mia refocused and pushed his hand away.
“No. You had your chance.” Keep going, don’t break, she was thinking. She wanted to get some distance between them, but there was no place to go. “I can’t imagine what made me think I could date someone like you.”
“Like me?” His eyes narrowed. Yup, that struck a nerve. Adam now knew he couldn’t charm her, so he started losing his patience. “I’ve made mistakes, Mia, but I’m not a criminal.”
“I know, but I think it’s obvious we come from two different places. Maybe I’m overreacting, because like I said, I do understand why you wanted to stay and talk to the agent. But you shouldn’t have dismissed me the way you did. I deserve better.”
Maybe she was weak, because when she looked into Adam’s deep blue eyes, all she wanted to do was to give him the chance he was asking for; she wanted to be with him more than anything, but she knew he wasn’t safe. Especially for her.
He was thinking, probably trying to figure out a way to get her to give in. “What about Ben?”
“What about him?”
“Did you tell him? Is he still allowed to come to practice?”
Mia drew a shaky breath and exhaled, wondering why it was always so hard to breathe while he was around. “Yes, he is. I didn’t think it was fair to let the situation between us affect him.”
It was a decision she hadn’t come to lightly. It would have been easier on her to tell him what happened, it would have kept her from having to see Adam, but what would that do to Ben? He had to learn to trust other people, and he and Adam had built a strong relationship in a short time.
She thought about this morning, when he was ready for the school bus a full ten minutes before he needed to be. Mia asked him about it and the response was telling. “Coach says ‘If you’re on time, you’re late.’ So I’m trying to be ready for everything a little earlier.”
This was a more mature and responsible response than she’d ever expected from a ten-year-old, and it was Adam’s doing. Getting homework done, the good manners, the neat room, were all part of the influence he was having over Ben.
“I’ll look for him at practice, then?”
She hesitated. Nodded. “He’ll be there.”
“And what about you? Are you sure I can’t make it up to you?”
Mia couldn’t even look at him. If she did, she’d cry, and the last thing she wanted was a guy who felt emotionally blackmailed.
“Why don’t we just forget about it,” Mia said quietly.
“I don’t think I can do that.”
“We’ll be friends; it’s fine. Probably better, in fact.”
Mia looked up and saw a million questions in his eyes, more than likely the same questions she was asking herself. She shrugged. She was a coward. She knew that, but there was no way Mia could assume the risk he represented.
His expression told her that wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Maybe he wanted to kiss her into a coma again. “Friends?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“Well, yeah. I want to fix things between us…” he said.
Mia stiffened her spine as Adam edged a little closer. There was no way she could put herself in a relationship with a guy with his reputation, or his track record. It wasn’t like she hadn’t given him a chance. If he wanted more, he could have just followed through, called her, done something after their first two “dates” other than blowing her off. Standing her up was the last straw. He was treating her like a convenience. And even though she was naïve about men and relationships, she wasn’t going to be a convenience.
“You know, we’ve known each other about a month. The fact that things already need to be fixed isn’t good. I think being friends is better for both of us.”
“I said I was sorry. I really am.”
“You might be sorry, but I’m not going to be treated like an afterthought, and that’s what you did. You made me feel foolish, Adam. In my mind, I think being friends is a pretty good offer.”
He stared at her, his posture shifted, he looked down and then back at her. It occurred to Mia that this may never have happened to him before. It was entirely possible a woman had never told Adam Miller ‘No’. Finally, his face told her he understood. “Okay then,” he said quietly. “I’ll see Ben later?”
“I’ll send him over with Kelvin.”
They stared at each other, not knowing what to do. Mia liked Adam way too much for her own good. She loved looking at him, loved talking to him, and loved the feel of him, but she wished he would leave. It took a half a minute of awkward silence before there was a knock at the door and Noah popped his head in. He’d called that morning to see if she was free for lunch.
“Oh, sorry.” Yeah, Noah didn’t look sorry, but smug. Adam, on the other hand, got more pissed off. Perfect. “Are you ready, Mia? I have a class around two.”
The testosterone swirling around the room was making her dizzy. Adam looked like he could do real violence, but Noah, bless his geeky heart, stood his ground. Smiling.
“How are you doing today, Coach?” Noah asked.
Adam’s head whipped away from Mia and he directed his intimidating man-gaze right at Noah, but it wasn’t working this time. Mia thought she might have seen an actual vein pulsing in Adam’s neck; he was jealous. He was so jealous he was ready to explode. It was impressive and thrilling as hell. Maybe this friend thing was a mistake.
Trying to act casual, Mia realized she was still holding her breath as she grabbed her purse from her desk drawer. Adam was watching, waiting, and then, without a word, he rose from the edge of her desk and stalked out of her office.
Thankful he’d finally left, Mia could allow herself to breathe.