Page 41 of The Aster Valley Collection, Vol. 1

MIKEY

Moose Raine was a giant of a man. He’d been a linebacker for Nebraska in college but hadn’t been picked up by anyone in the league after graduation.

Instead, he’d gotten a job in mid-level management at a bottling company and had low-key resented it for twenty years.

When Tiller had finally hit it big in the NFL, he’d offered his dad the chance to retire early and coach youth football full-time as part of a charity foundation Tiller had set up.

I’d always thought Moose’s efforts to push Tiller were the common desire for a parent to live vicariously through the child’s success.

In his case, it had paid off. Now, Moose got to live his dream, too, and tons of kids got the chance to pursue football instead of getting into trouble after school. Win-win.

I knew Moose loved Tiller. He was proud of everything his son had worked so hard for.

But I often wondered if Moose cared a little too much about Tiller’s work and not enough about the man himself.

What would their relationship be like when Tiller was done playing football? To Moose, football was everything.

I wasn’t sure Tiller felt the same way deep down.

But maybe that was wishful thinking. During my phone call with Coach yesterday, my father had made it very clear that someone like Tiller Raine didn’t have the time to spend coddling a needy hanger-on.

He was clearly disgusted with my trailing after Tiller as if I was one of his groupies.

Needless to say, I’d ended the call feeling about a centimeter tall.

My father always had a knack for making me feel small.

It was one of the reasons Sam couldn’t stand the man.

It was also one of the reasons I realized it truly was time for me to pick up stakes and make a life somewhere outside of Texas.

And if I chose Aster Valley, I knew I’d have friends right off the bat. It was just a matter of asking some of the Aster Vallians what they thought of the idea of my restaurant. Hopefully the real estate agent could help me do the right kind of research.

“We came as soon as Coach called,” Moose said, nudging Jill into the foyer before holding the door open for Tiller’s sister, Stephanie, her husband, Luke, and their two daughters, all of whom seemed to be carrying tinfoil-covered dishes.

I stood there agape as Tiller’s entire family trooped into the lodge. “Uh, hi?” Tiller was still asleep in my bed, and I’d only been up long enough to make some gingerbread cookies so we could decorate them for gifts for Winter and Gent and maybe Truman and our new friends at the diner.

Jill stopped and gave me a hug. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart. Sorry to spring this on you at the last minute, but we didn’t want to miss seeing you now that Tiller’s heading back to Houston sooner than we expected.”

I didn’t freak out at the news of Tiller’s return to Houston because I honestly assumed she was mistaken.

“Mom? Dad?” Tiller said, walking around the corner pulling a long-sleeved T-shirt on over his low-riding pajama pants. I said a little silent prayer of thanks for the quick display of his killer abs and sexy-as-hell happy trail. “What are you doing here?”

He glanced at me like I’d somehow have the answer. I shrugged and shot him a “your guess is as good as mine” glance.

“So, we’ll do Christmas real quick before you have to catch your flight,” Jill said merrily, leaning in to press a kiss to Tiller’s cheek. “Hi, love. How are you feeling?”

He frowned and looked at me again. This time I recognized nerves in that expression on his face. There was something he wasn’t telling me. “I’m feeling fine,” he grumbled.

“What flight?” I asked.

We all made our way into the kitchen sitting area since Tiller and I had made it our de facto hangout spot.

I immediately went into my usual host mode, helping everyone find a place for their dishes and then offering drinks around.

It looked like they’d brought a ready-made spread from a honey ham–type place which made me shudder.

If only they’d given me some notice, I could have whipped up something homemade.

Jill followed Tiller to the stone hearth as he began building a fire. “Do you really think you’re ready to go back?”

“What flight?” I asked again, feeling a little light-headed.

Tiller’s nostrils flared. “Nothing. No flight.”

Jill frowned and glanced over at Moose. “But Coach Vining called your father last night. He said they needed you back for next Sunday’s game.”

I felt the blood rush from my face, not because my father was an asshole who seemed content to put Tiller’s health at risk, but because Tiller clearly knew and chose not to tell me. “Excuse me.”

I turned to make my way back to my bedroom as calmly as I possibly could. Tiller’s voice sounded oddly loud in my ears. “Mikey, wait.”

I waved a dismissive hand over my head without saying a word and kept walking.

It was fine. He didn’t owe me anything. It wasn’t like we were…

anything to each other. Well, except I did still work for him, and technically, I was the one who was supposed to make the travel arrangements.

Even though I knew I was overreacting, the fact he’d hidden this from me stung like a bitch.

I spun on my heel and jabbed a finger in his chest when he came closer. “Fuck. You.”

“Baby, wait.”

“Do not ‘baby’ me. Don’t. What? Did you think I couldn’t handle a change of plans?

That I was going to curl up into some kind of fragile ball of crybaby if you—” I suddenly realized his entire family was standing at the entrance to the back hallway gaping at us.

“Never mind,” I choked out before turning into my bedroom and throwing the door closed.

Everything in my body wanted to curl up into a fragile ball of crybaby.

Tiller caught the door before it slammed and followed me in, closing it carefully once we were both inside.

“Michael.” His voice was soft, but it held five years of emotions. I met his eyes, and my heart thudded to a stop. I didn’t want him to call me that. I never wanted him to call me that. “Please stop.”

I crossed my arms in front of mud thundering heart. “It’s fine.”

He stepped closer and reached for my upper arms. “It’s definitely not fine. I didn’t tell you he wanted me back because I was in denial about it, okay?”

I saw the mixed-up feelings behind his eyes, and suddenly I wanted to let him off the hook. I didn’t want him to be emotional over me when he had a job to do.

“Tiller, it’s okay,” I said more sincerely. “It just surprised me, that’s all. I should have known he’d call you back. There was no way you could actually spend a month away during the damned season. I was a fool to think you could.”

His arms slid under mine and wrapped around my back, pulling me in for a tight hug that lifted me to my toes.

“I’m sorry,” he said into my neck. The rumble of his familiar voice against my chest loosened some of the tension between us.

I didn’t want to fight. I wasn’t mad at him.

I was mad at the circumstances. And furious with my father for treating people like his own personal chess pieces.

“Me too.”

His lips moved along my neck up to my ear and down along my jaw to my lips, leaving tiny kisses in their wake. “One more night, though. Think we can make it count?”

I would not cry. I would not feel sorry for my pathetic, lovesick ass who’d dreamed of more than only one more night with this kind and sexy man.

“Damned right,” I said despite the tightness in my chest and the churn in my gut. I wasn’t giving up my chance at having sex with Tiller Raine, and now our only remaining chance was tonight.

With his family here.

“Are they staying?” I asked.

Tiller sighed and shrugged. “Who the hell knows? Let’s find out what they have in mind.”

He kissed me firmly on the lips before turning around, but I grabbed his hand. “Wait,” I hissed. “What… what are we going to tell them? About us?”

His grin was easy, and it made my stomach tumble the way it did to the millions of people who saw the same smile on billboards and in magazine ads.

“No need to tell them anything. They already know you’re my… Mikey.”

What did that even mean? “Huh?”

Tiller’s eyes sparkled like he was sitting on a delicious secret. “Babe. They’ve teased me for having a crush on you for at least two years. Ever since I brought you home for my cousin’s wedding.”

That didn’t make any sense. “But that wasn’t a date… Was it?” Holy fuck. Had I been missing out on dating this man for two whole years?

“No, but apparently, I shot you puppy eyes all night and snapped when anyone got too close to you.”

My heart stretched its wings and did a little joyous loop-de-loop. If only it was sustainable. But the fact he hadn’t acted on it in two years was proof it wasn’t. There were reasons we couldn’t do this long-term.

I blinked up at him, deciding to take it one day at a time and push off the fear and stress for a future version of Mikey who would—please god—be better equipped to handle it.

“Thank you for coming after me,” I said, leaning up to kiss him again. “Let’s go have a very Rainey Christmas.”

When we returned to the kitchen, Luke and Jill were in the kitchen sorting out the food while Stephanie sat on the floor in the sitting area setting up a Connect Four game for the kids. Moose had the remote control and was flipping between sports channels.

As soon as Jill saw me, she bounced on her feet and clapped her hands. Her eyes jetted back and forth between Tiller’s and mine. “Oh, please, please,” she said under her breath. “Please make an announcement.”

Tiller’s large hand slid against mine, our fingers twisting together naturally. “No announcement, Mom. We’re just… enjoying spending time together.”