“Yeah, like your nine years of playing NFL football. That’s been terrible.” Tanner let out a snort. “Catastrophize much?”
“I don’t remember you laughing when Van ended things with you,” Logan murmured. “Give the guy a break. We all know what heartbreak feels like.”
Their nickname had never felt so apt.
“So what are you gonna do?” Gray asked, leaning forward on the breakfast bar.
“I’m going to L.A. and hope to God I get the job.” Cam looked down at the counter, his eyes tracing patterns in the stone. “Because I can’t stay around here and not be with her.”
“You’re leaving? But you just got here.” Tanner frowned. “Dude, don’t make any rash decisions.”
“I hate to say it, but Tanner’s right.” Logan shrugged.
“Bingo!” Tanner clapped his hands together. “I knew I’d be right eventually.”
“A stopped clock is right twice a day,” Gray murmured, shaking his head at his brothers. He looked up at Cam, his eyes full of sympathy. “Did you know I flew to L.A. when Maddie and I broke up?”
“Is that when she hit that guy who released the video?” Cam could remember seeing it all over social media. Gray had confronted the guy who’d spread an indecent video of Maddie when she’d been at college, and Maddie had ended up with her fist in the guy’s face. The internet had gone crazy for her.
“Yeah, that’s right. But when I flew there, I did it because I was fighting for her. Not because I was running away.”
“I’m not running away,” Cam said, his voice vehement. “I’
m going because if I stay it’s only going to get worse. Not just for me – I could hang around if that was the case – but for Michael and Mia. If I go, Michael will play football, and maybe he and Mia’s relationship will be okay. If I stay, I’m a permanent reminder. I can’t do that to them.”
“When do you fly out?” Logan asked, his brows knitted together.
“On Friday. I’ll be there for a few days. I’m thinking of heading back to Boston after. If I get the job I’ll need to clear out the house, maybe put it on the market. I guess I’ll need to learn about L.A. real estate.”
“So that’s it? You’re done?”
“It’s not like that. If it wasn’t for her kids, I’d fight for her every step of the way. But it’s a no-win situation. If she chose me, I wouldn’t respect her. And if she chose them…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “Of course she’ll choose them. Which she should. So either I hang around here like a has-been football star, or I try to work out what the hell to do next.”
“But you love her,” Tanner said, running the pad of his thumb along his jaw. “You can’t leave her if you feel that way.”
“What should I do then?” He wanted to feel some hope. But everything was too dark for that.
Tanner shifted his eyes. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But there has to be an answer.”
“Are you going to tell her you’re going?” Logan asked him.
“Of course I am.” He needed to see her one last time. Maybe then his heart wouldn’t ache so much. “I’m not an asshole.”
Tanner coughed into his hand. “Disagree.”
“Shut up.” Gray nudged Tanner in the side.
“What? Cam used to razz me constantly. And he still hasn’t let me forget that I stood outside of Van’s house with a boombox on my shoulder.”
Cam shot a glance at Tanner. “It wasn’t a boombox, it was a Bluetooth speaker. Lameness should never be forgotten.”
“See? It’s not just me.”
Gray rolled his eyes at his brothers. “What if the kid changes his mind?”
“Then I’ll be back here like a shot.” Cam had no doubt about that. “But I can’t stay in this town knowing she’s so close yet so untouchable. It’ll kill me.”
Logan sighed. “Yeah, it’d kill me, too.”