Page 14

Chapter Fourteen

Kit

“You have to tell me about this kiss!” Genevieve teases, making smooching noises. My face is on fire. “Katy said the car windows were fogging up.”

“They were not fogging up!” I squeak out of a dry mouth. Not because that kiss wasn’t scorching, but because we were interrupted. I grumble. “That’s such an exaggeration.”

Taking a sip of my soda, I point at the TV. “Oh look, the game’s back on.” My sister is a massive sports fan. I know it’s the only thing that’ll stop her from asking more questions. For now.

I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about the kiss that shook my entire world yet.

“Don’t think you’re getting out of this.” She points a finger at me, a determined glint in her eye.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I chuckle. An action from the players grabs my attention. “Why are those two players lifting that guy up?”

Usually, I let Gen watch her games and don’t ask questions, but since this is Beau’s team, I’m curious.

“The ball was kicked out of bounds, so the other team executes a ‘lineout’.” She’s staring at the screen, watching every move intently while talking over her shoulder. “The players will pick up one of their teammates in a ‘lineout lift’ to catch the ball. Usually, the player throwing it makes sure to aim it at his team’s side.”

Okay, that went over my head.

But I can’t get over how rough rugby is as I'm watching. This is brutal.

How does Beau not get hurt?

They keep banging into each other. My face scrunches up whenever someone carries the ball while the other players use their weight to push the ball carrier forward or block an opponent.

“Why did they kick it out of bounds just then?”

“The other team was getting too close to the try line, so they kicked the ball out of bounds to relieve some pressure in their territory,” she spits out, waving her hand at me to be quiet.

I chuckle at her, and shake my head. We’re supposed to be watching the game so she can help me understand how rugby is played.

Genevieve is a true sports fanatic, and once there’s a game on television, she can’t focus on anything else. “Yes!” She yells and turns toward me with her hand in the air.

“What?” I furrow my brow and slap her palm with mine.

“They scored! Five points on the board. Now, Marone will attempt the conversion kick for another two points.”

I watch the angle the kicker is standing at and shake my head. There’s no way he’s making that. How could anyone make it through the uprights at that angle? Not possible.

And just like that, he does. “Wow! That was impressive.”

“The kick! I know. The angle is insane.” Gen takes a sip of her soda. “I always hold my breath a little every time they go for a conversion. But Marone is good. Really good.”

She turns her focus back to the game and then nudges me. “Hey! There’s your man. Next to the touchline in the scrum.”

“The what?” She couldn’t have just said scum. I’m pretty sure that’s not a thing.

“Scrum. I said scrum,” she rakes her hand through her hair. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“I’m driving you crazy?!” I snort. “You’re supposed to be teaching me about rugby, remember?”

“What do you think I’ve been doing?”

“Yelling out weird words I don’t understand.” Genevieve turns and glares at me, and I can’t help myself. I chuckle. And then I chortle some more. Before I know it, Gen is giggling with me.

“Yeah, I think I’ll let Beau teach you,” she snickers. “I don’t have the patience while trying to watch.”

She turns back to the screen and starts screaming. “They got another try. They got another try.” When she whirls around to me with her hand in the air, her excited expression turns pained. “You don’t know what a try is, do you?”

I pull my bottom lip in through my teeth and sheepishly shrug. “I know what the word ‘try’ means but forgot what it means in rugby.”

“Ugh,” she groans, covering her face with her hands.

“I’m sorry. Sports are your thing,” I chuckle. She turns back to the game and continues watching. I glance at the score and see the Marauders are down by two. “Except for golf. You don’t like golf, do you?”

I hear her mumble something under her breath but she doesn’t answer me. Her new client is a professional golfer and is well known. Even I’ve heard of Luke Nichols, and I don’t know anyone in sports.

Doesn’t hurt that he’s from a town close to Starhaven. Which means the locals are always keeping track of him.

He’s a bit of a celebrity, despite being a tad grumpy.

Gen, however, is not a fan.

Genevieve, who is notorious for commenting on a man’s physical appearance—and Luke is a ‘hot male model’ type—has said nothing. Not to mention, she’s avoided answering any questions I’ve asked about him.

“YES!” Genevieve screams. “They scored!” She jumps around, cheering and doing this odd dance she does. I can’t even describe it.

“Can you please stop that? You’re embarrassing yourself.”

Skipping over to me, she grabs my arms and starts swinging them around. “Embarrassing myself?”

“Oh, jeez. Can we just finish watching the game?”

Gen stops and rolls her eyes at me. “The game is over. The Marauders won in the last two minutes.”

“Oh.” I apologetically grin. “Yay! Go team.”

Genevieve cracks up, and I shrug. But then I hear Beau’s voice.

I whip my head toward the TV, and there he is, talking to one of the reporters. He’s a sweaty mess, and I think he has some blood on his face, but the sight of him makes my heart stop.

The reporter just asked him about the upcoming Play It Forward event.

“It’s going to be a blast.” His lips lift in an excited smile as he answers the question. “Just like every year. I’m so grateful to be a mentor for the organization. Working with the kids has made my life better.”

My head tilts as a grin slides across my face.

“Oh, the windows of that car were definitely fogging up.” I swat at her, but my entire face is on fire.

“The windows were not fogging up,” I admonish, a heat creeping up my neck. Gen’s laughter fills the room. “But if Katy didn’t interrupt us, they probably would’ve been.”

The sun streams through the bedroom window filling the room with a radiant glow. Feeling a bit lazy this morning, I haven’t gotten out of bed yet. When my phone buzzes, anticipation races through me, and I reach for the phone excitedly.

Beau:

Morning Beautiful.

I can’t wait to see you tonight.

My cheeks hurt from the smirk that splits my face. Since dinner at The Glowing Fork, Beau and I have been in communication every day.

And every day I fall for him a bit more.

The need to know what I said the night we got married is fading. I’m pretty certain it was every secret I kept to myself where he was concerned.

Knowing that I most likely told him I loved him has me cringing, but admitting that to him makes the most sense as to why we got married.

Did he admit that he was in love with me too?

Ugh! I wish I could remember. Shaking my head at the entire situation, my grin gets impossibly bigger.

Kit:

Me too.

When will you be back?

Beau:

I’m leaving for the airport in a little bit.

So a few hours max.

Kit:

See you at 6?

Beau:

Wouldn’t miss it. wink emoji

Throwing the covers off, I hop out of bed and skip to the bathroom. I brush my teeth and my hair, pulling it into a high ponytail. Once back in my bedroom, I slip on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, navy T-shirt.

Heading to the kitchen, I grab my purse and keys. As I run down the stairs, a crooked grin creeps on my face at the thought of my grandmother telling me I sound like an elephant. I need to stop in town for a few things I need for dinner.

I’m cooking.

A couple of minutes later, I’m walking through the sliding doors of Harris Teeter, a sly smile resting on my face. It’s not long before I hear murmurs all around me. People are staring and whispering.

I shrug at them, my lips twitching.

It’s not like they don’t have something to talk about; I just don’t have any solid answers other than Beau and I are married.

Making my way around the store, I grab what I want and a few others before I head over to Bean Me Up.

The smell of ground coffee beans and the sound of the frother bring me to another level of happiness.

“Hey, Nora. Can I get my usual?” Nora turns to me with eyes the size of saucers, and my insides lurch. I haven’t been hiding from anyone but haven’t been answering questions either.

“The last time I talked to you, you were marrying Scott,” she whispers as she rings up my order. “What the heck happened?”

“That was the plan.” I shrug and hand over the money for my coffee. Scott can tell everyone what he did, but at this point, it doesn’t matter to me anymore.

She takes the money and stares at me, expecting me to say more. My cheeks pull up, and I stay silent.

“Okay, so then how did you end up married to Beau Matthews?” she asks. I glance around the coffee shop, checking to see if the hum of conversation has stopped or if I’m imagining it.

Yup. Everyone’s eyes are on me, and I chuckle until my gaze falls on Scott. My stomach drops, and my jaw clenches. I blow out a big breath and turn back to Nora.

“Well, isn’t it normal to plan to marry one person and end up married to another?” I ask, arching a brow as Nora slides my cup across the counter. I chuckle as her mouth nearly hits the floor.

“Thanks!” When I walk toward the exit, everyone is still watching me. The surprised, curious expressions pull a full body laugh from me. “Don’t act so surprised, everyone! I swear I haven’t lost my mind. Your pets are still safe.”

Pushing the door open, I take one more glance back, beaming at them all. Just as I step out onto the sidewalk, I hear Scott’s voice, and I groan.

“Kit!” He calls. But I keep walking, pretending not to hear him. “Christy, wait!”

Taking a sip of my coffee, I continue walking. Taking in a deep breath of the smell of spring flowers blooming.

“I need to talk to you.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. My body tenses, and my skin crawls. Scott immediately takes his hand away.

I inhale deeply and slowly exhale, whirling to face him without saying a word. I take a sip of coffee and stare at him. The look he wears is the one that he would always don when he was trying to get his way.

When we were together, it was easier to let him win. But now, we’re over, and I don’t care what he wants.

“So speak,” I say after a few moments of standing there with him just staring at me. I take another sip before asking. “Do you want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

“Can’t we talk about this? I made a mistake and should’ve never left you at the altar.” I just stare at him. Any previous emotions gone. With nothing to say. “Did you hear me?” his voice cracks. “I made a mistake.”

“I heard you.” I lift my cup and take a swig. At this rate, I’m not going to even be able to enjoy my drink. “Was that all?”

Scott’s eyes narrow, and his lips purse for a moment before he catches himself. There’s the Scott I know. “You made a huge mistake marrying him. You know that, right?”

My jaw clenches, and my eyes snap open for a moment. “I did make a mistake.”

“I knew you’d come to your senses.” A big grin crosses his face, and relief fills his eyes. “You can just get a divorce, and we can go back to the way things were—”

I cackle. “No, Scott. You misunderstood me. Beau wasn’t the mistake—you were.” I poke his chest to make sure my words hit home. “You were the mistake.”

I leave him standing there with a shocked expression, sputtering. The birds chirping in the trees, and joy fills me.

As I intentionally walk away from the past I thought was my future, a sense of lightness fills my body.

I don’t turn around. The only way to move is toward the future.

Checking my phone, a warm smile spreads as I read Beau’s last text.

And that future is with Beau.