Page 105 of False Play
“Hey, Lisa, what’s up?” I croaked, still half-asleep.
“Hey, Henry, just double-checking you’ll be coming today for the prepare and serve a meal we’ve got going today at one of our newest shelters?”
Shit. With how busy I’d been and between all of the away games, it slipped my mind.
I cleared my throat. “Uh, yeah. I’ll be there.” My eyessettled on Kennedy as she stood from the couch and headed for the coffee maker. Her curls were a bit messy, but still so goddamn beautiful. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. “I’ll be bringing another person, so make sure we have something for her to do,” I said low enough so Kennedy couldn’t hear. Then we quickly said goodbye and hung up.
I pursed my lips and threaded my fingers through my hair as I debated on how to bring this up to Kennedy. I’d never shared this part of my life with anyone. Not even my best friend or my family. But if I wanted her to be a part of my life—and I did, more than anything—I needed to be honest. This was a big fucking step for me, and nerves traveled through my body, causing me to break out in shivers.
Kennedy opened a drawer to get a spoon to stir her coffee. She grinned as she grabbed a piece of paper.
“Our contract was in this drawer,” she said as she waved it in the air. “I guess it doesn’t really matter now, does it?”
I laughed. “Don’t throw it away. Put it back on the fridge. It’ll be a fun keepsake.”
“You want to start collecting memories?” She cocked one of her eyebrows. “Are you going soft on me, pretty boy?”
I rolled my eyes without a word. We both laughed.
I cleared my throat.Here went nothing. “Kenny?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you have any plans today? I want to take you somewhere.”
“I was going to go into the office for a few hours, but I can skip it. What’d you have in mind?”
I nodded. Fuck, this was happening. There was no going back. “I’ll tell you more when we get there. Make sure you wear some clothes you wouldn’t mind getting dirty in and comfortable shoes.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s broad.”
I smiled. “Be ready in an hour.”
As I parkedin front of the building, I gripped the steering wheel and took a deep, calming breath. Fuck, my heart was beating fast. I’d been fidgeting the whole ride.
“Are you okay?” Kennedy asked.
I cleared my throat.“Yeah, why?”
“You seem tense, and you were quiet the whole ride. What’s going on?”
I let out a shaky laugh. “Honestly?”
“You already know the answer to that.”
“I’m a little nervous.” I let the confession linger between us for a few seconds. “I know you’ll probably have a lot of questions when we go in there, and I promise I will answer them later, okay?”
“Now I’m anxious,” she said through a nervous laugh. “Where are we?”
“Are you familiar with the Willow House Foundation?”
She stared at me with a frown for a few beats, then recognition filtered across her eyes. “Yeah, they’re one of the biggest nonprofit organizations in Illinois for women and children who have experienced DV. I’d been trying to work with them for years, but their waitlist is quite long. They’ve done some amazing work.” Her tone of voice was a bit excited, and I fought the grimace that wanted to cross my face.
There was a reason the foundation wasn’t working with the Strikers, and it wasn’t because of a waitlist, but I needed to tackle one beast at a time. I didn’t think Kennedy was going to be mad, but she wasn’t going to be happy with me when she found out I’d been hiding something this big.
I pointed at the building. “This is our newest shelter. We’re going to prepare some meals and serve them today.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Our?”
