Let Me Love You (Australian Sports Star Series Book 2) (10 page)

“Hello?” Hazel asked.

“Uh, sorry. This is Tamara. Can I speak to Oliver?”

Hazel’s voice went up a notch. “Oh, hello dear. He’s out fishing with his dad. But Oliver’s not the biggest fan of fishing, so I assume they’ll be back soon.”

Tamara had a hard time holding back the sob that was building in her chest. “Not to worry. I’ll call later.”

“Darling, Oliver’s mum and Sarah are here. We’re having a nice lunch. Why don’t you join us? I’m a mum, grandma, and great-grandma. I know when a girl needs a shoulder to cry on.”

Tamara didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This kind woman had just offered her a shoulder to cry on, and they didn’t even know each other.

“You don’t know me,” she said.

“Darling, I met you the other day. You’re Oliver’s girl. He might not be up to speed with the fact, but he’ll get there. Trust me.”

That made her laugh. Oliver’s girl? Her?

As much as she disagreed with this statement, she accepted the invitation with the notion she needed some company.

“I do appreciate it. Would you like me to bring anything?”

“Just yourself.”

Half an hour later, she stood in front of Oliver’s house, hearing the sound of women’s laughter through the window. Hesitating, she took a step back. Was she really going to join strangers for lunch? The lady had sounded very nice, but Tamara didn’t know her.

The sound of the gate opening behind her hauled her back from her thoughts.

“Hi. You must be Tamara.”

Why did everyone know her?

“Hi,” she replied.

The woman stepped past her and opened the door. She had keys to the door!

“I’m Katie, Tyson’s fiancée. Come on in. Sarah told me that you’d be coming as well.”

“We’re in the kitchen,” Sarah shouted. “Be prepared, the older generation is telling creepy stories.”

Katie laughed and turned to Tamara. “That’s usually when Hazel and Diane try to hook Sarah up with a man.”

They joined the ladies in the kitchen, and Hazel introduced her to everyone. “Diane is Oliver’s mother. You met Sarah the other day, right? She’s been friends with the boys since they were little troublemakers. And Katie is my grandson’s girl.”

Tamara looked around and took in the friendly smiles. “Nice meeting you all.”

Hazel gestured to a chair next to Diane. “Have a seat, darling.”

Sarah placed a hand on Tamara’s arm. “So glad you’re here. Unbearable, I tell you, unbearable the guys they wanna hook me up with.” She gave an exaggerated shiver.

“What’s wrong with Markus?” Diane asked and Tamara’s interest was piqued.

“Just the thought of kissing Marky makes me a bit squeezy,” Sarah replied. “The last kiss he gave me was all wet and sloppy.”

Katie nearly spilled her drink. “I thought that was when you were in Kindergarten.”

Sarah shrugged. “So?”

“Dear, dear,” Hazel said. “It’s time to settle down.”

Sarah took a deep sigh and turned to Tamara. “Let’s talk about you,” she said with a big grin. “Any sloppy kisses from Oliver, yet?”

Tamara felt the heat in her cheeks, and Katie laughed.

“I take that as a yes,” Sarah said wryly.

Tamara looked around from one grinning face to another. She felt trapped.

“Honey, there are no secrets here,” Diane finally said as she placed her hand on Tamara’s. “None at all.”

Hazel stood and filled up the kettle. “Darling, Oliver told us you moved here from Perth, and you’re working at the baseball venue.”

“Not anymore,” she whispered, and the room suddenly stilled. All eight eyes glued on her.

Tamara exhaled a big breath before she said, “I quit this morning. They accused me of stealing money.”

“Get out,” Sarah shouted.

“No way,” Katie said.

Tamara was surprised at the support from the girls who didn’t even know her. It felt good and somewhat eased the pain in her heart.

“Why did you quit?” Diane asked.

Tamara shrugged. “They’re accusing me of something without giving me a chance to defend myself. I can’t work for someone who doesn’t trust me.”

Diane nodded. “I like that attitude.”

Katie stood to help Hazel pour the water into the teapot. “I’ll ask Caroline, Ty’s mum, whether she knows anybody who needs—” She turned. “Wait. What’s your job?”

“Accountant.”

“Ouch,” Sarah murmured.

This time it was four pairs of eyes staring at Sarah, but she simply shrugged. “It sounds kinda boring.”

Tamara was pleased when their conversation moved on from topic to topic, including current TV series, Perth, baseball, soccer, and football as well as Katie’s upcoming wedding to Ty.

“You have to come, Diane. It’s all wheelchair proof,” Katie said.

Tamara stared a moment at Diane to see how she took the choice of words, but Oliver’s mum laughed. “Sweetie, you know that if I come, Oliver will sit next to me all day, and we’ll both have a miserable day.”

Katie shrugged. “We’ll invite Tamara as well.”

Tamara’s brows shot up. “Excuse me?”

Diane patted her hand. “They’re just teasing. Since we were in this accident and I ended up in my wheelchair, Oliver is a real party pooper when I’m around. I suppose he feels guilty about me and Erin.”

Tamara was completely lost. Facts and information were thrown around, and she couldn’t figure out how everything was connected. And who was Erin?

“Who’s Erin?” she asked hesitantly.

There was a moment of silence in the kitchen, and Tamara’s impression was that she might not like the answer, if she ever got one.

“Erin was Oliver’s girlfriend at the time of the accident. She died in the crash,” Sarah explained. “Oliver was, I suppose if one could call it that, lucky. Diane ended up in a wheelchair.”

Tamara’s throat tightened. She shouldn’t have asked. She shouldn’t have come here. All of a sudden, the pictures of Jason lying on the floor rushed through her mind. All the blood everywhere. The mess, but most of all the smell.

Sarah’s words brought her back. “He’s been giving himself a hard time since then. Blaming himself for the accident. It was simply bad luck.”

“The way he’s been talking about you has given us some hope that he might be finally able to move on,” Diane added.

“Me?” Tamara asked. “Why me?”

Diane shrugged. “He seems very fond of you. The last couple of years he’s used women to forget.” She looked at Tamara. “Apologies to put it like that. One-night stands have been the norm. Not getting close to anyone just in case he’d lose them at some point, too.”

Tamara stood. This was all a bit too deep for her. She didn’t know these women and had no idea why they had the right to talk about Oliver’s life like that. Although she was glad to have found out what he was hiding, she didn’t think he deserved for his mother and his friends to tell it to the world. It wasn’t for them to tell her.

“Thank you all so much for your kind invitation and lovely afternoon, but I do have to go. My uncle asked me to join him for dinner. I suppose to make sure I’m all right.”

Katie stood as well and asked, “Are you?”

Tamara was momentarily taken aback for Katie’s directness, but then she gave a slow nod. “You can’t kill a weed, can you,” she replied with a wry smile.

Grabbing her bag, she thanked them all again and left. Her mind spun with anger and confusion, as well as disappointment. She’d liked the women and had already started to consider herself part of their little group.

She drove off in her car when the fact that Oliver had lost someone close as well finally sunk in.

Had he played her?

Or had he understood?

Chapter Six

Oliver listened to his mother as she told him about the conversation with Tamara earlier in the afternoon.

“I’m truly sorry, Oliver,” Diane said. “I didn’t mean to upset her. Or spill any secrets. But you said she had lost her husband, so I assumed you’d told her about Erin.”

He pinched the top of his nose before he awkwardly crouched next to her. “Nope, I hadn’t told her,” he said through gritted teeth.

“You need to talk about it one day, sweetie.”

Inhaling a long, deep breath, he placed his arms on the wheelchair and rested his head on them.

“It’s not that easy,” he whispered.

“It’s not supposed to be easy, but it is necessary.”

“I guess I was hoping it’d just go away. By ignoring it, you know.” He looked up at his mother. “Listening to Tamara made me realise she’s mourning someone. She’s coping with a loss. I didn’t have that with Erin. God, I hardly knew her.”

He felt the tears running down his cheeks, but couldn’t care less. It wasn’t as if everyone had told him that he’d feel better once he began talking; in fact, he felt worse. But since he’d started it, he needed to finish it.

“I simply feel guilty, Mum. Guilty about you having to live in a wheelchair, and Erin’s life being taken so early.”

Diane placed her hand on his cheek and wiped away some of his tears. “It wasn’t your fault.”

He nodded. “It was.”

“Survivor guilt isn’t easy to deal with, but you need to move on. Nobody blames you but you. You’re scared of long term decisions and that’s why you move from one girl to another.” She placed a kiss on his forehead. “But Tamara’s woken something in you, and you want to live again. You’ve simply forgotten how.”

He chuckled. “Mum?” When he met her gaze and saw her smile, he felt like a young boy again, sitting on his mother’s lap after scraping his knee, thinking it was the end of the world.

“I went to see someone, sweetie. I needed help, too.”

“Anger?” he asked.

“Yes, but not towards you. Anger at fate. Anger at feeling useless. Anger towards God that you were hurting so much.”

“And now?” he asked.

“Now I’m happy. Happy to be with my children and my grandchildren, who by the way miss their uncle very much.”

He winced. It’d been a while since he’d been to see his sister and her kids. He missed them as well.

“Now go and talk to your girl.”

Oliver placed a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “She’s not my girl, you know that, right?”

Raising her eyebrow, she said calmly, “Then make her your girl.”

“I love you, Mum.”

“I love you, too, sweetie.”

He stood and walked to his room to grab his phone. Within only a few minutes, he had Tamara’s address—Cindy was an easy target to get the information.

His dad gave him a lift to Tamara’s house.

“I’m glad you’ve talked to your mother.”

Oliver turned to look at his dad. Even in the fading light of the late afternoon sun, Oliver could see a constant smile on his dad’s face that reached to his eyes. A sense of contentment radiated from the old man’s face, and the ache in his chest eased a little.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Not to worry, son. Anytime.”

Focusing on the directions from the GPS, he didn’t worry about whether his father understood what he was thankful for, but after the conversation they’d shared earlier in the day, it wouldn’t surprise him if his father was in tune with his thoughts.

A few minutes later they arrived in front of Tamara’s house.

“Just give me a call when you need a lift, if you need one at all.”

“I’ll just call a cab,” he said and got out.

Oliver walked through the front yard to the house. His knee was still killing him, but at least he wasn’t relying on crutches so often anymore. He knew, though, they’d be needed again after the surgery.

He barely dared to breathe as he knocked at the door, and his heart pounded in anticipation. Not really sure what he was going to say, he suddenly felt a blank in his head.

He knocked again, louder this time, and looked for a doorbell.

Beginning to feel deflated, he finally heard a noise from inside, and a smile tugged at his lips.

When she opened the door for him, he knew why it’d taken so long. Tamara stood before him with only a towel wrapped around her.

“Hi there,” he said, trying hard not to grin.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Can I come in?”

She shook her head. “I’d rather you don’t.”

“Ouch.”

Their gazes met and a rush of something went through him. It wasn’t lust. It was something entirely different, and whatever it was, it surprised him at that moment.

She broke the silence. “I’m having dinner with Erik in a little while and need to get ready.”

Oliver nodded. “I’ll come back later. Mum told me about your job and something about money.”

Her gaze went into the distance. It was her way of trying to avoid the subject. He’d figured that out already with her.

“She told you about Erin,” he said.

She let out a long sigh. “Yes, she did.”

“You’re mad I hadn’t told you?”

With a lift of one shoulder, she replied, “No, I’m not mad. I know people deal with loss differently.” She looked up at him. “Did you just play with me?”

Oliver’s heart broke a little. He stepped closer and placed a finger under her chin. “Not even for a second.” He paused for a moment to find the right words. Gazing in her eyes, he saw the hurt inside her and it hurt him, too. “I’ve admired you for your strength.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and he would’ve given anything to kiss her pain away.

“I’m not a strong person. I’m—”

But he didn’t give her a chance to explain and leaned forward to kiss her. He kissed her with everything he had, and everything he was. Desperate to show her that she’d become important to him, the kiss had all the tenderness and yearning that he’d held back for so long in it. The desire rushing through him was so different than what he’d experienced before. It wasn’t the hunger for physical pleasure, but the need to touch and feel someone. To be one with someone.

She slowly broke the kiss, and he was pleased to hear she was breathing just as hard as he was.

“I’ll be late,” she whispered.

“I’ll come back later.” After a quick glance at this watch, he added, “About ten.” Then he turned and left. If he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have made it to the dinner at all.

***

Tamara watched Oliver walk out of her front yard and down the street. Only when one of her neighbours gave her a grin, did she remember she was only covered with a towel. She closed the door and the tears built again. Fighting the urge to cry and feel sorry for herself, she stood straight and ran her hand through her wet hair. It’d been an emotional day and she knew, or at least she hoped, that a nice dinner would do her good.

Walking into her bedroom, she thought of Oliver. And Erin. Why hadn’t he told her? Had he been honest with her when he said he admired her for her strength? She absentmindedly touched her lips with her finger. The taste of his kiss still lingered.

She dressed, and an hour later sat at the table with Erik and his wife Jenny. They talked about the events at the office, including her rash decision to quit. Although Erik understood, he wanted her to reconsider.

She shook her head. “I think it’s time to go back home.”

Erik’s eyes shot wide open. “Perth?”

She dipped her head. “It’s where I belong.”

Rubbing his hands over his face, he leaned back into his chair. “I thought you wanted to move on.”

Tamara let out a long breath. “Uncle Eric—”

“Did he hurt you? I knew—”

Placing a hand on his arm, she shook her head. “It’s got nothing to do with Oliver. It was a mistake to come to Melbourne.”

A frown line appeared on his forehead. “Aren’t you happy here?”

A smile tugged at her lips. “I am. But it’s Perth where I belong.” Tamara poured herself some water and had a sip. She made an attempt to speak, but words failed her.

“Tammy, honey,” Jenny said. “Erik is right. Don’t rush into making decisions while you’re still upset.”

“I came here to move on, but I brought my whole life with me to another city. The pain and memories are the same. I’m moving back to get on with my life with the help of Mum and Dad. I want to go back and study. I’d like to work with people, challenge myself.”

Eric nodded. It seemed he understood. “When?”

Shrugging, she replied. “I’m renting the house month by month. So if I get organised, I’ll be leaving in ten days, if not, it’ll be late next month.”

“We’ll miss you.”

She smiled. “I’m moving back to Perth, not to the other end of the world. I’m sure Grandma Mary will bother you again until you agree to come for Christmas.”

They laughed. It was the same every year.

After dinner, Tamara became restless. As much as she wanted to get back to her house and wait for Oliver, she was also considering staying the night at Erik and Jenny’s. Having made the decision to leave Melbourne, it would be madness to be with Oliver. Whatever it was between them, it would probably end up in bed. His kiss had indicated that was where they were heading. But everything inside her yearned for him. For his touch.

Yet, sleeping with him would make the goodbye even harder.

It was just after half past nine when Tamara drove into her driveway. She was able to see Oliver sitting on her front porch. He was early. With her heart beating near her throat, she got out of the car and walked over to him.

“Hi,” she said.

He stood, and she noticed he didn’t have his crutches.

“Where are your crutches?”

“I got sick of them. It’s uncomfortable, but okay to walk without them.”

“Won’t you damage the knee even more before the surgery?”

He shrugged. “The damage is done.” Oliver placed his finger under her chin. “You really want to talk about my knee?”

Heat rushed through her. No, that was actually the last thing she wanted to talk about. “Want to come in?” she whispered.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Tamara stepped away and opened the door. Turning on the light, she turned to look at him. “The lounge is down the hall. I’ll be back in a second. Would you like to have a drink?”

But before she was able to say anything else, he grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her closer to him. “Nope.”

Their gazes met and for a moment silence filled the room. It was simply him and her, and a whole lot of emotions and feelings in her body.

“I…I’ll—” She had no idea what she wanted to say. Her head was blank. All she knew was when he lowered his head and kissed her, she understood she didn’t want to think about what she was doing or why. She simply wanted to be with Oliver. Enjoy his touch on her skin and his lips on hers.

Her heart skipped a beat or two when his hands began to move across her back. Tamara reached under the hem of his shirt and pressed her palm against his naked chest, feeling the hard muscles under his skin.

“I want you, Tamara,” he said against her ear. “I want you so badly.”

And she wanted him, too. Every single inch of her body was craving his touch.

“Where’s your bed? I need room to work,” he said.

“Upstairs.”

Oliver leaned back and a small sigh escaped him. “Let’s tackle the stairs,” he said as he took her hand.

Smiling, she followed him.

When they stepped into her room, he stopped and stared, taking in her room. She watched him as his gaze wandered from wall to wall.

“What?”

He might have startled a bit, she wasn’t sure, but then he turned and looked straight into her eyes. “Not sure what I expected.”

“Should I be offended?”

Stepping closer, he pulled her in at the same time and his lips hovered just above hers. “Nope. We’re good.”

He traced her cheekbone with his thumb before kissing her long and deep. A rush of adrenaline shot through her as they made it to her bed. She so much wanted to be with him, but at the same time guilt rose up in her, and she was about to stop it right there. Had he been serious when he said he’d admired her for her strength? Was she showing strength by sleeping with him and then leaving for Perth?

Oliver trailed a string of kisses down her throat and along her shoulder.

She had to stop this and cleared her throat to say something, but no words followed. Only silence. Deafening silence.

Their gazes met, and his eyes told her he wanted this as much as she did. Sure that he would consider this one of his many nights he’d spent with a woman, she threw her leg over his body and straddled him. He grinned and was about to say something when she placed her finger to his mouth.