“It’s because you will always put your mom first.” He held up a hand to hold off her arguments. “I understand that you are close and I don’t want to come between the two of you, but I can’t share you. Not like that.”
Bree knew her mouth was hanging open, she knew she was shaking, but she couldn’tfeelany of that. All she could feel was this odd sensation—like duct tape was being slowly pulled off her heart one centimeter at a time. “I …” Reality kicked in and Bree reacted. “You’re seriously breaking up with me because I love my mom? That’s … twisted.”
The lines on his face deepened. As did her anger. Her hands fisted and her face flamed.
“You’re upset.”
“No. I’m not upset, Owen. I’m angry.” She pressed her hands open and then clenched them up again. “I’m angry that you think you should be the center of my world 100% of the time. That’s selfish and unrealistic. And I’m angry at myself that I didn’t see this side of you before—” Her voice caught, but she didn’t let that stop her from saying what needed to be said. “Before I went and fell in love with you.”
Storm clouds gathered in his blue eyes. “When you love someone, they come first.”
“Right! And who are you putting first?” She stomped her foot and then spun on her heel, racing for the safety of her car. The tears were already spilling over, and she didn’t want him to see her at her most broken.
“Bree!” he called from the porch. “Bree!” His voice was closer, but she didn’t stop to see how far he’d chased after her. She jumped in the car and managed to make it to the main road before she couldn’t see past the salty sting in her eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Ugh!” Owen took a hit he wasn’t expecting and went down, hard.
Teo Parata hopped off him and offered a hand to pull him off the turf. The heavy-hitting Polynesian was one of the nicest guys on the team—a total pushover in the locker room, but a bullet train on the field. “Come on, man, shake it off.”
Owen nodded and smacked Teo on the back to let him know he was okay. The off-season field workouts weren’t too intense. The guys were all in a state of healing up from last season, the Titans’ best season yet, and no one wanted an injury to stop the next season from being just as great. Rings were hard to come by in the NFL, every one earned by playing harder, faster, and stronger than the opposing team.
“Hit the showers!” yelled the assistant coach. Owen trudged in behind the main group of guys. He wasn’t one of the crowd—hadn’t been before, and didn’t expect to be now. What surprised him was how lonely he felt standing in the middle of his teammates. Being aloof had suited him well, right up until he met Bree. She’d made life sweeter than before, just by being a part of his day.
He pushed thoughts of her, and her accusation of selfishness, aside. He’d gotten pretty good at sidestepping his conscience these last couple of days. In another few months, maybe he wouldn’t have to move so fast. He slammed his hand against the door on his way out of the locker room and a woman jumped out of the way, clutching a child to her chest.
As if he didn’t already feel like the world’s biggest jerk for the hurt he’d seen in Bree’s eyes when she said she’d fallen in love with him, this woman glowered as if he’d attacked her child.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to be on the other side of the door.”
She threw her hair over her shoulder, and he got a good look at her face and the chubby cheeks of the toddler in her arms. There was no mistaking that butterball.
“You’re Teo’s family.”
“I’m his wife, Cedar.” She stood a little taller. “And this is our son, Akoni.”
Owen couldn’t help but smile at the chubbiest set of cheeks he’d ever seen. He took in the beautiful woman and toddler, and his heart ached. He’d wanted all this with Bree—he wanted it more than he’d wanted to play pro football.
The door swung open and Teo lumbered through.
“Dad!” The boy squirmed to get down and Cedar let him.
She shook her head. “That’s his first word, and Teo eats it up.” Owen looked harder at her. If he remembered right, Cedar was Teo’s second wife. He never would have guessed that she wasn’t Akoni’s mother—not with the way she beamed at him.
Teo picked Akoni up and tossed him into the air before seeing Owen. “You good?” he asked, his forehead etched with concern. “You don’t look so good.”
“I’m fine—physically.” It was his head that was a mess. Well, his head and his heart. “You have a beautiful family.”
Teo flashed his pearly whites. “Thanks. Family is everything, you know?”
Owen nodded like he understood, even though he didn’t.
Cedar checked her phone. “Your family just landed. We should get going.”
Owen fell in step with them on the way to the parking lot. “Big reunion?”
Teo waved a beefy hand. “Just my parents and a couple brothers and their kids.”