Page 79 of Well Played

“I don’t think so, Alex.”

Alex pleaded. “Please.”

The sad look on his face hit me straight in the heart. My son never asked me for much. He’d put up with a lot, given the mess of a relationship his father and I had.Am I really being fair to him?

“I suppose…we can make room for your dad,” I said, swallowing the anxiety uttering those words brought on.

“You sure?” Tanner asked. When I nodded, he mouthed, “Thank you.”

I was pretty sure I’d just made a huge mistake. But I’d do anything for Alex, and that proved it.

***

Levi was home when we returned to the inn.

Alex couldn’t wait to tell him about Tanner staying with us.

“Uncle Levi, Dad is staying with us. Isn’t that the best news ever?”

Levi’s eyes darted to me. Frowning, I did my best to offer a silent apology.

And he did his best to pretend he was happy about it as he forced a smile. “That’s amazing news, buddy.”

Tanner ruffled Alex’s hair. “Last I recall, your favorite food is pizza. Is that still correct?”

“Well, now it’s pizzaandIggy’s fried chicken.”

“Ah. You discovered Iggy’s, did ya?”

“Uncle Levi took me. We had dinner there one night when Mom was out. He told me a bunch of old stories from back when you guys used to go there.”

Tanner looked over at his brother and smiled. “Thanks for showing him around.”

“It was my pleasure.” Levi smiled. “We had a good time that night, didn’t we, Alex?”

Alex nodded. “We always have a good time.”

A look of sadness crossed Tanner’s face, as if realizing for the first time that it wasn’t onlythe innLevi had been looking after.

If he only knew...

Looking down at Alex, Tanner clapped his hands together. “What do you say we give your mother a break tonight, and I’ll order pizza for all of us?”

“You don’t need to do that,” I said.

“I want to.”

Alex jumped up and down. “Mom, please! Pizza sounds so good!”

He didn’t realize my hesitation had nothing to do with the pizza but everything to do with Tanner pushing his way back into our lives at warp speed. But all I could do was sigh.

Tanner ended up ordering three large pizzas to be delivered. Levi and I were quiet throughout dinner while Tanner and Alex made up for lost time. Alex filled his dad in on how camp had gone all summer and the upcoming peewee football season.

After dinner, Alex went to take a shower. Tanner asked Levi if he wanted to grab a couple of beers from the fridge and head out back. He agreed, and I watched them go, only to realize my nerves were shot. What would they discuss during their man-to-man time? I could only imagine what was going through Levi’s mind. He’d been forced to keep his emotions inside since Tanner’s arrival, and it killed me that we hadn’t had a chance to talk.

Later that evening, after I tucked Alex in, I went to my room earlier than normal. The second I closed the door behind me, Levi texted.

Levi: Are you okay?

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