Page 72 of Well Played

CHAPTER 18

Presley

Just when I thought nothing else could screw with my head, being back at Beaufort High School had me wrestling a kaleidoscope of new emotions.

Behind me were the bleachers. I looked up at the announcer’s booth and then counted four rows down to the place my friends and I had sat for every football game for four years of high school. I used to love watching Tanner play. If I closed my eyes, I could probably still see the faces of the cheering Friday-night crowd. Heck, if I inhaled deeply enough, I might even smell hot dogs and pretzels. We’d had some good times here. Thinking about it caused a dull ache in my chest.

But turning around and looking out at the field in front of me caused an even bigger tangle of emotions. Tryouts were over now, though a lot of the kids had hung around after to throw the ball with Levi. He was currently in the middle of a game of two-hand touch, with my son as his running back. Levi dropped back to throw the ball, and Alex ran long. The smile on my son’s face lit up the field brighter than the lights at a Friday-night game. I’d already taken all of the photos Levi’s agent needed, yet I lifted the camera and shot more. These weren’t for PR, but for me.

My camera clicked so fast it sounded like someone was typing.

Alex catching the ball.

Alex in mid-air, high-fiving Levi after they scored.

Levi ruffling my son’s hair after he helped him up from the grass.

Levi looking down at my son like a…

Oh my God.

I lost my breath when I realized what I’d been thinking…

Levi was looking down at my son like aproud father.

God, I was probably the worst human being on the planet, but in that moment, IwishedLevi was Alex’s father and not Tanner. In the few months I’d been back in Beaufort, the two of them had already spent more time together than Tanner had spent with Alex during his lifetime. That was a pretty sad realization.

I took down my camera and watched how Levi taught him things, how he always seemed to keep his eye on where Alex was, even while throwing the football to another player or running the offensive line. He was protective, truly a natural parent.

Yet here I was, still using my son as an excuse to keep my distance from Levi, while the truth of the matter was, Alex flourished around the man. Of course, if our relationship were to continue and things didn’t work out between Levi and me, it would be difficult for Alex. But wouldn’t that be a risk I’d have to take with any man? And unlike a random stranger, in my heart I knew Levi was in my son’s life for good now, regardless of what happened between the two of us.

A little while later, Alex was playing quarterback instead of Levi. He looked right to find a receiver, and when he dropped back to throw the ball, one of the high school kids on the other team ran at him from the left and tagged him a little too hard. Alex flew in the air and landed on his ass. Levi was by his side in two seconds, making sure he was okay.

Almost a half hour later, Levi wrapped up the friendly game. But he stayed on the field for another twenty minutes signing autographs because a bunch of kids had showed up once word got out that he was at the school this afternoon. Alex stayed dutifully by his side the entire time. When the crowd finally scattered, I’d probably taken over five-hundred pictures.

My son was still smiling when the two of them walked over to where I sat.

“Mom, I’ll race you up and down the bleachers!”

I laughed. “Aren’t you tired from all that running around you did today? I’m exhausted from watching you.”

Alex looked at Levi as he shrugged and thumbed in my direction. “She’s afraid I’ll beat her.”

Levi nodded and folded his arms across his chest. “Yup. Classic chicken response.”

They both smirked. So what choice did I have but to set down my camera and accept the challenge? “Fine. But the loser loads the dishwasher after dinner tonight.”

“You’re on.”

Levi chuckled. “Give me your camera. I want to capture my little buddy beating you.”

I squinted and stuck out my tongue. But I also passed him the camera and showed him how to use it.

Once we were ready, Levi put his hands out, keeping us behind an imaginary line. “On a count of three. One. Two. Three!”

I took off down the bleachers and turned up the first set of stairs. My son might be fast, but my legs were still longer than Alex’s, so my strides had me in the lead until I got halfway up the bleachers. I started to get a little winded as I reached the top, but Alex seemed to grow momentum. The little brat overtook my lead and made it back down and to the finish line a full fifteen feet ahead of me. And I hadn’t even let him win.

Levi fist-bumped Alex, and the two of them gloated.

---