Page 58 of False Start

“You got married pretty quickly,” Kyle guessed. “You must have really fallen for him.”

I snorted. “Getting married was not my idea. But, I got pregnant, and Marshall is old school, so…”

I didn’t dare look at Kyle. I didn’t want to see his reaction to that.

I yawned again, covering it with the back of my wrist before I shook my head. “I’m not being fair, I guess. I really did fall hard for him.” I paused. “It’s just that now, I realize I fell for who he was making me believe he was, not who he actually is.” I sniffed. “Hard to find anything kind to say about a man who…”

I sucked in a breath, not able to finish the sentence.

And when I let that breath out, Kyle was beside me, his large frame sinking into the mattress and making me lean into him a bit without meaning to.

He covered my hand with his, squeezing it.

And I knew from that alone that I didn’t need to say another word.

He understood.

Anotheryawn found me, and I laughed a little, eyes watering as I shook it off. “Sorry.”

“You should take a nap,” Kyle said on a smile.

“No, no. We need to go meet up with your friends. I’ll just splash some cold water on my face. I—”

I tried to stand, but Kyle grabbed me by the hips and pulled me back down onto the bed.

He let go of me as soon as I was sitting, but I felt the imprint of his hands on my skin like he’d branded me.

“Look at me,” he said, and when my eyes slowly trailed up to meet his, he grinned in a way that made me feel like a teenage girl with a crush again. “I’m going to get out of here so you can have some quiet. Call your mom, check in on Sebastian, and then take a nap.”

“But—”

“I’ll have some tea sent up around five, that’s plenty of time for you to shower and get ready for the night. You still like Earl Grey? Honey and milk?”

My lips parted.

He remembered the kind of tea I loved?

He smiled a little when I didn’t respond, and then his hand reached forward, tucking my hair behind one ear. “When’s the last time you took a nap?”

I finally closed my lips on a swallow, then shook my head. “I can’t even remember.”

“See?” He held up his hands and splayed them wide over the room. “Look at this. You’re in a fancy hotel room with thisginormousbed all to yourself for a couple hours. Take a fucking nap, Mads. You deserve it.”

My eyes stung, and I blinked several times to keep them from watering. “What about you?”

“I have five rowdy teammates downstairs to keep me occupied,” he said, standing and moving to the window.

He pushed a button and the blackout curtains slowly lowered, instantly making the room dark, save for the lights we’dturned on. He put those out one by one, until only the lamp on one of the bedside tables was lit.

“I’ll be back around six,” he said, grabbing his wallet and a hotel key from the table. He tucked them both into his pocket before walking over to me again. “Take a nap. Take a shower, or hell, a bath — did you see that tub in there?” He grinned. “Drink your tea, enjoy some peace and quiet, and then you can face my crazy friends for a night.”

He laughed with the joke, but I couldn’t even smile in response.

My chest felt like it was going to explode.

He was taking care of me.

He was giving me something I hadn’t had in years — alone time, without pressure to take care of Sebastian or the house or work.