“How do you know that?” Matt asked, leaning forward in his chair. “Were you spying on my sister?”
“No! I would never do that. A couple times in the beginning, I dropped by with Touchdown. She closed out that poor little guy too, and you know how much she loves him.”
“Maybe she was just ready to be done with you,” Matt said, rising from his chair. “Maybe there was other stuff going on between you two.”
Anger spurted hot and fierce through him. “What are you talking about? Do you think I messed around with other women while we were married?” He rose and got in Matt’s face. “You damn well know I love your sister. I would never have cheated on her.”
“Enough!” Andy shouted, yanking on his brother’s shirt. “Sit down. Both of you.”
Blake sat down and took some deep breaths to regain control of himself. Spouting off at Matty Ice wasn’t going to help anything. Matt resumed his seat.
“Matt, I agree with Blake here.”
“Grief takes time—”
“No one knows that better than I do,” Andy said. “But Natalie changed after Kim was diagnosed, and she hasn’t come back.”
“Neither have you,” Matt said in a hoarse voice.
Blake’s throat thickened, hearing that. Andy ran his hand through his hair and took a drink of his beer.
“Yeah, not the whole way, but I’m making progress. Shit, God knows I’ve cried, and I don’t say that to sound like a baby, but I’m a doctor. Crying is the body’s way of coping with grief, and if grief isn’t processed, disease, depression, and a whole list of other stuff can lie in wait for a person.”
“Natalie never cries,” Matt said. “Some people—”
“Then it’s all the more significant Natalie cried in front of Blake at the dinner,” Andy interrupted. “I’m not saying I’m pushing for them to get back together. It’s her choice. But I think we need to be honest about how she’s doing and help her.”
“I’m here because I want to help her too,” Blake interjected. “Look, I want her back. I won’t lie. But if she really doesn’t love me, doesn’t want to be with me, then I’ll let her go. But we both need closure. I…”
He broke off, feeling the rawness of the emotion, the pressure of the odds against him.
“I want her to be happy again, and if I can help with that…well, then leaving football was worth it. If we can’t be together, then at least we can help each other heal. She can move on, and so can I. But after that kiss and her reaction to it…well, I know in my gut she still loves me. Just like I knew we could run a quarterback draw in the Super Bowl and score.”
Matt and Andy were big enough Raiders fans to understand what he was saying. That play was considered one of the all-time greatest, and he’d called it on a hunch. All of them went quiet, and for a long moment, the only sound was a woodpecker doing damage to the mighty oak thirty yards off. Blake fell deeper into that place inside himself where everything was calm, the one he’d learned to seek out at life’s toughest moments. It took a while, but he got there.
“So, how’s Danny?” he asked, wanting to steer the conversation to happier trails.
A smile softened the tense line of Andy’s mouth. “Growing up fast. He loves living in Dare Valley. He’ll be happy to see you…when and if the time comes.”
That was fair. No need to confuse him. “I’ve missed that kid.” God, he was getting choked up here. “Losing Natalie was hard enough, but…I’ve missed the rest of you too, dammit.”
“Ditto, man,” Andy said and took a swig of his beer. “What are your plans beyond winning my sister back?”
He told them. It would be public knowledge today, anyway.
“That’s great, Blake,” Andy said. “Adam would be really happy about your camp. It’s a wonderful tribute. He always loved to throw the ball around.”
So many memories flashed through his mind that he had to clear his throat. “Yeah, he did.”
“Anything you need on that score,” Matt finally said, “you let me know. It looks like I’ll be mayor come November since no one’s stepped forward to challenge me after the primary.”
His offer indicated he was softening. “Thanks. Congrats, by the way, on your engagement and your foray into politics.” Matt had always been a natural leader, so it hadn’t surprised Blake to learn he was about to become Dare Valley’s new mayor. “I always said you would have made a great quarterback if you could throw a decent spiral.”
“Suck it, Cunningham,” he shot back, a phrase they’d bandied about years ago.
His chest lightened. “Now that I’m retired, I’ll have more time to teach you how the big boys do it.”
Matt snorted. “You’re delusional.”
He laughed, and the sound was rich and deep enough to scare off three squirrels that had been lurking on the deck.
“I’ll talk to Natalie,” Andy said casually, and Blake’s heart rate spiked.
“Thank you.”