Free After All These Years (One Pass Away #2) by Mary J. Williams Page A

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    him. She was never around. Since her return to Seattle, Sean had seen her
    exactly three times. From a distance. She didn’t hang out with the team or hide
    in the stands. This was a new Riley.
    All of a sudden, he couldn’t get her out of his head.
    Sean flopped down onto his couch—the softer than soft one
    that he bought for this exact purpose. It stood alone in front of the floor to
    ceiling windows that dominated the west side of the room. It was his favorite
    place in the loft. Perfect for taking naps or simply relaxing after a long, tiring
    day.
    At first, Sean had thought Riley was avoiding him. When he
    mentioned it, Gaige assured him that wasn’t the case. She was busy doing
    everything a person had to do when they were uprooting their life from one
    coast to the other.
    Sean understood. Still, after five years, didn’t he deserve
    a hello? He thought back to that last series of events before Riley left
    Seattle. God, he had been an arrogant shit. So certain a smile and a wink could
    solve any problem.
    Sean wasn’t ready to admit that he had broken her heart.
    However, he had bruised it. Carelessly. He hadn’t wanted her crushing on
    him—especially when the whole team knew about it. It was embarrassing to have a
    kid hanging around with stars in her eyes.
    Except she hadn’t been a kid. Not really. She had been a
    young woman. Inexperienced, yes. Also insecure and completely earnest.
    Sean could see that now. Back then, all he saw was an
    inconvenience that needed to be dealt with as swiftly as possible. He hadn’t
    considered his words or paid attention to her reaction. Before the conversation
    had finished, Sean was already planning his evening—one filled with a few
    drinks, a few laughs, and some great sex.
    Their last meeting had been brief. Sean remembered a feeling
    of awkwardness. It passed quickly. Riley seemed a little subdued but friendly.
    Sean was convinced she was over her infatuation. He dismissed her with his
    usual self-centered conceit. A vague wave in her direction and he was hitting
    on another woman—easily conquered and quickly forgotten.
    Sean had no regrets when it came to the many, many women in
    his past. They knew the score and he tried to make the experience as good for
    them as it was for him. Many of them looked for bragging rights. They wanted to
    join the I slept with Sean McBride club . And Sean was happy to oblige.
    It took him a while to realize Riley was gone. A couple of
    weeks. Sean cringed at the memory.
    “Hey, I haven’t seen Riley around lately.”
    The team was in the locker room getting dressed. Miami and
    the last game of the regular season. It didn’t count for anything. The Knights
    were headed to the playoffs as the third seed. Their only concern was to come
    out as healthy as they went in. The starters would play a series or two, before
    being pulled. No need to take any chances by playing them the entire game.
    Gaige adjusted his shoulder pads, then pulled on his jersey
    before answering Sean’s off-handed question.
    “Riley isn’t around because she’s in Boston.”
    “Seems like a strange time to take a trip. She never misses
    a game.”
    “She’s not coming back, Sean.”
    “For today’s game.” Sean nodded, lacing his shoe. When Gaige
    didn’t respond, he frowned. “She is coming back. Right?”
    “No.”
    “What about the team? And school?”
    Gaige simply shrugged. He grabbed his helmet. Most of the
    team were already gathered at the far end of the room for Coach Coleman’s
    pre-game talk.
    “Gaige,” Sean stopped him before he could leave. He lowered
    his voice even though there was no one around them to hear. “Tell me she didn’t
    leave because of me.”
    “One day, Sean, you’re going to wake up and realize the
    world does not revolve around you. Riley left because it was time to move on
    with her life. Away from her parents. Away from the Preston name.”
    Sean felt a wave of relief. With a grin, he slapped Gaige