Page 124 of The Only Goal

“Baxter!” Kai appears in the doorway, his face morphing with shock as he spots his father behind me…

“No!” I sit up with a jerk, breaths punching out of my chest as the horrifying images fade into the background of my mind.

“Fuck,” I whisper, resting my head in my hands and muttering a string of unintelligible curses.

The bedsheets have twisted around my body, and I struggle to throw them off before getting up to splash some water on my face and recover from that nightmare.

Resting my hands on the edge of the bathroom sink, I stare at my reflection and swear that dream is going to haunt me forever.

“Unless you do something about it.” I scrub a hand down my face, then give myself a firm look. “Go get her, man. Go right fucking now.”

CHAPTER 58

TAMMY

As much as I’d wanted to bolt from the house, my practical brain was smart enough to make me pack a few things and get organized. Kai trailed me like a shadow, as if he was afraid I’d leave without him or something.

Hudson moved downstairs with his whiskey bottle. The volume on the TV was turned up to obnoxious, and I gritted my teeth, rushing to grab the last of my stuff.

I didn’t bother saying goodbye as I left the house.

It felt so wrong.

Even though I was ready to end this farce of a marriage, I didn’t want to do it like this.

By the time I’d packed up the car, tears and snot were streaming down my face, making the simple task of buckling Kai into his booster seat nearly impossible.

“I got it, Mommy.” His little hand brushes my tears away before he takes the buckle from me, showing me how to make it click.

I smile down at him. “Love you, baby.” Kissing his forehead, I move to the driver’s seat. I’m still running on adrenaline, but that will soon fade; a caffeine kick is probably necessary. So, I stop at a gas station just outside Chesterfield and buy myself the biggest coffee I can. Kai has already fallen asleep, which is a blessing.

We hit the road again, and I play quiet music, wanting to stay awake and alert. Nolan is too far to make it in one drive, so I’ll need to start thinking about a motel eventually. But right now, I just want to get some distance.

Nearly two hours in, Kai wakes up disoriented and starts crying and whining, wondering where we are and what’s going on.

The sun is rising in my rearview mirror. I’ve been up all night, and it’d be stupid of me to keep driving because the thought of stopping and having to function like a normal human being is too much.

I need to find a safe place and get some decent shut-eye. Taking the next off-ramp, I pull into the first motel I see. It’s obviously popular with travelers, and I’m guessing each room is filled with someone who is on their way to someplace else.

The reception office is just up ahead when I slam on the brakes, the air whooshing out of my lungs as I spot the tall man running down the stairs. He has a bag flung over his shoulder and is looking anxious as he hits the parking lot and runs straight past my car.

He glances at me, raising his hand to obviously thank me for letting him pass. Then he does a double take and spins to gape at me, the bag slipping from his fingers and thumping onto the ground.

“Baxter.” I breathe his name more than say it, but as soon as the word has left my mouth, Kai sits up in his seat, straining to see out the window.

With a little gasp, he frantically unbuckles and jumps out the back door.

“Kai, wa—” But then my voice is lost as I watch my little man race toward the towering hockey player with his arms outstretched.

Baxter crouches down, catching him in a flying hug and scooping him against his chest.

Kai’s little arms wrap around his neck, and Baxter cradles the back of his head, smiling at whatever my son is saying to him.

It’s a gentle smile, soft and beautiful… and then his eyes land on me, and I forget how to breathe.

My heart is pounding as I turn off the engine and slowly step out of the car.

“What are you doing here?” I grip the door, needing it to help me stand.

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