Chapter 48
FORTY-EIGHT
hawk
“It was Tucker.”
The second the words were out of her mouth, I mentally cursed myself for not seeing the signs. Fuck, how could I have been so fucking blind?
Our families had tried to surround us, but I waved them off, finding a quiet spot on the sidewalk against a brick building where I could sit and hold her. The war within myself screamed at me to end Tucker, but called me to hold her.
“I’ve got you. Okay?”
She nodded into my chest. “I’ve been trying to fix it. But he—won’t—go away.”
“I don’t give a fuck what it takes, but he’s never going to hurt you again.”
“How?” When she asked that simple question, her red-rimmed eyes met mine.
A vulnerability shone back at me, one I’d never thought I would ever see attached to her face.
Fuck—a gift from her. This woman survived by putting up walls, protecting every goddamn inch of the soft spots, and she’d let every single one of them down for me.
“I don’t know, but we’re going to figure that out—together.”
She pulled back and looked down at my shirt, which had become a crumpled, wet mess from her tears and snot.
“Is this Tom Ford?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m ruining it.”
“It’s okay. You ruined me for anyone else, and I’m not complaining about that either.”
We sat there for a bit longer until I felt her body temperature had stabilized. She’d been clutching her medal in her hands, and it had made an imprint on her flesh.
“That was intense.”
I kissed the top of her head. “I’m so fucking proud of you, baby.”
I didn’t need to say that my pride in her running the marathon was secondary to her opening up to me. She knew. Her mouth sought mine. We kissed; her lips opened to me, and her tongue slipped into my mouth, seeking. I fucking answered, letting her set the pace.
A throat cleared, and Kendra pulled away only to glare at her youngest sister.
“Sorry to interrupt your moment. But Mom and Dad want pictures.” Kelsey said.
“Didn’t they get enough when I crossed the finish line?”
“Never. Do you want me to tell them you’re still recovering?”
“No, I’m good now.”
She struggled to stand, stumbling a bit from exhaustion, and I got up, steadying her.
Once steady, she pulled Kelsey into her for a hug. “I told him.”
Kelsey’s eyes squeezed shut before they met mine, welling up with tears. So many emotions passed between us.
“And now I’m hungry.” Kelsey and I both laughed, and Kendra smiled.
As if on cue, her family and mine surrounded us, bearing bagels, bananas, juice, and sports drinks.
“Oh, man. You guys want me to be sick, don’t you?”
“Did you piss yourself on the course?” Colby asked.
“What?” Kendra’s horrified expression stared back at my sister.
“Yeah, I heard that the marathon runners just go along the course, don’t even stop.”
“I used a Porta-John.”
“It’s okay if you didn’t. Though it would mean that the wet spot on J’s favorite jeans was piss, and that would be epic.”
Sam snorted. “Nice to see I’m not the only one whose sister would love seeing covered in someone else’s piss. My sister Josie loves to see me squirm.”
Kylie stepped into the circle and pulled Kendra in for a hug. Luc stood off to the side and watched, his eyes not leaving his girlfriend or her now-visible baby bump. “Girls with brothers are weird.”
Kendra’s parents arrived at the circle, taking turns hugging their daughter. “Oh, please. Stop acting like you girls were angels to each other.”
Nonna extended the invitation for everyone to join us in the owner’s suite later—well, except for Sam and Luc. Sam was scheduled to pitch, and even if he weren’t, he’d be stuck in the bullpen.
The family dispersed, all with promises they would see us later.
As much as I wanted to kill our shortstop, I had to find a way to get rid of him legally.
And knowing what a liability he was, put trading him away as another potential nightmare.
If Kendra came forward and pressed charges, we could release him, but that would force her to put herself out there for public scrutiny.
Fuck. My heart squeezed at the thought of her being put out there for the world to judge.
When we got into my SUV, I turned to her, waiting until I had her attention. “Today, we go home, and I take care of you, then we celebrate you at the game. Tomorrow we can figure out the heavy stuff, okay?”
“Oh—” she said, as if she were remembering something important. “—I also realized something else during the race.”
“What was that?”
“I decided that yes, I’m ready to move in with you.”
I had asked her weeks ago; granted, it was pretty quick.
I’d dated Giada for years and never felt like making the next move.
Relief punched through me. I hadn’t thought too far past tomorrow, and was still trying to absorb how I had unwittingly forced Kendra to be around her abuser since we signed Milligan.
But even if she hadn’t said she’d move in with me, I would have set her up with a full security detail.
Safety aside, I tried to come to terms with being both devastated for her, Tucker’s identity made the assault a bit more real, and elated that we were moving forward.
“You’re making this decision because you’re ready, right?”
“One thousand percent ready.” Her answering smile didn’t waver a bit. “And we’re getting a dog.”
I laughed. “How the hell are we going to take care of a dog?”
“Oh boy, I thought you’d know enough baseball history not to ask that question. Does Marge Schott not ring a bell?”
I burst out laughing. Of course, I knew Marge Schott, the former owner of the Reds. She was famous for a lot of things, and only one of those was when she brought her St. Bernards with her to the ballpark.
“You don’t want a giant-breed dog, do you?”
“No. I think that Colby can plan an adoption event on one of the weekends the team is away. We can fill the stadium with adopters and adoptees. We can find our dog then.”
“Is this what happens when you have 26.2 miles to think?”
“Yes, buckle up. I’m signing up for New York next fall.”
“Maybe I’ll train and run it with you.”
“You can do anything you want with me.”
I looked at Kendra and could so clearly see my future. I hadn’t expected dogs to come into the equation so soon, but I was down for just about anything she asked of me.