“You carried on playing with a head injury?” Tanner asked, his eyes still closed. “Are you crazy?”
“I wanted to win.” Cam shrugged. “The rush was incredible.” He grinned as he spotted his older brothers walking out. “Gray must know what I mean. I’ve seen your face when you walk out on stage.”
“Kinda like his face when Tanner made him sing Karaoke of his own song,” Logan said, grinning. “Man, that made me laugh.”
Tanner shook his head. “I can’t believe we lost to Becca and Maddie. I could have sworn we were a sure thing.”
“They won fair and square,” Logan said, glancing at his phone and wincing. “They got the biggest cheer.”
“Don’t remind me,” Tanner complained. “Becca was shoving it in my face all night.”
“I gotta make a phone call,” Logan told them, his jaw set hard. “I’ll be right back.”
“Restaurant problems?” Gray asked Cam as the older twin walked around the front of the house.
“He’s lost five staff since Friday to a rival place. Any more and he’ll have to close temporarily. He was bitching about it the whole way here.” He shrugged and took another mouthful of beer. “Talking of bitching, how are you finding the old man?”
“He’s being his usual asshole self,” Tanner muttered. “Everything Gray does with the plumbing is wrong.”
“Is it bad that I was relieved he stayed in bed today?” Cam asked. “I can take about ten minutes with him, but a whole afternoon? No way I want to listen to him dissecting every play I made last season. I’d have to win the Superbowl single handed to make him happy.”
Gray pressed his lips together. Yeah, it was bad, but he felt exactly the same way. Though his father’s health was improving, he was still nowhere near well. And having all of his children in the house at once was proving too much for him.
“Hey, how’s that girl you were seeing?” Tanner asked Cam, opening his eyes a chink. He immediately shaded them with the palm of his hand. “Alice was it?”
“Andrea. And we ended things. She nagged too much.”
“Big surprise,” Tanner muttered.
“How about you, Tanner?” Cam asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are the girls pushing down your door in New York?”
“I saw you looking at Maddie Clark,” Tanner said to Cam, ignoring his question. “She’s grown up and looking better than her sister.”
Gray lifted the bottle to his lips. He’d barely slept last night. Too much thinking about Maddie and their conversation in the square.
He’d been a hair’s breath away from kissing her. Could still smell the sweet fragrance of her perfume if he tried hard enough. It was messing with his head, this attraction he had for her.
No matter what he did, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
“She’s a beautiful girl.” Cam shrugged. “But I’ve sworn off women. At least until I retire from the NFL.”
Was it weird that Gray’s shoulders felt lighter at that?
“What about you, Gray?” Tanner said. “Any stories about actresses or singers you can tell us?”
“Nope.”
“Oh come on. At least one of the Hartson brothers has to be getting some.” Tanner sat up, but his face remained ashen. “You have to fight them off. I see all the comments on your Instagram pictures.”
“I haven’t. My publicist deals with that.”
“Some of them put their phone numbers and describe everything they want to do to you. You should call them.”
Gray lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not interested in a hook up.”
Cam tipped his head to the side, his eyes scrutinizing his brother. “What are you interested in? Settling down?”
“No.” Gray frowned. “I’m not looking for anything permanent. I’m not looking for anything at all. But if I ever do, I want a connection. Some emotion. I’m sick and tired of sex just for the sake of it.”