Well Played by Vi Keeland
CHAPTER 34
Levi
Life was a mess. And beautiful at the same time. I reflected on everything that had happened since the summer as I sat on a plane, heading to South Carolina for a short visit. I’d only have two days with Presley, but I’d make the most of them. This trip would be the first time I’d seen her since our confrontation with Tanner after he returned from Denver.
In order to be happy, you have to make hard decisions and overcome the obstacles in your way. Sometimes that means letting go of toxic people you once loved—at least for a while. I loved my brother, and I always would. But I’d made my choice. I’d chosen Presley. And while I hoped Tanner and I could reclaim our relationship, we weren’t anywhere near that point.
A month had passed since everything went down, and he still wasn’t speaking to me. That was okay, though, because he had returned to speaking terms with Presley—for Alex’s sake. That was more important than making amends with me. Still, I had faith that someday we would figure out a way to act like brothers again.
After coming home from Dad’s jersey ceremony, Tanner had moved in with our mother, and apparently he’d just found an apartment outside Beaufort, close to the college where he coached. During my last trip home, I’d stayed with Presley until Tanner and Mom returned from Denver, refusing to let her face him alone. As expected, he’d come straight to The Palm to confront us. Thank God Alex was still at his friend’s house at the time, because there was a lot of screaming, cursing—and crying on Presley’s part.
I knew she blamed herself for ruining my relationship with Tanner. I hated that she felt that way. Because in my mind, I’d chosen all of this and took full responsibility for my part in it. And more than that, Tanner’s choices had started all of us down this path, and there was nothing Presley or I could have done to change that.
Thankfully, Tanner and I never got to the point where we threw punches. But Fern watched the entire thing unfold like a goddamn episode of Days of our Lives. She was only missing the popcorn. It sucked. Despite his actions in Denver, it pained me to see Tanner hurt. But the truth remained that he didn’t love Presley the way I do.
More than anything, I think he was upset because he looked at this situation as another win for me and yet another loss for him. I guess that might have been the case, but my relationship with Presley had nothing to do with him, and it certainly wasn’t a game or a competition. We loved each other and deserved to be able to freely express that. If my brother hadn’t messed around when he was supposedly trying to win her back, maybe I couldn’t have gone through with following my heart. But his indiscretion was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He’d shown me he was only going to end up hurting her again if she ever let him back into her life. And that had been a long shot anyway because she loved me.
She’d made that clear, and who was I to prevent her from being with the man she loved? I was damn lucky to say that man was me. There was a big price to pay in order to be with the woman I loved, but it was worth it.
The biggest obstacle, however, had yet to be tackled. That would change shortly after I landed, because today was the day Presley and I had chosen to tell Alex about us. Even Tanner had agreed that we needed to wait for the right time, and he’d also agreed to let Presley and me handle that conversation.
Tanner had told Presley he wanted nothing to do with breaking the news that would “mess his son up.” But despite my brother’s attitude about it, there was no choice but to be upfront with Alex now. It was a miracle he hadn’t figured anything out yet.
When I walked in the door of the inn, the smell of fried chicken greeted me, and I found Presley in the kitchen. She wiped her hands on a towel and rushed to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I planted the longest kiss on her lips and took in a deep whiff of her scent. The combination of aromas in this place was essentially the smell of home. The Palm Inn was home. This woman was my home and always would be, even if I only got to be here a fraction of the year. We’d just have to make the most of every minute together.
“How was your flight?” she asked.
“Went by in a flash with all the thoughts racing in my head. I kept rehearsing what I’m gonna say to him.”
She sighed. “I think we just have to wing this. No way I stand a chance of memorizing anything right now.”
“You’re probably right. Think there’s a book on the Internet about this we could read with him?” I winked.
The sound of footsteps approaching pulled us back from each other fast.
Alex came running into the kitchen. “Uncle Levi!”
I gave him a hug. “Hey, buddy.”
He looked up at me. “How long can you stay?”
“Only a couple of days, unfortunately.”
Alex pouted. “I wish it were longer.”
“Me too.”
Presley and I looked at each other. My pulse began to race.
“Now?” I mouthed.
She shrugged and whispered, “We have some time before dinner. So no time like the present.”
I looked back over at Alex. “Hey, buddy. Can you sit down with us for a minute? There’s something we need to discuss.” My heart pounded. I couldn’t remember being this freaked out about anything in my entire life.
Alex’s happy demeanor seemed to change as he sat across from us. His face was red, and he was no longer smiling. Alex is nervous, too. Did he already know? Had Tanner gone against his word and told him? That didn’t make sense… Alex had been so happy to see me only a minute ago.
Presley rubbed her palms on her jeans as she sat down. I knew one of us had to start, and I felt the onus was on me.
I cleared my throat and bit the bullet. “Alex, we have something really important to talk to you about.”
His breath was shaky. “Uh-huh?”
“And I want you to know that it in no way changes our relationship.”
He fidgeted, looking anywhere but at me and seeming more anxious by the second. The fact that he was so on edge didn’t help one bit.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Yeah. Just say it,” he shouted.
Shit.
Taken aback by his attitude, I sat speechless for a moment. Presley licked her lips, seeming frozen and just as tense as I was.
I was just about to come out with it when Alex blurted, “I swear I didn’t mean anything by it.”
I blinked. “What?”
“It was just a silly bet.”
Presley’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“The bet I made against Uncle Levi before the Dolphins game.”
Wait. What? I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You bet against me?”
“Well, you’ve been playing like crap since the season started. And some kids at school started a bet. I bet three months’ allowance that the Broncos would lose to the Dolphins. Then the kid who lost the bet got mad and told me he was going to tell you I bet against you.”
Alex was practically in tears, and I felt so damn bad for him.
Presley shook her head. “I wish you wouldn’t bet your allowance, Alex. That’s not very smart. Even if you did win, that’s not a habit I want you getting into.”
“I won’t do it again.”
“Look, Alex, I would never get mad at you for betting against me.” I shrugged. “You made the smarter business move. For the record, I have been playing like crap. It’s mostly because I’ve had a lot on my mind. So I don’t blame you.”
“I’m really sorry.” He looked down at his sneakers.
“Don’t worry about it another second. If anything, it gives me a good kick in the butt to do better, so you have a reason to want to bet for me and not against me.” I quickly corrected myself. “But like your mom says, it’s not a good idea to bet again, in general. So no more of that.”
Alex looked between us. “Am I in trouble for something else? Why did you want to talk to me?”
“No, honey,” Presley said.
I took a deep breath, gearing myself up all over again. “So…” I said. “You know how close you and I got when I was living here this past summer?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “It was the best.”
“Well, those were some of the best weeks of my life. Not only did you and I get to know each other better, but your mom and I… We spent a lot of time together too. And we…really grew to care about each other. A lot.” I looked over at her. “It wasn’t anything we were expecting. But we became more than friends.” I paused. “We fell in love with each other, actually, and we want to be together.”
Alex blinked several times but didn’t say anything. He looked understandably caught off guard and confused. Then he muttered, “Oh…”
Presley finally spoke. “Dad knows, Alex. He’s not happy about it, but we’re hoping he will grow to accept it. Your dad and I were never going to get back together, honey. I will always care about your father, but I decided a long time ago that we’re better off as friends. I told you that before. So this isn’t about choosing Uncle Levi over him. And both of them love you very much. This doesn’t change anything there. I want to make sure you understand that.”
“And I’m not trying to move in on your relationship with your father either, Alex,” I said when Presley paused. “Your dad will always be your dad. I’ll always be your uncle. And both of us will always be here for you.”
Presley’s voice trembled. “We didn’t want to hide this from you. You’re the most important thing to us in the world. And I hope you’ll be okay with this because Levi makes me very happy.”
When Alex remained silent, I decided he needed a prompt. “What are your thoughts, Alex?”
He exhaled and shrugged. “It’s kind of gross, but whatever.”
Presley’s brow lifted. “That’s it?”
“I was scared Uncle Levi was mad. I thought he came all the way here to yell at me. Anything is better than that.”
Presley and I looked at each other, eyes wide. I’d never been so grateful for a misunderstanding. It definitely took the weight off this announcement.
“Does this mean you’re moving in again?” Alex asked after a moment. “I mean, whenever you’re in town?”
“Only if you’re okay with it.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “That’s cool.”
“Thank you, buddy.”
He turned to Presley. “Can I be excused?”
Presley looked over at me, seeming just as surprised as I was that he was done with this conversation.
“Uh…yeah,” she said. “But are you sure you’re okay? You don’t want to talk about this more?”
“No. I’m okay.” He hopped off the chair and took off down the hall.
Presley seemed dumbfounded.
I shook my head. “That was almost too easy. Should we be concerned?”
“I’ll go check on him in a little while. Maybe he needs to process it alone for a bit. Even if he’s upset and not letting on, only time is going to make it easier to accept. The important thing is that he knows, and we don’t have to hide anymore.”
“Yeah. I’m relieved for sure, although obviously I want him to be okay with it and not just say he is.”
She reached for my hand. “I know.”
***
After dinner that night, I was surprised when Alex came to find me in my room. Presley and I had decided we would not be officially sharing a bedroom anytime soon.
“Hey, buddy. What’s up?”
He looked hesitant as he stood at the doorway. “Are you and Dad not speaking?”
This was likely the rest of the conversation I’d expected earlier. Presley was right. He’d needed to process the initial shock before he could even begin to ask questions.
“Right now, we’re not,” I answered as we both took a seat on the edge of my bed. “Did you talk to him tonight? Is that why you’re asking?”
He nodded, looking guilty.
“It’s okay that you’re talking to him about this. You should never feel like you have to hold anything back from any of us. What did he say, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“He just said he knew about you and Mom and that he was trying to protect me, which was why he didn’t tell me. And then he said you and him aren’t talking right now.”
I hoped there was nothing more, but if that were all Tanner said, it would be a miracle. “Life is complicated, Alex. One thing we can’t control sometimes is the way we feel. In an ideal world, I would’ve met your mother under different circumstances. Your dad has every right to be upset. I’m his brother, and I hurt him. I have to own that. But I promise you, I would’ve never considered getting in the middle of your parents’ relationship if there were a chance that they’d get back together. I realize I have work to do, and I promise you I will do everything I can to fix things with your dad so you don’t have to worry.”
He nodded and started toward the door. But before he left, he turned around.
“If Mom is not with my dad, I would rather she be with you than some weird guy.”
Immense relief washed over me. “Well, I definitely have my weird tendencies, but I can’t tell you how much it means to hear you say that, Alex.”
“I want her to be happy. She seems happy around you.”
“She makes me happy, too, buddy.”
“Be nice to her,” he added.
“You can bet on that.”
He chuckled. “I can’t bet on anything anymore, remember?”
I wanted to hug him, but before I got the chance, he took off down the hall.
A few seconds later, Presley appeared at the door.
“I saw him come in here,” she whispered. “Is everything okay?”
“Yup.” I smiled. “We just had a little man-to-man talk. I’m confident everything is going to be okay.” I reached for her hand and squeezed. “But this has been quite the damn day. I feel like I need a drink the size of my head right now.”
“I think you’ve earned it.” She pulled me toward the kitchen. “I’ll hook my man up.”
Damn, I loved hearing her call me that. Her man. I’d worn many titles in my life and scored in many ways, but snagging Presley and being loved by her? That was better than any touchdown or Super Bowl win.
It was better than anything.
