Page 163 of Off Season

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 Andieagain.” 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.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

TWO MONTHS LATER

KAMRYN

It’s the middle of the night, and I’m sitting on a kitchen stool, finishing up watching a replay of a lecture that I missed.

I’m not paying as close attention as I should be. My mind is drifting. The future feels uncertain, and I hate being out of control.

About two weeks ago, Bailey let Tanner back into her bed. He’s in there with her every night. He sneaks out before Harper wakes, but I hear her moaning every damn night. Except around Harper, he’s no longer bothering to hide their relationship anymore. He can’t keep his hands off her. His hand was down her pants under a blanket when we all watched a movie the other night. He thought he was being discreet, but he wasn’t.

I haven’t said much about it to her because she’s finally happy, and her recovery is moving along extremely well. She’s walking and needs much less assistance from everyone. If rekindling thingswith him has aided in that, I’ll swallow my words as much as I’m capable.

There’s no denying that she’s madly in love with him, and much to my surprise, he’s madly in love with her. What happens when two people are in love and one wants marriage and children while the other doesn’t? How does it get resolved without one of them, obviously my sister in this case, compromising herself? Is she going to be another in a long line of princesses who gives in to the prince and doesn’t get her version of happily ever after, only his? I hate that for her, but I don’t know how to save her this time.

We can’t be more than a few weeks away from her switching to a much less intensive therapy program. That means it’s time to move out. She’s going to want to stay here with him. She hasn’t said it, but I can feel it coming. I’m going to suggest we move back to our apartment together, but she won’t. I know my sister.

That leaves me considering my own future. Our lease is up next month. I haven’t re-signed in part because I know she’ll want to stay here, and in part because I’m wondering if I should move in with Cheetah. We haven’t had any deep conversations lately. He’s just kind of been here for me, giving me what I need.

Always giving to me, never expecting anything in return. As soon as I’m out of here, I plan to rectify that. If me moving in with him will make him happy, I’ll do it. If letting him go so he can find a more traditional woman will make him happy, I’ll do that too. For the first time in our relationship, his needs are going to come first for me, whatever it costs me. I’m steadfast in this.

He leaves soon for Spring Training. A decision needs to be made on us before he goes.

As the lecture ends and I pull out my AirPods, I see Tanner appear from Bailey’s room in nothing but flannel pants and a satisfied look on his face. I run my eyes up and down his imposing form. “You have a shockingly good body for an old fucker.”

He rolls his eyes. “Do you ever sleep?”

I shrug. “Not really.”

“Why not?”

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