Play Me

“I know. I do love you, Hunter. I am committed to you.”

He touched my face. “Think about it. We’ll talk in a few days.”

I nodded, trying to hold back the tears. He went into the closet and came out dressed. He gave me a nod before he walked off without a kiss goodbye. When I heard the door close, I sank to the floor and sobbed.

What have I done? Did I lose the only man I’ve ever loved?

My leg bounced as I waited for my dad to arrive. Hunter and I hadn’t talked since the day before in my bathroom. His family was due to arrive the next day. And the day before had gone to shit. When I’d arrived at the office, Dad had told me there was a delay and he would be there the next day. Somehow, I had managed to hide how miserable I was.

There was an awkward, painful weight on my chest. That morning, I’d caught Hunter running from out my window. I thought he’d seen me, but he’d pushed himself harder as he passed by my window. Inside, I felt like a piece of me was gone.

Amber’s voice came over the intercom, jolting me. “Your dad is here.”

“Thanks, Amber.”

I poured two cups of coffee and set them on the table. A couple of seconds later, Dad walked in. Immediately, there was concern on his face. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Oh, Dad.” I started crying. “Things with Hunter are complicated.”

Dad enveloped me in his arms, offering me the comfort I’d missed being so far away from home. “Come here. Tell me what happened.”

I filled Dad in on everything, and he listened without much expression. When I finished, he was quiet for a second, absorbing it all.

“What do you want, Kendall? What do you really want?”

“I want to be a wife, mother, and have a career. But I know what the job entails, and I can’t have all three.”

Dad smiled at me. “Kendall, we are in a position to make the job whatever you want it to be. You’d have the power to delegate, which is how you’d be able to do it all. You can choose to run the company or not run the company. What matters to your mother and me is that you’re happy. That’s all that has ever mattered to us.”

“It can’t be that easy. There’s so much responsibility. And I haven’t proven myself.”

“It is that easy. You delegated the coaching to Mac, and it’s been successful. You aren’t trying to do both jobs. Same goes with other aspects. You just have to hire competent people, teach them to do the job to your expectations, and then trust those people.”

“But you do it all. And you’ve earned the respect. It’s your company.”

Dad led me over to the couch. “No, I have a team that does it all, and I manage it from above. I respect your need to prove yourself to the board, but you don’t have to. Your name alone gives you that right. And if they can’t accept that, they have no place at my board table. I wouldn’t let you take it on if I didn’t fully believe you were ready for the job.”

Everything was all so confusing. “But you let me work for their trust.”

“Yes, I did. It’s a life lesson, Kendall. One thing your mother and I have also believed is not micromanaging our children. If you think I haven’t had the same conversation with your brother, you’re wrong. He’s trying to find himself, too. But you don’t truly learn until you fall and have to pick yourself up.”

I scratched my head. “So this was all for nothing?”

“What do you think?”

I thought for a second. “No, it wasn’t. Because I’ve realized what I can do. And I’ve learned how to manage the board when they don’t agree with me. They were ready for you to pull the plug, but I convinced them to give me time.”

Dad smiled. “Yes, you did that even though it wasn’t necessary. They know this. At the end of the day, the board holds no decision-making power in my company, but they are wise, so I listen to them.”

That made sense. I changed topics. “Hunter is upset.”

“And so are you.”

“Yes, but he wants a break. I’m worried. We might be over.” I’d opened my messages about a million times the night before to send him a note but had stopped myself.

Dad took a sip of his coffee. “Every relationship has its challenges. When your mother and I met, I messed up several times; I was overbearing and very controlling. It was through her love I found what a real relationship meant. And through her patience, I found the balance we have now.”

“You make it sound so simple.” My parents had never seemed stressed balancing it all.

Dad took another sip as he thought for a second. “Relationships are anything but simple. But that man loves you. You are both going to make mistakes. Hunter has his equal share in this. I would have never been this patient—just ask your mother. But if he’s your match, Kendall, you need to fight like hell for him and he for you. Love is the best thing you could ever fight for.”

I gave voice to what I’d been scared to say before. “I want the balance, Dad. I want to be a wife, someday a mother, and still have a career.”

“Then you’ll get it. This team is a good way for you to learn to delegate and prepare for the bigger roles. I’ll help you.”

There was something else Hunter and I hadn’t discussed, but I knew he wanted to stay at his ranch. “Would we have to move to North Carolina or Atlanta?”

“Not full time, but you would have to be there some. One thing about love is there is always a compromise. You just have to find a middle ground.”

I hugged my dad. “I love you so much. Thank you.”

He squeezed me tighter. “I love you, too. More than words can ever say. Even though you’re all grown up, you will always be my little girl.”

“Always.”

I felt lighter after talking to my dad. He hadn’t been concerned about the press or anyone else’s reaction to our relationship. In fact, that hadn’t even come up in the conversation. Nor did he care what the board thought.

Have I been wrong about it all along?

The board had been some scary, all-powerful entity in my mind that now seemed more manageable. This was my life. They worked for me. And if I wanted to date someone, I could damn well date them.

After Dad left, I had a desperate need to find Hunter. I needed him to know how I felt. I went to the locker room. “Hey, Mac. Have you seen Hunter?”

Mac looked up, his glasses perched on his nose as he read something. “No, he left a little bit ago to work on his plays. Everything okay?”

“Yes.” I needed to deflect; I wasn’t ready to discuss anything with Mac. “Do you need anything for the game?”

“No, I think we’re all set. I’m hoping for a win.”

I winked. “Me, too.”

I left the stadium and headed to the apartment complex. I looked in the gym at the back of the complex, then went to his apartment door. His truck was there, but there was no sign of Hunter. I needed to see him. Back outside, I typed out a message.

Me: Where are you?

Hunter: On the trail. Just got done with my run.

/> Me: Can we talk?

Hunter: Of course. Am I going to like this talk?

Me: I think so. I hope so.

Hunter: Thank fuck. I miss you.

Me: I miss you, too. I’m so sorry.

Hunter: I’m sorry, too. I’ll be to your place in five minutes.

Me: Perfect.

I turned and ran straight into the chest of Josh McEvans.

“Ms. Wales.”

Squaring my shoulders, I narrowed my eyes. “Mr. McEvans. Why are you here when I have advised you otherwise?”

“You’re going to talk to your boyfriend and make sure I play in Saturday’s game.”

I stood my ground. “We have been through this; that’s not my call.”

He handed me an envelope with a nasty smirk. I wanted to slap him. “These are just copies. I knew I just had to bide my time, just like with the other coach. He found it was easier to do as I asked than have his wife find out about his cheating.”

Cautiously, I took the envelope and opened it. Inside were pictures of me and Hunter in the parking lot of our apartment complex. Surprisingly enough, they were innocent. There was one where he was cupping my face and another where he was giving me a kiss. That one had to be from a couple of days earlier when Hunter and I had kissed before getting into our cars to go to work. We had been so careful otherwise.

I called his bluff. “It’s not a crime to date someone.”

“No, it’s not. It won’t take much to spin this into something. How will Daddy feel about that?” Josh folded his arms over his chest. “Pull some strings and get me back on first string, or those will be sent to every media outlet with some story. Have a good evening, Kendall.”

Josh turned and walked away with a swagger through the front lobby door.

Hunter walked in. “Kendall, what happened?”

The asshole. The fucking asshole was trying to cause a shitstorm. “I want McEvans fired.”

Hunter took the envelope. “He gave you these?”

I was mad as hell. “He said if I don’t get him back on first string, he’s going public with them with some made-up story to cause problems for me. It’s how he got away with everything from the previous coach. The guy was having an affair and he was blackmailing him.” I squared my shoulders. “I want him off the team, and if he causes problems I will have him arrested.”