Page 83 of The Game We Played

I’m still sitting on my sofa dissecting the email and every single comment the editor made about my article when my doorbell rings thirty minutes later. I probably should have spent the time cleaning up since I smell of moonshine and beer.

I push to my feet and shuffle to the door. I open it and frown at the person standing there. “What are you doing here?”

Tanner smiles. “Your sisters messaged me.”

My brow wrinkles. “You’re in touch with my sisters?”

“And your dad and mom.”

I roll my eyes. “The members of my family enjoy sticking their noses in where they don’t belong more than I do, which is saying a lot.”

His smile dies. “Does it bother you that your family messaged me?”

“I don’t carethatthey messaged you. I carewhythey messaged you.”

He perks up. “You seriously don’t mind if I’m in touch with your family?”

“Why would I mind? My family likes you. A little too much considering this relationship is over in a few short weeks.”

My stomach sours. I don’t want this relationship to be over. But it’s what I agreed to. And I don’t have the headspace forheartbreak over a man right now. I’m too busy being heartbroken over my career.

“I’m such a failure,” I mutter.

Tanner grasps my hand and leads me into the living room. He sits on the sofa and tugs on my hand. I tumble into his lap.

“What are you doing?” I ask as I sit up and straddle him.

“I want to support you. I want to listen to what happened. But I need you close to comfort you when you make outrageous claims about being a failure.”

My body warms at his words. He wants to comfort me? Support me? Listen to me?

Tanner Long is the best man I’ve ever known. No wonder I love him.

I gasp. I love Tanner.

I want to deny it. I want to claim I’m merely falling for him but haven’t fallen in love yet. I want to protect myself from the heartbreak in my future. I want to protect myself from the loss of my freedom if we enter a relationship.

But I can’t. Because it’s true. I love Tanner.

He’s sweet and kind. Not to mention sexy. And he carries this big heart inside him most people don’t get a chance to experience.

Except me. He’s opened up to me. He’s shown me a side of himself he doesn’t show to others. It’s no wonder I fell for him despite my best efforts to stop from falling.

Tanner palms my cheeks. I nearly forgot I was sitting on his lap during my revelation. I shove the whole I love him revelation to the side. I’ll deal with those feelings later.

“You are not a failure.”

“Yes, I am.”

“What happened?”

I want to lie, not admit to what a failure I am, but when I gaze into his green eyes and notice how sincere and open he’s being, I can’t.

“I told you about the sports magazine I interned with?” He nods. “I still have contacts there. I thought they’d be thrilled to publish the article I wrote about Coach Knox. But they rejected me.”

“Hold on. They didn’t reject you. They decided not to publish an article you wrote.”

“Same thing.”