Brutal Play (False Start Book 2) by Alison Rhymes

Author:Alison Rhymes [Rhymes, Alison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Alison Rhymes LLC
Published: 2022-10-24T16:00:00+00:00

Hours later, Olivia is asleep, dead to the world in new pink pajamas that fit her. We had hit the toy department too, and she chose an overstuffed alligator that’s now tightly tucked under her arm.

Lorelai is on my laptop. Applying for more jobs or researching the best neighborhoods in Mobile, or something of that sort.

I’m showering off all the butter and grease, layer by layer, recounting every single thing that’s happened today. It’s a mountain of information to take in, to dissect, to decide what to do about any of it.

I put a call into a friend in Seattle to look into this Will character. I also emailed the director of Giving Hope to set up some regular support.

Neither of those does anything, directly, for the two people currently living with me. While it soothes a small amount of knotting in my gut, it doesn’t erase it. Not nearly.

The thought of them moving away in the coming days sends me close to panic. I’m unable to reconcile all the feelings I’m having about it. My brain tells me it’s the best for them, for all of us. They need to learn to rely on each other, to live on their own, and with their own rules. Only, I wish Lorelai had more good days behind her before rushing away.

If she’s not in a stable place, how can she build a stable home? But who am I to tell her what to do?

She was right when she called me her tormenter. Tonight was the first time since she’s been here that she had a genuine moment of happiness.

And I want to give her more of that while she’s here. And more.

Shutting the shower off, I quickly dry off and pull on a pair of gym shorts. My office light is off when I pass by. I find Lorelai on the sofa where she’s made a bed for herself. Her eyes flutter under her closed lids and a soft smile plays at her lips, as if she’s enjoying a happy dream.

I should let her be, let her keep hold of whatever is giving her that lazy, content look.

I can’t. I want her close for as long as I have her.

I want more than a truce. I want to be her friend. I want to give her some of the things life has so thoroughly denied her. It’s all temporary, of course. Maybe this time when she leaves me, it can be with respect instead of betrayal.

Embracing my boorish side, I peel the blanket off her and lift her into my arms. Her arms instinctively wrap around my neck as she snuggles closer.

“You’re back from practice early,” she says groggily.

When she was mine, she’d often hide out in my dorm room. It was larger and a single, meaning I didn’t have a roommate, because of who I was. It was a quiet place for her to study. She worked so hard to learn everything she could. Was always striving to be the best.

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