Page 109 of Defending her Heart

“Aren’t all politicians corrupt anyway?”

He shrugs. “Maybe? From what I’ve read and learned, her family is as squeaky clean as I’ve ever seen. Elizabeth...if what she told me was true, was a virgin. Waiting for marriage. And she never wanted kids. But the pressure from school, from her friends, to please her family, made her combust. She let loose and regretted every minute of it.”

“You believed her?”

“I had no reason not to. She hid the pregnancy from her family by spending six months in Europe. She came back in the fall before she grew too pregnant to travel. Her parents didn’t visit her at Stanford for a while and she was able to keep this from them to this day, as far as I’m aware. It was either give the child to strangers or I could take full custody. I couldn’t abandon my own child. Elizabeth didn’t even want her name on the birth certificate.”

“I can’t imagine a mother abandoning her child and not wanting to have a relationship with her.”

Nash rests a hand on my knee and squeezes. “That’s because you have a big heart. It’s what makes you an amazing teacher and why you’re so good with Paisley and why...” He swallows and looks over my shoulder before returning his gaze to mine. “No one knows the whole story except Elizabeth, my teammate, and now you.”

“Your parents?”

He shakes his head. “They know Paisley is the result of a one-night stand and her birth mother gave up all parental rights. I love them for respecting my privacy and not pushing for more information.”

I sink back into the cushions and absorb everything Nash confided in me. The burden of raising an infant while single, young, and in the NFL.

“My parents are saints and moved to Texas to live with me and Paisley. When I got traded to Boston, they followed. No questions asked. I was raised in a good home. I’m embarrassed of my behavior and for shaming the family name. Not that they’ve ever made me feel that way, but this wasn’t how they raised me to be.”

“They’re special people.”

“They are.” He brushes my hair from my face. “And so are you. It may have started out as sex, but you mean so much more to me than that, Kendall. Give me a chance to show you I’m worth trusting your heart to.”

Tears fill my eyes and I bat them away. “I was with Jason for two years.” My throat is dry, and I struggle with the words.

Instead of pressuring me, Nash curls me into his chest and I feel his heartbeat against my cheek. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“I owe it to you after what you just told me.”

“No. No you don’t. I don’t want you to tell me anything out of obligation. Only tell me what youwantme to know about you, Kendall. I respect your privacy, your past, your hurt. When and if you ever want to talk about anything, I’ll be here to listen.”

I stay curled against his warmth for a while until the urge to spill it all comes pouring out of me.

“We had an apartment together. He traveled a lot, mostly on the weekends. I never met his family. We never took a vacation together. But I was in his bed when he’d get home from work at night.”

I feel Nash tense under me, but he doesn’t say anything.

“One day, a woman showed up at the door and thought I was the housekeeper. I had no idea who she was, but she seemed toknow Jason. I offered her a glass of wine while we waited for him to get home. When he saw us together, I swear he shit his pants. Veronica got to him before I did and kissed him, welcoming her husband with what she thought was a surprise visit.”

“I’m sure he was surprised.”

“An understatement. They had two kids together. She thought his work in the city was temporary, and since he brought home good money, lavished her with gifts, and was home every weekend to spend time with their happy family of four, she never questioned his absence or loyalty.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. Veronica and I were both blindsided. She doesn’t hate me for being Jason’s mistress and I don’t hate her for being his wife. But we both equally hate Jason. Needless to say, they got divorced and she ran him through the ringer, squelching every last dime she could get from him.”

“Good for her.”

“And therein lies my trust issues with men. For two years I never saw it coming. I never could have imagined him cheating on me. When we did go out, he didn’t flirt with waitresses, he never hung out with his female work colleagues, not that I met any of them. He didn’t socialize during the week except with me. I had no reason not to trust him.”

Nash sits up and tips my chin so I’m looking at him. “I get that my words are pointless, but you’ve met my parents, you’re close with my daughter, you’re closer with my teammates than I am. There’s no secret life. Hell, there’s no time for a secret life. Family means everything to me, Kendall.”

“I know. I’ve never doubted you.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“I never doubted Jason either until the sky fell into my lap. I was blindsided and felt like the biggest fool for not seeing any of it coming.”

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