by S A Clayton
“No, I’m okay. Just a bit on edge,” she whispers as I pull into my parking spot and turn off the car. I say nothing which leads to her undoing her seat belt and turning to face me. “Babe, I promise the minute I’m not okay, I will tell you, okay? Right now, I’m okay. A little shaky and nervous but not panicked.”
I nod because hearing her say that with such conviction and steady eye contact makes me breathe just a little bit easier.
“Okay, let’s get this over with so we can get home and watch some movies and eat junk food.”
She raises an eyebrow and I burst out laughing.
“Hey, I haven’t had a night like that in decades, so let me have one now while I’m ordered to not workout, okay?”
She smiles so big as I unlock our doors and get out, making our way to the entrance.
As we make our way through the halls and toward Coach’s office, Harper squeezes my hand every few seconds and I squeeze back, making sure she knows that I’m here and that we can leave at any time.
“Josh!” I hear from a distance and when I look up from Harper, I see Coach standing in the doorway that leads directly into the locker room.
“Hey, Coach.”
He motions for us to follow as we make our way into the locker room and once we step through that door, Harper freezes, her breath leaving her as her eyes take in her surroundings.
“Sunshine?” I question as she shakes her head, her hands leaving mine as she spins, taking in even more of the room.
“It looks the same… but so different at the same time. Does that make sense?” she whispers so quietly I almost don’t even hear it.
Coach is standing in the doorway of his office with concerned eyes, but I ignore him and focus all my attention on the girl in front of me.
“How can it be so familiar yet so different…”
I don’t even think she’s talking to me as she walks over to where Lopez’s name is and touches the wood cubby.
“This is where Dad’s used to be, I even carved our initials in the wood, see?” She points to the far-right corner near the ground and I see it. A small H+H can be seen and my heart aches for her.
“He must be good luck, Lopez has had a great season since taking over that spot.”
She smiles, her eyes shining at the thought.
“I’m glad,” she whispers as she wipes away a stray tear. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”
I nod, taking her hand in mine and lead her to Coach who steps aside to let us pass.
“I appreciate you both coming in, I know we could have done this over the phone, but I really wanted to do this in person.”
Harper and I sit opposite his desk, both looking a little lost as to what he could possibly want to talk about.
“I want to apologize.”
My eyes widen, not expecting that to come out of his mouth at all.
“I know you had your concerns about TJ, and I know I brushed them off as punk kid behavior and I want to say I’m sorry for the role I played in all of this.”
“You didn’t play a role, I wouldn’t expect you to know anything about what TJ was doing outside this stadium,” Harper says with such sincerity that Coach’s eyes soften, and he leans forward on his desk.
“I appreciate that, darlin’, but we both know that’s a load of bullshit. I know TJ hated Josh and I didn’t do anything about it, if anything, I provoked it by benching you,” he says nodding in my direction. “And allowing him to get a big head.”
I shake my head. “As much as I hated when you did that, I knew it was because of my play and not because you thought TJ was better.”
“Fair enough, but I didn’t help and for that, I apologize. And I want to personally say it to you, Harper, because I feel as if you were put in a situation no one could possibly know the effects of, and I know I insinuated to Josh that you were the reason for his bad play.”
I cringe at the gasp that comes out of my girl, because I know I never told her that part.
“Yeah, not my best day, but I was wrong.”
Neither of us know how to react.
“Was that all you wanted to talk about?” My voice is strained, and I try and keep my anger toward this man at bay, because as much as I know he didn’t do anything to hurt us, he enabled TJ and for that, I haven’t really forgiven him yet.
“Actually, I wanted to let you both know that TJ has been demoted from the majors and was fined twenty-five thousand dollars for what he did to you both.”
“Demoted? For how long?” Harper asks before I can do the same.
“At least a year. He can’t be brought back up until he pays the fine and also gets an evaluation from a professional who will then give a recommendation to the league as to whether he’s ready to come back up or should stay down.”
I nod, thinking that’s fair. Do I want him playing up here again? Not really but he’s young and my hope is that he gets the help he needs and comes back a better player and an even better human. He’s not a bad player, he had talent and that’s the sad part about all of this, if he had just come to me for advice instead of trying to steal my job, I would have happily helped him.
Now look where we are.
“Thanks, Coach. I appreciate the apology and the update.” I stand, holding out my hand for Harper to follow and she does until we hit the doorway where she stops and turns to look back at my coach.
“My dad loved this place. He loved this stadium and its fans, and I hope you care enough to watch over your players more than you have. They’re who everyone cares about. Happy players lead to better play. I hope you remember that.” And with that, she turns, and we head back outside, back to the life we should have had months ago.
20
Harper
Josh is slowly getting better. It’s been three weeks since the incident and he’s finally been given the green light to start working out again. I’ve never seen a man get so excited about going to the gym. He was like a kid on Christmas this morning, waking up before my alarm and shaking me awake with a goofy smile on his face.
Right now, I’m sitting in my office and watching as he runs on the treadmill that is directly in front of my office, so every once in a while, I’ll look up and see his smiling face. But there are times where he’s so in the zone that I’ll look up and just stare at his marvelous body. I’ve witnessed this man sitting on a couch and pigging out on all the food he never eats during training without gaining a pound. So, watching him run for half an hour is something I will never complain about, especially when he does it without a shirt on. Yum.
I’ve been in constant contact with his trainer to make sure he’s following his routine to the tee, and I’ve also assigned one of our trainers to help him since the man gets distracted very easily, especially when I wear anything that’s not yoga pants. And it’s because of our mutual distraction with each other that we don’t pay attention to the front door and the person that decides to walk into the gym.
Angela.
Just seeing her face makes everything come crashing back to me, and for a split second, I think about punching her, choking her, or even just slamming her against a wall for everything she put us through. We did have a restraining order against her, but that ended last week, and it looks like she’s taking full advantage. The harassment charges didn’t pan out like they did for TJ so that was disappointing, but I know for a fact that if she makes this a regular thing, Josh will file a permanent restraining order on her ass so fast she won’t know what hit her.
“What the actual fuck are you doing here?” I mutter, getting out of my chair and standing between her and Josh. I know he sees her when I feel the heat against my back and his growl in my ear.
“I-I wanted to come here and say I’m sorry.”
I laugh because she can’t be serious. “You’re sorry? For what exactly? For violating our privacy, helping someone blackmail us, or stalking us? Which of those are you sorry for?”
Josh grunts as his fingers dig into m
y hip and he pulls me flush against his chest.
“I know what I did was wrong. I’m sorry for all of it and I know you guys never want to see me again, and that’s okay. I deserve that but I honestly just wanted to apologize.”
I don’t know what to say, because what do you say to someone you don’t want an apology from. I want absolutely nothing from this woman, and I repeat that to her.
“Angela, all I want from you is for you to leave us alone. That’s it. I don’t want your apology, I don’t want to know why or your reasoning behind any of it. It’s over, we won and that’s all that matters. I just want a life where I don’t have to see your face.”
Josh’s hand cradles my stomach as he pulls me even closer to him, his lips kissing my neck softly.
“Leave, Angela, before I call the cops,” Josh says, still kissing my neck as I watch her take a deep breath and turn, leaving us blissfully alone once again. “I hate her,” he mutters against my skin as my fingers lace with his that span the entirety of my stomach.
“I know, but she has no control over us anymore.”
His lips curve into a smile against my skin as I spin in his arms and curl my arms around his neck and brace my forehead against his.
“Go back to warming up, I’ll be back in a little bit to help you through your workout. I just need to finish something first.”
He smiles, kissing me softly before dropping his hands to my ass and squeezing.
“Don’t be long.” He winks before heading over to the elliptical and setting a punishing pace that causes my legs to tire just from watching him.
I walk into Henry’s office, leaning against his doorjamb, and watch as his eyes flick back and forth between the screen and the papers in front of him.
“Whatcha doing?” I ask, sitting down on the couch beside his desk.
“Going over this month’s numbers. I am seriously impressed with Mel’s classes, they’re extremely popular and a lot of our members love them for their kids.”
I smile, knowing that Mel is finally doing what she loves without strings attached.
“You know, she told me last night that she’s overwhelmed with the number of kids that want to sign up for classes. She might need to hire someone to help her out.” I brace for the fight, but he just nods.
“That would probably be wise. That girl already works too hard.” He leans back in his chair and finally looks at me.
“I know,” I admit, smiling. “I’m happy for her. You still okay with her being here?” I ask, not really knowing exactly how he feels. He might like the popularity, the numbers, but I’m always worried he won’t appreciate the extra cost.
“Harper, I know I’m a hard man to crack sometimes, but I’m very happy Mel’s here. She’s your best friend and a great dance teacher for those kids. Plus, her being here makes you happy, and if you’re happy here then I know you’ll stick around.”
My eyes soften as I make my way over to where he sits, leaning down and kissing his forehead.
“I would never leave this place. This is where Dad wanted to be when he retired and it’s where I want to be now. I’m very happy here.” I smile, turning my back as I make my way toward his door. “Besides, who else would clean up after you?” I tease as I head into the gym hearing his chuckle behind me.
I look around for Josh but don’t see him anywhere, that is until I feel a pair of very strong arms wrap around me from behind.
“Are you ready to get me back in shape?” he asks.
I notice Mel from across the room smirking as she makes her way upstairs as I turn back toward Josh.
“You better be ready; I’m going to kick your ass.”
He wraps his arms around me once more as our lips meet in a kiss that leaves me breathless.
“I can’t wait,” he whispers, and I know in that moment that everything is the way it should be, and I breathe deeply knowing that no matter what comes next, Josh will be right there next to me.
THE END.
About the Author
S.A. Clayton lives in a small town outside of Toronto, Canada with her husband and her scary large collection of books that seem to take over every room.
She has worked on both sides of the publishing industry, both in a bookstore and for actual publishing companies. Although she loved both for different reasons, she found that writing was her true passion and has spent the last few years breaking into the industry as best she can.
She is a lover of all things romance and began her writing journey in her late twenties. Since then, she has immersed herself in the romance genre and couldn't be happier.
When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys binging a great Netflix show (Stranger Things anyone?), baking (because who doesn't love cookies!) and spending time with her family.
Also by S.A. Clayton
Standalone’s
Wrapped in Red
Dipped in Gold
Sweet Valentine
Holiday Hookup
Forbidden C.E.O
Stadium Series
Hard Ball
Curve Ball
Lady Boss Press
Pick Six
Easy to Lose
Tempting Fate
In Plain Sight