Dirty Talker (Filthy Dirty Summer)

Parents are screaming and hollering, cheering the team on. It's the team’s first championship win, and it is absolutely awesome. I stand and take it all in as the parents all high-five each other. It's a good feeling, but I can't help but worry about what is going to happen when I talk to Kade. Has he given up on me?

The tournament directors come out with trophies and rings, presenting them to the other team first and giving them their second-place win. Then they announce the Bullets as the first-place champions and give our team the trophy and present them with the first-place gold rings.

Moms all crowd onto the field to take pictures, but I don't even lift my phone up. I know there'll be plenty enough that I can steal from some of the other parents. I walk straight up to Kade and hand him his phone back.

"Congratulations, Coach."

He doesn't smile. He simply nods his head. "Thank you."

He starts to walk away, but I grab on to the shirt at his waist to hold him there. I shuffle my feet to where I'm standing in front of him blocking his path. "I should have known. I'm sorry that I didn't. I know I've probably screwed all of this up, but I want to tell you that I'm sorry. I know you're a good man. I just didn't want to let myself believe it."

He looks at the parents that are all around us and then back at me. "So next time you'll talk to me instead of jumping to conclusions?"

I lift my eyes to his. "Next time?" I ask him hopefully.

"Yeah, honey, next time. I told you that I'm not letting you go, and I meant it."

Elation fills me, and before I can tamp the feeling down, I wrap my hands around his waist, go on my tiptoes, and kiss him for all I’m worth. It's only when I hear people start to cheer, a few whistles, and someone calling my name that I pull back and realize what I just did. There’s no hiding it now. I instantly start to search for Ty, and he's standing next to Benny just smiling at me. When he gives me a thumbs-up, I know that everything is going to be okay.

Kade pulls me under his arm and rests his hand on my shoulder. “I guess we’re not hiding us anymore.”

I shake my head. “Nope. I don’t want to. I’m going to follow my heart from now on.”

He leans down to look at me. “Oh yeah? What’s your heart telling you?”

“That what we have can be good.”

“Damn right.”

I laugh, and he leans down to kiss me.

Chapter 15

Kade

It took us an hour to get to the truck. It seems no one was ready to leave. When we are packing all the gear away, I watch as Megan puts her arm around Ty. “I’m sorry your dad didn’t make it. I’m sure he had something come up. He’s going to be so proud of you.”

Ty smiles at his mom. “You don’t have to cover for him anymore, Mom. I’m old enough to know that if it was important to him, he’d have been here.”

Megan looks speechless as she wraps her arms around him and hugs him. It’s right then as I’m watching mother and son that I make a promise to myself that from this point forward, I’m not going to miss a thing. I’m going to be here for Megan and Ty.

When they break apart, I close the tailgate. “You wanna drive?”

Megan looks at me, surprised. “You have more work to do?”

I shake my head with a smirk. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

Ty’s eyes get wide. “Me? You’re going to let me drive?”

“Kade!” Megan admonishes.

I pull the keys back. “Damn, I mean darn, I’m still learning. I should have asked you first, shouldn’t I?”

She shakes her head. “It’s not that. This is, uh, an expensive truck. If...”

With that, I toss the keys to Ty. “He’ll be fine, and we’ll be right with him.”

She blows out a breath and looks uneasy. “Are you sure about this?”

I walk toward her and lock eyes with her. “I’m one hundred percent, absolutely positive about everything.”

She knows what I mean. I’m talking about Ty, but I’m also talking about us.

She reaches for me and grabs on to my hand with a squeeze. “Okay.”

Ty whoops and hollers and jumps up and down as he runs around to the driver’s side. I gaze into Megan’s eyes. “You want front seat?”

She pats me on the stomach. “Oh no, mister, this was your idea. You get the front.”

She goes to walk around me, and I stop her. “I’m not going to let you down, baby. Neither of you.”

She goes to her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine. “I’m going to hold you to that, Coach.”