Page 15 of The Only Shot that Mattered

Dax’s face twisted up. “I’m telling my mama that.”

“Go ’head. She won’t believe you,” Damien challenged. It was true. Dax’s mother, Ms. Rivers, loved her some Damien. She believed nothing foul or rude could ever come out of his mouth. She would absolutely believe Damien over Dax, the jokester, any day.

Before Damien and Dax could start their shit talking, Jendaya stepped in. This was how they operated. They knew when and how to defuse, but they also knew how to push each other’s buttons. The perks from knowing each other for so long.

“We met them at the meet and greet. There was an… issue… and Damien thought it was best to bring them back here.”

“What kind of issue?” Dax asked as he moved toward the couch where Kenna sat and sat next to her, comfortably spreading his arms across the back of the couch.

Damien saw Kenna shrink away from him, and he automatically moved to save her. It was the perfect excuse to be close to her again anyway. He wanted to make sure she was okay.

Damien slid between Dax and Kenna, bumping him out of the way, before leaning down and whispering to Kenna. “You good?”

She visibly relaxed and nodded her head shyly.

“What kind of issue?” Dax probed as he looked at Kenna and Damien curiously.

“Boy, you never knew how to read a damn room,” Jendaya snapped.

“What I do?” he asked as he looked around at all the grim faces.

“It’s okay.” Kenna finally spoke up and looked around at everyone before her gaze landed on Cam.I’m okay, she mouthed before addressing the room again. “I’m sorry for what happened back there.”

Damien watched as she glanced at Jendaya, who immediately spoke up. “You don’t owe an explanation, Kenna.”

Jendaya gave Kenna a meaningful look, causing Damien to wonder what took place in the bathroom. Luckily for him, Kenna wasn’t going to keep him waiting in suspense.

“I know I don’t, but I want to. I think you helped me realize that it’s okay to talk about it.” Kenna took a deep breath and said, “Cam and I are survivors of the?—”

“Bairwood High shooting! That’s where I recognize you from,” Dax interrupted. “I thought you looked familiar. I had a cousin who went to that school… he didn’t make it. I watched a lot of that coverage back then and remember you from some of the footage and interviews that happened after. Your eyes. I remember thinking they were too pretty to have seen so much violence.”

Damien’s head spun. He wanted to kick Dax for flirting with Kenna, but he knew it would be useless. That was just how he was. He would never cross any lines once Damien made it known that Kenna was not up for grabs, but he would absolutely still flirt. He learned that long ago when he and Jendaya were dating. She always shot him down and put him in his place, though, which formed a mutual respect between them that pretty quickly turned into a sibling-like bond.

His irritation toward Dax settled into the back of his mind, though, as it all clicked for him. Kenna’s reserved nature and complete meltdown back at the arena. Cam barely keeping it together. The trauma they must have experienced… he remembered when it happened. It wasn’t long after he was drafted, and one of his first large donations was to the survivorsof the shooting, which weren’t that many. He couldn’t believe he sat next to one of them and another was just across the room from him.

Something primal took over him at that moment. Everything in him wanted to protect Kenna. He wanted to assure her that she would always be safe as long as she stuck by him. He couldn’t let those words fall from his mouth though. He had literally just met her, and his feelings weren’t justifiable yet. Although he just learned a big part of her past, there was so much to learn about her, and he wasn’t even sure she would allow him the luxury.

He swallowed his feelings back and gently placed his hand over hers, which rested on her thigh. He hoped he wasn’t being too forward. Somehow, he knew now that one wrong move could set her off, or worse, send her running completely from him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t understand how triggered you were, Kenna.” He looked at Cam. “Both of y’all. I didn’t know you went through something so…”

“Fucked up?” Cam asked before sniffling and standing up. “Can I use your bathroom?”

Kenna moved to get up, presumably to go with him, but Jendaya jumped up. “Let me show you where it is.”

The two disappeared before Kenna could follow, and Damien was glad. He wasn’t ready for her to be out of his sight yet. He wondered how he could be so transfixed by a woman he didn’t even know. It had never happened before, and he had been around plenty of women. Something about Kenna had him stuck, and his usual charm was knocked down a peg because he didn’t want to scare her away. It became extremely important to him at that moment to make sure he saw her again after today.

“Are you okay, baby?” Annalise asked Kenna, a great deal of sympathy now swimming in her eyes.

Kenna offered her a small smile. “I am now. Thanks.” She chuckled dryly. “This is exactly why I don’t get out much.”

Dax shook his head. “That ain’t right. I bet if you got out more, you would feel better.”

Kenna’s features scrunched up at the thought. “I doubt that,” she mumbled before turning to Damien. “Thank you for getting me out of there and for bringing us here. I can get an Uber for me and Cam and get out of your hair.” She glanced at Annalise. “Do you need a ride home too?”

Annalise opened her mouth to respond, but Damien beat her to it. “I’ll make sure everyone gets home. I was just about to order some pizza for everyone. Are you up for staying for dinner?”

Kenna fidgeted before connecting her eyes with his. “I guess that’s okay.”

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