Page 46 of Protecting the Boundary
“I’ll see you after practice.”
I seal my mouth over hers, kissing her one more time because I can’t have her this close and not kiss her, and then I leave for practice.
Two hours later, I’m on the field running drills when a whistle blows and our defensive coach, Alison Fairbright, calls my name.
“There’s a call for you, Romel. From your nanny. Sounds like it’s an emergency with Kay.”
She doesn’t need to tell me any more before I’m rushing off the field into the locker rooms. A trainer is standing by one of the office phones and hands it to me as soon as I run in the room.
“Mere?”
Her panicked voice makes my blood pressure skyrocket before she even gets all her words out. “Romel, I’m at the hospital with Kay. I went to check on her?—”
“Which hospital?”
She names a local hospital, and I tell her I’ll be there as soon as I can. I grab my bag and race out of the training center to get to the hospital.
When I arrive, I’m quickly directed to where she is. They haven’t been moved yet from the ER, but the nurse gives me a rundown of what’s going on. Kaylee was admitted with a fever of 104.3 and unresponsive when attempts were made to wake her up. They’ve given her fluids and medication to break the fever and are now monitoring her.
The nurse moves the curtains aside and I find Meredith sitting in a chair next to Kaylee’s hospital bed, her eyes red and wet from tears, her hand covering Kay’s. She stands up when she sees me, and I immediately wrap my arms around her. She’sblubbering as she rushes to explain what I wouldn’t let her explain over the phone. “I went to check on her after you left and she seemed fine, but then she still wasn’t up by seven-thirty, so I went into the room to try and wake her up. She was burning up, so I took her temp and it was 104. I called her pediatrician’s after-hours line and when they heard she wasn’t responding to me trying to wake her up, they told me to bring her to the hospital to get checked out.”
I hold her tighter. “It’s okay. You did the right thing.”
“I feel so helpless,” she cries as fresh tears fall down her cheeks.
“I know, but the nurse said she’s going to be okay. They’re just worried about breaking the fever now and getting her to wake up.” Truth is she’s not the only one feeling helpless, but I’m going to choose to trust the professionals in this situation.
I pull back and brush away her tears with my thumb. “You did the right thing, Mere,” I tell her again because it’s clear she feels awful when she has nothing to feel bad about. She did everything right in this situation—it’s exactly what I would’ve done too. “Thank you for loving her so much,” I whisper, emotion starting to clog my throat.
She stares up at me, her watery eyes filled with so much worry and love for my daughter. “She’s easy to love.”
There’s something in her eyes that makes me wish she thoughtIwas as easy to love. That I could be worthy of the love she so freely and easily gives to my daughter. I don’t know if I’m ready to be quite that serious with someone yet, but I’ve also never been a casual kind of guy.I don’t know if I know how to do anything besides go all-in with a woman.
“Yeah, she is,” I say instead of saying any of the other thoughts swirling around inside my head.
We both take a seat next to Kaylee, and I hold Mere’s hand,each of us offering comfort to the other, while my other hand rests on my daughter’s.
I’ve had help and support from friends and family Kay’s entire life, but it’s never felt like this. Like I don’t just have help, but a partner.
Over the next hour, I watch Meredith stare at Kaylee, hold her hand, and fuss over her. Another piece of the boundary I’ve held on to so tightly disintegrates. Something about seeing Meredith love my daughter like her mother would removes the doubt I’ve clung to.
I hate to think it, but maybe the guys were right, and it’s time to honor Sydney the way she would’ve wanted—by letting someone in who could love her family as much as she did.
THIRTY
A week later, I’m putting away the peanut butter and jelly while Kay eats half the sandwich I just made when the front door opens and her grandma walks in.
Larissa greets me with a huge smile and then wraps her arms around me in a hug, even as I stand there wondering if this is awkward. I’m the nanny she hired to watch her granddaughter, not secretly kiss her son-in-law.
“Hey,” I say, trying not to be surprised that she’s here.
She pulls back with a knowing twinkle in her eye that has me immediately on alert. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m stealing my granddaughter for the day.” And then lower so Kaylee won’t hear. “I think you’re about to have other plans anyway.” She gives me a wink, and I start to wonder if I’ve entered an alternate reality.
Romel didn’t seriously tell his mother-in-law that he and I were…well, whatever we’re doing, did he?
But I get my answer when he comes down the stairs with a smile on his face. He kisses Larissa’s cheek and thanks her for coming.
“Meredith, can I chat with you in the other room for a sec?”
