AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m going home to be where I’m needed—with my team, my other brothers. I’ll stay with Talynn if she’s okay with it.”
I glance over at Talynn, who is probably getting the same speech. Archer is like an extra older brother. I’ve always felt at ease around him, maybe because his brother and sister are my age. Hagan and Harper have always been incredibly important to Archer so I guess I’m the a reminder of them so he gravitates toward me.
“Okay, call me when you get to Florida. We’ll be there in a couple of days. Tackett? We shouldn’t have sprung it on you that you were going to start. If you had time to prepare yourself, I know you would have hit it out of the park today. You’re a tough kid. Don’t let one experience define you.”
“I’ll try. Thanks again for everything. Talk soon.”
While waiting for Talynn to get off the phone, I walk outside, and the inhospitable wind knocks me in the face. The pace has picked up since we changed rooms last. I look over the railing to the ground level, seeing an elderly couple fighting to get out of their car and keep the doors open. Racing down the steps, I get there just in time, keeping the door from closing on the woman. I walk her under the overhang and then go to help her husband. Once he’s out of the car, I grab their overnight bags.
When we step inside the lobby, they concentrate their focus on me. Her hair is white like the granny you envision of having. She grabs my hand with both of hers, patting with her top hand. “You look familiar,” she says.
Maybe my shirt gave it away. “Me?”
“You’re Tackett Towles.” Her husband blurts out in complete confidence. He slaps my back. “You’re going to be a star.”
His wife chimes in. “I knew it. We’ve been following the Sharks since Wilson Shepherd came to town and started the 23 Trauma Center.”
“Thank you, sir. Ma’am, Shepherd is changing a lot of lives now that the center is open.”
She keeps my hand in hers. She’s a beautiful lady with a few wrinkles in her full cheeks, along with the brightest green eyes I’ve ever seen. “We met Wilson at the skating rink, and we’ve been coming to as many games as we can. Your back flip today showed a tremendous amount of athleticism.” She grins from ear to ear. “The first one anyway.”
I laugh so hard and loud it shakes my body. “Yeah. I didn’t have my best performance today.”
“Tackett, I’ve been looking for you.” Talynn jogs into the lobby in her short pajamas.
The couple’s smiles widen as they glance between us. “Well honey, thank you for your help. Looks like you have better things to do.”
I hesitate before speaking. “Talynn and I will help you get your bags to your room before we head to sleep.”
I swear the lady winks at me, thinking that Talynn and I are a couple. We grab their luggage and put them in their motel room. We say our goodbyes and they promise to come early or stay late after our next game so I can talk to them.
I miss having grandparents, which is why I do my community outreach at the senior citizens center. It’s a different kind of love between a grandparent and grandchild. “Tackett, lock the door behind you,” Talynn urges me.
I flip the hardware but nothing happens. I move back it back then push on the door and flip again with the same result. “Damn. The deadbolt doesn’t work, and the door doesn’t stay shut.” I can’t believe I didn’t notice this when we first came in, but we were tired from moving rooms and the exhaustion of the day sets in.
“Are we going to change rooms again?” she asks.
“No, I don’t have the energy. I’ll move the desk in front of it.”
She chews on her bottom lip and surveys the room taking inventory of what else we could possibly put in front of the door. “Okay but you’re sleeping closest to the door.”
ChapterFour
TALYNN
How can I sleep when I can see the muscles in his back change shape as he twists and turns? Thanks to Megan and Archer, Tackett and I will spend another night together—tomorrow—at my apartment. Megan’s married and the lease has nine months left on it so she’s sub-letting it to me.
Getting to know him better will be fun but it’s a ton of pressure being on my best behavior and showing him only the side of me that might be appealing to the opposite sex. I have to wake up and brush my teeth and hair before leaving my room. On the other hand, he almost kissed me earlier tonight, so this could bea different kind of fun.
I watch him sleep until I doze off. When his alarm goes off five hours later, I realize that I’m not cut out to be in the same regiment as a professional athlete. Pulling the thin scratchy cover over my head, I say, “Please.”
“Do you say that often?”
He’s clearly intrigued by my use of the word. I peek out, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He laughs, and I love the way his mouth stretches really wide as he throws his head back. How can someone so gorgeous be so normal? He seems to have no idea how hot he is.
“Nothing, I’m getting in the shower but then we need to leave.”
