Page 18

Chapter eighteen

Evie

I can’t stop stealing glances at Rhett as we walk down the paved path that goes around the perimeter of Stanley Park, Ruthie zigzagging in front of us, sniffing at absolutely everything.

When we eventually got out of bed, and there was no word from Kai, Rhett asked about going for a walk. I said yes without thinking about how it might feel to do something so normal after he flipped my world upside down over the course of a couple of hours this morning.

There’s a lingering ache between my legs. A pleasant one, but the beard burn on the inside of my thighs isn’t loving the feel of my Lycra shorts as much. Small price to pay, I suppose.

My hand bumps Rhett’s for the third time. “Sorry,” I say quietly, shifting slightly over to the other side.

When he abruptly stops, it catches me by surprise. I turn, eyebrows raised. “Everything okay?”

“That depends. Are you gonna apologize every time you touch me? Seems a bit much, seein’ as I saw you naked not that long ago.”

I quickly close the distance between us, my gaze darting around to make sure no one is in hearing range. “Rhett! You can’t talk like that. What if someone hears you?”

“Why would that matter?”

I stare at him. He’s a smart guy, surely he’s not this obtuse. “All it takes is one person posting on their social media about seeing Rhett Darlington with a woman and talking about seeing her naked, and then…” I trail off. The rest doesn’t need to be said.

Remorse flashes over his face. “Sorry, honey. I didn’t think it through. I just wanted you to know, if you want to hold my hand, I won’t complain.”

Oh my heart.

No! Stop it, heart. We can’t do that.

“We can’t,” I say gently. “Remember the whole secret thing?”

He grimaces but nods. “Yeah. I do. C’mon, let’s keep going.”

We continue walking with a touch more space between us now. I’ve never hated a couple of inches so much.

“You and your brother have both mentioned your asthma a time or two,” he starts, looking over at me. “Is there anything I should know? Exercise restrictions?” He smirks, and even though I’m the one who just said we need to be careful, I nudge him with my shoulder.

“No, it’s not that kind of asthma. Exercise is fine.”

“Good. So, no worries about rapid heart rate or heavy breathing.”

“Oh my God, stop.” I laugh. But I’m grateful for the ease of the weird tension I’d managed to put between us. “It’s when I get sick. My lungs can’t handle viruses well, so those tend to result in a flare-up. Not always, but sometimes. I’ve got it under control now, though.”

He nods in understanding. “Must’ve been scary when you were a kid.”

“You have no idea. I still feel so much guilt for the stress my family went through trying to keep me healthy and out of the hospital. I know that’s why Kai can be so protective, heck, my entire family sometimes treats me with kid gloves. They can’t seem to trust that I’m capable of taking care of my own health now.”

“They love you, there’s no need to feel guilty for that.” His hand brushes mine this time, his pinky hooking around mine for just the briefest of seconds.

I think back to all of Kai’s baseball games that one of my parents had to miss because of me, or Josephine’s piano recitals. All of the days my parents had to stay home from work because I couldn’t go to school. It was a lot. I know it was. That’s the only reason I don’t get more upset with them when they hover, even now.

“I remember one time I was visiting, it might have been the second or third time Yami brought me home. You had been sick, but he didn’t tell me how bad it was. We walked in the door, and he beelined over to the couch in the living room and hugged you for so long. All I could think was how lucky you were to have siblings who loved you like that.”

Even though he says the words in an even, warm tone, I can detect a thread of longing. “You were an only child, right?”

Rhett nods. “Yeah, my mom struggled to get pregnant with me, so they decided to stop trying after that.” A sad smile crests his lips. “Sometimes I’d wish for siblings, but looking back, I know my relationship with my mom wouldn’t be as special as it is, if it hadn’t been just me and her.”

“How old were you when your dad died?”

“Fourteen. Old enough to know and miss him, young enough not to realize how precious my time with him was. Especially after he got his diagnosis.” He lets out a pained laugh, and impulsively, I grab his hand, squeezing it tightly with my own. “There were so many times I chose to go to the field and mess around with my friends instead of staying home with him. I’d give anything to get those moments back.”

We walk hand in hand for a couple of minutes before two joggers round the corner in front of us. Rhett drops my hand and takes a small step to the side, nodding at them as they pass us. We come upon a large tree that backs onto an empty field, and out of nowhere, he takes hold of my forearm and tugs me around it.

The next thing I know, my back is pressed into the knobbly bark of the tree, and his warm lips are pressing into mine. The kiss is over all too quickly, and then he’s backing away. But those eyes. Those deep brown liquid pools are staring into mine so intently.

I wait for him to say something. To explain why he just did that. Then again, does it need an explanation? Apparently not, as Rhett simply tilts his head in the direction of the path, and we continue walking.

Only now, when our fingers brush together, we don’t pull back right away. And those tiny touches are like little sparks. Not strong enough to catch into a flame, but enough to give me a tiny jolt every time .

By the time we make it back to Rhett’s truck, it’s late afternoon and the park is busy, full of tourists and locals all out exploring. It’s a bit of a miracle we weren’t stopped by anyone recognizing Rhett, to be honest.

“Should we teach this little lady how to play fetch?” Rhett asks, gesturing to the field near where we parked, only a couple of people sitting on a picnic blanket at one end.

“I didn’t bring a ball,” I say with a frown. “Otherwise, I’d say yes.”

“Honey. I’m a baseball player. You think I go anywhere without a couple of balls?” Rhett winks, and then reaches into the back seat of his truck and pulls out a tennis ball.

I give him a delighted smile as Ruthie barks and lifts up on her hind legs to try and sniff the new toy. “Perfect.”

Taking out the extra long leash I bought for training her recall, I switch her regular one out, and we move onto the grass. Rhett tosses it close to her the first few times, crouching down to cajole her back to him when she picks it up.

“She’s a quick learner,” I comment after she bounds back to him for the third time.

“She certainly is, let’s try a longer throw.” Rhett lobs the ball a little bit farther, and off she goes. “I knew she’d be a ball player.” He winks at me, and Ruthie comes running back.

“Let me try.” I move to his side, handing him the leash as I take the slobbery ball. “Ew, girl, this is gross.”

Rhett chuckles. “We should get one of those long-handled throwing things for your princess hands.”

“I do not have princess hands, I just don’t love slimy wet balls,” I say, pretending to be affronted .

He arches his brow at me, and after a second, I realize what I said. We both burst out laughing as Ruthie dances around our feet, barking for the ball to be thrown again.

“Okay, okay, patience, pup,” I admonish after finally getting myself under control. I lean back and throw the ball, only to have it hit the ground way off to the side and roll to a stop in front of a runner.

A familiar runner.

“I see your aim still hasn’t improved, Gigi,” my brother calls out as he jogs over to us. “It’s offensive to my pitcher soul that you still can’t throw in a straight line.”

Rhett, the traitor, laughs at my brother’s not-so-funny statement. “Maybe I was trying to throw it over there to challenge her.”

“Were you, though?” Kai teases. He tosses the ball effortlessly, and Ruthie runs after it. “This is mighty domestic looking, even for you, Darling.”

Rhett makes a choking sound as I duck down to get the ball from my dog, trying to fight back a blush.

“I’m surprised you left your apartment. What time did you get home last night?”

“Listen. Not all of us are old men who need to go to bed before midnight,” Kai fires back.

“Anyway, we should get going,” I interrupt their banter, taking Ruthie’s leash from Rhett and tugging her toward the truck. “Don’t you have to pack, Rhett?” I give him a look that I hope he can interpret.

“Right, yes. I should do that,” he says before reaching out and pulling Kai in for a man-hug. “See you tomorrow, Yami. ”

After I load Ruthie in the truck, I go and give my brother a quick hug of my own. “Good luck, Kai.”

“See ya, Gigi. But seriously, we need to work on your arm.” He rubs his knuckles over the top of my head like the obnoxious older brother he can be sometimes, and I scowl at him.

“You’re annoying.”

“And you love me.” He smiles triumphantly.

I roll my eyes as he backs away. “Only sometimes.”

When I get in the truck, Rhett’s already buckled up but twisted around to face the back as he scratches Ruthie’s head, murmuring to her under his breath.

“That was close.” I sigh as I slump against my seat. “What are the chances we see him here?”

“Honestly? Pretty good. A lot of the guys run in this park.”

I turn and stare at him in horror. “Then why the heck did we come for a walk here? Oh my God, you kissed me. What if one of your teammates saw us?”

In lieu of an answer, Rhett leans over and kisses me again.

“You’re cute when you panic, honey. I made sure no one was around.”

He turns forward again and pulls out of the parking lot, one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the center console between us.

“Somethin’ on your mind?” he asks after a moment, and I realize he’s caught me staring.

“You call most women darling.”

His brows gather together briefly before he nods. “Guess it’s a southern thing.”

My lips hike up. “But you call me honey. ”

His hand moves to the top of my thigh, his fingers lightly stroking the bare skin below my shorts.

“Because you’re not most women.”