Play Me

“So his excuse for all this is daddy issues? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Exactly. He told me it started after middle school. Apparently, Josh was a star football player in middle school, but his father told him it was because of his name. That he didn’t really have the talent there.”

Kendall gasped. “What a horrible thing to say to a child.”

“I know. Burned me up a bit when he told me. All through high school, his father never came to a single football game. Once he got to college and the national media was there, his dad showed up for the important games. But it sounds to me like his dad was jealous his son showed a hell of a lot more talent than he had, and his way of dealing with it was to tell Josh he wasn’t that good. He started pulling pranks to get his father’s attention. I don’t believe that, though. I think he was trying to self-destruct his own career because deep down the kid doesn’t know what the hell to do. He panicked about getting kicked off the team. Said his father would really throw it in his face that he failed.”

“So why keep pranking? That doesn’t make any sense, Hunter.”

I nodded, getting lost for a moment in the memory of the pain in Josh’s eyes as he talked to me.

“Exactly. That’s why I think we’re dealing with a deeper issue here. He destroyed the photos and will be apologizing to you tomorrow.”

“I have to tell you, every ounce of me is screaming to cut him from the team. I’m so angry that he had the nerve to try to blackmail me.”

I squeezed her hands. “I was pissed—still am pissed—but give me a few days alone with him at the ranch. We’re leaving the morning after the game.”

“You think I should keep him on the team?”

“I do. I’m asking you to trust me on this one, Kendall. There is something telling me there’s more to this than what he is telling me, and I feel like I need to be the one to figure this out with him.”

Kendall gave me the most loving and trusting look I’d ever seen before. She understood this was important to me and that I needed to see this through. “I’ll trust you on this one, but, Hunter, if he ever comes to me again and crosses the line, he’s gone.”

“Agreed. Now, why don’t you pour the wine, and I’ll get the food on our plates.”

She smiled and took the bottle of wine from me. “How in the world did you get all this planned in such a short period of time?”

“I’d love to take credit, but Amber helped me out on this one.”

Her brow lifted. “Really? I’m not surprised, though. She is pretty amazing.”

“She certainly came through for me. I mean, look at these.” I held up the skewers that had cheese and fruit on them. Next, I put some marinated tomatoes, onion, basil, and garlic on the plates with a slice of toasted Italian bread Amber had added with a note that said for bruschetta. Then came the best part. Tiny egg-salad sandwiches cut into heart shapes.

“Did she seriously cut those into hearts?” Kendall asked with a giggle.

I laughed. “Well, I did tell her I needed a fast, romantic picnic.”

Kendall covered her mouth and laughed harder. “Does she know you were going with me?”

“No. I didn’t tell her, although I think she has her suspicions.”

Kendall handed me a glass of wine and then popped a strawberry into her mouth.

“So, let’s talk about us, Kendall. If it’s okay, can I go first?”

“Okay,” she said softly.

“I know when we started this relationship, I told you I would never do anything to hurt your career, and I meant that. When you told me you wanted to keep things between us quiet longer than I thought, I will admit I was pissed. I didn’t handle it the way I should have, and for that I’m sorry.”

“Hunter…”

“Please, let me keep going.”

Kendall nodded.

“The more I thought about us, the more I saw the bigger picture.”

“And that was?” she asked when I paused.

“What happens when you’re done getting the team on its feet? When you go back to Atlanta. When you take over your father’s company someday.”

She swallowed hard and averted her eyes for the briefest of moments before she focused back on me.

“The idea of walking away from you has never been an option, Kendall. Ever. I’m in love with you; I think I fell in love with you the moment you slipped on my damn mucking boots.”

Kendall let out a small giggle. Her eyes filled with tears, and she pressed her lips tightly together.

“I’ll be honest with you because you deserve the truth. I can’t give up my ranch in Tennessee.”

She gasped. “I would never ask you to,” she said, sounding shocked.

“Kendall, baby, I know you wouldn’t. But I struggled with how this would work between us. The thought of a long-distance romance was not something I looked forward to, and I wasn’t sure where you stood with the concept of us. If you wanted to keep us a secret, I wasn’t sure how long could I honestly do that.”

“I don’t want to keep us a secret, Hunter. I love you, and I want everyone to know I love you. It was just… overwhelming, and I hadn’t thought it all out because of everything going on with the team. We will figure this out, though. I’m sure of it.”

I smiled. “I think I’ve got a solution. Well, I didn’t come up with the solution. Your father did.”

Kendall looked confused. “My father?”

I set my glass of wine carefully down and took her hands in mine. “I want you to have the career you have worked so hard for, Kendall, but I also see a future for us. And I pray like hell you see the same one I see.”

With a sniffle, she nodded. “I do see a future with you.”

“Mine has a vision of you dressed in a beautiful wedding gown, saying you’ll be my wife for always. Holding our babies while rocking on the front porch at the ranch.”

A tear slipped free and made a slow path down Kendall’s cheek. I reached up and brushed it away with my thumb. “I also see you being the CEO of your father’s company and kicking ass at it.”

“Hunter,” Kendall whispered before the tears began to fall freely.

“Compromise is the key. Or at least a very wise man told me that only about an hour ago.”

“My father?” she asked.

“Yes. I called and asked if I could speak with him. I needed to talk to him before I told you I wanted forever with you, Kendall. Because forever is exactly what I want. I’ll do anything you need me to do to make your dreams come true.”

“Hunter,” she said, wiping her tears away.

“And if that meant moving to Atlanta, then I would.”

She shook her head and tried to speak, but I went on.

“If it meant leaving everything behind to make you happy… Kendall… I would do it because I love you. I love you so much.”

Before I knew what was happening, Kendall launched herself across the blanket and knocked me back, her lips pressed against mine. She kissed me with such passion, I was instantly lost to her. Nothing else in the world mattered to me more than the woman in my arms. Even though I’d already known that I would give up everything if she asked me to, I knew even in my heart that I could easily walk away from anything if it meant keeping her in my arms.

When Kendall pulled back and looked at me, she smiled. “I didn’t think it was possible to love you more than I already did, but you just proved me wrong. I have a feeling you’ll be doing that a lot.”

I wiggled my brows and said, “Tell me what I did so I know for the future.”

Kendall smiled and looked into my eyes. “Hunter, I love that you said you would give everything up for me, but I know you, and I know how much you love your ranch.”

“Kendall.”

“No, it’s my turn to talk.”

“Okay, but with you lying on me like this, all it makes me want to do is flip you over and make love to you.”

Her brows lifted. “That sounds temp

ting.”

“It does.” I could feel my heart pound in my chest. This was what Kendall did to me. Left me wanting her and not just in a sexual way. I desired to simply be near her. Touch her. Hold her while we talked about everything and anything. “But we need to finish talking.”

“I agree,” Kendall said, crawling off me and sitting back across the blanket. Our wineglasses had gotten knocked over, but neither of us seemed to care.

“Hunter, I would never ask you to walk away from your dream any more than you would ask me to walk away from mine. We can have both worlds. Together, we can make it work. I don’t know how exactly, but we can make this work.”

“I think so, too,” I said with a wink.

“So, what was this solution my father came up with?” she asked.

Leaning back on my hands, I stared at her. “It seems your father is looking for a consultant regarding his expansion in the NFL.”

A confused expression appeared on her face. “His expansion?”

I nodded. “I guess he’s looking to buy another team and he wants my advice. Then he offered me a possible job.”