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Katie’s already watching me curiously, and when I wave her toward me, she runs, forcing the other fans to stand and let her through, all while she thanks each of them as she goes.
I lift a shoulder in response to Logan’s raised eyebrow as Noel chuckles beside me.
With Katie’s hand in mine, he leads us to the back end of the tunnel, and my heart flutters. Baby Bennett, a.k.a. Ryan, is standing with Wes, both with big smiles on their faces. Ryan bends down to Katie’s height. “Ready to run out onto the field with me, Katie? I hear you’re a big fan of the game.”
Katie squeals as my hand flies to my mouth.Dammit, Wes, you’re making it really hard to stay mad at you.
Katie starts walking down the tunnel without any instruction until I call her back, suddenly nervous about her going out alone.
“Wait for your mom, Katie,” Wes calls out at the same time. “She and Ryan are coming with you.”
We race tocatch up to her, just as the rest of the team arrive behind us, slowing their pace so that their quarterback and Katie are the first onto the field.
Katie’s eyes bounce around the stadium as mine stay firmly locked on hers, and there’s no doubt in my mind that she’ll never forget this day.
With the excitement of the game, and Katie’s energy after her moment, I don’t really get time to process everything until I get home. Katie and Liam run off to her playroom while Logan calls Dani.
Staring out the kitchen window, I pull out my phone to call Wes, but pause to think about what to say, wondering how to express how grateful I am for what he did for Katie today. But I can’t find the right words. After realizing nothing I say will ever be enough, I send him a simple text.
Lucy: Thank you
He writes back instantly, and I can picture his genuine smile.
Wes: Anytime
When I arrive at the gym the next day for an extra boxing session, Wes is waiting by the entrance, geared up in his workout clothes, with a water bottle in his hand. “Any chance I can earn some extra credit by letting you beat me up?” he asks and I bark out a laugh, shaking my head.
“No, but if you give me a real workout by being a worthy opponent, I’ll consider it.”
He smirks as he opens the door for us both, pressing his palm to the small of my back as I go. “Done.”
I try not to react as I move through ahead of him, but stop when his hand grips my waist and he leans in close to whisper. “Oh, and Lucy, I’ve been practicing.”
My pulse spikes and my legs clench as I remember the last time we sparred and what happened after it, but I push the thought from my mind.Nope, Lucy. Head in the game. He’s not done groveling. He wants to do this.
Chapter Forty-Six
Lucy
I’masweatymesson the floor by the time Wes and I have finished our session, and as I stare up at the ceiling, his large frame fills my vision from above.
“How are you doing down there?” he asks with a big smile on his face.
“I’m…fine,” I huff out between breaths, my chest still rising and falling in rapid succession.
Wes laughs and sits down beside me, resting his elbows on his knees. “Once again you blew my mind with your power, Luce. Your strength…inandout of the ring…you’re incredible.”
My face heats as I blush. I’ve never been good at taking compliments, but coming from Wes, it seems even harder. “Thank you,” I say shyly, closing my eyes as I do.
We stay silent after that until I’m finally able to breathe properly, and I sit up to mirror Wes’s posture. “You really have been practicing. You had some nice moves, Johnson.”
His face lights up and he smirks. “Well, they do say ‘couples that sweat together, stay together.’”
I can’t stop my laugh and am about to ask him if that’s really true when he continues.
“It’s something that’s important to you, Lucy. I wanted to know all about it.”
I swallow a lump in my throat as I fight to keep my emotions at bay. In all my relationships, I’ve been the one fitting in with my man. It was always about his interests. I either learned to love them, or he enjoyed them on his own. But there was never any discussion about what I wanted. With Wes, I’ve never once felt that way. He always lifts me up, even at times I thought I was already standing. I’m not at all used to this attention. But I think it’s time I learned to love myself and believe that I can be loved for who I am as an individual, not just because I happen to make my partner happy.How the hell didn’t I see anything was wrong for all those years?Why did it take someone finally treating me right to make me realize how wrong it had always been?
