to say what I want to tell him in a way that won’t send him recoiling. I’m all too aware Mike isn’t comfortable being in the spotlight even though he’s one of the most deserving players—on and off the field—of accolades. I probably wouldn’t be this honest with him at all if not for the fact that he’s already seen me at my worst. “Here’s the thing. I conducted research about Evie, so I could be aware enough to manage any potential bad press that could happen as fallout from the situation you’re caught up in, but it’s impossible for me to research your relationship with her beyond what you tell me. What you’ve shown me by your actions is your deep love for her. My brothers love me, but they would never, ever admit to someone else that they haven’t always necessarily done right by me. I don’t even think they’re as aware as you are that they haven’t given me what I’ve needed over the years.”
Mike smiles tightly as the server delivers our dinners, nodding instead of answering with words that everything looks to our liking. He waits until the guy’s well out of earshot before continuing our conversation. “What have you needed over the years that they haven’t given you?”
“Are you asking because you’re curious to learn more about me or because you need some free therapy to figure out how to move forward with Evie?”
He tries to hide his smile behind a mouthful of steak. It’s adorable and unsettling. He already knows way more about me than he should. “Both.”
Well, then. My answer better be doubly worth his time and attention. “I appreciate any love that someone gives me. Don’t get me wrong. God knows there are all sorts of horrible stories out there, and I’m not comparing myself to those. I guess…I want their support more than them trying to do everything for me. I want to know they trust me enough to let me stand on my own two feet and make my own mistakes. How can I help goes much further than I told you so. Does that make sense?”
Mike swallows thickly. “It’s about trust?”
I didn’t pare it down quite that simply, but…“It is. Love without trust is just affection. Affection isn’t a bad thing, but real, selfless love? That requires a heck of a lot of trust.”
“Shit.” Mike leans back and wipes his mouth with his napkin. “That’s why she’s still clinging to Rob.” He shakes his head and stares at his lap. “All I saw were his failures—the way he stepped out on their marriage when she asked him to—but I guess she saw it as proving he could be trusted to do what she needed instead of what he wanted. I’ve never done that. Not with her, not with my sisters, not with anyone.”
“I don’t think that’s true. You certainly proved to me you understand trust very well.” My cheeks flame. “I did not at all mean to imply you love me just because you haven’t blabbed about the horrid hotel incident.”
“Maybe you love me because you haven’t said a word about it either.”
We stare at each other.
He glances between his empty plate and my untouched one. “Do you not like your dinner? I can send it back if you want something else.”
Thank God he’s giving us another out. I honestly had no idea where to carry this conversation from there. “I, um, didn’t want to talk with my mouth full.”
“And I inhaled my food while yours went cold.” He chuckles. “Please eat. Enough about me anyway. I don’t want to be the kind of guy who only takes and doesn’t give anymore. I can’t change the past, but I can do better going forward. Just like on the field.”
“With an attitude like that,” I point my fork at him and stick to a safer topic, “you won’t even need me this season. You’re going to be the best player for the Albany Wolves all by yourself.”
“I need you, Tori,” he insists. “I have no idea what’s going to happen this season, but I have this bad feeling things are going to get way worse before they get better.”
I have to force myself to concentrate on our conversation because this steak cuts like butter and is without a doubt the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. “What do you mean? Things seem settled. Everyone appears to be behaving themselves in the public eye.”
He pushes his plate away and