Page 71 of West Bound

Oh God. Is that worse or better than him cheating? A kid would mean he’d be tied to another woman for a lifetime. She’d probably be the type to try and lure him away from me, claiming that it would be best for their child to have a complete family. Then I’d be right where I started; broken by Phoenix and festering in my heartbreak and anger.

Wait. Why am I even thinking that way? I just barely agreed to try this whole…relationship thing with Phoenix and somehow I’ve already conjured up our demise.

The doors open and I step out with the rest of the cattle and come to an abrupt stop when I see Phoenix waiting for me in the lobby. I walk slowly towards him, people gawking at the mega star in their building, and notice a gash on his cheekbone.

“Phoenix. What happened?” I step up to him and reach to touch the cut that has already begun to scab up.

Without answering, he scoops me up and kisses me like a soldier returning from war. It’s so unlike other kisses he’s given me that it takes me a minute to put an emotion to it. He’s kissed me hard and punishingly, ravenous and hurried. But the way he’s kissing me now is tender and loving, almost grateful.

When he releases me, his forehead rests against mine and I can hear his heart pounding in his chest.

“Let’s go,” he whispers, uncharacteristically. “We’ll find somewhere quiet to go.” I nod and he laces our fingers together, leading me out to his waiting truck.

After picking up a couple of sandwiches, we make our way to a quiet park that I direct him to. With school about to start, most parks are packed with parents and kids, getting in those last few moments of playtime. But being the kind of person I am, where one minute I want to be the center of attention, and the next I want to pretend like I’m the only person on the planet, I knew the perfect little spot for us to hide away from prying eyes.

“It’s not really much of a park, is it?” Phoenix asks as we pull up to the small grassy area occupied by one bench under a large crepe myrtle tree that is lit up with vivid blooms of pink.

“It’s not a park, per se. But if you go by the technical definition which is a grassy area in a town used for recreation, then it is,” I tell him, unbuckling my seatbelt and looking out over the small, quiet space.

“And what recreation does one do in a space the size of a postage stamp?” Phoenix hangs his hand over the steering wheel and turns to look at me.

“The recreation of zen-ing.”

He laughs with a slight shake of his shoulders. “Should we eat out there?” he asks, nudging his chin in the direction of the empty bench.

I turn my wrist over to check the temperature on my watch and tell him, “it’s about a hundred degrees out. How about we eat in here but stare at the bench and imagine ourselves sitting on it?”

“Sounds like a solid plan.”

I open up the brown paper bag from Wenchel’s, and Phoenix slides straws into our drinks. I pass him his sandwich, he hands me a napkin, and we take a couple of bites before he finally speaks.

“I got a ten game suspension,” he says, his voice laced with remorse.

“Come again? I thought you just said you got a ten game suspension.”

He nods while chewing. “ I did,” he mumbles.

I set my sandwich down on my lap and stare at him in utter shock. “Why? How? Phoenix…ten games is a long time. Does this suspension have anything to do with the cut on your handsome face?”

“I know and yes,” he sulks and wipes his mouth. “I got in a fight…with Ramirez and Manny.”

“What?”

“I…I kind of beat the shit out of them. They’re on seven to ten day disabled, given that they don’t have a concussion or anything broken.”

“Phoenix,” I study the look on his face while he talks and it is decidedly blank. “Why would you do that?”

He sets his sandwich down on the center console and reaches over to take my hand. I gulp down a ball of nerves and listen to him explain how he heard Rami and Manny saying disgusting things about me. I watch him with tears pooling in my eyes and blink rapidly to push them back to where they came from.

I don’t cry. Not anymore. It’s a sign of weakness and I am anything but weak. I’m a strong, independent, bad ass bitch who won’t let even the most hurtful words get her down.

“And I just snapped,” he goes on. “I couldn’t stand there and listen to those assholes talk about you like that in front of everyone. I’m paying for it, of course, but I don’t care. I’d do it again if it meant protecting you.”

I continue to blink away those pesky tears, but I can’t stop my heart from absolutely melting for him. Can someone say major book boyfriend moment? The fluttering of my heart is something that I haven’t felt in a long time…and I kinda like it.

Phoenix’s Adam's apple bobs as he swallows down what looks like a whole boulder full of nerves while I sit here silently studying him. I place my sandwich next to his, and carefully lean over and take his face in my hands before planting a big kiss on his soft lips. He slowly reaches out and places his hands on my waist. His mouth opens to me and I feel him relax, his worries melting away.

“Thank you,” I whisper against his lips.

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