Harper
I blink my eyes open and frown as I find the sky is already dark and the only light in the car is that of the street lights as we drive down the highway.
“What time is it?” I murmur.
“A little after eight. We still have about thirty minutes to go.” Jackson glances over at me and smiles. “How are you feeling?”
“Exhausted. I'm sorry I haven’t been much company on this little road trip.” I wince when I realize if we’re only thirty minutes from home, I was probably sleeping for over three hours.
“Don’t apologize. I'm glad you got some sleep. You clearly needed it. Plus, I was supposed to be traveling alone. I’d happily sit in silence, knowing I get to have you home again.”
“Yeah? You’re happy to be stuck with me again?”
“Thrilled. I expect you at my game tomorrow.” He smirks. “Front row, screaming like a crazy person.”
“Deal. Do you have a Wheeler jersey I can wear?” I wiggle my brows, laughing when he scowls at me.
“You’re not wearing Wheeler’s jersey. You’re only allowed to wear mine.”
“Oh really? I didn’t know I needed your permission to wear a jersey.” I roll my eyes.
“If you’re living with me, you’re wearing my jersey.”
I blink once, then twice as his words try their hardest to make sense, but they don’t.
“I'm sorry… what? Since when am I living with you?”
“Since Mason pointed out that Evan knows where your parents live and if you live with me, he doesn’t know where I live, nor will he be able to get into the development with their guys providing security for us,” he blurts out in one long breath and glances at me with guilt in his gaze.
“And when was anyone going to tell me this?” I fold my arms across my chest and glare out the front window.
I'm not upset about living with Jackson, not even a little bit. I'm sure his house is amazing and I'll enjoy seeing him so much, but it would’ve been nice to know. If I had a little bit of say in where I live and who I live with.
“I don’t know. I guess I just did… I didn’t think it was a big deal. I'm just trying to keep you safe.”
We’re quiet the rest of the way home. When Jackson turns into a gated community, my eyes widen.
I know he said there was security, but I don’t expect the man who exits the little guard shack with a gun strapped to his thigh.
Jackson rolls down his window and smiles at him as he flicks on the lights inside the car.
“Hey, man. This is Harper.” He motions to me. “She’ll be living with me for a little bit. I’ll give her all of the phone numbers. She doesn’t have a car yet, but she’ll probably be driving this for a while. Make sure she has full access.”
“Of course. Maddox already let us know what is going on. It’s nice to meet you, Harper. I'm Sean.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I smile because what else am I supposed to do? This is so awkward. This complete stranger probably knows all about me and the situation I’ve found myself in, yet I'm clueless.
Jackson says goodbye and drives through the gate. It closes quickly behind us and I breathe a sigh of relief. I didn’t realize how much this extra level of security would make me feel safer.
“Who all lives here? Isn’t that security a bit much?”
“Nah, we love it. Cord and Macy, Cici and Covey, Wheeler, Smithy and Liliana, Schmidt and Winnie, Leo, and a lot of the guys from the Pythons and the Pirates teams. I think the only person who doesn’t live here from the starting lineup is Holden.
I’m sure he’ll buy Leo’s house as soon as he moves back to Mulberry Lane.
That’s how I got my house. When Cici and Covey moved in together, I jumped at the chance to buy their other place. ”
“That’s crazy. Does anyone live here that doesn’t play professional sports?”
“A few, but not many. I think the ones that do are looking to move.” He chuckles.
“We’re good neighbors, but they know they don’t fit in here.
They also know they can easily sell their homes whenever they want.
They just need to tell one player from each team and they’ll have a dozen offers before the end of the day without anyone even looking at the house. ”
Jackson pulls into the driveway of a gorgeous rancher. There’s another gate that he drives through and it shuts behind his car. I wonder if he has a sensor or if he pressed a button and I didn’t notice. Either way, the extra level of security definitely helps my nerves.
He parks his car inside the garage and closes the door, watching the entrance to the garage the entire time. He turns towards me when we’re safely locked inside.
“Are you ready to see your new home away from home?”
“Yeah… Do I bring my stuff inside tonight?” I glance in the back of the car and sigh. I filled up the entire SUV and I don’t want to deal with any of this tonight.
“How about I give you a t-shirt and pajama pants to borrow? We can worry about all of this tomorrow. I'm exhausted and you look like you could fall asleep again. I think we both need a good night’s sleep before we try to tackle that.”
“When do you go back to work?”
“I'm supposed to be at practice tomorrow, but I'm going to call Owen and discuss that with him.” He runs a hand through his hair, looking more than a little flustered.
“No, you don’t need to do that.”
“It’s fine. Owen would kill me if I don’t tell him what’s going on.
He’ll want to know and then he’ll tell me how to handle everything.
” He rolls his eyes with a grin. I know he’s said Owen’s like having another dad.
He’s always offering advice and trying to help his players.
“Don’t worry about it. C’mon, let’s get inside and I can show you around. ”