Chapter 14

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

“You’ve never beeninterested in the bike parade when I’ve invited you before, Kyle. Why the sudden change of heart?” London juggled a poster board sign and her brother’s water bottle as she guided him toward the stadium parking lot where several hundred fans were already lined up, waiting for the Growlers. Of course, it had to be a chamber of commerce July day in Wisconsin with bright blue skies and a soft refreshing breeze. The size of the crowd always doubled in good weather.

“That’s ‘cause I was a baby back then.” Kyle wobbled on his bicycle slightly as he tried to maneuver around the other kids who’d already staked out a place on the front lines.

Lucy walked on Kyle’s other side. “Yeah, London, he’s going into third grade next month. He’s practically a man,” she teased.

Kyle stuck out his tongue playfully. “Don’t mess with me. I learned how to square up at hockey camp.”

“See what I mean?” Lucy shot London a look over Kyle’s head. “Our boy is growing up too fast.” Square up? she mouthed.

London shrugged. Her little brother had come back from Canada with some never-before-seen swagger, that was for sure. Still, she really wished he’d given her a heads-up about his plans for today. Her mom and Chuck were taking the couples’ vacation London interrupted when she was in the hospital, leaving Kyle in Milwaukee with her. She should have suspected something when he showed up with his bike.

Kyle wormed his way toward the front of the pack. He leaned his bike on its kickstand and grabbed the poster he’d spent the previous evening coloring. London took in the crowd and did some quick mental math. There were only ninety players on the Growlers’ training camp roster. From the looks of it, two-thirds of the kids were going to be disappointed.

“Maybe you can text one of the Growlers you work with and point them toward Kyle?” Lucy suggested quietly.

London shook her head. “I already had to call in those favors to accommodate Seth’s two grandsons.”

Damn Seth.London had worked with Bridezillas who were less trouble than that man was turning out to be.

Lucy winked at London. “Sit back and watch a big sister of four work her magic,” she murmured before raising her voice. “You know, Kyle, part of the fun of today is simply being in the middle of the action. Even if one of the Growlers doesn’t choose your bike this time, you live close by. You can come back next year and try again. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, sure,” Kyle said absently, keeping his eyes peeled on the tunnel the players were set to exit from. “But I’m not worried. Trey is going to pick me.”

Lucy and London exchanged oh, shit looks.

“Kyle.” London crouched down so she was eye level with her brother. “Trey doesn’t participate in the bike parade, honey. He only comes out for a few minutes and signs autographs.”

Her brother waved her off, his gaze still trained on the stadium. “Pops told me that. It’s because Trey doesn’t want to hurt any of the kids’ feelings.”

Bennie had explained the same thing to London last week when she floated the idea of getting some B-roll for social media of Trey riding a kid’s bike. All these years she thought he was being a prick for not joining in the popular tradition. Instead, he was simply taking into account the feelings of his youngest fans.

She hadn’t thought this version of Trey was capable of that type of empathy. The more layers she peeled back from his mechanistic personality, the more she realized the man she once knew still existed somewhere within him. Her head and her heart both ached to know why he’d buried that aspect of his character so deeply.

A deep dive into the man’s personality quirks was going to have to sit on the back burner, however. The bodies were closing in next to her, nearly knocking her to the ground when several of the Growlers’ community relations team emerged from the tunnel. The excited chatter among the fans climbed to a fevered pitch.

“Then you understand he’s not going to pick you, right?” It was a crapshoot trying to reason with an eight-year-old, but she had to try.

Kyle looked at her then. There was an agonized glint in his eyes she’d never seen before, and it shook her to her core.

“No one will get their feelings hurt if he picks me. We’re family,” he argued.

Double shit.

“He has to ride my bike.” His voice broke, nearly breaking her along with it. “If I have Alek and Trey as friends, the kids at school won’t be able to tease me about my size anymore.” He puffed up his chest. “They’ll have to answer to Alek and Trey if they do.”

London’s heart was suddenly in her mouth. Was he saying what she thought he was? Were the other kids bullying Kyle at school? Holy hell. Did her mom and Chuck know about this? Her head was suddenly swimming with questions. She needed to get him out of here so she could get some specifics.

“Oh, honey.” She tried to wrap her arms around him, but Kyle pulled away.

His mulish expression stunned her. He’d never refused a hug.

The Growlers’ staff began herding the kids and their bikes into the roped off area where the players would come out and meet them. Kyle side-stepped past London so he could jockey his bike toward the front of the crowd. A cheer went up when members of the team began to make their way into the parking lot.

A chorus of “awes” followed when a player the size of a small tank chose a tiny scooter to ride. The scooter’s owner was a young girl dressed in a Growlers’ cheerleading outfit. She hefted the player’s helmet into her arms as if she were carrying a pumpkin, only to make it a few steps before her father had to relieve her of it. The ribbons in her hair bobbed up and down as she skipped along ahead of the parade with a huge smile on her face.

London groaned. “This is a disaster.”

“It may not be as bad as we think,” Lucy said.

“Really? Because from where I’m standing, I’m looking at five more days with a heartbroken kid who has obviously been holding onto a lot of ugly shit.”

“Okay, when you put it that way, the situation looks pretty touchy, yes.” Lucy sighed. “Look, I’d never, ever condone bullying. And you know I love that kid as much as you do. But it’s an unfortunate fact that kids get teased about something at least once in their lives. It’s survival of the fittest on the playground. We’ve all been there. But kids are fickle. And Kyle’s almost nine. Who says he’s not going to grow three inches this year?”

“That’s not going to help the situation today,” London all but snapped.

“Nooo,” Lucy replied. “But he’ll get over it if he has at least one super star athlete in his corner.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “You could let things between you and Alek heat up. Instead of Trey being pseudo family, Alek can be his big brother.”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

Lucy shrugged. “Can I help it if I have this dream about you settling down with a guy who adores you? We’ll both live in the same neighborhood. Our kids will grow up together.” She linked her arm through London’s while she covered her belly with her other hand. “Kyle won’t need to stretch the boundaries of the family tree. He’ll have all of us. Alek will probably arrange for him to drive the Zamboni. The kids who are teasing him will be so jealous. It will be epic.”

London wanted to scream. As if Kyle’s revelation wasn’t enough, now she was wracked with guilt about the secret she was keeping from her best friend. She needed to come clean. She needed to tell Lucy that finding a guy who was going to put her first was a fantasy. There wasn’t going to be a relationship with Alek or anyone else. From now on, she was putting her career first.

And she was doing it in Chicago.

Of course, Lucy would be devastated. Mike had been her fairy tale since high school. Her friend believed she could simply wish that into existence for London. But that wasn’t in the cards.

“Luce, I need to tell⁠—”

A roar swiftly went up among the crowd.

“Trey!” fans called out.

“Van Horn!” other fans chanted.

Trey emerged from the tunnel looking like a gladiator stepping into the coliseum. He was dressed for practice, the green of his jersey picking up the flecks of green hiding in his golden gaze. The breeze even had the nerve to toy with his hair. Still, he looked untouchable and damn near invincible.

London’s breath hung up in her lungs every time she laid eyes on him. But today, she was getting a glimpse of the legend in his element. To say it did strange things to her was an understatement. He raised his helmet in salute to the crowd, before stopping to sign a few jerseys and posters the kids held up.

“Oh, my.” Lucy fanned herself with her hand.

The sound of Kyle frantically shouting for Trey refocused London’s attention to the problem at hand.

“We’ve got to put a stop to this before Kyle gets his feelings hurt,” she said.

With Lucy on her heels, she snaked through the crowd toward her little brother.

“Pregnant woman coming through,” Lucy announced at the top of her lungs.

Miraculously the crowd parted enough for them to reach an opening along the rope behind Kyle.

“Trey!” her brother continued to scream.

“Kyle, honey—” London tried to get his attention.

Trey was moving in their direction. Kyle yelled louder while frantically waving his sign.

“Please, Kyle.” She leaned over the rope barrier in an effort to reach him.

As if he heard her voice among the hundreds calling his name, Trey’s eyes instantly found hers in the crowd. The surprise in them quickly morphed into concern at whatever he saw on her face. He moved toward her.

“Trey!” Kyle cried. “Over here. It’s me, Kyle.”

A wave of relief washed over her when Trey stopped to smile warmly at her brother.

“The hockey player. How are you doing, sport?” He tousled Kyle’s hair much the way Pops always did.

The gesture brought a lump to her throat.

Kyle grinned from ear to ear. “I’m great now that you found me. I brought my bike for you to ride to the practice field. See?”

Trey took a moment to admire Kyle’s bike while London held her breath. Any moment now he was going to let her little brother down. She only hoped that the guy she once knew, the one buried deep inside Trey Van Horn, MVP quarterback, would be gentle.

“She’s a beauty,” he said to Kyle before returning his gaze to London. “I see you also brought your sister along. Although, she’s looking a little overwhelmed. Just between us guys, I don’t want to have to carry her to the ER again. Why don’t we have her join us so we can keep an eye on her?”

It was all she could do not to roll her eyes at him. He nodded to a security guard before lifting the rope and motioning for London to duck under it. Lucy didn’t wait to be asked, quickly dashing under the barrier after her.

“Hi.” Lucy sounded a tad too breathless for only having taken three steps. She aimed a coy smile at Trey. “I’m with them.”

“See, I told you he’d choose me,” Kyle said contritely when London reached him. “They both said you wouldn’t want to ride my bike, Trey.”

Suddenly, London wasn’t sure who she wanted to throttle first. “That’s not what we said.”

“Actually, everyone is right, Kyle,” Trey interjected.

Kyle’s face fell along with London’s stomach.

Here it comes.

But instead of breaking her brother’s heart, Trey went off script. He waved over the Growlers’ head coach.

“Coach Gibson, I know you were looking for an extra ball boy for practice today. This is my buddy, Kyle Prince. He’s more of a hockey guy, but he’s a promising young athlete. I’m sure he’ll be a big help to you on the sidelines.”

Kyle was suddenly bouncing on his heels with excitement.

The coach, however, was looking slightly perplexed. “A ball boy for today’s practice?”

“Yes.” Trey nodded slowly. “You know, the special one you choose every season on the first day of practice.”

The two men seemed to be locked into a silent exchange that lasted a long moment before the coach nodded.

“Oh, sure. The ball boy.” Coach Gibson turned to Kyle. “What do you say, Kyle? You down for shagging a few footballs this afternoon?”

“Heck, yeah!” Kyle shouted.

“That’s a sweet ride you got there,” the coach continued. “You haven’t promised her to anyone else yet, have you?”

Kyle looked at Trey for a heartbeat before shaking his head. “No, sir.”

“Excellent.” Coach Gibson straddled the bike. “Let’s roll.”

Trey handed Kyle his helmet. “Don’t let this out of your sight. I’ll meet you there.”

Kyle took off without a backward glance. The crowd of players, kids, and media quickly swallowed them up.

Not that London noticed. She was too focused on the man in front of her.

“What just happened here?” she demanded. “There’s no such thing as a ‘special ball boy,’ is there?”

Trey wore a cat-ate-the-canary grin. “There is now.”

She should have been grateful for his assistance. Thankful his quick thinking had come up with a solution where Kyle was able to keep his pride intact. Except she was uncomfortable with his help. She didn’t want to be beholden to Trey Van Horn for more than she already was. Especially when, given the way he’d looked at her the other day, she wasn’t sure what his price for repayment would be.

Or maybe it was the conflicting feelings swirling around inside her that she was uncomfortable with. After all, she had despised the man for so long now. Yet every time they touched, her desire for him simmered beneath the surface of her skin. She was angry at herself for being so weak.

So she took it out on him.

“That wasn’t necessary,” she said sharply.

His face instantly sobered as he closed the distance between them. “Really? Because two minutes ago, you looked as if your heart was about to shatter. And I’d do anything, London—Any. Thing—to prevent you from suffering any pain. Anything.”

She stood there in stunned silence wrestling with the fact that the source of her greatest heartache had just uttered such a statement.

“Oh, wow,” Lucy muttered, reminding her they had an audience.

London whirled toward her friend. “I need you to keep an eye on him.”

Lucy nodded, treating Trey to a silky smile.

“On Kyle, Luce!” London pointed toward the departing bikers. “I need you to keep an eye on Kyle.”

“Oh, yeah, right.” Lucy began walking backwards in the direction of the parade route. “Kim will want pictures. I’ll just go catch up with them.”

“I think that’s the woman he carried into the emergency room,” someone exclaimed behind them.

London noticed people in the crowd pointing their cellphones at her and Trey. No way was she letting her personal life become the story again. She wrapped her fingers around Trey’s forearm and tugged him back toward the tunnel. “You come with me.”

Luckily, he allowed himself to be led inside without argument. As soon as they were away from the prying eyes of the Growlers’ fans, however, she dropped his arm. Touching him was wreaking havoc on her nerve endings.

Trey didn’t seem to be suffering from the same affliction, though. He immediately reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together as he silently guided them through the maze of hallways. They ended up in a deserted press holding area outside the team’s locker room. The quiet felt louder and more agitating than the din of the horde outside. London tugged her hand free and began to pace, hoping the movement would calm the turbulence swirling inside of her.

It didn’t.

“Something on your mind, London?”

She whipped around to find him leaning a shoulder against the wall, looking cool and collected, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. How dare he! She charged across the room and jabbed a finger into his chest.

“You!” She poked him again, ignoring the thrill that she was connecting with his taut muscles and not some sort of padding. “You keep messing up everything.”

He had the nerve to hike an eyebrow at her. “Messing up? Excuse me, but I thought I was helping out there. Kyle seemed pretty jazzed with the solution.”

“That’s just it,” she argued. “You think you can ride back into my life without a word in ten freaking years, like you’re some. . . some damn White Knight or something and whoosh—” she flailed her arms “—you make everything better. Well, it’s not better. It’s making me crazy.” She slapped her palm against his chest. “I don’t want you rescuing me. I don’t want your help with my job or my brother. I—” Another slap to his pecs.

“Don’t.”

Slap.

“Want.”

Slap.

“You!”

Without even realizing it, she’d somehow managed to close the gap between them so that their bodies were practically touching.

“I don’t want you,” she whispered.

Her argument might have carried a lot more weight had she not immediately begun kissing him.