Текст книги "Kill Shot"

Автор книги: Lani Lynn Vale

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

Chapter 11

May the bridges I burn light the way.

-Coffee Cup

Lennox

“I’m not staying with you. I’ve got a perfectly good house, with a perfectly good alarm system,” I said for the tenth time.

Bennett narrowed his eyes at me.

“Fine. But I want you to call me if you don’t feel safe. Call me day or night. Okay?” He ordered softly, touching the apple of my cheek with the very tips of his fingers.

I nodded.

I needed my meds, and I couldn’t take them with him here. Because with the ‘I have to take my meds’ explanation came a much more, ‘why do you have to take them’ explanation.

One I didn’t want to have right then.

“Yes, Bennett. I’ll call you if I need you,” I sighed.

Paxton came out on the front stoop just as I was closing my front door, and I smiled, letting the door open wide to allow Cola and Paxton inside.

“Thanks for taking care of her,” I said happily, bending down on my haunches to wrap my arms around Cola’s thick neck.

She licked me happily, and I had to stand unless I wanted to be wearing a string of drool on my body from her excitement.

Paxton snorted and pointed to my belly.

I grimaced as I looked down at the wet spot.

“At least I’m not going to work!” I managed.

He nodded. “That you aren’t. Looks like things are serious,” he said, tilting his head in the direction of Bennett’s retreating truck.

I nodded, then grimaced.

“Yeah, I guess,” I hesitated. “I really like him. But you know how I am with guys. I don’t want to become dependent on him.”

Paxton waited for me to continue, but when I didn’t, he shook his head.

“Lennie,” he said, scooting closer to me and drawing me into a hug. “There’s no reason on this earth that you shouldn’t pursue this. So you’ve had a few bad turns. That’s no reason to write off every man. Especially that man.”

I could hear the complete truthfulness in his voice and knew he was right.

That still didn’t erase nearly ten years of bad dates, and sleepless nights of crying that I’d done over men just like him.

“You could be right,” I admitted. “But I’m not ready to go any further than what I’m doing right now. I’ll stay the odd night with him, but I’m not giving him all of me until I’m certain that he’ll take care of it.”

We both knew I was talking about my heart.

It was a fragile thing.

Full of cracks, chips, and breaks that’d been pasted back together by sheer stubbornness and pure determination not to become a simpering whiner who couldn’t function without a man.

I knew there was something different about Bennett. However, I also knew that it’d probably be all the harder for him to bust through my shields to what was underneath.

I wanted to be worth a man’s effort.

And if Bennett was the one, he’d be able to break through those shields.

I was already halfway in love with the man, but my protective instincts always had a way of freezing me in my tracks before I took that final leap.

“So you’re seeing him again,” Paxton stated.

And it was a statement.

He knew I was going to see him again.

It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when.

“Yeah, this Saturday. They’re having an Easter egg hunt at the place where I stayed last night. The Free compound out off of Highway 42. Have you heard of it?” I asked, moseying into my kitchen to make myself a sandwich.

Dinner had been hours ago, and I was fairly sure I was wasting away.

Or at least my stomach thought that.

“I’ve seen it. Not really heard of it, though. Make me one,” he instructed as he took a seat at my bar and started flipping through my mail.

Paxton had a problem.

He couldn’t keep still without fiddling with something. Whether it be doodling on a piece of paper, flipping a pen around his fingers, or chewing his fingernails.

He always had to have his hands busy.

Which was why he’d found the bill for my new meds, and winced.

“Oooouch,” he shuddered. “This the new stuff?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

While I was in the fridge, I went ahead and got my meds that I took before bedtime.

“My numbers are perfect, though. Although they got a little out of whack last night because I didn’t take them,” I told him, removing the vial and walking over to the counter.

I’d had to have my dad bring me my meds at lunch today, and he’d done so with only a tiny bit of annoyance.

It helped that I’d been sopping wet thanks to that whore, Joslin.

He’d only handed the stuff over and left, not wanting to deal with my mood.

Paxton watched as I drew up my insulin, then injected it into my stomach.

It was like breathing to me, now.

It was something that I had to do, and I did no matter what.

It was a part of me, and I’d never have a day in my life that I didn’t have to inject myself with insulin.

I was type one diabetic, and had been doing it since I was two years of age.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve brought it to you,” he said, chastising me gently.

I shrugged. “I’d taken it right before I went over there, and I knew I’d be able to take my morning meds once I got my dad to bring them to me. It wasn’t a big deal.”

Except dad had been late, and I hadn’t noticed.

“You’ll have to tell him if you plan to spend any amount of time with him,” he surmised, knowing exactly why I hadn’t taken my meds last night.

I wrinkled my nose up at him.

“That’s…”

He interrupted me before I could voice my lie.

“It’s not a disease that you’re dying from. It’s diabetes. And not even one that was caused by your diet or lack of exercise. It’s genetic. Something that you were born with,” Paxton said in exasperation.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

“He’ll know eventually if I deem it necessary,” I hedged.

Paxton sighed.

“He’s going to think you have a drug problem if you wait too long. If you spend more than three or four hours with him during the day, he’ll see you having to go to the bathroom. And insulin has to be refrigerated. You can’t just keep it all in your cooler and expect him not to notice it,” Paxton laughed.

I flipped him off and went back to my sandwich.

In fact, that’d been exactly what I’d had planned this morning, but in my haste to get over to Bennett’s, I’d completely forgotten my meds.

It really wasn’t that big of a secret, either. It was just something that I’d found, over time, that men weren’t very comfortable with.

They didn’t like that I was restricted to what I was allowed to eat. They also didn’t like that they couldn’t take me out to eat without me having to order something specially made that would allow me the carbohydrates I needed to keep my blood sugar from elevating or plummeting.

It was all a delicate process, one I’d learned to get used to over time.

And one that most men saw as a severe weakness, and over time, one that they didn’t really feel like handling since they didn’t have to.

I was that ‘defective girl.’

At least, that’s what my boyfriend who I’d been stood up for prom had said by way of explanation as to why he was standing me up.

“He’s not Reggie. Bennett’s Bennett,” Paxton said softly.

I glared at him as I tossed the sandwich I’d made down in front of him.

Then picked up my own and bit into it viciously.

“I know that!” I said around a mouthful of food.

He grinned. “Do you?”

I nodded.

“Then act like it.”

Chapter 12

Dogs. Because sometimes talking to a man about your problem is too much effort when you have to tell them why they’re stupid in the middle of said explanation.

-Fact of life

Bennett

“Daddy, are we going to see Lennox today?” Reagan asked as I walked her across the crosswalk with my sister in the lead, and me behind her.

“I don’t know, baby. I hope so,” I said softly, circling my hand around her long ponytail and letting the length work through my fingers.

She smiled up at me. “I like her.”

I smiled back at her, heart warmed by my girl. “I know you do, baby girl. We’ll definitely see her tomorrow, though. She promised.”

Reagan grinned and squeaked when Gabe and Ember’s, another couple that lived at the Free compound, son, Luca, kicked a rock at the back of Reagan’s feet.

She whirled around and threw an accusing insult his way. “Stop it, you lecher.”

I snorted. “Lecher?”

She nodded solemnly. “Yeah, Aunt Payton used it this morning with Uncle Max when Uncle Max wouldn’t stop putting his hands…”

I slapped my hand over Reagan’s mouth. “Baby, this is one of those times when you don’t repeat what you saw, okay?”

Reagan grinned. “Yes, daddy.”

It’d been three long days since I’d seen Lennox, and a day and a half since I’d spoken with her on the phone.

She’d, of course, texted me back when I texted her, but it was as if she were taking a step back after that night I’d gone with her to dinner at her parent’s house.

Something I allowed her to do because I knew she needed it.

“I really want her to come to one of my softball games,” Reagan said excitedly. “I think she’ll bring me good luck.”

I rolled my eyes.

People coming to her games brought her ‘good luck.’

Too bad Lennox wasn’t here to listen.

“Let’s go, slow pokes!” Payton yelled loudly from the front of the line.

I smiled down at Reagan, kissed her cheek, and then tugged her ponytail. “Be good, baby girl. And make sure you’re ready to go at five, as soon as I get there, okay?”

Reagan smiled, then gave me a thumbs up before she disappeared around the corner.

My walk back to my cruiser was unhurried, and became even slower when my phone started to vibrate in my pocket.

“Hello?” I answered the call without looking at it.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I don’t like it,” a voice from my past hissed.

I blinked.

Then blinked again before coming to a halt.

“Who is this?” I asked sharply.

The woman on the other end of the line hissed, and it was in that moment that I realized who it was.

Corrinne.

I’d spoken to her about ten times over the span of Reagan’s life, and although it still sounded faintly like her, it definitely didn’t sound like she was seventeen anymore.

She sounded like an old woman who smoked two packs a day.

“It’s the mother of your child. The one you said wouldn’t owe you a fuckin’ dime, but then I get a letter in the mail that says I owe over twenty thousand dollars in back child support. Support for a child that was most definitely supposed to be solely yours,” Corrinne hissed. “Or, at least, that was what I’d been led to believe, you lying bastard.”

My eyebrows raised as I said, “I didn’t ask for any of your money, Corrinne. In fact, I’ll give them a call in the morning and tell them I refuse it.”

Corrinne growled. “Yeah, you’ll do it right now. They took that money out of my checking account, and I don’t need Buck screaming at me about our money being gone. I need that money today. Now. So call right now.”

I barely contained the urge to pull my hair out.

Just two minutes on the phone with that woman had a headache screaming at the back of my temples.

“I’ll call in the morning because I’m at work right now,” I said.

“Benny…”

When she started to protest, I cut her off.

“It’s Bennett. And the answer is still no. I’ll deal with it in the morning,” I said stiffly.

Corrinne growled. “Fine. Then I guess that, just maybe, I should try to see this kid of mine since I’m going to pay for it.”

With that she hung up, and I nearly crushed my phone in my hand.

Yanking open my car door, I dropped down into it and slammed the door.

“Fucking bitch!” I bellowed.

Michael gave me a surprised look.

“What’s going on, buddy?” Michael asked.

I glared at him.

“I don’t want to fuckin’ talk about it.”

***

Three hours later

“What the fuck crawled up your ass?” My sister asked as she stood next to me at the fence.

I didn’t look at her.

If I did, I just might yell at her, and she didn’t deserve that.

The ref, however, did.

“That was in the strike zone you moron!” I yelled.

I mean, even I could see that it was!

What the fuck was he watching? The lightening bugs? The grass grow? Because it sure as fuck wasn’t the pitching.

I felt rather than heard Payton walk away when I didn’t answer her.

It was a good thing.

I was in a very, very bad mood.

After a very long conversation with my lawyer, I found that one single slip of paperwork had slipped through the cracks. That one single piece of paperwork being the one that signed complete custody of Reagan over to me.

Todd Masterson, my lawyer, had been extremely apologetic, and said he would remedy the situation immediately, but that didn’t make me feel any better.

It wasn’t like it was his kid that it happened to.

Sure, the man was family and all, being married into the Free family by way of James’ mother, but right now I couldn’t help but be a little miffed with him.

I’d yet to inform my parents.

I didn’t want to worry them if I didn’t have to, but I just knew this was going to turn out really, really bad.

Like the worst type of bad.

The type of bad where I’d have to be in contempt of court because I refused to let Corrinne have my child under any circumstances.

Then I felt her.

It started out as cool palm right above my elbow, but turned into a warm body pressing into my back, and two arms looping around my belly.

Lennox laid her head against my back, between my shoulder blades, and gave me a tight squeeze.

Instantly I felt better.

Calmer.

Her being here was one less thing that I had to worry about right then.

“Hey,” she said against my back.

Reagan threw a pitch, and the girl at bat struck out, causing me to scream.

“There you go, baby! One more and you’re up to bat!” I yelled, shaking my hands in the chain link fence.

Lennox chuckled against my back, and I grabbed ahold of one of her arms and pulled her until her front was pressed underneath my arm.

Looking down into her blue eyes, I finally felt a little peace.

“I’m glad you came,” I rumbled softly.

Her eyes flared, and she gave me a soft smile. “Your family’s glad I came, too.”

I chuckled, dropping a kiss down onto her forehead as I looked up in time to see Reagan throw one right down the middle.

I winced, holding my breath as the girl hit it.

Luckily, it popped straight up, and Ali, the shortstop, was able to catch it without the least bit of effort.

“That a girl!” I yelled, whistling loudly with my tongue, front teeth, and lip.

“Your girl there’s pretty good,” Lennox said softly, bringing my attention back down to her.

I nodded.

“She has a pitching coach, and she plays anytime she can. I’ll bet she’s a little badass by the time she gets to high school,” I concurred.

“I watched from my car for a little bit while I was on the phone with my parents. I used to enjoy softball, but I was never good like that. And she’s only eight. Just imagine what she’ll accomplish when she’s seventeen,” Lennox said sincerely.

I shivered.

“I’d really like to not think about when she’s seventeen. I like to take things one day at a time. Because if I do, I don’t have to think about the fact that I’ll somehow need to come out with money to pay for college. Or a car. Or a wedding,” I told her honestly.

She laughed.

“Just because you don’t think about it, doesn’t mean it won’t happen in ten years,” she supplied helpfully.

I scowled down at her. “It works for me. Promise.”

“Bennett,” my mother called from behind me. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

I sighed, breaking away from Lennox’s gaze, and turned to find my mother and father standing directly behind me.

My dad was a big man, and my mom somewhat small.

In fact, if I had to guess what Lennox and I’d look like twenty five years from now, it’d be similar to the two people standing in front of me.

My heroes.

My parents.

The people I could count on for anything.

“Yeah,” I said, nodding my head. “Just as soon as Reagan bats.”

I didn’t bother to placate either one of them.

I missed quite a few games as it was, and since I was here, I’d not miss it because I was busy introducing my parents to my girlfriend.

Reagan jogged up to the plate with her hot pink bat, set her feet, and swung the bat twice before getting into her stance.

Her hot pink helmet hid her face from my view, but I knew she had her eye on the ball.

Her attention honed in on to pitcher.

I felt Lennox move out of my arms and turn to face the game, eyes on Reagan just the same as mine were.

My father sidled up to my side, took a similar stance at me, and watched.

The first pitch came and Reagan let it come, knowing it was too low and on the inside.

The next pitch was one and the same.

It was the third pitch that she yakked it.

Hit it hard straight up the middle, straight past the second baseman where it came to a stop between center and right field.

“Go, baby go!” I yelled excitedly.

“Go Reagan, run hard!” Lennox screamed.

“That a girl!” My father screamed.

And the praise continued by the other people that were watching the game, as well as Reagan’s coach, and her teammates.

“Holy hell,” Lennox said, shaking her head. “That girl can hit!”

I completely agreed. I was still flabbergasted every time I saw her do it.

I’d never been very good at baseball.

I was a football man myself.

I played throughout my high school career, and still picked up the odd game even now.

I missed it desperately, too.

Those days were easier.

Not that I didn’t love my life right now, but then, when my parents made all the decisions and I didn’t have to worry about anyone hurting me or mine, it was a lot simpler.

“Alright, my boy. Your girl hit, now I wanna meet this one,” my mother said, poking a bony finger into my back.

Sighing, I turned around, hooking Lennox’s neck as I did, and bringing her into my side.

“Mom, Dad, this is Lennox. Lennox, these are my parents, Tony and Jessie Alvarez,” I introduced them.

My mother held out her hand for Lennox’s, and shook it fiercely. “I’ve been waiting a really long time to meet you,” my mother said loudly. “I didn’t think Bennett would ever introduce us!”

It’d been a few weeks. She acted like I’d kept Lennox to myself for two years.

Lennox smiled as she gently let my mother’s hand go and offered it to my father. “Nice to meet you both.”

My father grinned. “So, Bennett tells me you’re a physician’s assistant. How do you like doing that?”

My mother didn’t let her answer, though. Instead she tugged on Lennox’s hand and pulled her away.

Lennox followed my mother, waving at me as she went. I knew my mother was doing it on purpose. My father wanted to talk to me, and my mother was always a good talker. She could make anyone like her, and the person would be none the wiser.

“Your lawyer called me this afternoon looking for you,” my father started.

I cursed and turned back to the field, surprised to see Reagan already on third with the bases loaded.

“It’s going to be alright, Bennett. We’d never let anything happen to her. And who’s to say that any of this will even be an issue in the morning?” My father asked when I continued to ignore the conversation.

I didn’t like where it was going.

But I knew I wouldn’t get past this without talking to him.

He wouldn’t let me.

“I don’t know, pop. I just can feel it. It’s sitting on my chest, getting tighter and tighter. I know she won’t let this go,” I told him, keeping my eye on Reagan as she took two steps off the base.

My father sighed and came to stand at the fence with me, shoulder to shoulder.

His arms were crossed over his chest as he said what I needed to hear.

“I had your back eight years ago when that little girl came into this world, and I’ll have your back now. She won’t be able to do anything that you’re imagining she will. She’ll get her money back in the morning, and she’ll go away. If she knows what’s good for her, that is,” my father promised.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the chain link fence.

“I hope you’re right dad,” I whispered hoarsely.

***

Lennox

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to meet you. Bennett and Reagan have told us a lot about you,” Jessie said excitedly as she dragged me towards the waiting group of women I could see were excited to add their two cents in.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, too. Bennett tells me you’re the one who taught Reagan all those manners she put on display the other night at my parent’s house,” I said to her.

I followed behind her, ignoring the way my head was starting to feel weird.

My skin was clammy, and I knew I’d have to eat something soon.

But then Jessie laughed, tugging on my hand before I could give it a second thought.

“Oh, that boy of mine’s a smooth talker, isn’t he? He may think that we had everything to do with her being such a good girl, but that all goes to Bennett. He’s a really good father, and makes sure that his daughter knows the difference between right and wrong,” Jessie smiled fondly.

I grinned, and took a deep breath as we finally came up on the group of men and women watching the game.

“Payton, Max, this is Lennox,” Jessie said proudly.

“We know who she is, mom. We’ve met before,” Payton said dryly.

Jessie narrowed her eyes at her daughter, but Max offered his hand to me. “We’ve not met formally. I’m Max. This one’s,” he said, pointing at Payton. “Husband. You can feel sorry for me now.”

I laughed.

The big scarred man was good, I’d give him that.

“It’s nice to meet you, formally,” I said, shaking his hand.

He snorted and moved his feet off the bench in front of him before standing.

“Alright, well looks like that boy needs a little direction. I’ll check on y’all in a while,” Max said before heading over to Bennett and his father who were standing near the dugout, exactly where I’d left them.

Bennett looked pissed, even now.

I wondered what had happened to get him so upset. Was he mad at me?

Hell, I deserved to have him mad at me.

I was an ass for not calling him the past few days.

And a coward.

And a wiener.

I planned on telling Bennett tonight about my diabetes, and I also planned on telling him that I was taking a chance.

One that had me letting down my defenses.

See that was what I’d been doing the past couple days. Bringing them down. One brick at a time.

I also did a lot of soul searching, and I knew that Bennett wasn’t the type of man that would hurt me.

“So tell me about you, dear. Bennett tells me you work at the hospital,” Jessie said.

Nausea started to boil in my belly as the lightheadedness started to really pay a toll on my body.

I nodded at her, turning to face her slightly on the bleachers.

“I’m a PA at Good Shepherd. I work in the ER,” I told her. “Kind of like a physician, yet not.”

Payton laughed.

My eyes went to her, and I was struck with how similar we were. Both of us were similar in height and build. She had blonde hair where I had brown.

Not to mention the underside of her hair was purple where mine was still brown.

“What?” I asked with a smile.

She shook her head. “Nothing. I just liked how you played down the fact that you’re a PA. At twenty six. That’s quite an accomplishment.”

I blushed.

Yeah, I’d heard that before.

“So you’re not too far from Payton, right?” Jessie asked.

I shook my head, but Payton beat me to answering.

“No mom. Just two floors in between us. Not that that means anything. There are over four hundred people that work in that hospital, on any given day. It’d be a miracle had we seen each other before,” Payton explained.

Men’s raised voices had us turning to see Bennett, his father, and Max all screaming at the game.

And an especially animated Bennett was screaming about the umpire being a moron again.

“That boy needs to chill,” Jessie sighed, shaking her head.

“He’s been in a bad mood all day. He was fine when we walked the kids’ home from school, but something must’ve happened between then and now,” Payton said, shaking her head.

My heart ached.

Had something happened?

I probably would’ve known had I not been ignoring him the past few days.

I leaned forward and propped my head in my hands, resting them on my upraised knees as I listened to the two of them speculate what might’ve happened to Bennett that day to make him so angry.

Although, from the tales he’d told me over the past few weeks, I knew he didn’t really have the easiest of jobs. It was entirely possible that any number of things could’ve happened.

A ball tinked loudly against a metal bat, and my eyes snapped forward to see the ball sailing up and over the back of the gate.

I moved quickly out of the way, but the suddenness of the move had me going from lightheaded to about to pass out.

The ball slammed to the ground a few inches in front of where I’d been sitting only seconds before.

Although I managed to move, I knew that something other than getting up too fast was wrong.

I had to know my body well, which was how I knew my blood sugar was getting low.

“I think I’m going to run up to the concession stand. Anybody want anything?” I asked the two women.

They both shook their heads, and I got up to move down the front of the stands.

I passed the male huddle that was going on outside the dugout, but didn’t stop when none of them turned their eyes towards me.

My limbs felt like they weighed a million pounds, and my eyes were starting to get droopy.

By the time I made it to the concession stand, I was about ready to pass out.

“What can I get you?” A pimply teenager asked tiredly.

“Gatorade and sour punches.” I told him quickly.

I knew I needed sugar, and without actually injecting myself, or chewing those nasty pills that always seemed to leave a bad taste in my mouth, that was the third best way to get it.

“That’ll be seven fifty,” the boy said as he placed my items down on the sticky ledge in front of me.

I placed my wallet down onto the counter and said, “I have some cash in there. Can you get it for me?”

Then, pitifully, I twisted off the cap of the Gatorade and placed it to my mouth.

Hands trembling, I took two long sips and closed my eyes.

That’s when I swayed.

Going down to my knees, and then further to my butt, I leaned my head against the concession stand and deep breathed.

Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out. I chanted that to myself over and over again, but I had a feeling it’d take more than a few sips to get my blood sugar back up.

“Ma’am?” The boy asked from above me.

I opened my eyes, ones that I hadn’t realized that I’d closed, and stared at the young boy who’d made his way around the concession stand.

“Yeah?” I asked weakly.

“Are you okay?” He asked worriedly.

I tried to take another sip of my juice but only managed to spill it on my shorts.

Luckily they were black and wouldn’t show the huge red stain.

“Can you help me drink this?” I asked, gesturing to him weakly with my Gatorade.

He took the drink from my hand, but before he could get it close to my lips, Bennett’s shout had me turning weakly to see him running towards us.

“Don’t let him scare you. He’s a teddy bear,” I told the boy who was slowly backing away as if he could see that Bennett was intimidating.

“He doesn’t look too happy,” the boy said warily.

Bennett didn’t waste any time dropping down onto the dirt beside me, taking my head in his massive hands.

“What’s wrong?” He asked worriedly, scanning my body.

I blinked. “Low blood sugar. I was trying to drink that when you scared the poor boy.”

Bennett looked over his shoulder at the boy he’d effectively dismissed as a threat, and held out his hands. “Give.”

The boy gave.

I tilted my head back slightly and opened my mouth as Bennett helped me drink.

He watched me avidly, eyes fastened on my throat as I drank deeply.

“Have you not eaten anything today or something?” He asked anxiously once he removed the bottle from my lips.

I licked them, bringing his attention back to my lips, before I answered.

“I have diabetes.”

He blinked.

“And?” He said.

I grinned. “I have diabetes, and this happens from time to time. My insulin makes my blood sugar drop into the toilets every once in a while, and I have to drink juice to get it to come back up.”

He exhaled and offered me the drink once again.

“This isn’t a sudden thing, is it?” He asked.

I shook my head. “No. It’s takes a while to come on. I can usually circumvent it before it gets too bad.”

By now we’d gathered a crowd, mostly of the people trying to get food at the concession stand I was currently passed out in front of.

“Help me up,” I breathed, offering Bennett both hands.

He placed the half empty Gatorade on the ledge, then ignored my hands and placed both of his into my armpits before lifting me up completely.

I swayed slightly on my feet, but was feeling a lot better already.

It was amazing how well the human body bounced back from certain things.

Bennett stayed silent as he grabbed my things, paid for my food, and then walked me over to the bleachers.

Apparently, while I’d been ailing, the game had let out, and the only ones left were Bennett’s family.

And they were all looking at me with worry.

“Do I look that bad?” I asked apprehensively.

Bennett snorted. “You look like you got hit by a freight train, minus the bruising.”

I winced.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I also meant to tell you about this tonight.”

He snorted. “Not sure why it was some big to-do. It’s a common disease. And I already knew you had it. Your father told me about it offhandedly. I just didn’t realize you didn’t pay attention to what your body was telling you.”

I shrugged. “Well, I don’t like it; however, it makes men freak out. Usually, I do listen to what it tells me.”

He sighed.

“I’m not those assholes you dated, Lennox,” he said through gritted teeth. “And maybe you should figure that out before we go any further.”

He didn’t say another word as he walked with me to the bleachers. Not even when I had to explain to them all that I had diabetes, and this happened from time to time.

Not when we went to dinner afterwards, and I followed in my own car.

Not when we were saying goodbye afterwards.

And not even when I said goodbye to him personally.

With only a quick kiss and a muttered, ‘See you later.’ He was gone.

And I was left standing in an empty parking lot watching him drive away.