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Chapter 7
Easton
I know better than to touch her. I know not to kiss her, not like this but I couldn't help it. She told Max everything I couldn't. And she was going to tell him the rest. That I wanted her then, that I still want her. I can't deny how I felt about her but things have changed. She made the situation change and now I can't acknowledge my feelings for her even if I wanted to.
It would screw up everything for both of us.
Stepping back, I held my hands up and made sure she didn't come close to me again. "This can't happen again, Lowe. We can't do this."
"Are you going to tell me that you don't want me?" I know that isn't her question, and I won't lie to her again.
"No. I want you, more than ever, but Lowe, you own this team. My team. I can't start this with you knowing that it's only going to cause you a lot of problems. It's a conflict of interest for you. One I can't let you have. You own the team and I'm your quarterback. This can't happen," I had to make sure she understood the situation.
"I benched you," she whispered softly, talking her way through the problem. "You won't be able to play. Second string will have to cover for you until I reinstate you."
"You have to treat me like you would any other player, Lowe. You did the right thing. But this," Taking her hands, I felt the heat and the way her hands trembled. "We can't do this. It's going to cause you so much trouble. Not just internally with the other players and the board but with the whole league board. They could force you to sell."
The look on her face changed when I reminded her of her dream. She has wanted to own a football team as long as I can remember. She finally has it. I'm not going to be the reason she loses it. She has to know that.
"They wouldn't do that," she rejected the idea.
"They would and could do it, don't test them, Lowe. You know better than anyone that you are a woman trying to make it in a man's industry. They would kick you out just to get rid of you and you know it," she isn't stupid. She knows what I'm saying is true.
"Damn it!" Harlowe pulls away from me and walks to the other side of the room.
Keeping her distance from me, she takes the moment to get her composure. She's got to get her head together. I don't blame her. Both of us lost it for a minute there. If we aren't careful we will cost her everything she has worked so hard for. That would kill me. I would hate myself for doing that to her.
"You're right," Harlowe whispered, knowing that she has to be careful. "Tom is going to be watching me. Waiting for a reason to get me fired too. I have to be more careful. I'm sorry I put you in that position, Easton. I wasn't thinking straight. You're right."
It broke my heart to hear that from her. I've never wanted another woman the way I want her but Harlowe has always been off limits for me. Whether it's been because of Max not wanting me to touch her or because of the team, I don't want to screw up her life. I would do that if I did what I wanted to do.
"I'm going to go, can you tell me how long I'm benched?" I asked, knowing that I deserve the penalty.
"Two weeks." Lowe replied. "I want you to be here ready to go every day for the next two weeks and then you'll be back in. Don't screw up, Easton. The team needs you."
"I'll be here, thanks, Lowe." Going to the door, I started to leave and stopped myself. I couldn't go. My lips still burned from the heat of that kiss. My body ached to have her. Damn, I want her in my arms again.
"Is there something else you need?" She asked, sitting once again behind her desk.
Without turning around, I speak over my shoulder to her. I don't want to see the look on her face when I say this. "I'm leaving because I don't want you to lose your dream, Lowe. Not because I don't want you. I do. But I'll wait for you."
Knowing I have another conversation to deal with that isn't going to be as easy as this one was, I closed the door behind me and headed out to the garage. I'm going to face my best friend and quite possibly get my ass kicked.
I'd deserve it. I broke his trust after all. I promised Max I wouldn't touch his sister and I did. I don't think I actually hurt her, not the way he thinks but she is hurt. And it is my fault. So in a way I deserve the ass kicking.
"Son! Where are you running off to like you have a fire in your pants? Did Lowe read you the riot act already?" Dad laughs, walking out of the elevator, hand in hand with Mom. "We wanted to watch practice this morning but we were told you got benched. What happened?"
"Uh..." looking at Mom and Dad, I wasn't sure how to explain this. "Yeah. It was a misunderstanding, we sorted it out, but yeah, I guess I am for two weeks."
"What did you do? And don't say nothing. Lowe is a fair person. She would have heard your side of the story," Mom is right about that.
Taking a breath, I knew I wasn't going to get back to my place any time soon to talk to Max. He would just have to wait. So going into the building with my parents, I explained the situation to them. Knowing my dad, he would understand a lot better than anyone else would. Mom would see Lowe's side and she would be able to help me know what to do.
"You slept with Lowe? She was a kid, Easton! You knew better than that!" Okay, so maybe Dad wasn't on my side.
"I was a kid too!" I defended myself.
"At eighteen you're considered an adult. Nice try. Look there's nothing we can do to change what happened now. But you can't start up with her again no matter how you feel about her. She owns the team, that's a big no no, kid." Dad is right about that.
"I know that, so does she," raking my fingers through my dark hair, my green eyes looking into my dads. "It's not that easy, Dad."
"How do you feel about her?" Mom asks, getting to the heart of the matter. Looking into those soft easy chestnut eyes, the ones that always made me feel warm and comforted, I look for that feeling now.
"I don't know. Seeing her again, it's like all these feelings came rushing back. We've avoided each other for years to keep this from happening. Now I want to be around her just to get to know her again," I explained, getting a sympathetic smile from Mom and a shake of the head from Dad.
"You can't. She's your boss now. You have to stay away from her for both of your sakes," Dad's got the right idea but I'm not sure I can do it. I don't think I can stay away from Lowe.
"You have to do what's right for both of you," Mom agrees. "But you also need to let Lowe make her own choice in this. She just might surprise you."
Shaking my head, I know what Mom is thinking and I can tell her that won't be her choice. "She's wanted to own a football team as long as I've known her. This is her dream. I can't take that from her."
"And dreams do change as we get older. You might find that it isn't owning the football team that she wanted but to be closer to you that was her main goal," Mom's suggestion never occurred to me and even hearing it, it doesn't sound right to me.
"I don't think so. Look, I have to go deal with Max. Are you going to stick around for practice or head out?" I ask, wondering what my parents are really doing here.
"I'm going to go out to the field for a bit," Dad grins at me. He misses his days on the field.
Mom rubs his arm as if she understands his feelings, "I'm going to see if I can convince Lowe to join me for lunch. I'll find my way home. You boys have fun."
Mom waves as she heads toward the front office and leaves me and dad alone in the hallway. Dad watches her walk out as if he can't take his eyes off her.
"You know she's still as beautiful today as the day I met her. I wouldn't trade a thing about how we met. I know we went through some really rough times together, between my dad and your mom losing her dad. But I love her more today than I ever did." Dad admitted.
I know they didn't have an easy relationship. I know his father was an asshole and treated mom horribly. Even his mother was a disappointment. Thank goodness he had Blake and Emma. They're the only grandparents I know. The only ones I could ever want.
"I don't wish that kind of a beginning for you, Easton. Love isn't easy as it is. Don't add to it. You know Max will be pissed about this?" Dad reminds me of something that I know very well.
"Yeah, Lowe told him about us this morning." I admit that isn't going to be an easy conversation with him.
"Ouch! How'd that go? You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know. You're going to talk to him?" Dad knows where I'm going.
"I have to." Somehow I have to fix this.
"Good luck with that. He loves his sister. He's trying to protect her. Keep that in mind. He trusts you, Easton. Do the right thing." I thought I knew what that was, now I'm not so sure.
Dad pats me on the shoulder, "I'm going to the field. Call if you need me."
Nodding, he leaves me and heads out while I go to the garage. I have to see if I can salvage my friendship with my best friend. I'm not going to lose him too.
Harlowe
Watching Easton walk out of my office I realized that he was right. If we were to get involved the board would have every right to remove me and the league, they would have the reason they've been looking for to make sure that no woman ever becomes an owner again.
I can't get involved with Easton no matter how I feel about him. And no matter how he feels about me. That kiss told me plenty about him. None of it said that I don't matter to him. Absolutely not.
Getting up, I paced around the room, thinking about what happened. The way his body pressed against mine. It's interesting that I seemed to fit so well against him, as if we were built to fit together. Two pieces that fit perfectly in one mold.
When the knock came at the door, I didn't hear it.
And the kiss. It burned into my memory. Touching my lips, I faced the window and looked out at the practice field as the team worked below. My lips were still humming as if I could still feel his lips on mine. What does that mean?
The knock came again.
This time the door opened and I still didn't acknowledge it. With my arms crossed around my waist I could feel Easton around me, still feel him against me.
"Lowe? Honey? Are you okay?" Hearing the familiar voice, I pulled out of my thoughts and realized where I was in my head and felt the embarrassment turn my face a bright red.
"Riley? I didn't know you were here," Oh God, how embarrassing.
"Well, I imagine you and Easton were a bit preoccupied with each other," she smiled, knowingly and reached out for my hand, "we know. He told Aiden and I when he ran into us. It's okay, we actually kind of had an idea of something going on for a while now. How do you feel?"
Leading me to the sofa, like a mother would, Riley sits next to me and waits for me to talk. "I don't know. I can't do anything about this anyway. I would lose everything. It's not an option for me."
I can't even think about it, right? There's no option for me. He's a player, I'm an owner. The two don't mix. That's the way it is.
"Let's get some lunch in you and we'll see how you feel then," Riley has learned from Georgia Bradford. She swept into the office, took me out and got me to go to lunch where I normally would have eaten at my desk if I had eaten at all.
We went to a restaurant close by. Nothing fancy but simple sandwiches and salads. Not the kind of place a lot of the owners would eat at but then I'm nothing like the other owners. I've made that very clear by now.
As we sat down to our lunch, several media outlets were gathering outside the restaurant, taking pictures through the windows of us and talking to the staff. Apparently this is what I'm in for now.
Riley didn't seem bothered by the reporters that were gathering and continuing eating her food and talking about the family as if they weren't there. When she noticed that I wasn't paying attention, she reached across the table and took my hand to get my attention.
"Ignore them. They will always be there. The best thing you can do for your own sanity is ignore them," Riley nodded.
"It isn't that easy," I admitted watching her eat.
"No it isn't, but you have to do it," she squeezed my hand then let go. "Behind closed doors you can let go. You can cry, freak out, and be vulnerable but never in front of them. Georgia taught me that."
"What do they know?" I asked, not sure if they know about Easton and I yet.
"I don't know. I'm guessing they know you benched Easton. Not why. You'll have to make a statement about that. Don't tell them anything personal. Nothing, Lowe. They will use it against you," Riley is right about that.
"I know. I don't know what to say to them though. I wasn't prepared for this," how did I get caught off guard this way.
"It'll be fine. Easton can handle this just as you can. Did you agree on a story?" When I didn't answer her, she realized I really hadn't been prepared. Pulling out her phone, she began to text as she spoke quietly to me. "You were concerned that Easton was sick, not showing up this morning. When he finally came in, you found out that his grandmother was sick and he was with her. Hence your lunch with me. You benched Easton for two weeks for not calling you, only professional after all and he has to be a leader."
"You think that's believable? I mean Easton and I have had several run ins now and plenty of people have seen them. Do you think it's just a little much?"
"You have feelings for Easton. Please don't tell me otherwise. I've seen it for myself for years. I know the looks of a woman in love." My mouth hangs open looking at Riley. "And I know when my son is in love. It's been hard on him too, you know."
"Huh?" I don't think I ever thought of that.
"Close your mouth, honey," Riley reaches across the table and with one finger closed my mouth.
"He doesn't love me, it's not the same way with him." I try to deny it.
"Isn't it? Are you sure about that?" She asks with a smile.
"I don't understand... Easton and I..."
"Stop! I know. I know what happened between you two. I know how you feel and I know how he feels. The question is what are you going to do?" She asks me as if there are options out there for us to choose from.
"I can't do anything," I admit that isn't what I want either.
"You know, Aiden and I didn't think we had any options either. We did, we just had to talk about it. I think you might find that you and Easton have more options than you think." Riley says it like we have an option.
She left me thinking about that. I don't know if she meant that she wanted me to think about what we could have or what I wanted but she left me thinking about what I could have if I wanted both. How could I have both and how could Easton have both? I'm still not seeing it.
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