Charlie nodded, but he waited until his sister pulled the door shut before her before he went to Riley. Settling on the couch beside her, he grabbed the remote and clicked off the TV. “Riley, I’m so sorry.” He took her hand in his and waited for her to turn into him, to wrap her arms around his neck. Something to indicate his presence was a comfort to her.
Instead, she stiffened. “Why did you let it leak?”
Her voice was thick with tears, and he wasn’t sure he heard her right. “What?”
“The footage.” She put her palm to his shoulder, pushing him away. “You said yourself you were the only one who had a copy.”
Charlie drew back. “You think I did this?”
The way she wrapped her arms around herself was answer enough.
He pushed to his feet and ran a hand through his hair. “You think today’s been a joyride for me?” He pointed to the TV. “You think I enjoyed this?”
“I bet your phone is ringing off the hook now.” She chewed on her bottom lip, tears streaming down her pale face. “Sponsors are probably lining up outside your door with this kind of scandal.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand how you could do it.”
He stared at her for a long minute: her bloodshot eyes, her dark hair, loose in ringlets around her face, her knees drawn to her chest like she was protecting herself from something. From him. The accusation that he had released the tape was bad enough from Rick, but from Riley it was the knockout blow to his already reeling heart.
“I’m in love with you,” he said it softly. “I want a life with you. Why would I ruin that?”
The front door flew open and Chaz barreled in. “Riley, I just saw. I can’t believe it.”
“What’s he doing here?” Charlie growled.
Chaz cocked his head, giving Charlie a once-over. “I could say the same about you.” He shifted his attention back to Riley. “You told me you were scratching an itch with your bad boy poker player, but I thought today’s developments might prove what a bad idea that was.”
Charlie set his jaw. His fists itched to plow into the cocky son-of-a-bitch’s face. He looked at Riley. “You want me to get this as**ole out of here?”
Riley crossed her arms over her chest. “Chaz, what do you want?”
Chaz’s dark eyes hardened. He might be a prick, but he wasn’t slow, and he knew he’d taken the wrong tack. “Riley, you can’t blame me for being worried. The woman I love is being exploited all over television.”
Charlie’s fists clenched, but he refused to give Chaz the satisfaction of his response.
“Chaz, enough,” Riley said. “This is between me and Charlie.”
“You heard her,” Charlie said, taking a step toward Chaz. “Leave.”
Chaz narrowed in on Charlie. “Lucky for you the numbers on her phone got mixed up. If she’d known it was you on the other end of the—what do the kids call it? Sexting?—you may have never gotten yourself into her pants.”
Charlie took another step forward. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Riley hopped off the couch and grabbed the back of Charlie’s shirt. “Don’t.”
Chaz’s eyes lit up. “Oh! You didn’t know?” He chuckled. “When Riley was texting you, she thought she was texting me. It turns out our numbers were switched on her new phone.”
Charlie turned to Riley, waiting for her to deny it. She stood stock still, saying nothing. Charlie wished she’d call Chaz a liar and tell the fucker to leave, but her silence was evidence enough things weren’t going to go his way today.
“It’s true?” His stomach dropped.
Riley winced. “I should have told you.”
He didn’t wait for goodbyes, but pushed his way out the door. Flames of bitterness, anger, and resentment burned his stomach and licked their way up his chest.
He was down the second flight of stairs when she called his name. His heart lodged in his throat as he turned around. “Unless you told Chaz to go to hell, you don’t need to waste your time.”
Stopped on the stair above him, she blinked. He could lift his hand and touch her again, feel her soft skin under his fingers just one more time, and it was so damn tempting. But he didn’t.
“You should have told me,” he said. What an ass he’d been. She’d never loved him. She hadn’t even meant to start this. He was nothing to her but some untrustworthy gambler, good for nothing but scratching an itch.
“I know.” Sadness filled those sweet green eyes. “I guess we’ve both made some pretty big mistakes.”
“When?” he asked, the word sticking in his throat.
“When what?”
“When did you realize you were talking to me and not him?”
She blinked, then licked her lips. “Right before I came to your hotel. You said to come, and I didn’t know it was you. I went to his condo.”
Each word was like a drop of burning poison in his blood, but his desire to know the truth outweighed his need to protect himself from it.
Riley swallowed. “I found him with another woman, then you called and…everything kind of fell into place.” She looked at the ceiling. “I was foolish enough to believe you wanted to be with me—me, not what I represent to the media. I was foolish enough to believe I was more to you that some publicity stunt.”
“Riley—”
“Don’t!” She shook her head. “I don’t want to hear it, Charlie. I can’t…”
I love you. She’d never intended those words for him, and he’d been carrying on as if they had been. “You love him.”
She looked over her shoulder and back to Charlie. “No. Not anymore.”
“And me?”
“No one else had access to that footage. No one else stood to profit from this. What am I supposed to think?”
“I guess that answers my question.” He shook his head. “Goodbye, Riley. Enjoy your life. I hope you’re satisfied because there’s a whole world out there you’re too much of a coward to enjoy.”
Hurt flashed in her eyes, but he was too angry to take it back.
Chapter Twenty-Two
She’d hurt him.
Riley leaned her forehead on her knees and wondered why she cared so much about the man who betrayed her. The man who’d used her. After she’d gotten rid of Chaz, she hadn’t moved from her spot on the couch, and she didn’t have the physical or emotional energy to do so now. She’d been hollowed out.
Charlie said he loved her. How was that possible? How could he have given that press the video if he loved her? Had he really thought she’d believe he had nothing to do with it? Just yesterday he’d admitted to setting up the first pictures of them that had been released to the papers.
Her chest ached and her throat was raw, but more tears came.
The couch shifted under her.
“Lace,” Riley said, reaching for her friend’s hand. Lacey had found someone to cover her shift so she could be with Riley, and Riley had been grateful that she didn’t have to be alone.
Lacey sat ramrod straight, frowning. “I just got off the phone with Charlie.”
Riley withdrew her hand, another round of tears pressing against the back of her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about your brother right now.”
“You think he did it?” Lacey asked, her voice low and disbelieving.
Riley sniffed. “Who else? My father already talked to Griminski, and he swore he gave the only copy to Charlie. Griminski has worked for my father for a long time. I trust him.”
“But you don’t trust Charlie?” her mouth contorted in an ugly frown.
“If he didn’t do it—” Riley took in a shaky breath, her eyes filling again.
“Of course he didn’t do it,” Lacey said. “Jesus, Riley, do you even know my brother?”
“Charlie ‘the Devil’ Singleton, yeah, I know all about him. I also know what his agent told him about needing a new sex scandal. And I know that he’s responsible for the pictures the pap put in the paper. And I know that those pictures weren’t enough to save his career. But this will be. Won’t it?”
Lacey’s only response was an angry tick at her jaw. Her hands gripped her knees.
“I’m trying to be reasonable,” Riley explained. “Being naïve has gotten me nowhere.”
Lacey stood and put her hands on her hips. “Do you even know Charlie, my brother, the man who loves you?” She shook her head. “Did you care about him at all, or was this just the rich girl having some wild fling with the bad boy?”
Riley gaped. “Lacey, I wouldn’t…” She trailed off because she couldn’t say anything. That was exactly what it had been. At least at first. “How was I supposed to know he wanted more?”
“You aren’t the first rich bitch to use him like that, Riley. And you’re not the first to take him at face value and assume there’s nothing beneath the surface.” Lacey dropped her hands and let out a breath, deflated. “You’re just the first to surprise me.”
Riley gaped, the ache in her chest growing. “Lacey, don’t do this. I could really use a friend right now.”
“Maybe Chaz would offer a shoulder to cry on. God knows he has the most to gain from this bullshit.”
Riley squeezed her eyes shut and thirty seconds later the front door slammed.
***
Charlie wanted to lose himself in a bottle of bourbon, but he couldn’t do that. Not when he had a tournament that began tomorrow. And not when there was someone he owed an apology.
Tony stood in his driveway, throwing a basketball into a rusty old hoop attached over the garage. He had a smooth rhythm. Bounce. Bounce. Shoot. Swish. Bounce. Bounce. Shoot. Swish.
“You’re not bad at that,” Charlie said after Tony made his fifth consecutive basket.
Tony turned to him, eyes wide. He tossed the ball, starting to walk away.
“It’s Tony, isn’t it?” Charlie asked, snatching the ball from the air.
Tony narrowed his eyes. “So what?”
Charlie shrugged. “My old man was never around.” He eyed the basket, bounced the ball a couple times and shot. The ball bounced off the rim. “I made up stories about him when I was a kid—that he was away in the military, or that he was a secret agent.”
The ball bounced on the pavement in front of Tony. “So?” he said, snatching the ball into a dribble.
“Then when I got older, I didn’t make stuff up anymore.” Charlie said as Tony lined up a shot. “I just hated him.”
Those words threw Tony off at the last minute and his attempt went far left of its target.
Charlie took his chance and grabbed the rebound. “I never thought I’d be the absent father. I’ve been sexually active since I was your age, and not once did I fail to use protection.”
Tony stepped in for the steal. With a quick twist, he jumped and the ball slid through the net. “I’m not stupid. I know last thing you want is some kid hanging around.”
Charlie threw the ball across the yard. “Dammit, no one ever asked me what I wanted. I didn’t plan to be a father, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want you in my life.”
Tony’s eyes grew moist, and he turned away.
Charlie spun him around. “I wanted you. I just wasn’t given the chance. I have the chance now.”
“My mom says you’re a bad influence. She grounded me when she found out I was going to play poker with you last night.” Tears were rolling now. “Maybe she’s right.” He shook his head, sniffed, and wiped his face with the back of his hand. “Do you know how embarrassing it’s going to be to go back to school in the fall after that video? All my friends have already seen it on YouTube.”
Charlie felt his heart sink. He’d been in contact with his lawyer this morning and the video had already been pulled from the internet, but the damage was done. He clenched his fists to resist the urge to wipe away his son’s tears. “I’m here to apologize,” he said softly. “About the tape—I made a mistake, and I’m paying for it.”
Tony nodded. “She is pretty hot,” he said softly. He gave a half-shrug as if none of it mattered. “I can see how it could happen.”
Charlie had to chuckle.
Tony’s gaze dropped to the concrete. “I have a friend whose dad is involved with the tournament. He said there are rumors that you released the tape.” Slowly, he lifted his head. “I told him you wouldn’t do that. That rich lady, you love her, don’t you?” He sniffed again. “It must be really hard to have people believe you’d sink that low for money.”
Charlie wrapped his arms around Tony and pulled him against his chest. For a long moment, he closed his eyes, let himself appreciate the joy of having his son in his arms. “You should know there’s a good chance I’ll make a crappy father. I make mistakes sometimes, and I’m so far from perfect—”
“I don’t need perfect.”
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“So, I guess you’re going to be my dad now?” Tony said, pulling away.
Charlie smiled, his heart lightening. “I always was. Now I just have the chance to act like it.”
“What are we going to do about Mom?”
Charlie followed Tony’s gaze to the house and saw Angela standing in the window. Worry draped across her features and aged her ten years. “I’m going to make some changes, and I think she’ll approve.” Her gaze locked with his and he nodded in acknowledgement. “She’ll come around.”
Instead, she stiffened. “Why did you let it leak?”
Her voice was thick with tears, and he wasn’t sure he heard her right. “What?”
“The footage.” She put her palm to his shoulder, pushing him away. “You said yourself you were the only one who had a copy.”
Charlie drew back. “You think I did this?”
The way she wrapped her arms around herself was answer enough.
He pushed to his feet and ran a hand through his hair. “You think today’s been a joyride for me?” He pointed to the TV. “You think I enjoyed this?”
“I bet your phone is ringing off the hook now.” She chewed on her bottom lip, tears streaming down her pale face. “Sponsors are probably lining up outside your door with this kind of scandal.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand how you could do it.”
He stared at her for a long minute: her bloodshot eyes, her dark hair, loose in ringlets around her face, her knees drawn to her chest like she was protecting herself from something. From him. The accusation that he had released the tape was bad enough from Rick, but from Riley it was the knockout blow to his already reeling heart.
“I’m in love with you,” he said it softly. “I want a life with you. Why would I ruin that?”
The front door flew open and Chaz barreled in. “Riley, I just saw. I can’t believe it.”
“What’s he doing here?” Charlie growled.
Chaz cocked his head, giving Charlie a once-over. “I could say the same about you.” He shifted his attention back to Riley. “You told me you were scratching an itch with your bad boy poker player, but I thought today’s developments might prove what a bad idea that was.”
Charlie set his jaw. His fists itched to plow into the cocky son-of-a-bitch’s face. He looked at Riley. “You want me to get this as**ole out of here?”
Riley crossed her arms over her chest. “Chaz, what do you want?”
Chaz’s dark eyes hardened. He might be a prick, but he wasn’t slow, and he knew he’d taken the wrong tack. “Riley, you can’t blame me for being worried. The woman I love is being exploited all over television.”
Charlie’s fists clenched, but he refused to give Chaz the satisfaction of his response.
“Chaz, enough,” Riley said. “This is between me and Charlie.”
“You heard her,” Charlie said, taking a step toward Chaz. “Leave.”
Chaz narrowed in on Charlie. “Lucky for you the numbers on her phone got mixed up. If she’d known it was you on the other end of the—what do the kids call it? Sexting?—you may have never gotten yourself into her pants.”
Charlie took another step forward. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Riley hopped off the couch and grabbed the back of Charlie’s shirt. “Don’t.”
Chaz’s eyes lit up. “Oh! You didn’t know?” He chuckled. “When Riley was texting you, she thought she was texting me. It turns out our numbers were switched on her new phone.”
Charlie turned to Riley, waiting for her to deny it. She stood stock still, saying nothing. Charlie wished she’d call Chaz a liar and tell the fucker to leave, but her silence was evidence enough things weren’t going to go his way today.
“It’s true?” His stomach dropped.
Riley winced. “I should have told you.”
He didn’t wait for goodbyes, but pushed his way out the door. Flames of bitterness, anger, and resentment burned his stomach and licked their way up his chest.
He was down the second flight of stairs when she called his name. His heart lodged in his throat as he turned around. “Unless you told Chaz to go to hell, you don’t need to waste your time.”
Stopped on the stair above him, she blinked. He could lift his hand and touch her again, feel her soft skin under his fingers just one more time, and it was so damn tempting. But he didn’t.
“You should have told me,” he said. What an ass he’d been. She’d never loved him. She hadn’t even meant to start this. He was nothing to her but some untrustworthy gambler, good for nothing but scratching an itch.
“I know.” Sadness filled those sweet green eyes. “I guess we’ve both made some pretty big mistakes.”
“When?” he asked, the word sticking in his throat.
“When what?”
“When did you realize you were talking to me and not him?”
She blinked, then licked her lips. “Right before I came to your hotel. You said to come, and I didn’t know it was you. I went to his condo.”
Each word was like a drop of burning poison in his blood, but his desire to know the truth outweighed his need to protect himself from it.
Riley swallowed. “I found him with another woman, then you called and…everything kind of fell into place.” She looked at the ceiling. “I was foolish enough to believe you wanted to be with me—me, not what I represent to the media. I was foolish enough to believe I was more to you that some publicity stunt.”
“Riley—”
“Don’t!” She shook her head. “I don’t want to hear it, Charlie. I can’t…”
I love you. She’d never intended those words for him, and he’d been carrying on as if they had been. “You love him.”
She looked over her shoulder and back to Charlie. “No. Not anymore.”
“And me?”
“No one else had access to that footage. No one else stood to profit from this. What am I supposed to think?”
“I guess that answers my question.” He shook his head. “Goodbye, Riley. Enjoy your life. I hope you’re satisfied because there’s a whole world out there you’re too much of a coward to enjoy.”
Hurt flashed in her eyes, but he was too angry to take it back.
Chapter Twenty-Two
She’d hurt him.
Riley leaned her forehead on her knees and wondered why she cared so much about the man who betrayed her. The man who’d used her. After she’d gotten rid of Chaz, she hadn’t moved from her spot on the couch, and she didn’t have the physical or emotional energy to do so now. She’d been hollowed out.
Charlie said he loved her. How was that possible? How could he have given that press the video if he loved her? Had he really thought she’d believe he had nothing to do with it? Just yesterday he’d admitted to setting up the first pictures of them that had been released to the papers.
Her chest ached and her throat was raw, but more tears came.
The couch shifted under her.
“Lace,” Riley said, reaching for her friend’s hand. Lacey had found someone to cover her shift so she could be with Riley, and Riley had been grateful that she didn’t have to be alone.
Lacey sat ramrod straight, frowning. “I just got off the phone with Charlie.”
Riley withdrew her hand, another round of tears pressing against the back of her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about your brother right now.”
“You think he did it?” Lacey asked, her voice low and disbelieving.
Riley sniffed. “Who else? My father already talked to Griminski, and he swore he gave the only copy to Charlie. Griminski has worked for my father for a long time. I trust him.”
“But you don’t trust Charlie?” her mouth contorted in an ugly frown.
“If he didn’t do it—” Riley took in a shaky breath, her eyes filling again.
“Of course he didn’t do it,” Lacey said. “Jesus, Riley, do you even know my brother?”
“Charlie ‘the Devil’ Singleton, yeah, I know all about him. I also know what his agent told him about needing a new sex scandal. And I know that he’s responsible for the pictures the pap put in the paper. And I know that those pictures weren’t enough to save his career. But this will be. Won’t it?”
Lacey’s only response was an angry tick at her jaw. Her hands gripped her knees.
“I’m trying to be reasonable,” Riley explained. “Being naïve has gotten me nowhere.”
Lacey stood and put her hands on her hips. “Do you even know Charlie, my brother, the man who loves you?” She shook her head. “Did you care about him at all, or was this just the rich girl having some wild fling with the bad boy?”
Riley gaped. “Lacey, I wouldn’t…” She trailed off because she couldn’t say anything. That was exactly what it had been. At least at first. “How was I supposed to know he wanted more?”
“You aren’t the first rich bitch to use him like that, Riley. And you’re not the first to take him at face value and assume there’s nothing beneath the surface.” Lacey dropped her hands and let out a breath, deflated. “You’re just the first to surprise me.”
Riley gaped, the ache in her chest growing. “Lacey, don’t do this. I could really use a friend right now.”
“Maybe Chaz would offer a shoulder to cry on. God knows he has the most to gain from this bullshit.”
Riley squeezed her eyes shut and thirty seconds later the front door slammed.
***
Charlie wanted to lose himself in a bottle of bourbon, but he couldn’t do that. Not when he had a tournament that began tomorrow. And not when there was someone he owed an apology.
Tony stood in his driveway, throwing a basketball into a rusty old hoop attached over the garage. He had a smooth rhythm. Bounce. Bounce. Shoot. Swish. Bounce. Bounce. Shoot. Swish.
“You’re not bad at that,” Charlie said after Tony made his fifth consecutive basket.
Tony turned to him, eyes wide. He tossed the ball, starting to walk away.
“It’s Tony, isn’t it?” Charlie asked, snatching the ball from the air.
Tony narrowed his eyes. “So what?”
Charlie shrugged. “My old man was never around.” He eyed the basket, bounced the ball a couple times and shot. The ball bounced off the rim. “I made up stories about him when I was a kid—that he was away in the military, or that he was a secret agent.”
The ball bounced on the pavement in front of Tony. “So?” he said, snatching the ball into a dribble.
“Then when I got older, I didn’t make stuff up anymore.” Charlie said as Tony lined up a shot. “I just hated him.”
Those words threw Tony off at the last minute and his attempt went far left of its target.
Charlie took his chance and grabbed the rebound. “I never thought I’d be the absent father. I’ve been sexually active since I was your age, and not once did I fail to use protection.”
Tony stepped in for the steal. With a quick twist, he jumped and the ball slid through the net. “I’m not stupid. I know last thing you want is some kid hanging around.”
Charlie threw the ball across the yard. “Dammit, no one ever asked me what I wanted. I didn’t plan to be a father, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want you in my life.”
Tony’s eyes grew moist, and he turned away.
Charlie spun him around. “I wanted you. I just wasn’t given the chance. I have the chance now.”
“My mom says you’re a bad influence. She grounded me when she found out I was going to play poker with you last night.” Tears were rolling now. “Maybe she’s right.” He shook his head, sniffed, and wiped his face with the back of his hand. “Do you know how embarrassing it’s going to be to go back to school in the fall after that video? All my friends have already seen it on YouTube.”
Charlie felt his heart sink. He’d been in contact with his lawyer this morning and the video had already been pulled from the internet, but the damage was done. He clenched his fists to resist the urge to wipe away his son’s tears. “I’m here to apologize,” he said softly. “About the tape—I made a mistake, and I’m paying for it.”
Tony nodded. “She is pretty hot,” he said softly. He gave a half-shrug as if none of it mattered. “I can see how it could happen.”
Charlie had to chuckle.
Tony’s gaze dropped to the concrete. “I have a friend whose dad is involved with the tournament. He said there are rumors that you released the tape.” Slowly, he lifted his head. “I told him you wouldn’t do that. That rich lady, you love her, don’t you?” He sniffed again. “It must be really hard to have people believe you’d sink that low for money.”
Charlie wrapped his arms around Tony and pulled him against his chest. For a long moment, he closed his eyes, let himself appreciate the joy of having his son in his arms. “You should know there’s a good chance I’ll make a crappy father. I make mistakes sometimes, and I’m so far from perfect—”
“I don’t need perfect.”
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“So, I guess you’re going to be my dad now?” Tony said, pulling away.
Charlie smiled, his heart lightening. “I always was. Now I just have the chance to act like it.”
“What are we going to do about Mom?”
Charlie followed Tony’s gaze to the house and saw Angela standing in the window. Worry draped across her features and aged her ten years. “I’m going to make some changes, and I think she’ll approve.” Her gaze locked with his and he nodded in acknowledgement. “She’ll come around.”
