He would have to be content with that.
It was all he could offer her.
Gritting his teeth, he rolled out of the bed, making sure to be silent as he walked over to her dresser where he’d seen a pen and a notepad. He could see the indent in the paper where she’d written something, and he touched it, tracing her elegant scrawl.
She had pretty writing. Much prettier than his.
Picking up the pen, he jotted down a quick message. After he finished, he tore the paper off, folded it in half, and placed it on the pillow where his head had been moments before.
After one last look at her rosy cheeks, parted lips, long lashes, and soft blond hair, he slipped out of her bedroom, grabbed his shoes off the floor, and walked out the door just like he’d said he would all along. And true to his word…
He didn’t look back even once.
Chapter Eight
One week later, sweat rolled down Kassidy’s cheek, and she held on tightly, putting every ounce of strength she had into thrusting her body forward. Her heart pounded fast, echoing in her ears, and she let out a groan as she pushed even harder, straining every muscle to get closer to her goal. Nothing happened.
“Son of a bitch,” she snarled, kicking the hutch.
Howling, she clutched her toes and hopped in circles, shooting death glares at the offending piece of furniture the whole time. This morning, she’d woken up and decided her living room was boring and had the bright idea to change things up. Changing things up had gotten her a hutch that was stuck on a loose plank in the floor, and a throbbing toe.
Still, she didn’t regret her choice.
Changing things up was a necessity in her new life.
Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, still clutching her toe. Ever since Wyatt had stormed into her life and spent the night with her without sex, she’d been a different woman. She’d held true to her promise that she’d be better. Take chances.
A visit to the hairdresser had given her that strawberry blond she’d always wanted in her hair, and she’d mastered that spin class she’d been eyeing up for months. Yoga was now a favorite of hers at her gym, and on a whim, she’d even done some Zumba. Last night, when a friend she hadn’t seen in three months invited her to dinner last minute, she’d said yes.
These things might be small, and to some they might even seem silly, but they were changes. And change was just what the doctor ordered.
Smiling, she remembered what his note had said.
Kass,
Tonight was incredible, and I’m glad I could help, in any small way, in your journey to shake things up. Make sure you take those chances. You deserve everything good in your life. You deserve to be happy. Never forget that—and I’ll never forget my promise to you.
Wyatt
Well, she’d been doing her best to follow through with that, and she’d been doing a good job…up until the stupid hutch got stuck on the floorboard, anyway. Oh well. Guess it would stay there until she could con her brother into coming over and helping her. Not a huge deal. No big changes ever came easily, right? Opening her eyes, she pushed off the wall and headed to her phone. As she picked it up, she saw a notification from ESPN on the screen.
The name in the title made her breath catch in her throat.
The Savior’s Wyatt Hamilton says he’ll play this Sunday, despite recent injury and rumors that Coach Jeffries would have him sit out until playoffs.
Swiping over the notification, she skimmed the article, smiling when he was quoted to say, “I’d hate to mess up anyone’s running bets, so if you’re counting on me not playing this weekend, you’d better cancel those bets before it’s too late. I’ll be there, and my arm will be as strong as ever.”
Chuckling, she couldn’t help but wonder if that was a subtle hello to her.
Heck, she chose to believe it was, because she could. Even if it wasn’t, she’d never find out, because it’s not like he was calling her anytime soon to set the matter straight.
And she was fine with that. With never finding out if he was thinking about her, or if he remembered her as fondly as she did him.
Closing out the app, she opened up her texts with Caleb and fired one off: I need help.
What did you do now?
She typed back immediately, checking the time. I was rearranging my living room, and the hutch got jammed on a floorboard. I can’t move it, no matter how hard I push.