Splitting the Defense

by Amber Lynn

  “I’m pretty sure I don’t have teleporting powers.”

  Toby’s lips curved up a little. Meredith was busy studying other parts of Toby’s face. She remembered how sweaty he got before he passed out in the woods. His hand touching hers were proof that sweating had already begun.

  “No, you don’t. But you started freaking out about my head and blanked when I tried to tell you it’s fine.”

  “I didn’t blank. I immediately tried to figure out how in the world I was going to get you in your SUV and where in the world to take you. It’s not like there’s a single doctor I can just run you to.”

  “Well, thankfully that isn’t something we have to worry about right now. As I already said, I’m fine.”

  It was impossible not to be skeptical. Meredith didn’t recall anything other than the sweating, so she leaned in and tried to get a look at his pupils. Having absolutely zero doctoring ability, other than putting bandages on scraped knees, meant she had no idea what she was looking for.

  “You’re not fine. You just said you were thinking about throwing up and you’re all sweaty. We should at least get you home to make sure people don’t think I’ve drugged you or something.”

  “I admit that I don’t always know when it’s going to come on, but my head is good, Meredith. I’m sweating and nauseous because I don’t know where this conversation is going. You keep dodging the question about where all the revelations leave us and you refused to stay at my place for lunch, so I’m assuming you’re trying to let me down easy in a public place.”

  “Let you down easy?”

  Meredith emphasized the you in her sentence. She’d avoided the topic he mentioned because she was afraid once they talked things out that he’d decide the allure or whatever it was that attracted him to her would be gone. The woman of mystery he’d originally met boiled down to an uneducated mother who had no idea what way was up in her life.

  “Exactly. You don’t have to worry about someone finding you and turning you over for the wedding of a century. Now you can come and go as you please, as long as you stay away from the potential reporters who want to turn your story into must-watch television.”

  “I hope that’s something we both know will happen over my dead body. And I’m not sure why you think I’d bring you to a public place to tell you I wanted you out of my life. I told you at your place that I wanted a date before we jumped in bed.”

  She wasn’t buying his story. The lighting in the restaurant wasn’t good enough to see what his pupils looked like. They didn’t look like pinpoints or giant orbs, but it was hard to say.

  “Yeah, but it sort of felt like the only reason bed entered the equation was the fact I didn’t have any clothes on.”

  “You seriously think after all this time, I don’t want to see where this will go? You don’t have to have your clothes off to be sex on a stick.”

  Meredith’s voice ended up a little louder than she anticipated. She could feel the glares of people around the room that got a taste of the path the conversation wandered down. Squeezing Toby’s hand, she took a deep breath. It was her idea to go out to eat somewhere, so she had no one to blame but herself.

  “Interesting.”

  The single word response from Toby made Meredith want to growl at him. She was still worried something might be wrong with his head, and had to consider whether simple responses could be a sign of something bigger to come.

  Her phone chirping drew her attention away from the man doing his best to frustrate her. With her free hand, she swiped to take a look at the latest picture from her mom. She hadn’t thought there were many options for unique photo opportunities when she’d issued the task – Caleb in the go-kart on the track, Caleb sitting while he waited for his turn again.

  Layla had clearly missed her calling as a photographer. Every picture was unique based on the emotion coming from Caleb for all the crazy poses he did. In the current one, he was standing behind one of the go-karts with one foot up on the chassis and some kind of trophy in his hand. With the ear-to-ear smile on his face, one would easily assume he just won a major auto racing event.

  Meredith texted back a thumbs up, the same reply she’d done with the ten other photos she’d gotten. She hated the fact that she’d left her kids with someone else to watch, but the photos were making it easier to at least pretend she was a normal person.

  “So what’s going on with your phone? Do you have a live feed into the go-kart arena so you can make sure the kids aren’t taking over the place?”

  The idea made Meredith chuckle. In a decade or so, she figured she’d actually have to worry about Caleb doing something like that.

  “No, my mom’s been taking pics and sending them so I know everything’s going okay.”

  Lifting the phone, Meredith shared the latest with Toby. He reached out and held her wrist so he could get a good look.

  “I think it’s official. We’re going to have to install a track in the woods back home. I know my place has an acre or two we could devote to it.”

  “You don’t think we’ll decide to stay here? I’m pretty sure Caleb’s going to lobby for it. And now that I know I’m not required to marry anyone, there’s no reason for me to hide.”

  Toby lowered his chin and raised his brow as he studied Meredith. It took him a second to reply. Meredith imagined the idea of sticking around the city had plenty of appeal for him.

  “The shine of new things will wear off quickly for him. I doubt he’ll find enough mud here to make pies and the thrill of seeing bears in the backyard is kind of non-existent. He’d miss that stuff if you stayed away too long.”

  “And what about you? You’ve been back a few days now. Do you miss your cabin?”

  As Toby shook his head, Meredith’s heart sunk. She knew the city life would quickly draw him back in, but she thought it’d take a little longer.

  “I miss you, Caleb and Grace. Me and the cabin have a love-hate relationship that I could take or leave. You guys, that’s something I can’t live without. Wherever you guys are, that’s where I want to be.”

  That notion scared Meredith almost as much as the idea of him not wanting anything to do with them. Her phone was still in the air, so she pulled her hand back and put it on the table. A part of her wished for the simple life she was used to, but returning to the land of the living meant her heart was going to be vulnerable. She hoped Toby understood that and did what he could to not tear it in two.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  “I don’t know what to get her.”

  Toby had looked at flowers, jewelry and electronics, but nothing seemed like the right gift for Meredith. He was on a mission to find something for her. Evidently, that task was something impossible to complete.

  “I don’t understand why you need to get her something for your third date,” Jimmy said as he flicked the top of a pen that had some weird emoji on it with yarn-like neon green hair going every direction. “Most people wait until things are a little more serious. Where are you taking her tonight anyway?”

  Jimmy left the weird pens and walked over to the section of the store Toby avoided. Since he’d had no luck in the standalone stores around town, Jimmy had suggested they stop at the mall. They were about halfway through the stores after wandering into someplace that seemed to carry the weirdest gifts known to man.

  There were funky socks, shirts with crazy sayings, gag gifts. Then there was the section Jimmy wandered to. It was in the back of the store and the words edible underwear had caught Toby’s eyes. His imagination could fill in some of the other items that were sure to be on the shelves next to the cherry-flavored panties.

  If their relationship was a little further along, the gift would’ve been fun for a few laughs, but Meredith would’ve probably preferred the fake dog poop over sex-related items. They’d talked about sex, but Toby kind of wanted a doctor’s note before they tried anything. She’d been through surgery that needed time to heal.

  “We’re taking the k
ids to a movie. We’ll probably grab some pizza or something. Caleb’s decided that’s his new favorite food, so we’ve basically been eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

  The frequency was an exaggeration, but Caleb’s devotion to food items with a crust, tomato sauce and cheese had become apparent. Meredith hadn’t seemed thrilled about the concept, but Toby didn’t mind since pizza could clearly be considered one of the five food groups.

  “Your third date consists of you going to the movies with her kids. Are you crazy? How in the world do you expect to get laid?”

  Jimmy had a bottle of lotion in his hand. At least Toby thought it looked like lotion. It was hard to tell based on the oddity of the various items on the shelves. Jimmy opened the lid of the bottle and held it up to his nose. The way his nose crinkled made it clear the scent wasn’t a favorite.

  “I’m not trying to get laid, dork.”

  Toby smacked Jimmy on the back of the head as he walked by him. His eyes scanned the shelves to see if there was anything in the section that would be useable in the future, but didn’t stop to touch anything like Jimmy.

  “She’s staying at your place, right? I mean she could be living in her parents’ mansion, catching up and whatnot, but she decided to stay at your place.”

  “So?”

  Meredith had let her parents back in her life, but she wasn’t about to let them have any control over her, and staying in their place eventually would come with rules. At least that was what she claimed. Toby understood where she was going with the idea and had no problem opening his doors to her and the kids.

  They’d had to go out and get supplies. Meredith had basically packed their whole cabin up for the visit, but she’d left the baby’s bassinet back home and diapers only lasted so long. On the subject of the whole diaper thing, Toby was still trying to get used to how toxic those things could be, and he’d been helping out for a month in that department.

  Once they got a bassinet and diaper changing table set up in one of the spare bedrooms, the conversation about sleeping arrangements started up. They hadn’t spent the night under the same roof, so where people slept hadn’t been a problem before.

  He would’ve welcomed her into his king-sized bed, but he was happy when she said her and Caleb would just sleep in the room they set the baby up in. Temptation taunted him enough as it was. Having Meredith right there to wrap his arms around would’ve pushed his limits.

  “So? Are you a moron? That’s a rhetorical question, so don’t answer that.”

  Jimmy put down the latest bottle in his hand and turned to his friend. He looked annoyed, which was a pretty standard look for him.

  “She totally wants you to jump her bones, and you’re planning dates with her kids and trying to figure out some meaningful present to prove that jumping her bones is the last thing on your mind.”

  “We’ll eventually get to sex,” Toby replied in a harsh whisper. There was a little too much of his personally life being aired in the middle of the store for his comfort. “We’re both still trying to figure out what’s going on between us, so it’d be stupid to throw a physical relationship in before we’re on solid ground.”

  “Like I said, you’re a moron.”

  There was no explaining the statement as Jimmy shook his head and took off towards the front of the store. Toby was all for seeing what was next in his disappointing shopping trip, but his friend acted like he had a clue about his relationship. Jimmy had never offered any kind of relationship advice, so Toby was curious what in the world he was seeing that Toby didn’t.

  “I’m not a moron for wanting to make sure I don’t scare Meredith away. I’m not about to get into her personal business, but her luck with guys hasn’t been the greatest.”

  Jimmy didn’t know the specifics about Meredith and Perry or Lawrence. He knew something happened to make Meredith take off and that she’d been married, but Toby wasn’t sharing any of the gritty details.

  “And having an inept current boyfriend isn’t helping her track record. Jen hangs out with her every day, so I’m well-aware of all your lady friend’s insecurities. And the fact that you ain’t helping them any.”

  They’d walked to a seating area in the middle of the mall. Toby wasn’t about to sit, but there was more room to talk there than there was in the middle of a store.

  “I don’t know what Jen is telling you, but I think you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

  The words came out of Toby’s mouth immediately. He took a second to consider the idea after the quick reply, and he couldn’t think of a reason Meredith would be unhappy about how things were going. They’d been in the city for six days together and other than a few meetings Toby had to run off to, they’d been together almost the whole time.

  His house was big enough that she could hide out in her room or any of the other rooms if she wanted a break. She also had every opportunity to go to her parents’ place if she wanted some breathing room.

  “I promised not to breathe a word of this to you, but you clearly need help. She asked Jen yesterday where to get some sexy clothes and a makeover because she’s afraid you don’t find her attractive enough. Jen said it’s probably just post-pregnancy hormones kicking into hyperdrive, but that woman wants you to screw her in every room of your house and probably about three times in the pool.”

  Toby’s eyes widened as his friend went on. The idea that anyone would think he didn’t think Meredith was sexy offended him, especially since it was the woman who had enthralled him for about two months who was questioning it. It hadn’t even been a week since she saw exactly what effect seeing her had on his body.

  He didn’t walk around with a consistent boner, but things were tight and uncomfortable more than a few times a day. He couldn’t believe Meredith didn’t see that kind of stuff in his eyes.

  “So you’re saying I should think more about picking up a box of condoms than finding a meaningful gift.”

  There were no intentions of giving up on his quest, but Toby wanted to make sure he was interpreting things correctly. With how blunt Jimmy put his claims, it was hard to take it any other way.

  “I don’t think she has a preference whether condoms are involved or not, but they’d be a good indication that your head’s in it. If you’re smart, you’ll grab a double pack and ask grandma to keep an eye on the kiddos for a day or two.”

  Toby could buy that Meredith wanted to get freaky, but there was no way she’d send the kids away for days. She’d demand photos every five minutes and that would make any romantic night for two a little awkward.

  “Thanks for making me feel like I’m right back in the locker room. You guys were always no help when it came to relationships.”

  It’d been months since Toby had to listen to the banter in the locker room. There were parts he missed, but some of the advice coming out of the room was completely absurd, much like what Jimmy was trying to feed him.”

  “Like anyone ever tried to give you relationship advice. I keep telling the guys during our workouts that you’ve got a girlfriend, and Mickey and Gus literally can’t stop laughing.”

  As bad as it was, Toby could see that happening. The guys were a bunch of kids at heart and Toby had been teased about his lack of a consistent presence on his arm at any events the team had. There was a part of him that was sad his career was over because of the fact he couldn’t show Meredith off as easily as he used to.

  That wasn’t right. Showing her off was easy enough. It was that he sort of wanted to rub his relationship in some of the guys’ faces that he missed. Thinking that way sucked, but he was still dealing with the idea Meredith couldn’t see that he wasn’t just hanging out with her because he liked her kids. That seemed to be the only reason he could come up with for her thinking he didn’t think she was attractive.

  “I was set up on dates multiple times over the last five years by you guys.”

  “Yeah, and look where that got any of us. I think three of those dates are now marri
ed into the team, none of which got a second date from you. Maybe if you would have had thoughtful gifts on your mind back then, you would’ve been married by now.”

  “And you call me a moron. Maybe I’ll bring Meredith and the kids to your next practice so she can get a sense of what I’m dealing with.”

  There were pros and cons to that idea. Since Toby had mentioned to Caleb that he’d teach him to skate, it was a good idea to let him see the guys in action. Having Meredith anywhere near guys sounded like a recipe for disaster.

  “You know the schedule. That’s the only way some of the guys will believe you aren’t dating a blow-up doll.”

  “In that case, I’ll talk to Meredith and see if she wants to stop in to laugh at you.” Toby sighed and looked around at the names of the stores closest to them. “You want to get out of here? It’s pretty clear to me that I’m not going to find it here.”

  “I’m pretty sure I told you that already. I’m not saying condoms and a bottle of wine is the right idea, but it wouldn’t hurt.”

  Jimmy looked both directions and started walking to his left. It was easy to get turned around in the monstrosity they were in, but he was heading in the right direction for Toby’s SUV.

  “I think you do the movies and pizza thing with the whole family, but make sure you show mama how much you really dig her. You know, maybe a little tongue action for her down under or something.”

  Toby wanted to stick his fingers in his ears and chant “la la la” to pretend he didn’t hear his best friend. Just because Jimmy’s personal life was anything but personal didn’t mean Toby would jump on that wagon because he had someone in his life. It made him wonder exactly what Meredith was sharing with Jen. Toby liked the idea of having a private life, and Meredith had proven she did too, but it was worth it to mention what a smart idea it was to make sure Jimmy never got his hands on the details of their personal relationship.