Protecting the Boundary (LA Wolves #8)

Chapter 29

TWENTY-NINE

Her lips are even softer than I remember as I kiss her deeper, wishing this was our first kiss and I hadn’t messed up the last one. Her hands grip the material of my shirt where it rests against my hips as her body melts against mine. I slide my fingers in her hair and lick across her lips, needing to taste her. She moans as I lick inside her luscious mouth.

My pants get tight as my cock hardens against my zipper. Damn, it’s been so long since I’ve responded like this, and I can finally admit it feels like coming back to life. It’s scary—terrifying—in the way a free fall might be. There’s exhilaration humming through my veins as I kiss Meredith with everything I have and she gives it all back.

“Wow,” she whispers when we finally break the kiss, her eyes glazed and heavy-lidded, and then her cheeks flush that bright pink color I’m growing so addicted to. She has nothing to be embarrassed about. “Wow” was exactly what I was thinking too.

Leaning my forehead against hers, I let out a heavy exhale and already regret that I have adult responsibilities which means I can’t keep kissing her like I want to. “I should go back inside. I’ve got an early practice tomorrow.”

She nods but doesn’t pull away, and I love that she doesn’t. I’d deserve it if she did after I kissed her last time. “I won’t regret this in the morning,” I say, wanting to reassure her in case she’s worried.

She peers up at me and gives me a soft smile. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

I kiss her once more, wishing I could kiss her all night, but I do have an early practice, and the last thing I need is to be dragging tomorrow because I stayed up late kissing my nanny.

I can just imagine the way the guys would tease me.

The next morning, I’m down in the kitchen when Meredith walks in through the patio doors. Her hair is up in a messy bun and she’s wearing skintight leggings and a loose top, similar to what she wore last night. She looks beautiful.

“Kay still asleep?” she asks, looking around.

“Yeah, she must be going through a growth spurt or something. That’s the only time she really sleeps in.”

It’s already after six a.m. I can’t remember the last time Kaylee slept past five thirty.

“I need to head out.” I glance up at the stairs to make sure Kaylee hasn’t woken up and might be coming down the hall, but the coast is still clear.”Can we talk more tonight after Kay goes to bed? About us?”

She keeps her face carefully neutral, but there’s still some caution in her tone. “Is there an us ?”

“I’d like there to be.”

Her dark brown eyes flick back and forth between mine. “Okay,” she says, her voice low. I hope I can convince her to let down her guard, even if I know it’s my fault it’s up so high in the first place.

“I’ll see you after practice.”

I seal my mouth over hers, kissing her one more time because I can’t have her this close and not kiss her, and then I leave for practice.

Two hours later, I’m on the field running drills when a whistle blows and our defensive coach, Alison Fairbright, calls my name.

“There’s a call for you, Romel. From your nanny. Sounds like it’s an emergency with Kay.”

She doesn’t need to tell me any more before I’m rushing off the field into the locker rooms. A trainer is standing by one of the office phones and hands it to me as soon as I run in the room.

“Mere?”

Her panicked voice makes my blood pressure skyrocket before she even gets all her words out. “Romel, I’m at the hospital with Kay. I went to check on her?—”

“Which hospital?”

She names a local hospital, and I tell her I’ll be there as soon as I can. I grab my bag and race out of the training center to get to the hospital.

When I arrive, I’m quickly directed to where she is. They haven’t been moved yet from the ER, but the nurse gives me a rundown of what’s going on. Kaylee was admitted with a fever of 104.3 and unresponsive when attempts were made to wake her up. They’ve given her fluids and medication to break the fever and are now monitoring her.

The nurse moves the curtains aside and I find Meredith sitting in a chair next to Kaylee’s hospital bed, her eyes red and wet from tears, her hand covering Kay’s. She stands up when she sees me, and I immediately wrap my arms around her. She’s blubbering as she rushes to explain what I wouldn’t let her explain over the phone. “I went to check on her after you left and she seemed fine, but then she still wasn’t up by seven-thirty, so I went into the room to try and wake her up. She was burning up, so I took her temp and it was 104. I called her pediatrician’s after-hours line and when they heard she wasn’t responding to me trying to wake her up, they told me to bring her to the hospital to get checked out.”

I hold her tighter. “It’s okay. You did the right thing.”

“I feel so helpless,” she cries as fresh tears fall down her cheeks.

“I know, but the nurse said she’s going to be okay. They’re just worried about breaking the fever now and getting her to wake up.” Truth is she’s not the only one feeling helpless, but I’m going to choose to trust the professionals in this situation.

I pull back and brush away her tears with my thumb. “You did the right thing, Mere,” I tell her again because it’s clear she feels awful when she has nothing to feel bad about. She did everything right in this situation—it’s exactly what I would’ve done too. “Thank you for loving her so much,” I whisper, emotion starting to clog my throat.

She stares up at me, her watery eyes filled with so much worry and love for my daughter. “She’s easy to love.”

There’s something in her eyes that makes me wish she thought I was as easy to love. That I could be worthy of the love she so freely and easily gives to my daughter. I don’t know if I’m ready to be quite that serious with someone yet, but I’ve also never been a casual kind of guy.I don’t know if I know how to do anything besides go all-in with a woman.

“Yeah, she is,” I say instead of saying any of the other thoughts swirling around inside my head.

We both take a seat next to Kaylee, and I hold Mere’s hand, each of us offering comfort to the other, while my other hand rests on my daughter’s.

I’ve had help and support from friends and family Kay’s entire life, but it’s never felt like this. Like I don’t just have help, but a partner.

Over the next hour, I watch Meredith stare at Kaylee, hold her hand, and fuss over her. Another piece of the boundary I’ve held on to so tightly disintegrates. Something about seeing Meredith love my daughter like her mother would removes the doubt I’ve clung to.

I hate to think it, but maybe the guys were right, and it’s time to honor Sydney the way she would’ve wanted—by letting someone in who could love her family as much as she did.