Play Me

I nervously chuckled. “Dad.”

Hunter gave me a kiss on the forehead, and I froze while he joined my dad at the door. No man had ever shown affection to me in front of my dad. I glanced over my shoulder, nervous at what I’d find.

“We’ll be back soon,” Hunter said.

I mouthed to Hunter, “Be careful.”

He gave me a wink in response and seemed completely at ease with my father. Not many would be so relaxed with a man as powerful as Damien Wales. When the door shut, I paced and then paced some more. Maybe I needed a drink.

Work. I would lose myself in work.

I sat down at my desk only to be distracted more. At one point, my phone vibrated, and I noticed almost three hours had passed without hearing from Hunter.

Me: Are you still alive?

Hunter: Of course. Your dad isn’t going to kill me, Kendall.

Me: He might if he knew what you had done to me.

Hunter: If I remember correctly, you were the one who rode my face this morning, baby.

I smiled, feeling those delicious shivers in my abdomen, and then remembered Hunter was with my dad.

Me: Hunter! Do not let my dad see you texting those things.

Hunter: Oh, so it’s bad if he’s reading over my shoulder right now?

Me: Hunter!

Hunter: We’ll be back soon. Don’t worry. Everything is going fine. Promise.

I knew he would never lie to me, so I relaxed just a little. Then another text came through.

Hunter: I’ll see you soon.

Those were the exact words I needed to hear. I turned my focus back to work. About thirty minutes later, Hunter walked through the door. He’d texted me to let me know he was on his way and asked if I was free. Dad had gone back to the apartment with Mom to help with dinner.

I bit my lip as I waited. Hunter casually sat on the chair at ease. “You seem unharmed.”

“We just had a few drinks and talked.”

I raised my eyebrow and stood to come around my desk. No way it was just drinks. “My dad has never met a boyfriend before because I’ve never had one. And with how protective he is of his family… I doubt it was just a few drinks.”

Hunter grabbed my waist and gave me a quick kiss. We had to be careful at work—anyone could walk in at anytime. “Well, he made it known I better not hurt you or I would wish I wasn’t alive.”

I gasped. “Oh my gosh. Please tell me he didn’t. Hunter, I am so sorry.”

His thumb traced my bottom lip. “Baby, I’m going to tell my daughter’s boyfriend the same someday.”

That squishy feeling took over in my stomach. “You want kids?”

It was something we hadn’t really discussed. Kids. When does he want kids?

Hunter watched me closely. “I do.” He looked a little worried. “Do you?”

I bit my bottom lip. “I… uh… yes… I… uh… maybe… I…”

“Take a breath.”

I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “I don’t know what I want. I mean yes, I always wanted a family at some point, but I have no idea how I would even manage taking on that responsibility. Over this last week, we’ve barely seen each other because of my work schedule.”

“But we have made time for each other every night. And we had a good weekend.”

“We did. And yes, we do.” I took a moment to get my thoughts in order, and Hunter waited patiently. “What if you get tired of waiting for me to be ready?”

He grabbed my shoulders. “Kendall, we don’t have to have all the answers today. Do you want to be with me?”

“Yes.” That was an easy answer.

“Then that is what matters.”

I just hoped it was enough until I worked it all out.

Mom and I sat in her apartment, sipping wine and catching up. The sliding door that led to the garden was open to create a breeze on that pretty spring evening. In the distance, the water feature for the pool gave a tranquil feel. It was nice to have a relaxing evening with my mom. Dinner had been full of laughter. It seemed like Hunter and I had been together for years, not just a month. Our lives fit together effortlessly. Hunter was showing Dad around the stadium while they talked shop. I was relieved to see them so at ease with each other. In my mind I had worked it up to be a horror movie.

“You seem happy, Kendall. You have no idea how much that warms my heart.”

I snuggled into the chair. “I really like him, Mom. Like really like him. I think I’m in love with him.”

The smile on my mom’s face grew brighter—like I had given her a gift she’d always wanted. “Oh, Kendall, this makes me so happy. I had my suspicions at dinner, but I didn’t want to push. Hunter seems like such a nice man.”

“He is, Mom. I just… I can’t describe it. And I think he loves me, too. He slipped and said he was falling in love with me when we were at his ranch.”

“He did?” Her happiness was contagious.

I was excited to tell someone. It had been on my mind a lot, and I wondered when I should tell him. “I don’t think he realized he’d said anything, but he did. And I’m scared to death I’m going to mess this up. I haven’t told him how I feel.”

Mom tipped her head to the side. “Why are you afraid you’ll mess it up?”

I leaned back on the arm of the oversized leather chair, feeling like a little girl sharing concerns about school. My mom had always had an endless amount of time to listen to me. “How would it all work? If we got married? He wants kids, and my job is demanding and will only become more demanding. How would I balance all that?”

She patted my leg. “For the work piece, talk to your dad. He had to make the exact same decision, and he managed. He was very much a part of your life. Being a mother is the most rewarding thing I have done. You can work and be a mother, Kendall. You don’t have to have one or the other.”

“I don’t want to disappoint him or you.”

“Nothing you could ever do would disappoint us, Kendall. We are so proud of you. No job is worth giving up your life for. There is only one happiness in life—to love and be loved in return.?

?

I smiled at the words of wisdom I knew came from the grandma I’d never met. “Thanks, Mom. I love you guys.”

“We love you, too.”

“You ready to start the movie?”

“Yes.”

Mom turned on the television, and we lost ourselves in Romancing the Stone. Not only did I love eighties music, but Mom and I enjoyed watching romantic eighties movies. Before I knew it, I was drifting off.

My body shifted, and warm arms held me close. I stirred and Hunter’s warm voice soothed me. “Shh, baby, I’ve got you.”

I cuddled further into his chest. The beat of his heart was strong and steady. There were murmurs I couldn’t quite make out before I felt us moving again. The rocking motion nearly had me back to sleep. Before I knew it, I was in my bed, and I felt Hunter’s thumb trace my bottom lip.

“I’m so in love with you.”

My eyes sprang open as his words registered. Hunter’s dark eyes were stormy from his confession. “Wh-what? What did you say?”

This was our moment. I wasn’t ready to let any more time go by before I told him how I felt. I needed Hunter to know I was in this for the long haul.

“I love you, Kendall. I told your father today.”

“You did?” My voice was all but a whisper. That wasn’t what I’d been expecting.

He smiled. “Yes, baby, I did. I needed him to know my intentions.”

I leaned forward to be closer to him. “I love you, too, Hunter Owens.”

I lifted the hem of my T-shirt and pulled it over my head. “I need you to make love to me. I need to feel you inside of me. I need to feel your love.”

“I want nothing more, Kendall. You are my world.”

27

Kendall

We were about a week out from game day and things were moving right along. The team’s performance was improving, according to each update I received from Mac. For the first time, I believed we had a shot at a decent season.

I sniffed the flowers from the latest bouquet Hunter had sent to my office. Once a week he sent me some sort of flowers and signed them from Nala to keep rumors down.