After All These Years (One Pass Away #2) by Mary J. Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

boy,” Gaige explained. “Everything is a game.
    Football. Women. Life. He’s Peter Pan.”
    “He looks all grown up.” Boy. Did he ever , Riley
    thought, picturing Sean’s beautiful body.
    “On the outside. Until his brain catches up, he won’t be
    ready for you, Riley.” Gaige’s eyes were sympathetic. “It might never happen.”
    “And I can’t wait around hoping it will.”
    Gaige helped her on with her jacket.
    “Keep in touch.”
    Riley returned his hug. She felt safe with Gaige’s arms
    around her and for a moment, she was tempted to throw away her plans. Seattle
    was her home. The Knights were in the playoffs. How could she leave?
    “Hey, Riley.”
    Because all it took was the sound of Sean’s voice and she
    wanted to fall to her knees. Love me , she would beg. Why won’t you
    love me ?
    “Are you okay?” Gaige whispered.
    Riley nodded. She straightened her shoulders, shored up her
    resolve, and turned.
    “How was your Christmas, Sean?”
    “Terrific. I flew my parents in.”
    “That’s nice,” she said as though nothing between them had
    changed.
    Riley could see the relief in his eyes. There would be no
    recriminations. No embarrassing scene. Sean was off the hook. More than he
    knew.
    “Are you leaving?” he asked when she picked up her purse.
    “I am.” All the way across the country. Riley wondered what
    his reaction would be to that. Deciding she didn’t need any more heartache, she
    kept it to herself.
    “I’ll see you around,” he called out. Sean, being Sean, was
    already checking out the cute blond at the bar.
    “Goodbye, Sean.”
    It was time to leave the old Riley behind. Not looking back,
    Riley opened the bar’s front door and stepped into the Seattle mist one last
    time.

 

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    FIVE YEARS LATER
     
    RILEY PARKED TOWARD the back of the Knights’ parking lot. She
    gave herself a moment to look around.
    There were a few cosmetic changes. Fresh paint. The façade
    over the entrance showed the team’s new logo. The updated Knight in blue and
    gold was more fierce—less cartoony than before.
    For some reason, the change had been contentious among the
    shareholders. Something about upholding tradition. Yada, yada, yada. Six months
    ago, her opinion wouldn’t have mattered. However, on her twenty-fifth birthday,
    Riley inherited another block of shares. Enough to make her an official voting
    member of the board.
    Like any responsible adult, she weighed the issue carefully.
    Examined the facts. Perused the new logo. Then sent her vote of approval. The
    email from her father’s assistant arrived an hour later accusing her of voting,
    not for the change, but against him.
    It wasn’t true. She thought the new logo was better. Modern.
    Riley knew without hesitation that her grandfather would have approved. She
    made all of her decisions concerning the team by first weighing how she thought
    Douglas Preston would have voted. In her mind, it was still his team. She
    wouldn’t take over the team for another five years. Until that day, she
    considered herself an extension of him.
    Thwarting her father had never been her goal. It simply
    turned out to be a nice bonus.
    Riley opened her car door. It was late November and surprisingly
    warm by Seattle standards. The heels of her boots clicked as she walked to the
    building. The logo wasn’t the only thing that had changed. Riley was different.
    Inside and out.
    Anyone looking at her would see a sophisticated young woman.
    Which was exactly what she wanted. Riley had worked hard to polish off her
    rough edges. Gone were the ubiquitous blue jeans, sneakers, and Knights jersey.
    She was a successful businesswoman and it was important for her wardrobe to
    reflect it.
    She had started from the bottom and worked up. Heels. High heels. It may have seemed like a small thing, but until she graduated from
    Harvard, Riley had never worn them. Flats were more practical for running
    around campus.
    Starting with a pair of