Page 76 of Fumbled Love

Her body sank into the hot water while I sat on the cold tiled floor next to her. Kinley closed her eyes like she just wanted the stress to melt away and forget the past few days ever happened.

“This feels nice.” She glanced at me with a soft smile. “I needed this.”

I leaned in and kissed her softly. “Let me wash you.”

“You’ve already done enough. I can handle it from here.”

I shook my head. “I know you can, but I want to. Not because you’re some obligation, or because you’re pregnant with my child.” I grabbed the body wash on the ledge and squirted a good amount into my palm. I started massaging her shoulders and ran my hands down her arms. “But because you’re my entire world.” She looked like she was ready to fall asleep, so I trailed my hands down to her stomach and paused for a moment. The events of the last few days were finally catching up with me. My entire body shook, feeling overcome with emotion. “I love you, Kinley.” Her eyes flew open at my words. “Both of you.”

“Maverick.” She reached out and touched my arm.

I swallowed thickly at the softness in her eyes. “I don’t just love you. I adore you. I treasure you. And I need you more than I’ve ever needed anything.”

“I love you too.” She pulled me closer. “I never fully understood the meaning of the word until you. I never knew it could feel this way.”

She didn’t have to explain because I knew exactly how she felt. This was a first for me too. I didn’t know what other couples went through. I didn’t know what they did or what they said. I had nothing to compare this to. All I knew was that I’d never felt this way before. Every time we’re together, it never felt like enough. When we weren’t together, I missed the hell out of her. All I wanted was to be with her and take care of her.

I kissed her one last time. “Come on, let’s wash your hair.” Gently, I scrubbed her scalp and offered her comforting words every time I’d touch a tender spot. I wanted to hunt the bastard down and kill him with my bare hands.

Once I was finished, I wrapped her up in a towel and guided her into the bedroom. I grabbed a pair of pajamas from her dresser and slipped the top over her head. “In case I forget to tell you. I’m glad you’re here,” she said softly.

“Me too.” I brushed my thumb along her cheek.

She pulled on a pair of sleep pants and lay on the bed. I pulled the covers back and climbed in next to her. I dragged her body into mine, careful of her bruises.

She rested her head on my chest and tangled her legs with mine. “I like being in your arms. I feel safe.”

I lay there quietly, thinking about what happened and how it could have been so much worse. We’ve been through so much these past few weeks. I didn’t want to make her any promises because I still had a lot of shit to sort out, but we couldn’t keep doing this.

I palmed the side of her face gently, and decided to just go for it. “Kinley, I hate to ask, especially after tonight. But would you consider moving back to Georgia? I know my timing sucks and I’m putting you in an uncomfortable position, but I have to know if there is a chance. If you would consider it.”

She sighed softly. “I have considered it. Actually, I’ve thought about it a lot recently.” She drew lazy patterns on my chest as I gave her a minute to mull over her thoughts. “I love my job and my friends. I’ve built a life here, but I know things are changing and I need to do what’s best for us. It’s not that I worry about being unhappy or resentful. I just wouldn’t be able to handle it if things didn’t work out between us. I’m not saying they will, but we both know anything can happen.”

My heart had never been so torn because I understood where she was coming from. I respected the hell out of her for the life she’s made here. This city is known to eat you up and chew you out, but she made it and should be proud of her accomplishments. But that didn’t help my current situation.

“You have some valid points. I’m not trying to pressure you, just trying to come up with a plan that has us both living in the same zip code,” I explained, leaving out that I didn’t share the same fears as she did about us not working out. As far as I was concerned, that wasn’t an option for me. “I love you, Kinley. I’ve never said those three words to anyone outside my family before.” Tears filled her eyes, but I kept going. “I thought I loved the game, the fame, all the awards, but there is a difference. What I feel for you is different. I am a different person with you and I like the person I’ve become. I don’t just love you for who you are. I love who I am when I’m with you. You ground me, humble me, and I’m a better man because of you.”

She clung to me, and I could feel her shoulders shaking. “I guess it’s true what they say; love is patient. I’ve been waiting half my life for you to declare your love to me.”

I laughed while running my hand through her hair. “Was it worth the wait?”

“It was totally worth it.” She shifted up on her elbow so we were face-to-face. “I love you and promise I will give it some serious thought.”

I blew out a breath and squeezed my eyes shut. It wasn’t a no. I could work with that.

CHAPTER27

KINLEY

“Are you ready?”JP asked, his lips hooked up into a smile. He’d been teasing me since he picked me up from the airport.

I blew out a breath and pulled on the sleeves of my shirt. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

His grin was wide. “Let’s go make some noise.”

He offered me his arm and led me through the doors to the training facility. Maverick had no idea that I booked my flight last night on a whim. Or that I sent JP a private message through Instagram and asked for his help.

As we stopped at a security desk, where I had to hand over my identification, I realized there was no way I would have been able to pull this off on my own. There was so much security, you would have thought it was Fort Knox.

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