Page 66 of Front Runner

I refused to flinch, though inside I was a mess. The thrill of looking up into those blue eyes never got old, but the warmth I’d grown to love was missing. He looked at me like I was a stranger—worse, a disappointment.

22

Jed Jones. Linebacker. Two-time Super Bowl champion. Hall of Famer. Riley’s father. No, Lorelai’s father.

At this point, I wasn’t sure they were the same person. I wasn’t sure who she was at all. A hint of caution whispered through the back of my mind, but I was too hurt to heed the warning. Riley should have trusted me enough to tell me.

We stared at each other across the living room, with the low buzz of a football game as a backdrop. How appropriate.

She’d told me about growing up in Wisconsin, about the problems with her uncle, about her struggles playing a game that skewed heavily male—she’d even told me about her dad, in general terms. In any other circumstances, her dad’s job wouldn’t matter in the least, but she was football royalty… and she hadn’t told me.

My dad had a lot of money…Well, no fucking shit. He’d been paid millions to play, and Riley owned that estate now.

I turned my back on Riley’s defensive silence to pace from couch to couch. My mind wouldn’t stop sifting through all the things she’d revealed, examining them in this new light. No wonder she had such a solid grasp of defensive strategies. Her dad was a legend until he retired and disappeared from the public eye.

Now I knew why, I guess.

The crowd cheered on the TV as someone scored, but I wasn’t in the mood. I grabbed the remote on my next pass and turned the game off. Riley edged into my view as I dropped it back on the couch.

Her chest rose as she sucked in a huge breath. “Okay, I know you’re pissed because I didn’t tell you, but who my father is has nothing to do with you.”

Intellectually, I knew she was right, but her words didn’t penetrate the wall of hurt that came with the knowledge. Growing up with Jed Jones had clearly influenced her, and she’d let me believe she’d developed a love of football all on her own. Worse, doubt crept in on the heels of the realization. If she’d hidden this, what else could she hide from me?

She must have read the look on my face because she inched closer. “I wasn’t keeping it fromyou—I was keeping it from everybody.”

Frustration pulled at my skin. “That’s not better.”

She propped her hands on her hips. “I can’t have secrets? Should I prepare a report detailing all the things I haven’t told you yet? Spoiler alert, it’s going to be girthy.”

“Dammit, Riley, I don’t need all your secrets, but this one is huge. I see the guilt on your face. You knew this would be important, and you went out of your way to keep the secret hidden.”

Riley lurched forward, reaching for me, but I side-stepped. I couldn’t let her make contact. If she touched me now, I might say something I regretted. Even with the resentment and frustration coursing through me, I didn’t want to hurt her.

I pressed my lips together until I could think straight enough to consider my next words. Mac, Eva, and Noah had found out along with me, but none of them seemed upset in the slightest. Why couldn’t I get past it?

Because I expected her to feel comfortable enough telling me anything—and she didn’t. The anger drained away, leaving a knot in my chest.

“You don’t trust me,” I said quietly.

“I do.” Riley took my hand, and this time, I let her. “Parker, I do. I’ve shared more with you than anyone else in my life. Myentirelife. I’m not a risk-taker, but here I am with you, despite the rules and the potential for our relationship to blow up in my face.”

She pulled me closer, wrapping my arm around her waist. “I’m sorry for the way this played out, but I wanted to be accepted for who I am, not what I am—not as a girl player or the daughter of a legend. I’m sorry this hurt you. I never wanted that.”

My arm tightened of its own accord, and I dropped my forehead to hers, tired of fighting the urge to touch her. “I don’t hide anything from you. I don’t hold back. Every part of me is yours for the taking.”

Her eyes closed for a second. “This is all new to me. I don’t talk about him. Yes, I keep it a secret out of habit in the hopes I won’t be judged by my DNA, but I didn’t purposely keep it from you. I haven’t had someone important in my life since he died—until you—so it hasn’t been a problem. The habit of secrecy is hard to break.”

The admission helped smooth over the last of my knee-jerk reaction. I pulled her down on the couch, cuddling her in my lap. “Tell me now.”

A tear spilled out, running in a glistening stream down her cheek. “He was the greatest man I knew. It hurts to think he’ll never see me play at TU. He’ll never know how good you and I are together.” She wiped the moisture away with a frustrated huff. “He believed in me—always—and I wanted to live up to his legacy on my own terms. Give him a reason to be proud. Show him his daughter isn’t the mascot or the team slut. If I fuck it up, at least they’ll only drag my name down, and not his.”

Her voice cracked on the last word, and the pain I’d felt at the shock of learning the truth faded in the face of her despair. She was breaking in front of me, and I was sitting there like a jackass, making the situation about me.

“Lorelai…”

Riley shook her hair back from her face and tried to take a deep breath, but it didn’t help her control the sobs.

I cupped her head and held her as she cried. Now that I’d calmed down, I could see the similarities between her and Jed in her eyes and the shape of her mouth. The resemblance was subtle, and I suddenly wanted to see a picture of her mom.

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