Well Played by Keeland Vi & Ward Penelope

Author:Keeland, Vi & Ward, Penelope
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: C. Scott Publishing
Published: 2021-10-23T00:00:00+00:00

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 a proud father.

God, I was probably the worst human being on the planet, but in that moment, I wished Levi 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,

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