25. Kyle

I tucked my phone into my pocket, knowing that Harper wouldn’t answer. I hoped she’d smile at the messages, at least, and know that I was thinking about her.

“What’s got my boy so blue this week?” My mom rested her forearms on her new soapstone counters. That had been the perfect choice against the white cabinets.

I forced my lips to lift into a facsimile of a smile. “How could I be sad when I’m home with my mama?”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, making her blondish-gray hair brush her shoulders. “Don’t try to be cute. Doesn’t work on me anymore.”

Apparently it didn’t work on Harper either.

“I’m good, Mom. Just stuff going on at home.”

She tapped her deep burgundy nails on the counter, the sound snagging my attention.

“Are those turkeys on your nails?” I swore they had been burnt orange with white polka dots yesterday.

“Yes. Aren’t they adorable?” She held out her hand so I could inspect each perfect little bird. “I found this company called Color Street. They make the cutest designs.”

“How long do your nail appointments take? I didn’t even see you leave today.”

“Oh, I do them myself. And it’s way cheaper than a salon, so I’m saving money,” she said proudly. “Let me show you the new sets I ordered.” She hurried around the counter and out of the room. Less than a minute later, she was back with a full plastic bin.

“Whoa. How many of those did you buy, ma?”

“Don’t start with me. I get enough crap from Bill. There are too many cute designs to choose from. Look at these.” She held up a set that looked like paper-wrapped gifts, and another that were supposed to be parts of a snowman. “They’re flat polish. You stick them on your nail like a sticker, then file off the extra length. It’s so easy.”

She kept digging, showing me one set after another—some with glitter, some with flowers, and some with rainbows. She had every design known to man.

“Very cute.” If it made her happy, then it made me happy.

“Here they are!” She pushed a flat pack of blue nail-shaped stickers my way. “I got five sets of them.”

“Is that the Revs Logo?” I grasped the package and squinted, studying the design. It was pretty impressive.

“Yes.” My mom beamed, clutching the bin to her chest.

As I held the slim package, an idea struck. “Could I have two of these, Mama?”

She pursed her lips and hummed, confused or maybe disbelieving. Like she thought I planned to apply them to my own nails.

“Not for me,” I assured her. “For the little girl I work with.”

Face softening, my mother pushed a second set across the bar to me. “How is she doing?”

Wincing, I tucked them into my back pocket. I’d only told my mom that, during the offseason, I was working with a little girl who had been diagnosed with high-functioning ASD. My mother had seen pictures of the kids on my Instagram page, but because I was careful not to post any shots of their faces, it was unlikely that she’d recognize them. And JJ certainly wasn’t telling any of them that he’d asked me to help.

At this point, it may not even matter anymore. Four days ago, I’d been ready to sit them all down and admit that I had feelings for Harper. Now, with where she and I stood, the drama seemed unnecessary. What was I going to say? Hey, all, I have an announcement. I have a massive crush on Harper Wallace. But don’t worry, she won’t talk to me . Yeah, that would be a waste of emotional outbursts all around.

“I hope I can see her again when I get home, but I’m not sure her mom will let me keep working with her.”

She frowned. “What did you do?” she asked, knowing right away that whatever it was, I was likely to blame for the rift. If she hadn’t been 100 percent right, I might have been offended.

Clasping my hands on the countertop, forearms resting on the cool stone, I sighed. “You know me. I overstep.”

She straightened and arched a brow. “Like going behind my back and paying the contractor to add every bell and whistle to my kitchen remodel?”

“Hey, now.” I frowned, dropping my head between my shoulders with a huff. “I offered to pay to upgrade this kitchen last year, but you two told me it was perfect. Then you went and did it without telling me. I wanted to pay for it. That way you and Bill can use your money for fun stuff.”

Mom leaned across the counter and patted my biceps. “Big heart and no boundaries. How did you turn out this way?”

“Probably because you have no boundaries either, love.” Bill stepped inside the house and dropped his keys on the counter. He’d barely made it off the doormat when he was eyeing the bin of nail paint like he was worried it might have cost him more money today.

“Hey, now.” My mother frowned.

Bill’s expression morphed into a warm smile as he approached her. He kissed her cheek, sidled up behind her and rested his chin on the crown of her head, like one puzzle piece clicking into another perfectly. So many times over the years, I’d seen Bill come home and immediately find my mom. Maybe I’d ignored it, or maybe I’d written it off as something every couple does, but now I knew that wasn’t the case. Their teasing sprinkled with genuine affection and unwavering support was exactly what I wanted in a relationship.

Mom smiled over her shoulder at him. “Don’t start with me already.”

“But he is right. You do not have boundaries.” Ryan walked straight to the fridge and took out the dairy-free smoothie my mother always left him. My brother’s habits hadn’t changed even now that he was an adult.

“How was your day?” Mom asked.

“See? You are nosy.” He smirked at her as he took a sip of his smoothie.

I chuckled. It was fun to see him teasing and joking.

“Even Kyle sees it.”

Reeling back, I held both hands up. “No way, Mama’s perfect.” Bill and Ryan could get on her bad side all they wanted, but I liked being the forever favorite.

Both groaned at me.

“Sucking up so you can have more chocolate cream pie,” Ryan accused.

I beamed at my mom. Of course I was. Her pie was the best. We’d gone through two already this week.

“Did you program code thingies that do fun stuff today?” she asked Ryan, her expression bright.

“I don’t think you understand my job.” He took a sip of his smoothie.

“I don’t.” She shook her head. “But I’m so proud of you anyway.”

That was Mom. Always proud, unless we pissed her off. Then she chewed our ears off.

I leaned back on the bar stool. “You should become a professional game player like me, then she’d get it.”

He narrowed his eyes, although he didn’t look directly at me. “I develop code to help increase firewall strength and cyber security. Why would I want to play games?”

The kitchen door opened, diverting everyone’s attention and saving me from having to explain my joke.

“Hey, Aunt Viv,” JJ said as he walked in.

Behind him, his mother appeared. Not only was Aunt Susan my mother’s best friend, but when my mother married Bill, the women became sisters-in-law.

“It’s been forever since you and Kyle were both in Texas,” my mom gushed, hugging JJ.

I hugged him next, then he held out a fist to Ryan for a bump. My brother wasn’t big on people invading his personal space.

Mom was right. It had been years since JJ and I had been home at the same time. He had been living on the East Coast since college, so for as little time as I’d spent in Texas since going pro, he spent less.

“Right? For once, the entire family will be here.” Aunt Susan smiled as we all settled around the kitchen island again.

“Not the entire family,” JJ muttered from next to me, his head hanging.

I froze, my heart sinking. I may not have been around much in recent years, but I knew exactly where this was going.

“We are not calling her family.” Aunt Susan scowled.

“She is my family,” JJ bit out. “So if she’s not here, if the kids aren’t here, then no, the entire family is not here.”

She clicked her tongue, and the harsh sound echoed down my spine like a shot of adrenaline. “We’re all glad that horrible woman isn’t here. Moving on from that terrible mistake, that’s what we are doing.”

Every atom in my being was now primed and ready for a fight. Knowing how my aunt felt about Harper and hearing it were two very different things. I glanced at JJ, who’d slumped back against the barstool, jaw locked and clearly not planning to stick up for a woman who wasn’t here to do it for herself.

“Harper has done nothing to you, Aunt Susan,” I forced out. “You’re a better person than this, and I won’t sit here and listen to you throw out that kind of nastiness.” I pushed away from the island and stood.

The room was full of shocked faces, and every wide eye was fixed on me. All but Ryan’s, which were still wide, but locked on the floor.

There was no way I could stay in the room, so I spun and stormed out. Without looking back, I called out, “Be better.”

I was out the back door and into the yard before anyone could respond. It probably wasn’t my place to defend Harper, but no one else was going to, and she deserved to have an ally. A person who would defend her. Be there for her. And I had promised her that I could be that person.

I pulled my phone out, determined to keep another promise.

Me: I promised Piper that I would send her some video messages while I was gone. I know we aren’t in a great spot, but would you mind if I kept my promise?

My heart skipped when the three dots appeared on my screen. They disappeared quickly, but a moment later, they were back. I waited, holding my breath, until finally, the dots disappeared again. But no message came.

My stomach sank.

The mild November air did little to cool my mood, and I was still on edge, staring at my phone, when JJ walked out the back door.

He came to stand next to me. “Thanks for sticking up for her.”

“Someone should, and it didn’t seem like you were going to.” I had the phone tucked halfway into my pocket when it buzzed, so I yanked it back out, bumbling it in my excitement. And when I saw that Crabby had appeared on the screen, my heart soared.

It was only one word, and probably one she felt compelled to send, but still she had responded.

The dots appeared again, making my pulse take off.

Beside me, JJ sighed. “Are you listening to me?”

“Yes.” I glanced back up and assessed him. Guilt clawed up my throat because, despite my assurance, I hadn’t been listening.

“So you get why it’s complicated.” He blew out a breath, shoulders slumping. The extreme exhaustion with the situation was wearing on him.

But I had no sympathy for him. My situation with Harper was complicated too. Not only was the truth going to put a massive strain on my oldest friendship, but it had the potential to ruin my relationships with my family. Though none of it really mattered in comparison to how I felt about Harper.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” I corrected. “If you really want her in your life, it should be fucking simple.”

My phone buzzed, snagging my attention again.

Crabby: No I’m not. But you can come over when you get home, and we’ll talk.

That didn’t sound great. But if it meant seeing her, then I could work with it. If I could see her face to face, then maybe I’d get her talking to me again. Maybe I hadn’t fucked it all up.

Me: GIF of a man waving his hands by his face in excitement.

I tucked my phone into my pocket, head bowed, and when I straightened, he was staring at me.

He crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels. “I wasn’t expecting you to be so intense about this.”

Silently, I blinked at him.

“You’re right.” He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Mom is unreasonable. It’s part of the reason I was hoping you would help with Harper. Because if I’m not the only one doing the talking, then maybe Mom will listen.”

“I’m happy to defend her.” That was as natural as breathing. “But the narrative in that house is fucked up. So first things first, you need to fix that.”

“I know.” He ran a hand over his face. “I’ll explain what really happened.”

Arms crossed, I planted my feet wide on the grass. “Good.”

“And Kyle.” JJ looked down, his expression sheepish. “Thank you for helping me with this.”

I nodded and left it at that. Because if he knew exactly how I felt about Harper, I wasn’t sure he would still be thanking me.