"But it shouldn't have! You shouldn't have been taken aback that I would want to eat lunch with you, and I shouldn't have had to hype myself up just to come here."
He stares up at me like he’s surprised, but we both know he isn’t. This isn’t new—it's just the first time either of us has said any of it out loud.
I push my chair back, metal scraping harshly against the stone floor.
"Tessa, I—"
"Don't." My voice cracks, but not with sadness—with exhaustion. "I think we both knew this wasn't going anywhere."
He scoffs, crossing his arms. "Then why did we move in together?"
"We didn't," I snap.
He frowns. "Well, yeah, not officially until next month, but that's because—"
"My lease ended last month," I interrupt, already knowing where he's headed. "But I've been storing my stuff at Drew's old place."
His mouth drops open, but he doesn't argue or deny. He just asks, "Who?"
I chuckle under my breath. "It doesn't matter. I moved in because you asked me to… relentlessly. But we both knew this wasn't forever."
Trevor stares at the table, his silence his agreement.
I stand. "I'll own my part in this, but maybe someday you’ll see just how much ofuswas always aboutyou, Trev."
I turn toward the door, then glance back one last time, meeting his eyes.
"So… will you be home later?" he asks.
I close my eyes, biting back a sad laugh. Even now, he doesn't see it. "No," I sigh. "And that's one bet you can count on."
14
Liam
"So, how has everything been going with Tessa?" Levi hits the start button on the worn pitching machine that's older than we are and gets into his batting stance.
"Fine, I guess," I say, leaning on the fence behind him. My fingers find their homes in the same links they've been resting in since we were kids and started coming to Three Strikes. Back when it was all a little more refreshed, a little brighter—a little less falling apart. "Ruthie seems to like her."
Levi swings at a ball, the crack of the bat sharp against the quiet. "That's it? That's all I get?"
I drop my head between my arms and drag my foot through the dirt, then glance over at Ruthie in the field beside us, dribbling a soccer ball. "That's really all I got. What else do you want?"
My little brother turns around, glaring, purposely letting the next ball fly past him. It slams into the fence just inches from my face, exactly like he knew it would.
"I mean, I know stuff about her," I say. "But I'm trying to keep my distance a little."
Levi arches a brow. "Apparently Ruthie's been raving to Alex about how great she is."
The idea that my daughter loves her nanny shouldn't scare me, but my stomach still drops all the same. Knowing how close they're gettingmakes me even more anxious than I already am that it'll work out. Because if it does, Tessa's just another person who could leave.
I loved Nellie for our household, and I am so happy that she's finally where she always wanted to be, but her leaving left a void I didn't expect—and a snowball of more that followed.
When Ruthie's mom knocked on my apartment door almost twelve years ago with a baby and an ultimatum, everything changed. Not only did I become a single dad after just starting my career with the Gators, but life as I knew it had to shift completely. There were no more nights out or bringing home girls—I didn't have the physical or mental space, let alone the energy. Plus, I had a new main priority.
From then on, everything I did—every choice, every person I let in—was for her. Gone were the hookups, the maybes, even the idea of a girlfriend. I thought if I just focused on Ruthie, that would be enough.
But things are different now.
