Page 24 of Protecting the Boundary
“I’m on board. You don’t need to convince me. I’ll call up the team offices tomorrow and see who makes the travel arrangements and if I can pay for an additional room to be booked for you and Kay. I’m not sure they’ll be able to do it for the next away game, but I’ll see what they can do.”
She smiles, her body sagging against the couch in clear relief, and once again my cheeks tighten as my own lips lift in a smile.
Huh, twice in one night and Kaylee isn’t even awake. She’s the only person besides the guys who can usually get me to smile.
Meredith stands from the couch, her hands twisting in her sweatshirt again. “Well, that was all I wanted to chat about. I’m sure you’re exhausted, so I’ll let you get some sleep. Good night.”
I stand and I don’t know what compels me to call her name and stop her, but I do. She twists to face me, her expression open, her brow arched slightly in question.
“Yeah?”
I don’t know why I stopped her. I don’t really have anythingto say, so I just say the first thing that comes to mind. “Thanks. For always thinking of how to make things easier for Kaylee.”
Her smile is soft. “Of course. She’s a really amazing person, Romel. You’ve done really good with her.”
I swallow thickly and nod once. She has no idea how her words affect me, especially when I constantly worry that I’m failing Kaylee in some way that I won’t be able to see for years to come.
With a final little wave, she walks out the patio door, closing it quietly behind her. I watch her walk down the well-lit walkway and then into the guesthouse. I stand there, staring at the door she disappeared behind for who knows how long, trying to figure out what this sensation coursing through me is.
My gaze shifts from Meredith’s door to the wall next to me where I’ve hung a few pictures of Sydney—one from our wedding day, one when we were in college, and one with her holding Kaylee who was only a day old at the time.
That sick sensation slithers through my gut, and I glance back at the guesthouse. Was it attraction I felt?
No.
I move my body closer to the pictures of my wife and out of sight of Meredith’s door. My fingers trace over her face from our wedding photo.
“I won’t be disloyal to you,” I whisper. There’s no one here to hear me, but saying the words out loud reminds me of my purpose in life—to keep Sydney’s memory alive and raise our daughter to be as exceptional as her mother was.
I will never love anyone the way I loved Sydney.
Never.
SIXTEEN
It takes two more away games—with Kaylee having an epic meltdown for one and a complete shutdown for the other—before the plan I discussed with Romel falls into place.
The flight was mostly uneventful. Kaylee was a little nervous about flying, but like most things, she was quiet and reserved about it. She watched out the window seat with wide eyes filled with wonder. Getting to the hotel was another eventful experience since she’d never been to a hotel before. She bounced on the bed and giggled which was probably the first time I took a breath since we’d left the house.
Now she’s coloring in a coloring book I bought for her and nibbling on her favorite snack while we wait for the game to continue. I forgot how much down time there is in football games when you’re watching them in person, and I guess it wasn’t as noticeable when we went to Romel’s home game.
She’s doing great until about the fourth quarter when she starts to get cranky, which is my first red flag that something is up because Kay is the happiest, go-with-the-flow kid I’ve ever met. Leaning down, I make sure she’s looking me in the eyes. “Are you ready to go?”
She looks out on the field and then back at me, her eyes filled with exhaustion, but it’s clear she’s torn. She likes when I point out her dad playing even if she doesn’t really understand the game at this age and is busy coloring more often than not.
“Your dad will understand.”
She’s still torn, her eyes darting between me and the field.
I lean closer and whisper. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“What?” she whispers back, mirroring me.
“I’m bored,” I tell her, like I just committed the worst offense known to man.
She giggles and puts her hands over her mouth, her eyes shining. “Me too,” she whispers.
I sag dramatically. “Oh, thank God. Okay, here’s the deal. Let’s go and we’ll get in our comfy pj’s and watch some TV at the hotel, and then your daddy can come and say good night when he gets back. How’s that sound?”
