After the wonderful weekend they’d spent in Dallas, arriving home was bittersweet.

The house felt different. Cold and empty. Hesitating in the open doorway, Gabriella felt none of the nuances of home. No subtle tug of contentment. No sigh of relief to be back. The house—its mortgage, high utility bills, and crappy air conditioner—had never felt more of a burden than it did in that moment.

“Everything okay, babe?” Tyler’s voice held a hint of concern. His hand settled against her lower back.

Everything was … different. The way she felt about the house. The way she felt about Tyler. The way she felt about living in Arkansas. Individually, those things wouldn’t raise a red flag about her emotional motivation. Mashed together, she had to wonder if one had caused the others. Was she subconsciously thinking about how to better align her life with Tyler’s? Or was the … meh she was feeling over being home due to a genuine desire for something new?

“Gab?”

“What? Sorry. Yes. Everything’s fine.” Gabriella stepped inside, holding the door while he brought in her bag. “You can leave that there.” She pointed toward an area next to the door.

Tyler grunted his displeasure for the idea. He kissed her cheek. “Be right back,” he said and disappeared down the hallway.

She should’ve known he would carry the bag to the bedroom for her. He’d been doing things for her all weekend. Little things. Taking care of her kind of things. Making sure she ate. Washing her hair in the shower. Carrying the bags from the shopping trip she’d tried to get out of. She’d also tried to draw the line at him paying for her purchases, but he’d ignored her protests and paid anyway.

He spoiled her with a fancy room, delicious meals, and shopping. Those things were nice, sure. But she hoped Tyler realized she didn’t need those things. Spending time with him had been enough.

Gabriella went to the kitchen and poured two glasses of iced tea.

There was no use in denying it. She was falling for him. Gabriella didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—or both. She was falling for a guy who lived 1,200 miles away, while in the midst of considering some serious life changes.

If you move to Boston, he won’t be 1,200 miles away. It’s not New York, but it could work.

No. No, no, no.

Damn it.

She was an idiot. Doomed to make the same mistakes over and over. At least she wasn’t fantasizing about finding a cute little studio in the village or anything crazy like that. Good thing, too, because she couldn’t afford to rent a closet in New York, let alone a studio apartment.

Boston made sense, with or without Tyler. Boston was her home. She could justify moving there, to an apartment close to her family. Maybe she’d forget about dealing with the process of getting licensed for massage in Massachusetts and take over providing all the baked goods for Marano’s. Her parents would be thrilled. With all the therapy baking provided her, she’d be the most well-adjusted person in town.

Tyler waltzed into the room, looking as relaxed and happy as she’d ever seen him. He popped the lid on the cookie jar and helped himself.

“Is that sweet?” He motioned toward the glass of tea she’d poured for him.

“Of course it is.” Silly man. She knew what he liked. He knew she kept an extra pitcher of the sugary brew in her fridge just for him.

A grin revealed his appreciation. “I put your suitcase on the bed.” He finished off the cookie. Strong arms wrapped around her middle. She relaxed back against the hard plane of his chest. He nuzzled her ear. “You make the best cookies.”

She tilted her head to look up at him. “Thanks, for the suitcase and the compliment.” She hugged her arms around his and squeezed. “Thank you for the weekend. I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun.”

“If you think that was fun…” A squeal burst from her lips when he playfully nipped at her neck. “…wait’ll I get you to New York.”

Gabriella smiled. He’d been doing that a lot over the weekend, too. Talking about the future. Things he wanted to do with her. She didn’t know what happened while he was in New York, but something had definitely changed. He said he wanted a chance. It scared the crap out of her, but she was inclined to give him one.

“I better hit the gym. I’ve gotta swing by my parents’ house for a bit this afternoon. You want to come with me? We could grab a bite to eat after.”

She turned in his arms, rose on her toes to kiss his jaw. “Can’t. I’ve got some stuff to take care of.”

“Oh.” His face fell. “Right. I guess I have monopolized a lot of your time lately.” He glanced around the kitchen. An air of vulnerability swirled around him, dissipating almost as quickly as it had arrived. His expression hardened. His shoulders squared. “I should go then. Let you get to it.”

“Wait.” Gabriella’s heart sank. She hadn’t intended to hurt him. “Are you mad? I’m not trying to blow you off or anything. I just need some space.”

Those last, unbidden words tumbled from her mouth. She didn’t even try to take them back. She plowed forward in hopes to soften the unintended blow causing his cheeks to flush. She flattened her palms against his chest, letting the steady beat of his heart guide her.

“Go do what you need to do. That’ll give me time to get laundry started and run through my schedule for next week.”

She’d also have time to call her parents. The idea of taking over the dessert menu at the restaurant had niggled its way into her brain and she wanted to run it by them.

“Come back when you’re done. We can have dinner here.”

“I feel like I’m missing something. Are you sure you’re okay?”

For the first time in forever, she felt as if she had something to look forward to. She laced her fingers around his neck. He lowered his head, obliging but tense. She feathered kisses against his cheek. He hadn’t relaxed by the time she reached his mouth, so she nipped his bottom lip. “Please don’t take what I said the wrong way.”

“It’s what you’re not saying that concerns me.” His shoulders slumped, as though holding them up took too much effort. “I understand needing space, Gabriella. Believe me, I do.”

Her heart humped her ribcage, fast and hard. She was tempted to tell him—about the conversation with the attorney, about Roger, the house … everything. It would be so easy to unload on him. And so unfair. To herself and to Tyler.

He wrapped his hands around her biceps and set her away from him. “In case I haven’t made this clear, I want to be with you. Only you.”

“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing? What we agreed to?”

“Fuck whatever agreement we had, Gabriella. This is a whole new ballgame. I told you in Dallas I wanted a chance, and I meant it. I don’t want to stop seeing you once I go back to work. I want to see where we can take this thing between us.”

“I want that, too.”

“Do you?” The harsh rasp in his voice startled her.

“Yes.” She eased back into his space, the overwhelming need to soothe him overriding the trepidation of whether she’d be welcome. When he didn’t back away, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against the soft cotton of his shirt. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. It scares me, how fast we’re moving,” she admitted quietly. “You’ve got so much stuff on your plate already.” As did she. “I don’t know how we’re going to make this work, but I’m willing to try.”

It took a minute, but his arms finally found their way around her. “I haven’t done anything like this in a long time. I travel a lot, and for the better part of every year. Seeing each other could be challenging. I need to know you’re in this with me.”

It would be less challenging if she moved to Boston. She really needed to call her parents. “I am, Tyler. I am.”

---

As Tyler drove away from Gabriella’s, he couldn’t shake the feeling she was hiding something. A significant something or insignificant something, he couldn’t tell. Either way, she clearly didn’t want to talk to him about what was bothering her. Of course, he could be overreacting. Maybe she wasn’t hiding shit. Maybe he was a paranoid asshole who needed to chill the fuck.

Yeah. That’s what he needed to do. Chill. Focus on what she had said.

They were officially a couple. That gorgeous woman was all his.

He checked the side mirror and merged onto the highway, southbound toward his parents’ place.

Jesus. He had a girlfriend. His mom was gonna flip her lid.

Tyler hoped this relationship went better than the last time he’d tried having a girlfriend. Although he felt certain Gabriella wouldn’t run up his credit cards and then ditch him for a guy with a bigger bank account as Heather had done.

Over the weekend, she’d been genuinely grateful, if not somewhat unimpressed, by the way he tried to spoil her. She didn’t go for extravagance. She’d preferred to stay curled up in bed with him over shopping with his credit card, which only made him want to spoil her all the more.

For a guy whose life had been upside down the last few months, he felt pretty damn lucky she’d agreed to give them a chance.

Focus on the good stuff. He had a gorgeous girlfriend—he was starting to love that word—and he’d be off the DL in a few weeks. Life was good. Once his contract offer came in, he would look at buying a house in Arkansas. A place he could stay in the off-season, while he and Gabriella got to know each other better. Then, life would be damn-near perfect.

Tyler pulled into the driveway at his parents’ house and killed the engine. If he hadn’t promised Maddie he would swing by and pick up a box she’d packed, he would’ve skipped this stop altogether. He hated the heavy weight of dread that plagued him whenever the prospect of seeing his dad arose. Tyler loved his mother though, so he did what he had to in order to keep peace with the man.

“Hello?” he called out, letting himself into the house.

“In here.”

Here we go. Tyler drew a fortifying breath and followed his dad’s voice to the living room. His father was the only one there, perched on the edge of the couch, eyes glued to the television, a highball glass dangling from his fingertips.

“Hey, Dad. I’m here to grab some stuff for Maddie.”

An abrupt nod was the only sign his dad had heard him. Not wanting to tempt fate, Tyler backtracked to the staircase. There were three bedrooms upstairs. He chuckled at the tornado that must’ve hit Owen’s room. The kid’s bed was rumpled, and at least a year’s worth of clothes were piled on the floor. His old room was pristine. Now a guest room, all the remnants of his childhood had been removed to make way for frilly art and the patchwork quilt his mom had purchased at a charity auction.

Maddie had the largest room, and the only one upstairs with a bathroom en suite. Tyler found the box he’d come to retrieve in Maddie’s closet. To his dismay, the thing weighed a fucking ton. Not only would it cost him a fortune to ship, carrying it down the split staircase and out to the car made his shoulder throb mercilessly.

After tucking Maddie’s box into the trunk of his rental car, Tyler walked back into the living room. “Where’s Mom?”

“You’ve got time for your momma, but none for your old man? She’s not here. She’s having lunch with some fellow fundraisers. You know your momma. The minute one charity event is over, she’s well into the next.” Ice rattled in his glass. “Have a seat. Tell me how you’ve been.”

Tyler took the far end of the couch. “I’m fine. Little early to be drinking, isn’t it?” He glanced at his watch. 1:10. His dad usually waited until at least four before hitting the liquor cabinet.

Charlie studied his glass, turning it back and forth before draining what little liquid remained. “It’s never too early.” His lids lowered into the steely gaze Tyler had seen so often, it had lost all affect. “And don’t you fucking question me about my drinking habits.”

Tyler leaned back against the couch. He crossed a leg, settling in for what was sure to be a riveting conversation. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

His dad huffed, but thankfully let the snark go. “Help yourself if you want.”

Tyler drummed his fingers against his thigh. “I’m good.”

“Is that what the doctor said?”

He shrugged, not interested in getting into the nitty-gritty with his father. “Yeah. I’ll be back with the team in a few weeks. Just working on strengthening stuff now.”

“Looks like you’re doing more than that.”

“Huh?”

He tipped his chin. Tyler turned his attention to the TV as the volume increased. A sports talk show was in progress. A photograph of him and Gabriella hovered in the upper right of the screen, one apparently taken at the Texas game Friday night.

Looks like Tyler Brady is enjoying his time on the DL, one man said.

The man to his right jumped in, visibly excited at the opportunity to stir the pot. Instead of being focused on his rehabilitation, he’s taking in a game? What are the Empire thinking about this guy?

Tyler bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.

Brady is at a critical juncture in his career. He’s on the cusp of the big payout, but New York has got to be questioning his dedication at this point.

Tyler’s fingernails bit into his palms. What the hell do you know about it, fucker?

Come on, the last of the four-man team chimed in. New York will keep him, if only to prevent him from becoming an opponent. They aren’t going to let a player of Brady’s caliber go to another team.

Damn straight.

They could offer Eric Sandquist half the cash they’ll have to fork over to keep Brady on the roster. And Sandquist is there, getting the job done.

Tyler silently seethed as the four-man tag team continued to debate his future. At least he’d stopped worrying about his lack of Plan B. Gabriella had been right about one thing—if New York didn’t give him a contract, another team would. But none of those jokers on the TV wanted to talk about how hard he worked. How many fucking hours he put in every goddamn day. They hadn’t said anything he hadn’t already considered, but it was still his life, his career, they were dissecting. His decisions they were questioning on national television.

“You’re letting that girl distract you.”

“Gabriella isn’t distracting me. We went to a ballgame. I followed my PT protocol and Gabriella worked on my shoulder while we were gone.”

Not a whole lot of room for argument there. Apparently Dad decided to change tactics. He muted the volume on the TV and slid him a glare.

“Maddie isn’t answering my calls. You got something to do with that?”

Tyler forced back his irritation, refusing to take the bait. “Maddie’s grown.” Mostly. “She can make her own decisions about who she chooses to talk to.”

“What gives you the right to move her into your place? To go against my wishes? You know damn well I told that girl she needed to get a job this summer.”

“She’s got a job.”

“Not one that pays.”

The delicate threads of Tyler’s give-a-shit rope frayed. “That’s not really your business, is it? If anyone has a right to say what Maddie does with her education, other than Maddie herself, it wouldn’t be you. Maddie is happy, which is what you should be concerned about. She’s safe, also an appropriate fatherly concern. If you can’t support her emotionally, leave her alone. She doesn’t need anything else from you.”

“Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like that?”

“This conversation is over.” Tyler surged to his feet. His father was spoiling for a fight, and Tyler wasn’t in the mood to be accommodating. He turned to leave.

“Why haven’t you told your momma?”

Tyler stopped. He knew full well what his dad was referring to. Slowly, he turned to face the man he’d once respected. “Because I love her, and she loves you. I don’t want to break her heart. But let’s get one thing straight. I’m not the one who has anything to be ashamed of. If you give Maddie any more shit, I’ll tell her and Mom who’s paying for Maddie’s college … and why.”

“You sure are a righteous little fuck, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. I guess I’m a chip off the ole block, aren’t I?” Good Southern manners doused with plain orneriness made him add, “Sir.”

Tyler slammed the door on his way out. He made it to his car, already calculating how long it would take him to get to the gym. As expected, the riveting exchange with his father spawned the need to burn a little tread.