“It doesn’t have to be that way, Tara. That was just Liz building up my image.”
“And you need that for your career. But I need a little breathing room. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and for Nathan. Now I just need some space. Nathan will be starting school soon, and he needs to focus on that, not on your crazy lifestyle.”
“It can be like that.”
The tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back. “Please go.”
“Do you love me, Tara?”
Her heart wrenched as she lied to him. “No. I had fun with you this summer, but I don’t love you, Mick.”
He gave her a curt nod. “Okay.”
She opened the door for him, and he walked away without looking at her. She shut the door and locked it, then rested her head on it, listening to the sound of his car starting up and driving away.
She let the tears come then. She was doing the right thing. For Nathan and for herself.
But why did it hurt so much?
MICK SAT IN THE VISITOR’S LOCKER ROOM AFTER THE opening game. He’d mentally and physically prepared and given his all for his team today. And they’d won, thirty-seven to seventeen over Saint Louis. He’d given postgame interviews to the media, put his best winning swagger on, rehashed the great plays, talked with optimism about the upcoming season and his thoughts on how well he thought his team would do. He’d done everything required of him, and when the players and media left, he’d let it all crumble around him.
A week after Tara had thrown him out of her life he still couldn’t let her go.
He loved her. And goddamn it, she loved him, too. He knew she did, and he wasn’t going to let her toss it all away just because she was scared.
“What the hell are you doing in here all by yourself?”
He smiled and turned to see Gavin leaning against the wall inside the door.
“Shouldn’t you be playing baseball?”
“My game was earlier today in Kansas City, so I got in a while ago. Heard about you and Tara. Sorry.”
“Mom blabs.”
Gavin pushed off the wall and sat down on the bench next to him. “She cares. You know how she is with us. If we’re hurting, she hurts.”
Mick didn’t say anything.
“You love her?”
“I do.”
“But she doesn’t love you.”
Mick tilted his head toward Gavin. “She does love me. She’s scared. This whole thing has freaked her out.”
“Man, I don’t know jack about this love thing. She loves you, so she kicked you to the curb?”
“I hurt her.”
“Liz hurt her.”
“No, that’s on me. I should have put some reins on Elizabeth. She thought any PR was good for me. I should have been monitoring what she was doing. Plus I knew Liz didn’t like Tara. I wasn’t focused, wasn’t paying attention. When you love someone, it’s your job to protect them. And I didn’t do my job.”
“It’s not all your fault, man. You can’t be everything to everybody.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Gavin. I should have seen this coming, and I didn’t. I have to own it. I just have to figure out how to make it right. And I don’t know if I can.”
Gavin laid his arm over Mick’s shoulders. “I’ve never seen you give up on anything. You’ve f**ked up a lot of things in your life.”
Mick laughed. “Thanks.”
Gavin gave him a wry grin. “You know what I mean. You’ve dug yourself up from below the dirt before, Mick. And if you love Tara, then don’t give up on her. If she’s scared or hurt, then make it right.”
“I’ll try. I have to try. She means everything to me.”
“Then quit sitting here like a whiny pu**y and go do something about it.”
Mick laughed. “Thanks for the pep talk.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
The door opened. Mick and Gavin both lifted their heads as Elizabeth walked through.
“I assume you’re decent.”
Mick clenched his fists at the sound of Elizabeth’s voice. She hadn’t tried to contact him since that night when he’d threatened to fire her. Wise move on her part.
Gavin turned to Mick and lifted his brows.
“Gavin, I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Just came by to say hi to Mick.”
Elizabeth strolled in, looking calm and beautiful as usual in a gray business suit, high heels, her hair pulled back, and two diamond earrings sparkling in the lights of the locker room.
“Need a ride to the hotel? Bus will be leaving for the airport soon.”
He turned to face her. “No.”
“I need to talk to you.”
“This isn’t a good time.”
“It’s as good a time as any.” She looked over at Gavin. “Can I have a word with your brother alone?”
“Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of Gavin.”
Gavin stood, leaned against the lockers, and crossed his arms, looking amused.
Elizabeth looked from Gavin to Mick. Her easy demeanor vanished.
“Okay, fine.” She turned her attention on Mick. “Look, I know I screwed up. I’m sorry. Did you see the sportscast? I fixed things.”
“You did. Tara appreciated it.”
She inhaled, blew out a breath. “I’m glad. I’m sorry, Mick. It won’t happen again. I’ve always been interested in doing what’s best for your career, in seeing you rise to the top.”
He zipped up his bag, then lifted his gaze to her. “You’ve always been interested in making sure your clients earn top dollar, so in return you can earn top dollar. You want your clients to be cream of the crop because it makes you look good. Frankly, Liz, I’m not sure if you’re more interested in making us look good, or yourself.”
She blanched. “That’s not true. I only want what’s best for you.”
“If you cared about what was best for me, you would have known Tara was good for me. You would have cared about how I felt about her. You would have cared about Nathan’s welfare. All you cared about was getting Tara and Nathan out of my life so you could shove the next actress or model on my arm for a photo op.”
She lifted her hand to her chest. “No. I do care about you, Mick. I always have. I might not have done this right, but I do care about you. And Gavin. And all my clients.”