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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHEETAH

S he’s been fast asleep on my chest for hours. I’ve dozed a few times, but I haven’t allowed myself to get into a deep sleep.

Bailey is out of surgery. They think it went well. She’s asleep in the room while we sit on the chairs by her bed. The two of them actually look more alike when they’re sleeping. I guess that’s because their eyes and smiles are so different to me, but neither are visible now.

Bailey isn’t as outwardly battered as I would have thought. For some reason, I assumed her face would be bruised and swollen, but it isn’t. I guess her back and stomach sustained the brunt of the trauma.

It’s going to be a long few months, and it won’t be easy on anyone. I’m glad it’s my off-season so I’ll be around to help out. This off-season is going to be unlike any other I’ve ever experienced.

A few hours later, things are already in motion. Bailey woke up and absorbed everything that has happened to her. Kam got it together for her sister, cracking jokes and making Bailey laugh despite the horrific circumstances. Tanner even agreed to give Kam one of his guest rooms so she could be there for every minute of Bailey’s recovery. I know I need to shelve any thoughts of us moving in together. She’ll never consider it until Bailey is back to normal, though I’m happy Kam was receptive to it before all hell broke loose. I keep replaying that moment over and over in my head, wondering if she thought I was asking something else.

Their father arrived with his boyfriend, Ray. Chris broke into tears when he saw Bailey, but Kam pulled him out of the room and told him to get his shit together for Bailey’s sake.

I think the sleep did her good. She’s rejuvenated and taking charge like the badass boss she is.

She’s created a big group chat with all our extended friends letting them know in no uncertain terms that she wants things light and normal around Bailey. She also suggested a schedule for keeping Bailey company so she’s never alone. I wonder if she realizes that she’s a caregiver by nature.

With Bailey settled and Chris in tow, I get Kam to agree to let me take her home to shower and change clothes. Once there, she pulls me into the shower with her. It’s like she needs me touching every inch of her and can’t get enough. I’m happy to give it to her.

Once out, we sit on her bed. I swore I’d never go near this damn bed again, but I tentatively sit. She notices and cracks a smile. “Don’t worry. It won’t break.”

I lift an eyebrow. “I know for a fact it can.”

She lets out a laugh. “God, I love that story.” Her face turns serious. “It’s going to be a hard few months. If you want to bail, I understand.”

I shake my head. “For better or worse, right?”

“We’re not married. You can jet due to the worse whenever you want. That’s the benefit of not being married.”

It occurs to me that I haven’t proposed today. With my towel wrapped around my waist, I quickly drop to one knee. “Louise would never leave Thelma in her time of need. In fact, that was literally the whole plotline of the movie. For better or worse, will you marry me?”

She usually sighs or rolls her eyes when I do my daily proposals, but this time her eyes fill with tears. “Not like this, but thanks for asking.”

THREE WEEKS LATER

KAMRYN

I shove his arm. “Get out, Tanner. She doesn’t want your help, you fucking hairy gorilla.”

He elbows me out of the way. “I’m stronger than you. She needs to be carried in and out of the shower. It should be me .”

I’m at the end of my rope with this man. I grit out, “I will take care of my own sister. Sans the nine minutes she existed in this world without me, I’ve been doing it her whole life. I don’t need you. She doesn’t need you. We don’t need you. Get. The. Fuck. Out.”

After two long weeks at the hospital, with me sleeping on the most uncomfortable chair in existence, we’re at Tanner’s house. We’ve only been here for a week, and it’s already feeling claustrophobic…and this place is about ten thousand square feet.

In fairness to Tanner, his gym has been totally transformed into a rehab facility that likely rivals the top ones in the world. I’ll never admit this to him, but I’m grateful for what he’s doing for her. She’d be miserable at a hospital. Being surrounded by loved ones in a home is much better for her mental well-being as she faces this unimaginable uphill battle.

At first, I thought he did this out of guilt for the accident, but I’ve been watching him with my sister. He’s in love with her. I have no idea what that means with him not wanting to get married again and having had a vasectomy, but he loves her. That much is clear to me.

She loves him too but has been keeping him at arm’s length, which is driving him nuts. I’m enjoying watching him squirm like a teenage boy around her though. My new favorite hobby is making him feel insecure.

He was originally hanging around her all day, every day. However, because her intensive physical therapy is in the morning and with Arizona, Ripley, and I never missing a session, Bailey basically kicked Tanner out of his own house. She told him he had to go to his office at least in the mornings every day. He wasn’t happy about it, but he now respects her wishes and just about everything else she asks for.

She has occupational therapy and sometimes meets with a psychologist in the afternoons. It’s amazing how much it all exhausts her, but she’s working her ass off. She seems to progress a little every single day.

Showering is the worst time of day for her. She despises how much she has to depend on us for help. She especially loathes the fact that she has to sit in an old-lady shower chair. I think it symbolizes her inability to do something as fundamental and simple as bathing without assistance from someone else.

Tanner crosses his arms. “ She does need me. I’m not leaving. ”

Bailey starts crying. “Stop it! Both of you! I can’t take the constant bickering. Tanner, wait outside. I want my sister.”

I wave at him as I smile in satisfaction. “Bye. Have a good night. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “I’ll be right outside the door waiting. Let me know if I’m needed.”

I happily shut the bathroom door in his face and turn back to my sister sitting in her wheelchair. “He’s such a dick.”

She leans her head back. “Please stop fighting with him. I can’t take it anymore.” Her eyes fill with tears again. “This is hard enough for me, Kam. I hate being dependent on you guys.”

“I get that, but I also know you want me to help with bathing more than any other thing.”

We don’t need to say the reasons out loud for us both to understand the reasoning. She’s got a big puffy wound on her back from the spinal surgery, another smaller one in the front from her ovary removal, and she’s still a little bloated from all the meds she was on while in the hospital. She doesn’t want him to see her body like this. I get it.

She simply nods.

I undress her and help her get situated in the shower. She doesn’t like me to wash her hair though. She insists on doing that herself. As I wait just outside the stall, I text Cheetah.

Me: Can you come over? He’s driving me nuts. Orgasm therapy from Dr. Gonzales is best for me right now.

I need him tonight.

Kitten: I’m here. I’m in the living room with Harper trying to distract her from the sounds of you and Tanner arguing.

A giant sense of relief washes over me. How did I get so dependent on him for my mental health?

Me: Great. I’m showering her now. I’ll be out when she’s in bed.

I see three dots on the screen, but before he sends anything, I text,

Me: No, you can’t watch.

Kitten: LOL. Busted. You know me well.

After getting her ready and then into bed, I quietly make my way to the living room, hoping to not run into Tanner. This mega mansion isn’t big enough for the two of us.

I can’t help but smile as I approach the living room. Cheetah has built a giant fort. I can hear him and Harper whispering in there.

Harper asks, “Uncle Cheetah, why are you suddenly here all the time?”

He replies, “Because of Kam. I love her.”

“Why do you love her?”

“Because she makes me laugh. Oh, and because she’s the smartest person I know. Don’t tell your dad I said that.”

Harper giggles. “Daddy’s smart. He always knows my words of the day. Now that Kam lives here, she teaches me new words every day too, but she said I can’t tell my daddy about them.”

I bite back my smile. I’ll admit that I truly enjoy my time with Harper. She’s an articulate, smart, inquisitive little kid. I’ve never liked kids, but I’ve also never met one like her. She crawls into my bed when Bailey’s asleep. In my new life’s quest to fuck with Tanner, I’m teaching Harper as many offbeat, yet not dirty, words as I can think of.

I hear Cheetah chuckle. “Oh really? Tell me what word she taught you today.”

“Do you promise not to tell my daddy?”

“I pinkie promise. ”

“Today’s word was simp. It means a boy that is pathetically desperate for the attention of a woman.”

Cheetah lets out a loud laugh. “That sounds like a Kam word.”

“Do you think Kam is pretty?”

“The second prettiest girl in the world.”

“Who’s the prettiest?”

“You, of course.”

I subtly peek into the fort opening and see Harper grinning. As I pull my head out, Fallon appears. She whispers, “It’s past her bedtime, but it’s too cute to interrupt.”

I’ve spent the better part of the past three weeks with Fallon. I really like her. She’s funny in both a straight-shooter and a self-deprecating kind of way. She’s been amazing with Bailey. I suppose Bailey has always said that they get along well, but I didn’t realize they had become close friends. They genuinely like each other. It’s so weird to me, considering Bailey was banging Fallon’s ex-husband, but if Fallon doesn’t care, neither do I. As long as she’s good to Bailey, I’m good with her.

I nod before whispering. “They’re having a heart-to-heart.”

We hear Harper’s voice. “Uncle Cheetah?”

“Yes?”

“You’re my favorite uncle. But you can’t tell Uncle Layton.”

He gasps. “Oh my god.” He pretends to cry. “This is the best day of my life.”

Fallon and I both silently laugh before I crouch down and crawl into the fort with them. “Can I join this party?”

Fallon bends down and sticks her face in. “It’s your bedtime anyway, kiddo.”

Harper’s face falls. “Already?”

Fallon nods. “Yep. Sorry. Let’s go brush your teeth. What’s left of them.”

Harper is missing a few teeth. It’s kind of cute.

Before she exits the fort, Cheetah loudly mumbles, “Don’t tell your mom about the Skittles I gave you.” I’ve learned in my short time here that Harper is a Skittles addict.

Harper’s eyes widen. “Shh. Snitches wind up in ditches.”

I silently laugh as Fallon playfully narrows her eyes at me. I taught Harper that last week. The kid is a damn sponge. Just wait until they find out how good she’s gotten at poker. And yesterday’s Kam word of the day was hustle. Contextually, she learned that hustling involves hiding your skills in poker to lure someone into wagering more money. I can’t wait for Tanner to see the fruits of my labor.

Fallon and Harper disappear while I rest my head on Cheetah’s chest. He pulls out a bag of dark chocolate peanut butter cups.

I grab them. “You’re a godsend.”

“It’s a bribe.”

As I dig into my first peanut butter cup, I ask, “What are you bribing me to do?”

“To marry me, of course. How ’bout it?”

I smile as I roll my eyes. “Not today. Maybe tomorrow.”

“One of these days—”

I blurt out, “I can’t ever marry you because you want kids. You might say you don’t care, but I know you do. Look at how you are with Harper.”

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past three weeks thinking about the fact that I almost accepted his proposal just before the accident. I was obviously caught up in the wedding atmosphere. I didn’t mean it.

I feel him stiffen. “Don’t tell me what I want. I’m sick of people doing that. It’s been happening my whole life. I’m not saying I need to have kids, but why are you dead set against it? You’re very good with Harper too. She worships you.”

“She’s a unicorn.” I rub my fingers over his chin as my face falls serious. “Cruz, I don’t see myself as a mother. I never have. Crazy Aunt Kam will be my title one day. That’s it. ”

His face turns serious too. “Then I can be Crazy Uncle Cheetah.”

“I don’t know if I believe that will be enough for you.” I blow out a breath as I look up. “I want to be unselfish and tell you to go find some child-bearing woman, but I can’t right now. I need you too much. You’re my happy place.”

He squeezes me tightly. “You’re mine too. How was Bails today? Sorry I wasn’t here at all. We had a few mandatory team meetings and then a team workout.”

“Inch by inch, we’re getting there. I know she wishes it was faster, but she’s a hard worker.” I sigh. “I need to work out too. I’ve never gone this long without breaking a sweat.”

“You can bounce on top of me right now. Sweat away.”

I giggle before looking around. “I’ve missed your forts. Too bad it’s not a nudist fort.”

He wiggles his eyebrows. “We can make it one.”

Tanner yells out from somewhere nearby, “You better not.”

This fucking guy is driving me nuts.

I smile into the camera on my computer. “Thank you, Dr. Pearl.”

“You’re a good sister, Kamryn. Make sure to carve out time for yourself. You’ll go mad if you don’t.”

I nod. “I’ll try.” I hear a knock at my door and know it’s time to shut down. “Have a good day, Dr. Pearl.”

“You too.”

I close my computer screen, unlock my door, and open it to see Fallon. She pokes her head in my room. “Who were you talking to?”

“My therapist. No one but Cheetah knows that I see her, so keep it under wraps.”

“I will. Does it help?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. I started earlier this year to help me overcome my boatload of issues. Every session, I feel a little less fucked up. Maybe one day I’ll get to the point where I’m only slightly fucked up. Unfortunately, some issues never truly leave you.”

“Like what?”

“Like how much I hate your ex-husband.”

She lets out a laugh as she holds up a folder. “Nice deflection. Speaking of him, he left this for you. He said you need to sign all the cancellations of your endorsement deals. You don’t have to miss them all. I’m here for her.”

I shake my head. “I’m not leaving my sister anytime soon. Plus, there’s the added perk of Tanner not getting his agent fees.” I smile.

She lets out a laugh. “You two are oil and water.”

“That’s because he’s jerked my sister around for a long time. Speaking of which, is she awake?”

She naps nearly every afternoon. I think it’s part exhaustion and part depression, though she perks up when Harper gets home from school. Harper has been amazing. She plays board games with Bailey every single day before dinner.

Fallon shakes her head. “Nope. I’m bored. Harper won’t be home for a bit. Can I interest you in a glass of wine?” She wiggles her eyebrows up and down. “We can steal one of Tanner’s expensive bottles.”

“Now you’re talking my language. Let’s do it.”

An hour later, we’re giggling as we polish off the last of the bottle. She sighs. “This was nice.” She looks around. “It’s weird living in this house.”

“Is this where you and Tanner lived when you were married?”

She shakes her head. “No, we lived in New York City. That’s where Tanner built his company. When we got divorced, I wanted to move to Philly. This is where I grew up. My parents still live here. I was a mess for a long time and needed to come home. Sometimes a girl needs her mom.” She winces. “Sorry, I know yours passed last year.”

“It’s cool. I hadn’t spoken to her in a decade. I most definitely didn’t need her, but I understand needing family. That’s how I feel about my sister. Sometimes I just need her to calm the voices in my head. How come Tanner didn’t stay in New York? He couldn’t have been happy to move his business. He must have fought you tooth and nail.”

She leans back in her chair and tilts her head to the side. “He’s not the monster you think he is. He didn’t fight me at all.”

“Divorce guilt?”

“The events leading up to the divorce were my fault, not his. He didn’t fight because he knew it was best for Harper. He’s a good man, Kamryn. He’s not so bad when you get past the gruff exterior of his like your sister has. We both know he’s in love with her. You should probably learn to get along. I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”

I shake my head. “He can’t give her what she deserves.”

She gives me a knowing smile. “Maybe he’ll change for her.”

“Have you ever read the book on how to change a man?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“It’s nine hundred blank pages. You can’t change a man.”

She smiles. “Can women change?”

“We…adapt.”

She lets out a laugh. “We’ll see. I have a feeling about them though.”

“It doesn’t bother you? You’re practically rooting for it.”

She shrugs. “Tanner and I are never getting back together. If you could pick a stepmom for your child, could you do better than Bailey Hart?”

I shake my head. “Nope. There’s no better person on this planet.”

She nods. “Exactly.”

“What about you, Fallon? Do you date? You’re fucking hot.”

She shakes her head. I half-jokingly hit on her all the time. “I was a little damaged by the end of my marriage. It’s taken me time to get back out into the dating pool.”

“Tell me how it ended.”

“Tell me what you discuss with your therapist,” she challenges.

My lips curl in amusement. “Point taken.”

“To answer your question, I haven’t dated much, but for the first time since my divorce, I met someone who interests me. We’re not dating, but I’m finally letting myself be attracted to someone. My life is on pause right now, and I would never ask him to wait. If he’s still available, we’ll see what happens in a few months when Bailey doesn’t need me anymore.”

“You’re a little mysterious, Fallon.”

She winks.

The front door opens, and Harper and Tanner both walk inside.

He raises an eyebrow while examining our empty bottle. “Help yourselves, ladies. Two-thousand-dollar one-of-a-kind bottles grow on trees.”

My chin practically drops to the floor. I had no idea. Fallon simply smirks. She knew.

She shrugs her shoulders. “I took a hiatus from a job I love and put my life on hold because you asked.” She bats her eyelashes. “It’s the least you can do for me. And I’m sure you love nothing more than spoiling Kamryn.”

She and I both try to bite back our smiles.

He sighs. “How’s our girl?”

Fallon answers, “She had a good morning. She’s putting more weight on her legs every day. We’re getting there.”

Harper throws her backpack on the kitchen counter and falls into Fallon’s body.

Fallon wraps her in her arms and kisses her head. “How was your day, baby?”

Harper shrugs. “That girl Laura was being mean to Andie again.” Harper looks at me, “But I told Andie to just smitch at her like you said to, Kam.”

Fallon pinches her eyebrows together. “What does smitch mean? Is it one of your morning words?”

Harper and I smile at each other as Harper answers, “No, it’s one of the words Kam taught me.” She looks around nervously. “Can I say a bad word?”

Fallon skeptically nods before Harper continues, “Smitching is smiling at a bitch without killing her. Kam said I should smitch at Laura. That it will annoy her more than getting a reaction from us.”

Tanner groans in annoyance. “Kamryn! Stop teaching my kid fake words.”

I start laughing. “It’s not fake.” I wiggle my eyebrows at Harper. “Right, girlfriend?”

She nods enthusiastically. “It’s a real thing, Dad. Laura was so upset about it that she threw something and got a detention. It worked.”

His face turns all red. Damn, I take joy in fucking with him.