Page 63 of Trapped and Tackled

Still, I shoot Marlowe a text letting her know that I love her. I text Mom that I’m doing okay and will be home tomorrow, just so she doesn’t worry.

Then, I see Craig’s texts and the blood drains from my face.

Why the hell won’t he let go? Is he coming here?

I pull in a deep breath and close my eyes. I hate that my intuition for not blocking his number proved true—I need to know if he’s going to show up in Knoxville. And right now, I feel like that scenario is more plausible.

I exhale shakily and open my eyes. The swirl of panic doesn’t come. The blurry vision and racing heart and inability to drag in oxygen don’t occur.

I feel…angry. Frustrated. Exhausted.

But I also feel safe, and I know I have Talon to thank for that. Not that he knows it. Not that he’ll ever know it.

Flipping off the duvet, I stand from the bed and stretch again. The least I can do is make sure he enjoys his day off. Talon’s been nothing but good to me, and last night he went above and beyond, showing up for me and my friend. Today, I’m game for whatever he wants to get into, and I’ll make sure we have a great time.

Maybe I’m just distracting myself from my reality but right now, I want the distraction. I want a break from the tumultuous feelings of the past twenty-four hours. I want to have some fun with Talon and live in that reality for a minute.

My mind made up, I stride to my weekender bag, dig out my toiletries, and enter the bathroom. Then, I fix my hair, apply some makeup, and dress for the day.

By the time Talon returns with our coffees, I’m ready to go. And I love the double take he does when he sees me.

Today is going to be better than good. It’s going to be the day I start taking back pieces of my life. Of myself. And I’m not sure if I’d have the courage to do so without Talon by my side.

“Do you have an idea what you want to do on your day off?” I ask as I shovel a forkful of scrambled eggs into my mouth.

His eyes brighten and he nods, polishing off his second pancake. “I do.”

I lean forward, lifting an eyebrow.

“There’s a water park ten minutes from here,” he announces, sounding like a teenager on the first day of summer vacation.

A bubble of laughter erupts. “Seriously?”

Talon nods, the grin never falling from his face.

“Wow, I haven’t been to a water park in…years.” My forehead crumples as I try to recall how many years it’s been. “Since high school with Lincoln,” I decide.

“Well, I haven’t been since last summer, but water parks are my favorite so…” Talon trails off.

“I’d love to go to a water park.”

“Good,” he says, starting in on his third pancake. “They’re kind of my thing.”

I snort. “You’re thing?”

He nods, his eyes dancing. “I went once as a kid. I must have been in fifth or sixth grade. My foster parents—Allen and Kim, probably the best I ever had—had a biological son, Frankie. It was Frankie’s birthday, and he invited a handful of friends and me. It was one of the best days of my life.” Talon’s eyes take on a faraway look, as if recalling that day. His smile never slips. “I loved every ride I went on—but the free fall. Man, that was wild.” He chuckles. “Ever since then, I’ve made it a point to hit as many water parks as I can.”

“How many have you been to?” I wonder.

He snorts. “At least three hundred.”

“Three hundred!” I narrow my eyes. Is he fibbing?

Talon nods enthusiastically. “That’s one of my bucket list items.”

“Go to as many water parks as possible?”

“Go to a major water park in every state. A few years ago, when I was in college, one of my teammates invited me to his hometown in Wisconsin. It was close to Noah’s Ark water park. That was sick. The town is even called the Water Park Capital of the World.”

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