Page 14 of The Only Goal

I just need a day or two. Just a small reprieve before having to decide what to do with my life now.

Do I forgive Hudson and head on home?

Or am I about to venture out into this great big world as a single mother?

A young single mother with no money, no work experience, and only a high school diploma to her name.

CHAPTER 6

BAXTER

Tammy’s here. Holy shit, Tammy’s here!

She’s standing in my house—on my turf—needing my help.

Saying no was an impossibility. I didn’t even hesitate. She needs me, and shifting back into that role is the easiest thing in the world.

“Do you have any bags or anything?”

She sniffs, her lips trembling into a smile. “Ah, yeah. In the car.”

“Okay.” I give her arm a light squeeze and head out the front door.

She trails behind me, still carrying Kai, who’s clinging to her like a bear cub. And then his little arms practically choke her when a yapping dog comes racing around the side of the house.

“Ah!” he yelps, his legs hooking around her hips even tighter.

“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s just a little doggy.” Tammy rubs his back, her fingers splaying across his shirt.

Her hands are still the same.

Not that they’d change, but… there’s just something so familiar about them that I freeze for a second, mesmerized by the shine of her nail polish and the memory of the way they used to hold a pen when she doodled on my homework, or gripped my shirt when we were roughhousing, or drew letters on my back that I had to guess.

Shit. So many memories. I’m struggling to breathe.

Fezzik’s excited bark pulls me back to the present, and I blink when I hear Kai whimper into Tammy’s neck.

Casey and Caroline’s black-and-white ball of fur bounces around Tammy’s feet before resting his paws on her knee and desperately trying to say hello. His shaggy tail is going nuts.

“Fezzik,” I warn him. “Come here.”

The dog lets out another happy yip before trotting over to me while I pull two small suitcases out of the trunk.

“Don’t go scaring the kid.” I try to put my stern face on, but it’s pretty hard to stay mad with the pup. He’s freaking adorable. “You need to be polite to our guests.” I crouch down, lightly patting the Shih Tzu’s head. “I know you’re excited.” He rests his paws on my knee. “But you need to chill out and… where have you been, anyway?” I swipe my hand across his dirty muzzle. “I hate to know what you’ve buried. It better not be anything out of Rachel’s kitchen.”

I glance up, and Tammy is blinking like she’s fighting tears again. It kills me to see her this way. I need to get her inside, set her up in one of the guest rooms, and try to distract her from that asshole of a husband. I can’t fucking believe he cheated on her. Why? Why would you ever want to cheat on a girl like Tammy? She’s always been perfect. How could Hudson not see that?

I give her a gentle smile, gripping the bags and walking back toward the stairs. She turns to follow me, and Fezzik dances around our feet, still letting out the odd bark.

“He’s really harmless,” I assure her. “The guy just loves meeting new people. If you want me to keep him outside, though…”

“No, that’s okay. Kai needs to experience new things, and he’s never really been around dogs before. This will be good for him.”

Kai makes a little grunt of protest, and Tammy smiles as she rubs his back and rests her cheek against his head. Wow. She’s a mama all right. And looks to be a good one too. Of course she was going to be. She’s sweet and kind and fun.

I look away from her, my swallow thick as we ascend the stairs. “We’re trying to decide what to do once this place opens up to guests, you know? Rachel won’t let him in the kitchen, so he’s pretty good about that, but he’s been roaming the rest of the house like he’s the king of the manor, and I’m not sure how guests will feel about that. We might have to start restricting him to certain areas, and it’s gonna be pretty hard to train him when he thinks this place is his castle.”

Tammy follows me down the hallway, and I open the first door on my right.

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