Page 36 of Protecting the Boundary
TWENTY-THREE
Meredith’s name flashes on my phone just as I’m getting ready to leave my hotel room. Their flight was delayed for this away game, so she’s probably just calling to tell me what room they’re in.
“Hey, you get settled in okay?”
“We have a problem,” she says, her voice strained.
“What’s wrong?” All my dad instincts go on high alert.
“The hotel apparently lost our reservation. All the rooms are booked.”
I grab my keycard and exit my room. “I’m on my way down. Be there in a few minutes.”
It takes me exactly three minutes to get downstairs where I find them standing in front of the reception desk. I walk up to the counter next to them, my hand automatically finding Meredith’s back in a soothing touch. She spins to face me and her face is lined with weariness. Kay looks equally worn out. What the hell happened?
I’ll ask them when we get this sorted. Turning to the hotel concierge, I say, “Their reservation got lost? They were supposed to be added on with the team.”
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Watson. I’m not sure what happened, but there’s no reservation under her name or yours, apart from the room block for the team that’s already full. There’s another event happening downtown, and we’re all booked this weekend.”
I look at my girls—I mean, Meredith and Kay, only one of which is mine.
Not the time, Romel. I rub my forehead trying to get my shit together when the obvious solution hits me. “They’ll stay in my room. Can we get a cot?”
I’ll let Meredith and Kay take the bed and I can take the cot.
The concierge nods quickly. “We’ll get that up right away.”
“Great, thanks.” I reach out for Kaylee who lifts her hands to be picked up. “Hey, Sweetie. How was the plane ride?”
“Rough,” Meredith says, dragging her suitcase and Kaylee’s behind her as she walks next to me.
“What happened?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think my trick to help Kay’s ears pop worked this time, and she was miserable the entire flight.”
Sympathy fills her features as she looks at my daughter, and my chest tightens. She’s always concerned for Kay, almost on the same level I am, and for the first time, I allow myself to admit that I find it attractive.
I find a lot of things about Meredith attractive.
We make it back to the room and I let them get settled before I leave to head to the stadium.
When I exit the locker room after our game, Meredith is waiting with Kaylee asleep in her arms. She gives me an exhaustedsmile. “I think she’ll probably be fine with you leaving for away games from here on out. This trip has exhausted her.”
“So your plan worked?”
She smiles wider. “I guess it did. Did you have doubts?”
“About your ideas? Never.”
We share a moment, and the tension I felt between us the other day when I made her breakfast roars back to life.
I drive us back to the hotel in the rental car I got for Meredith, but when we get back to the room, the first thing I notice is the cot that got delivered is definitely not made for an adult.
“I’ll call down to get a full-sized cot up here if you can get her put to bed,” I tell Meredith. She nods and takes over getting Kaylee changed into her pajamas while I call down to the concierge.
I hang up five minutes later with a new problem to address.
Meredith stands up from tucking in Kaylee—who’s still fast asleep—and puts her hands on her hips. “So, what’s up? Are they bringing another cot?”
