Christian had never been one who could offer comfort in a desperate situation. He clearly remembered when his mother had cancer, he had sulked around as if he were a victim while his father and older brother kept the family together. And, since he was admitting things to himself, probably because he was more than a little inebriated, the past two years with his injuries and then the accident, he’d been playing the victim again. And again, he was being taken care of all the time.

“Let’s keep walking,” he offered trying to think of a different conversation that wouldn’t steer them back to the accident, though that seemed to be the common ground they now had.

He didn’t take her hand, though he wanted to. She had crossed her arms over her chest and walked guarded next to him.

“So, Ed has me overseeing the building of a baseball stadium.”

“Really, that’s great.”

“Not anything like major league, but a small community one.”

“See, you can use your talents off the field.”

He nodded. He hated it, but she was right. “What about you? How’s the team?”

Tori stopped walking and he turned to her. “Do you even talk to anyone from the team anymore?”

He shook his head. He’d had to bury that dream, the one of now managing or coaching, when he buried his best friend and her sister.

“I’ve been working at a dental office answering phones part time for almost a year.”

“You’re not doing the physical therapy?”

She turned her arms over, noting the many scars that covered them. Though it was dark he knew what she was looking at.

“How much strength do you have after the accident? Can you do what you trained your whole life for?”

He shook his head.

“Did you forget how many lives changed that night or are you still focused on what you lost?”

She turned to walk back toward the hotel. Christian caught up with her quickly. The buzz he’d had was starting to diminish.

When he caught up to her he reached for her arm and stopped her. “Listen. I’m sorry. I know I’ve been an ass. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about everything I did to push you away and…”

“You shoved me away, Chris. You told me you couldn’t marry me and be a father right now so it was over. Don’t take away how eloquently you said it.” She set her jaw.

He closed his eyes and tried to grasp for the last of the decency he must have as a person. He shook his head and let out a long regretful breath. “I’m sorry.”

Tori clasped her hands in front of her and held them there. “I need to go in and get my things. I’ll get a cab, but I should go home.”

“Please don’t. Just stay for a bit and I’ll see that you get home safe. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you since I learned you’d be here. And in my true fashion I seem to have messed up all my opportunities to show you that I can be a decent person.”

He waited for her to give him some reaction, but she didn’t, so he continued. “Just one night? One night to at least try to mend our friendship?”

Tori’s eyes shifted up as if she were looking toward the sky for guidance. Eventually she nodded and he was grateful for that, because he seriously had thought perhaps she’d throw one of her shoes at his head first.

A moment later he felt the unmistakable rumbling in his stomach and realized he’d never eaten anything at the wedding reception.

“What do you say we go back in for some food? Compliments of my brother.”

She actually chuckled and he took it as a positive sign. Perhaps he wouldn’t walk away from this evening as big a loser as he’d thought he would when he saw her kissing Scott in the parking lot earlier.

“I could really use some grown up food. Currently Sam will only eat chicken nuggets and Ali wants peanut butter and jelly cut into butterfly shapes.”

He narrowed his eyes in the dark. “How do you do that?”

“I have a cutter. I’ve acquired many interesting things since I became their guardian.”

He imagined she had.

As they climbed the stairs toward the reception—each of them slowly with limps and creaking body parts—they noticed the guests passing by them heading out of the hotel.

When they reached the top of the stairs they caught a glimpse of Ed carrying Darcy toward the elevator bank, no doubt heading to the honeymoon suite.

Clara met them near the entrance to the room. “Where have you been? Warner gave the toast. You missed the cake and…” She stopped as if she’d only then noticed he was standing next to Tori. “Sorry. I see that you were being social.”

“Is there anything I can do to help clean up?” Tori offered.

“The best reason to have one of these things at a hotel like this. We get to walk away when it’s all over. The staff is getting a luggage cart right now for all the gifts and Ed and Darcy just headed upstairs.”

“What about food? Is there any food left?” Christian was looking around his sister trying to see.

His mother walked through the door. “Go make you each a plate and then find somewhere to eat it. There is plenty of food left and they’re just going to throw it all away.”

Christian nodded, took Tori’s hand, and headed into the room as his mother and sister watched.

The guests had eaten much more than his mother must have thought because there wasn’t much left at all.

Tyler walked up next to him with a bottle of champagne and two empty flutes. “Here this one is open so you might as well drink it. They’re charging it to them anyway.”

Christian managed the bottle, glasses, and his plate.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Tyler took a card out of his pocket and placed it into the front pocket of Christian’s tux pants. “Room 430. I’m going to head out again and you shouldn’t be driving anywhere tonight so you take my room.”

Tyler rested his hand on Christian’s shoulder as though it were in lieu of a hug, then he turned and left the room.

Christian turned to see Tori walking toward him with a full plate. “You didn’t eat either?”

“Like I said I need a real meal. What’s with the champagne?”

“Left overs I guess. What else do we have to do tonight but to finish getting drunk and eat free food?”

She laughed and they walked toward a dark corner where there was a smaller table. He figured no one would see them there or worry that they were in the way of cleaning up. They only needed enough time to eat their food and drink their champagne before Tori loaded herself into a cab and drove away from him, again.