I snort and shovel in more food. “Talon downstairs?” I ask him.
“No, he’s out in California. Vic booked him some shows on the East Coast, including a reunion gig with his bandmates tonight for charity. He’ll be home the day after tomorrow. Cole is on a three-game road trip. He’ll be home next week. It’s just you and me, pretty girl. Is that okay?”
I smile at him, “That’s wonderful, just like the food. Thank you.”
I finish eating, with Foster practically watching my every move. When my plate is cleaned, he takes it and puts it in the dishwasher before leading me into the family room. We sit side by side on the couch this time, and he takes my hand in his, tangling our fingers together.
“I just want to say again how sorry I am. I was trying to protect you, but I see how that is wrong. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known. You have been through so much, but continue to power through with your head held high.”
“I’m not strong at all. Everyone tiptoes around me like I will shatter from any little thing. I did about shatter last night.”
“Being strong doesn’t mean you don’t break down ever. It means you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back out there. You don’t have to do it alone anymore. Even if it’s just as friends, I will always be here for you.”
“There were times, right after the accident, when I didn’t want to pick myself up anymore. My life seemed like it was just never-ending sadness, pain, and struggle, and I didn’t want to continue. I don't think I would have made it if my mom didn’t need me to help her with almost everything those days. Once she had healed enough that she didn’t need me, life was feeling less bleak.”
Besides a therapist I’d had seen for a couple of years after the accident, I had never admitted the feelings I’d had back then to anyone else. A weight was lifted from my shoulders.
“I understand, pretty girl. After my injury, I was in a dark place. I was angry with the world. I’m sure you remember what a dick I was. When the final determination was made that I would never play professionally, it hurt to watch my friends and teammates move on with their dreams while I sat on the sidelines. I leaned too much on the pain pills and became dangerously addicted. I was lucky that one day, I woke up and saw what I was becoming and where I would be headed if I didn’t change something. I flushed the pills down the toilet and got myself clean. I learned about nutrition and found a new way to engage with the sport I loved, but it was difficult to get there.”
He takes my face in his hands, “I know what you mean by life being just an endless loop until I found my way back to you. You’ve brought a light back to it that I was too busy to see was missing. I’m glad you found a way to survive those years because I don’t want to be a part of a world you’re not in. I love you, Blake Knox, and I will jump through any hoops you want me to as long as you’ll still be mine.”
“I love you too. A part of my heart will always be yours. I’m sure it always has been. Can you kiss me now?”
“Absolutely,” he whispers before he takes my lips with his, and it feels like coming home.
The two days I spend hanging around the house with Foster are blissful. We reconcile all over the enormous house. We have to part today because he has practice with his team, so we’re making breakfast in the kitchen. I sit on the counter, with nothing on but his T-shirt and goofy smile, and eat my cereal. He leans across from me, taking the last bite of an apple before he throws the core in the garbage.
When he’s done, he steps between my legs. “I’m sure going to miss you today, pretty girl. What are you up to?”
“I have an engagement session to edit. Thanks to somebody, I’m a little behind. I need to play catch-up.”
He leans in for a kiss. I was expecting a quick goodbye, but the kiss heats me up. It’s disappointing that we don’t have time for another make-up session.
The sound of the front door opening breaks us apart. I hear footsteps and a suitcase rolling our way. Talon walks in and stops in the doorway to the kitchen. His black hair is sticking up all over his head, and he has dark circles under his eyes. He smirks when he sees us.
“Well, isn’t this a lovely sight to come home to? Don’t you have somewhere to be, though?” He pushes Foster aside, taking his spot between my knees. “It’s my turn with our girl now.”
“She’s not your girl again until you get on your knees and apologize,” Foster tells him.
Talon raises an eyebrow, “You did it on your knees? I can do that.”
He starts to kneel, but I grab his shirt, pulling him back up. “Not so fast. We have talking to do.”
I lean to the side to tell Foster, “I love you. Have a great day with your team.”
He leans in for another kiss, “I love you too. You have a good day with this schmuck.”
He smacks Talon on the back, then walks out of the room.
“Finally, I have you all alone. I took the earliest flight I could. I missed you, Kitten. Please don’t do that to me again. Be mad, fight, and rage at me, but don’t freeze me out.”
“I’m sorry for that. I just needed to be alone with my thoughts for a while.”
“I understand. Next time, check in occasionally so I know you’re okay.”
“Can we not do this here, with my bare ass pressed against the cold counter?”
He throws his head back, looks at the ceiling, and groans. “You’re naked underneath that shirt? Are you sure we can’t skip the talking for now?”
