Page 6 of Catching Our Moment

Shaw

Her face was red from the effort of channeling indignation over any other emotion.

God damn that man all to hell.

I stuffed my hands in my jeans pockets and didn’t immediately reach for her. My instinct was to wrap her in a bear hug and comfort her. Before, I would’ve been the one she ran to, but not now.

Now, I was powerless to help. It was another figurative kick in the ass.

When she’d stomped off toward the bar and the exit, Grace stood to go after her.

“I’ve got her,” I said, taking a deep breath and wondering if those would be my last words. Taking on a few three-hundred-pound linemen sounded more enticing than dealing with Kelcie right now.

Kelce was a woman of average height, but she seemed tiny next to my unusually tall frame.

She had an inherent athletic build from years of sports, which had given way to some attractive curves, whether from maturity or from having Aaron.

She wore her chestnut-brown hair in a high ponytail—a carryover from her youth.

It had been fun to yank on when we were teenagers.

After initially attempting to inhale her wine, I rubbed her back as I held up my hand to Nick. He stepped away. “Kelce, honey.”

Her hand went up. She cleared her throat, stepped away from my touch, and faced me, staring at my chest instead of looking up at me.

“Shaw, I appreciate that you took time out of your busy schedule to come all the way back to town. I know Wyatt probably told you I was despondent and needed you, but as you can see, I’m fine.

” She held out her arms, still not making eye contact.

“Kelce, it’s not like that?—”

A notification buzzed on her phone and grabbed her attention. She shifted and closed her eyes. “Seriously.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “This wasn’t a surprise. It wasn’t as if we married for love. We married because of Aaron.”

“It doesn’t matter. Promises were made.”

“Having a child takes a lot of wind out of a marriage.”

“Kelcie, stop.” I held up a hand.

“And it wasn’t like we had a strong marriage to begin with…”

“He was wrong to?—”

She turned around, finished what was left in her wine glass, and began to text someone. She said under her breath, “Yeah, well. I wasn’t exactly easy to live with?—”

“That’s it.” I knowingly let her make the mistake of marrying him years ago under the assumption that this was the best thing for everyone. Now, I was hearing about the way her life really was and how she accepted his cheating as inevitable. No.

Once she finished her text, I asked, “Is everything okay with Aaron?”

Bemused, she said, “Yeah. This isn’t about him. Don’t worry about it. I just need to take care of something that is time-sensitive.”

“Are you done?”

“For now.”

I grasped her hand and began pulling her toward the back. As we passed Grace, I slid Kelcie’s phone from her hand and passed it to Grace.

“Hey! I need that,” she protested. “I’m expecting a call!”

“Grace, watch her phone. We’ll be outside,” I said over my shoulder.

She grabbed the door frame before we made it through and called out, “Grace, if it rings, answer it and bring it to me, no matter what.”

“Come with me.” During the summer, a small patio was set up outside with string lights and picnic tables. Luckily, it was pretty empty, and I found a quiet corner where I could turn my back for some privacy. She needed to hear what I had to say, and I didn’t want to compete with bar noise.

She pulled out of my arm. “Will you please stop manhandling me? I’m fine.”

I put my hands up in defense. “Fine. You’re fine.”

“Yes, I am. This isn’t a big deal.” She walked past me and over to lean against the table, crossing her arms over her chest. “Aren’t you supposed to be in LA or something?”

Staring up at the heavens, I prayed for patience, trying to remember how to deal with obstinate Kelcie. I was a little out of practice. I narrowed my eyes, mimicked her words, and growled, “I’m fine.”

“You’re impossible,” she said, but the fight had left her tone. She punctuated her words with a slap on my shoulder, and we were back on solid ground.

I stepped toward her. “I didn’t come here to upset you.” She stiffened, and I stopped. “I didn’t come here because I thought you were breaking down.” She tilted her head up to prove she was made of stronger stuff.

I slipped my hands in my pockets and rocked back on my heels.

“I came here because you were—are—my friend. No matter how much time has gone by or how things were left, you’re important to me, and I wanted to see you with my own eyes.

I needed to see—” I bent my head to stare down at her. “I wanted to see you , okay?”

She studied me, not giving away anything.

“And if there was a possibility of James’s ass being handed to him, literally or figuratively—whether it’s done by you, me, Wyatt, or a combination of all of us—I didn’t want to miss it.”

“Shaw—”

I quirked one side of my lips. “I’m kidding.” I stepped into her space, slowly putting my hand on her shoulder, pulling ever so slightly to see if she would take the cue and move closer to me. It was a dance we used to do with each other.

One of us would be angry, vent to each other about what angered us, or rage against the universe to blow off steam. The other would listen to a point and then tell them to move on. It always ended with a hug.

I was testing the waters to see if this Kelcie would fall into the end step of our dance and let me hold her.

My fingertips rested on her shoulder, and my other hand tipped up her head to meet my eyes.

She was still as beautiful as ever. The years had transformed her from pretty and adorable to beautiful and enchanting.

The cool air of the night brushing against our skin, with minimal light casting shadows all around, made it almost feel surreal to be standing there in front of her.

I leaned close and whispered to her, “Regardless, I’m here. We’re all here. So, stop being a schmuck, and appreciate the effort.”

She swatted my hand away and gave a half-hearted shove to my midsection, and I caught her fighting a smile. Her touch was familiar and something I missed more than I’d realized. “I appreciate it, alright?”

My finger gently coaxed a wayward strand of hair that danced around her face to behind her ear. My focus darted between her smile and her captivating eyes, seeing that resilience and a glimpse of who she used to be, knowing that my Kelcie was still in there… She’d be okay.

“Just you wait. This will be a whole new beginning for you and Aaron.”

She forced a positive tone. “God, I hope you’re right. Because I need something new in my life.”

I wrapped her in my arms, and she let me. I don’t know how long we stood there, me rubbing her back, my chin on her head, her head on my chest, arms unable to wrap around me.

“You didn’t need to come,” she said against my shirt. “After everything, I wouldn’t have expected?—”

“Shhh. We aren’t going to talk about that right now,” I said.

All that was important was having her back in my life—to fill the void of the friendship I’d lost and could never get over.

She had been in an impossible situation.

So what if I didn’t agree with her decision?

I wouldn’t throw her aside for it. I was a bigger man than that.

She kept squeezing my middle and letting go, and then she said, “Jesus Christ, Shaw, what the hell have you been eating? You’re as big as a house. I can hardly get my arms around you.”

Yep. She hadn’t changed that much.

I leaned back. “They literally pay me to be this size.”

“Yeah, I know. Obviously. But my God." She broke the hold, stepping back.

“Do you live off those protein shakes you advertise? Personally, I think they taste like crap.” Even though I was happy that her mood had changed, and she was back to teasing me, I missed holding her.

Not knowing what to do with my hands, I shoved them back in my pockets and leaned against the table she sat on.

“Are you in the habit of tasting crap?”

“No, but do you really eat the things you promote? Or just cash the checks?”

I shrugged. “They are really big checks.”

“Seriously? You’ve become that guy?”

“You’ve been keeping an eye on me, Kelce?”

That got her tongue to stop wagging. She closed her mouth and shrugged. “I’m just making conversation. It’s kind of an awkward moment.”

“Uh-huh…” I couldn’t hold back my smile. “You’ve been watching me.”

“Aaron follows football quite religiously.” She winced. “He’s a Baltimore fan.”

I shot to my feet. Blasphemy! Baltimore was a huge rival for Charlotte. “What? Why? Why would you let that happen?”

She stared at her shoes, glanced up, and winced.

“James,” I answered for her. Of course. “Okay.” I clapped my hands. “Well, that’s unacceptable. We’ll have to fix that—whatever it takes, Kelcie. And I don’t care how much it angers your ex. If you won’t let me maim James, at least let me make Aaron a Carolina fan. I can’t get arrested for that.

She tilted her head back to me, her eyes brightened, and her smile grew. It was a shot of sunshine peeking through the gloom. James hadn’t silenced her or dimmed her light completely. She was in there, that mischievous, determined, strong-willed girl who’d always led the charge.

I made her smile. I could still make her smile.

Mirroring my stance, she shoved her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels, making me wonder who originally had that habit and who’d picked it up from the other.

“Well,” she said, her entire demeanor lightening, “I believe that is one revenge plot I can get behind.”

Grace’s head popped out of the back door. “Hey, sorry, guys, but…” She hesitated, grimacing to Shaw. She held Kelce’s phone. “Um, the police are at your house, Kelcie.”

The blaring noise from the speaker had us both on our feet with athletic speed. “What the hell?” I said.

Kelcie’s lips were tilted to one side in a knowing smile. “This”—she walked around me, gesturing for the phone—“is why I kept telling y’all I had things under control.”

“What is going on?” Grace asked, hesitantly handing her the phone.

Kelcie ignored us and hit the speaker. “This is Mrs. Byron.”

“Yes, ma’am. This is Officer Wills of Alexandria Police,” a no-nonsense female voice sounded. “We were called to your residence this evening after a security alarm was set off. A gentleman claiming to be your husband entered the house without the proper code, setting off the alarm.”

“I am her husband. If you let me go to my goddamn car, I can get my identification.”

“Sir, I’m speaking to your wife now,” Officer Wills sternly said to James.

Returning to the phone, she said, “Sorry, ma’am.

I must commend you—this home security alarm is impressive.

It seems to have woken half the neighborhood.

In fact, most of your neighbors are outside with their cell phones catching the drama.

Also, having the sprinkler system turned on the door was a nice touch. ”

Kelcie’s smile was positively devilish. “Officer Wills, was anyone with my husband?”

“Excuse me?” the officer said.

“Was my husband alone?”

The officer chuckled and lowered her voice slightly. “There are reports of a woman fleeing the scene and running barefoot through the yards.”

James swore obscenities in the background.

“I see,” Kelcie said.

“There was mention of uploading footage to YouTube. I’m sure you can Google it,” the officer said conspiratorially.

“What about all the shit she took?” James shouted.

“I’m getting to that,” Officer Wills said. “Mrs. Byron, do you know anyone who would’ve burglarized your house? There wasn’t any sign of forced entry, but Mr. Byron claims the place was cleaned out.”

“I can’t find the CrockPot! Where is the VitaMix? Why don’t you ask her about that? And the towel warmer!” James shouted.

The officer let out an audible sigh. “Mrs. Byron, do you know?—”

“They are still in the house. I haven’t taken a thing, as per our agreement.

He, on the other hand, agreed not to come over this weekend and swipe things behind my back,” she said, her teeth clenched.

“Obviously, things aren’t going to be amicable.

I apologize, Officer. We will handle this as a private matter.

The objects in question are locked in the basement.

The code is the date of our first date. If he can remember it, he can access it. ”

“Oh, good one,” the officer whispered.

“May I speak to him, please?” She stared at her feet as she pushed a few rocks around with the toe of her shoe.

“You are such a jealous bitch.”

I lunged for the phone, and Kelcie dodged me better than a wide receiver, glaring at me like a mother would a naughty child.

“No, I’m just not as stupid as you were hoping I’d be,” Kelcie said. “You chose the field, and you set the rules. Don’t get your panties in a twist when you can’t play the game.”

“This isn’t a game. That’s my stuff.”

“It’s our stuff—thirteen years of it. As we agreed, we will sit and sort it out like grown adults. Now stop trying to screw me and work on screwing your girlfriend.”

“Vindictive bitch?—”

“Whatever.” Her voice was tired and bored. She punched the end button, crossed her arms over her chest, then fell onto a bench, her feet outstretched, and sighed deeply.

Grace, Aliya, and even Nick stood with me in silence, wide-eyed.

“What?” she asked. “Did you think I would walk out of that house assuming that he’d play fair?” She focused on me and repeated, “I told you I was fine.”