Jett #3
“Yes,” she nods. “It’s with the Beavers.
They need a new team trainer. The money is great, but it’s not really about that.
I have plenty of money. I think it would be exciting for Harper.
Before Bailey’s accident, I don’t think she ever truly understood what it is that I do.
She understands better now, but I know she would be over the moon about the access to the players and spending time behind the scenes.
” She toys with a lock of my hair. “And I wouldn’t mind getting out of the hospital.
It’s gotten a little depressing for me. I was in a rut before Bailey’s accident.
A little time away has given me that perspective.
It might be a good time for a change. There’s obviously a little road travel during the season, but the off-season affords me so much flexibility it’s worth the trade-off. ”
“That sounds fantastic. What’s the problem?” I ask.
She visibly swallows. “Kennedy.”
“Right.” Duh.
She nervously bites her lower lip. “I mean…I know we’re new and undefined—”
“Undefined?” I interrupt. “We are not undefined. We are fully defined.”
She shrugs innocently. “Well, Billy Sherwood passed me a note in study hall yesterday asking me to go steady with him. I didn’t answer, hoping to get one from you too.”
I smile at her adorableness, then sit up and reach for the notepad and pen on her nightstand. I scribble on it and then hand it to her.
She looks down at it with a big smile on her face as she reads the note.
She writes on it and returns it with a check in the yes box. I place it back on the nightstand. “Good, now that we’re defined, please continue what you were saying.”
She giggles. “Thanks for indulging me.”
I lay down on the pillow next to her so we’re facing each other. “My pleasure.”
She fiddles nervously before her eyes meet mine. “It means I’m going to be around your daughter every day. Are you okay with that?”
I exhale a breath. “I tried to broach the topic of me dating with Pierce, but he had a damn panic attack. That kid is so soft. I think we’re doing a disservice to him by mollycoddling him, but his therapist thinks it best. I’m not thrilled at the prospect of keeping us under wraps, but we both knew what we were getting into.
” My voice trails off at the end because she went in thinking she was meeting Lloyd, not Jett.
She nods. “I’m okay keeping things lowkey.
Harper is going through a lot of changes in her life right now.
She’s going to have a new stepmom and then a new sibling.
She’s never seen me with a man. I don’t want to throw too much at her at once.
Kennedy is an adult though. It’s up to you how to handle things with her. ”
I scrunch my face. “I won’t ask her to keep secrets from Pierce.
They’re finally forming a real relationship.
It’s been great for him, and for her too.
I can’t rock the boat. Maybe just start by getting to know her.
Ideally, you two will get along and then things will eventually transition naturally. ”
What I’m really thinking is that Kennedy has no maternal presence in her life whatsoever, and being around Fallon might be good for her, but that’s a lot of pressure to put on Fallon, especially so early in our relationship.
“What about your relationship with her?” she asks. “I don’t want to mess with the progress you’ve made.”
“It’s fine. If you want this job, I want you to take it. My relationship with Kennedy is up and down. Good days and bad days, but the good are starting to outweigh the bad. We’re moving in a positive direction. I’m trying my best to be in her life without suffocating her.”
She nods. “Kids at any age want to feel loved and supported. Don’t be passive and wait for her to make the next move.
Take an interest in her life. Show up for her.
Show her how much you care and that you’re there for her, whatever she may need.
You can’t force it. You can only offer to be present for her.
Things will progress naturally from there. It takes time.”
I smile. “I will.”
She sighs. “I guess I’m really considering taking this job. I’ll miss the hospital, but the change of scenery is welcome.”
I take her hand and kiss each finger on it. “I think you should do what makes you happy. I spent most of my life not doing that. It’s no fun. I want you to be happy.”
“When you tie me up and fuck me senseless, it makes me happy,” she deadpans.
I smile. “Did you always like being restrained?”
She shakes her head. “No.” She bites her lip nervously before quietly admitting, “Tanner opened my eyes to it.”
“You two had a good physical relationship,” I say as more of a statement than a question.
She nods. “It was the only decent part for a long time. We lacked intimacy though. We would never sit in bed like this and talk. He never cared to know what was on my mind or how my day went, even at the beginning. He was always distracted. I pretended like it didn’t bother me, but it did.
It left me feeling insecure all the time.
It’s not a good way to live. I’ll never do it again.
A little distance and seeing how he is with Bailey have finally helped me realize we just weren’t a match.
We’re much better as friends and co-parents.
I love him as a person and as the father of my daughter, but he’s not the man for me. ”
I hope that’s all true. Her genuine friendship with Tanner is so bizarre to me given how I feel about Ginny. I desperately hope I’m the man for her because I’m quickly realizing how much I need this woman in my life.