Page 47 of The Only Shot that Mattered

“That it’s not enough to live life and try to forget. Remembering, not only because these events are a part of my life and shape who I am, but also because remembering can be a superpower. If I don’t let the trauma debilitate me, it can build my instincts and my confidence as I walk through life. I have this internal warning bell when it comes to danger. I heard it at the theater, but I ignored it. If I hadn’t… well, you’re not the one only one that should be sorry. I knew better, and I still allowed it to happen.” Kenna rubbed Skylar’s hair. “Yes, the day I lost my brother is exactly why I knew what to do at the theater, but it never should have gotten to that point.”

They allowed themselves to fall into a deep silence as they watched the TV screen with no sound coming from it.

Eventually, the bedroom door opened, and Damien walked into the room. Over his shoulder, he called, “Found them!”

A moment later, Jendaya walked into the room too. They stood just inside the room with their arms folded over their chests.

“Uh oh.” Skylar groaned. “They mean business.”

“What’s going on?” Kenna asked with her brow furrowed.

Jendaya walked over to the bed and jumped on it, kissing Skylar on each cheek and then patting Kenna’s leg. With anyone else, Kenna would have found it odd how comfortable Jendaya was in Damien’s home and especially with Damien’s… girlfriend who wasn’t his girlfriend. The thing with Jendaya was that she had been solid since day one. She treated Kenna like an old friend and never wavered, not once.

When Kenna tried apologizing for bringing Skylar to that movie theater, both Damien and Jendaya made it clear that they didn’t blame her and that Skylar had already come clean about what really happened. Jendaya was more than Damien’s baby mama. She had quickly become Kenna’s friend.

“We’ve decided that you two need to get out of the house,” Jendaya said.

Kenna chewed on her bottom lip and looked at Damien, who stared her down intensely. She quivered as nerves bounced around inside her. The love she felt for him had been building over the past few weeks. They found stolen moments for intimate conversations and cuddle sessions, but they hadn’t had sex since the shooting, nor had they been together alone for long stretches of time. She knew before either him or Jendaya said anything what they were up to.

“Mommy—”

“No,” Jendaya cut Skylar off. “No, baby. You and me are overdue for a girl’s day.” She lifted Skylar’s hand. “You haven’t had a manicure in weeks.”

Skylar looked up at Kenna. “Will you come too?”

Kenna looked at her sadly. It wasn’t lost on her that Skylar looked at her as some kind of protector. Kenna also understood that she needed to break that dependency early on. She couldn’t go with Skylar everywhere, and Skylar needed to get comfortable being back in public soon so she could lead a normal life. Being afraid of her own shadow wouldn’t do her any good.

Before Kenna could respond, Damien’s deep voice cut through what had been girl talk up until that moment. “She can’t, baby. She has a hot date tonight.” He grinned at Kenna. “That is, if you accept my invitation.”

Kenna’s heart did a somersault. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the thought of being alone with Damien or the thought of going out in public. She hadn’t stepped foot from this house since the shooting. Her job granted her a leave of absence after finding out what happened, and that was all she needed to insert herself into seclusion.

Kenna gave Skylar an encouraging smile, though she didn’t feel very encouraged herself, and whispered, “You will be just fine. You hear me? Plus, I’m sure security will be with you two. They can protect you better than my lil ol’ self can.” Kenna cracked a smile, trying to lighten the mood. Skylar nodded slowly, and Kenna’s smile brightened genuinely at her courage. “Good. Because I have a hot date, and I would hate to miss it.”

Kenna knew putting on a brave face would be hard, but when her eyes found Damien’s again, for a split second, she felt invincible.

Damien enjoyedthe quiet ride to Kenna’s house so he could gather his thoughts. Normally, Rock would have driven him, but he wanted the night to be as intimate as possible, so he opted to drive his convertible since it was a warm night.

The past month had been rough for him. After the movie theater incident, he’d gone to his manager and coach and let them know he was done playing for the season. He acted completely irrational because he knew his contract was bound tight, but he didn’t care. His babies needed him. Ultimately, he had still been forced to complete his contract. Dax was the one to help him see reason and lift his spirits whenever he had to work and leave his house. It had been torture for him to be away from home so much at a time like this. He was almost done though. The playoffs just started, so there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

The way both Kenna and Skylar had withdrawn into themselves scared the hell out of him. The only sliver of lightwas that they seemed to form a beautiful bond over their shared experience. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was a good foundation for them. Jendaya told him to let them be at first, but even she had started to get concerned. She wasn’t concerned with Kenna and Skylar’s growing relationship, but because they never left the house and clung to each other.

Tonight was the first step toward bringing some normalcy into their lives again.

He had been so in his head that it didn’t register that he pulled up to her house until he put the car in park, completely on autopilot.

Kenna had to go home to get ready for this date because he wanted her to look sexy for him, and all she had at his house were sweats, biker shorts, and leggings. Of course, he could have had his personal shopper grab her something to wear, and any other time it wouldn’t have been a problem to do that, but he felt like Kenna needed to spend some time in her home alone. Not that he wanted her to go back there, and he realized sending her home for a couple of hours to get ready was a risk because she might realize how much she missed it, but it was a risk he had been willing to take. He had done a lot of work to get Kenna out of her shell, and he didn’t want all that hard work to get completely undone, so putting her in situations where she might be a bit uncomfortable was a must for him. He vowed that he would be there for her every step of the way.

He opened the door and got out of the car. He couldn’t lie. He was feeling himself in his black slacks and soft blue button down shirt. He had felt so useless over the past few weeks, but tonight he was taking his power back, and his outfit only made him more confident as he strode toward Kenna’s front door and rang the doorbell.

When the door opened and his eyes landed on her, his breathing became shallow as he tried to talk down his big man in his pants.

“Damn.” The word left his mouth in a throaty rasp.

The blush he had missed seeing filled Kenna’s face, and his heart leaped. This woman had no idea the hold she had on him. He would move heaven and earth to see her happy. He didn’t know what good he had done in his life to deserve her, but it didn’t seem like enough. She was worth more than his good deeds and generosity. The price tag of her presence simply didn’t exist, but he knew he would spend his life trying to pay it.

“You look good,” she uttered, looking up at him.

He realized he never voiced any of the compliments swirling around in his head. His words were stuck as he stared down at the little black dress and strappy heels she wore. Her silky curls fell down her back, and she even had a little makeup on. She smelled like warm vanilla and sunshine. He wished he could bottle that scent up and carry it with him everywhere he went.

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