Fumbled (The Girls of Beachmont #1)

by T. K. Rapp

  “Where’s your first game?”

  “Here.” He smiled and crawled over me on the bed, dropping his lips to mine and kissing the corner. “Are you going to be there?”

  “Do you want me there?” I asked against his mouth before kissing him.

  “Maybe.” He smiled as he slowly moved away.

  “Well, maybe I’ll be there,” I answered coyly.

  “Good.”

  “How many games do you play?”

  “Four. Two home, two away. One in New York and one in Tennessee.”

  “I wish you didn’t have to go,” I said, picking at an invisible piece of lint on his comforter. It was the most honest thing I could say, and I needed to tell him that.

  “I know. Me too,” he said. “But we’ll be fine, right?”

  “I suppose,” I said with a shrug. “But what if while you’re gone, some tall, dark, and handsome stranger appears and tries to sweep me off my feet?” I asked innocently.

  “Then you tell him that your tall, pale, and scary boyfriend will beat his ass,” he answered over his shoulder with a laugh.

  “Aw. Would you do that?” I asked, batting my eyelashes and smiling.

  “For you, I’d do just about anything.”

  “Really?” I asked excitedly, sitting up and tucking my feet beneath me. “Like what?”

  “I’d go to a chick flick,” he conceded, as if it was the biggest sacrifice in the history of sacrifices, and I laughed.

  “And what else?”

  “I could hold your purse while you shop?”

  “I hate shopping,” I retorted. “What else do ya got?”

  I loved our playfulness; it made me smile, and I felt like it was something we’d done forever.

  Tabor walked over to me and reached for my hand, guiding me to my knees. I inched to the edge of the bed and he wrapped his arms around my waist, mine going around his neck.

  He kissed me once. “I would…”

  Another kiss. “…go to the…”

  And another still. “…store and buy feminine products.”

  He dipped his head to kiss me again and I covered his mouth, his breath hot against my palm, and I was laughing. I shook my head, unable to say anything, and I felt his smile grow beneath my hand.

  “You’d do that?”

  “Baby, that stuff doesn’t matter to me,” he answered.

  “And you really have to leave tomorrow?” I asked, still wrapped in his arms.

  “Unfortunately,” he said, looking deep into my eyes, giving me so much with one action.

  I wanted to stay wrapped in his arms forever. Instead, I opted to enjoy the short time we had left and rested my head against his chest. The steady rise and fall as he breathed forced my eyes shut as I cataloged it to memory. Being without those arms, those lips, those eyes…that body, was something I wasn’t prepared for.

  Tabor had everything packed and he was waiting downstairs. We’d already had dinner, and I was staying at his place because I wouldn’t see him for a while. There wasn’t much left to do, but I knew we’d find something.

  “We still have tonight,” he finally said, holding me tighter.

  “Tonight,” I repeated.

  ***

  The next morning we left his place together, going our separate directions, and I ended up at Millie’s front door, a pathetic excuse for the woman I had been before Tabor.

  “Suck it up, Dani,” I told myself as I looked at my reflection in the rearview mirror and swiped the tears from my eyes. “It’s not like he’s gone for good.”

  I tried to hide the red nose and glassy eyes, but I knew it was no use: Millie would see it all, even if a single tear was never shed. I stepped out of my car and closed the door behind me, but before I got a chance to knock, the wooden door flung open and Millie stood at the threshold with Colton propped on her hip.

  “Dani! Where the hell have you been?” she asked.

  I was quiet, trying to stop the tears, and then it happened. I sniffled. That was all it took.

  “Are you…crying?” she gasped. “Dani, you never cry. Did you and Tabor break up?”

  I shook my head and realized from the panicked look on her face that she was scared.

  “No,” I sniffled and huffed. “He left for training camp this morning.”

  “Damn, you’ve got it bad,” she noted. “Come in and play with your godson.”

  I reached out my arms and Colton willingly came to me, dirty diaper and all. I wrinkled my nose and made a face as I tried to hand him back to his mom, but he had a death grip on my hair.

  “He’s got a dirty diaper, Mills,” I said, but when I looked up she was halfway to the kitchen.

  “You know where the diapers are,” she called out. “I’ll get you some coffee.”

  I looked at the baby and snorted. “Coffee in exchange for your nasty diaper hardly seems fair.”

  Colton was making faces and babbling with his hand in his mouth. I was almost tempted to leave him be, considering he seemed content in his mess, but I knew it would be only a matter of time until he was in full tantrum mode. When he was cleaned and changed, I brought him downstairs to join his mommy in the kitchen.

  “So tell me all about it,” she said, handing me a mug and a huge chunk of chocolate cake.

  “Did you make this?” I asked. Millie wasn’t typically the baker, but stranger things had happened.

  “I did,” she beamed proudly.

  I raised a brow and pushed it toward her. “You taste it first.”

  She pressed her hand to her chest and pretended to be offended and then shrugged. “Fair enough.”

  Her fork was loaded with a huge chunk. She shoved it into her mouth and chewed, closing her eyes as she enjoyed it. When I was sure she wasn’t lying, I took the fork in hand and did the same. It was, quite possibly, the best cake I’d ever had. Millie took Colton from my arms and placed him in the highchair, and put some Cheerios on it before sitting down next to me. She’d taken care of everything and she was ready to focus on me.

  “Okay, so spill,” she said, leaving no room for argument.

  “Is this really going to work out?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Tabor and me? I mean, he’s got preseason now, and sure, he’ll be home in a couple of weeks and then what? He’s got practice and games and everything else. We’re just getting started.”

  “It’s a few months, Dani,” she said, reaching for my hand. “That’s nothing.”

  “I get that this is his career and he loves the game. I want him to be happy. But a part of me wants to be incredibly selfish and have him all to myself.”

  “Dan—”

  “I know it’s unreasonable, and that’s not what I really want. I’m just sad and mopey because I miss him already.”

  “It’s not like you won’t see him. He’ll still be around all the time, and something tells me that his free time will be spent with you.”

  I looked at Millie and smiled because I knew she was right. Tabor would spend as much time with me as he could because he loved me. He was as miserable about the situation as I was, and oddly, that made me feel better.

  ***

  I had no idea what I was in for or what “camp” entailed, but I quickly learned. Tabor called every night before he went to sleep, and every night I heard about the grueling practices and drills. We barely spoke for fifteen minutes because he was too tired and had to get up early the next morning. And I tried not to sound too disappointed when the call ended.

  My first experience as a football player’s girlfriend came a week after camp started, during the opening preseason game. To say it was a strange experience would be an understatement considering that people in the stands seemed to know me. Not necessarily my name, but sitting in the stands with Marta, who flew in to be there for Tabor, there were whispers of “that’s his girlfriend.”

  Mid-way through the game, I watched in horror as he made a tackle, only to be hit by another player. He sta
yed down for a bit before climbing to his feet and getting back to the game. Marta wrapped her arm around me and told me what was going on while trying to calm my nerves.

  Everyone was right: I hated football.

  “He’s fine,” Marta said in her soothing tone. “See, he’s already back up.”

  “I don’t know how he does it,” I said.

  “He’s been doing it for so long, he just knows,” she said.

  “But what if he gets seriously hurt?” I questioned, but instantly regretted the worry I saw on her face.

  “If that happens, you go to Larkins General Hospital and meet him there. Just say you’re there for Tabor and you’re his sister or something so they let you see him.”

  “Gross,” I said, making a gagging noise.

  “If you want to see him, you’ll lie through your teeth. And if that doesn’t work, just find Wilson.”

  I refocused on the game, but watching the person I loved going head to head against men of equal or greater size terrified me. It was a lesson in etiquette sitting next to Marta, who kept her chin up and cheered on her son. Without a word, she showed me how I needed to carry myself, though it would take some practice. But spotting photographers with their zoom lenses as they tried to catch us together made it hard to adjust to the spotlight I was thrust in.

  And of course there was always Fangurl, with the biting news stories related to Tabor and me. After the first game, she came out with a clever story.

  Teacher Shows Hunter How It’s Done

  We’ve learned a little more about JT Hunter’s latest fling. We’ve heard from multiple sources that Hunter isn’t the only man in her life. While we don’t yet have the details, teacher, Danielle Miner is rumored to also be seeing a high-profile CEO. But don’t feel bad for him, because it appears she and the football hunk have an open relationship. Mr. Hunter, if you’re reading this, call me. I’m game.

  Guess it goes to show, men like JT Hunter like open-minded women.

  Fling? I was considered a fling? My sister had to talk me down when I called her screaming about the blatant lies this person was spewing. Everything about that article made me look like a tramp and I hated it.

  “Hey babe,” Tabor’s low voice soothed through the phone.

  “Hey,” I answered.

  I spoke to him when he got a break in the middle of the day, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.

  Without Tabor, my condo was quiet, my hands were lonely, and I missed him like crazy.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, the concern etched in his tone.

  “I’m fine,” I lied. “Just missing you.”

  “I miss you,” he responded before continuing. “If I flew you out here, would you come?”

  “It’s only a few days, right?”

  “Yeah,” he said, and I felt bad for his obvious disappointment. “But I wouldn’t mind training so much if you were here.”

  My heart swelled and I wished he were in front of me so I could climb into his arms and never leave. It was disturbing how quickly I’d come to depend on his presence in in my life.

  “I wouldn’t mind either,” I admitted.

  “So come out here.”

  “I really can’t…but you know, it’s hardest at night when I have time to think. During the day, I’m busy enough that I’m not obsessing,” I told him.

  “I know what you mean. But I’ll be home soon,” he said, giving me some perspective.

  “Soon.”

  By week two, I was a seasoned pro. Or at the very least, good at pretending. His second game was away and I watched it with my parents, cringing with every crushing blow and tackle—it didn’t matter who was on the receiving end of it.

  After two weeks of Tabor gone with no visits, I was excited when that game ended because it marked the end of hotel stays. But I got an early surprise when obnoxious sports commentator Kip Stanley caught him as he was leaving the field to interview him after the game.

  “JT, the Quakes managed to pull out a win today, but there were a lot of mistakes. What do you think the team needs to do before the game against the Hustlers?”

  “You know, we’re still working on it and we have a great coaching staff who’s figuring it all out, so we just need to listen and see what they come up with,” he said while the short man man nodded.

  “The defense was pretty good out there, but it looked like you had to rein in a few of your teammates,” short, obnoxious Kip noted.

  “These guys are my brothers. We’re good.”

  “We heard that your girlfriend Danielle wasn’t able to make it tonight. Do you think that affected your concentration?”

  “Absolutely not. She’s working and I know she’d be here if she could,” he said with a smile before looking right into the camera. “I’ll see you later tonight, baby. I love you.”

  Dad looked at me and laughed, nudging my knee with his. “He’ll see you soon, baby,” he cooed.

  “Shut up, Dad,” I laughed and flushed with embarrassment.

  Tabor would be home soon. The game was over, and even though training camp wasn’t, he was at least able to return to his home. I’d finally get to spend a little more time with him. There were still daily practices and long days, but at least he’d have the chance to come to my place or I could go to his. The only thing that mattered to me was being able to see his face…and not see it on a television screen.

  I left Mom and Dad’s and decided to wait at home for Tabor’s call – only the silence was excruciating and made the time seem to pass too slowly. I’d cleaned my kitchen, folded some laundry, and organized my pantry, all in an effort to keep me busy. My phone rang and I jumped up to answer it, almost dropping the device in the process.

  “Hello?” I asked, without looked at the caller ID.

  “You okay?” Grace asked. “What time does he get in?”

  “Anytime now, I think. He’s supposed to call. Hopefully it won’t be too late, because I’m dying to see him.”

  “Have you gotten everything set up for your classroom?”

  “Almost. I was there every day last week, but between my class and getting the program ready, I’m spread so thin.”

  “I’ll bet your boss is pretty happy you were able to get the funding to come through,” she said. She was proud of what I’d done for the students.

  “Actually, I haven’t seen Mr. Lopez. I’ve heard chatter that he might be getting a promotion, so maybe that’s why he hasn’t been around.”

  There was a knock at the door and I walked over to peek through the window. I sucked in a rush of air, seeing Tabor’s towering figure looming in front of me.

  “Gracie, I gotta go,” I said absently, hanging up the phone before she could ask any questions.

  When I opened the door, Tabor dropped his duffle bag to the ground and I leapt into his arms, holding him as if I hadn’t seen him in years. Two weeks wasn’t long for many, but to me, in a very new relationship with someone I adored, two weeks had been an eternity.

  His arms wrapped around me, holding me close as he buried his face in my neck, breathing me in. I don’t know how long we stood outside, without speaking, but it was perfection.

  “I missed you so much,” I admitted.

  He set me on my feet and looked down at me.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to call me when you got home.”

  “Got my car and drove straight here. I didn’t want to wait to see you.”

  I stepped aside and he grabbed his things, walking in behind me. He looked absolutely worn out, so I took the heavy bag from his hand and dropped it on the floor, leading him upstairs to my room. Tabor sat on the edge of my bed and watched as I scurried around, straightening up the clothes tossed on the floor.

  “Leave it. Come here,” he instructed with his arms outstretched. He enveloped me and lay back, pulling me on top of him. I laughed when he groaned, exhausted from his weeks of practice and torture.

  “Are you tired?” I ask
ed, snuggling against his chest. “Because I could so sleep right now.”

  “I’m exhausted,” he admitted.

  He sat up and brought me along with him, his arm still wrapped around my waist. He had to look up to see my face and I liked the angle; he was beautiful.

  “I missed you too,” he said, responding to my earlier admission, and then he kissed me softly. “Let’s go to bed.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I answered. “I’ll be right back, I need to turn off everything downstairs.”

  I disappeared down the steps and made my rounds to make sure the condo was locked up. I returned to see the shirtless back of Tabor as he pulled the covers back on my bed. But when he turned around, I gasped as I caught sight of a purpling bruise near his ribs. I rushed over and examined it closer, dread filling me.

  “It looks worse than it feels,” he said quietly. “Doc checked it out already and says it’ll be fine.”

  I stood upright and looked into his eyes, trying to hide my fear, but I knew it was there for him to see. Tabor wrapped his arms around me and my hands gripped his bare back.

  “Dani?” He moved his hands to my arms and moved me so he could see my face. “I promise, I’m okay. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

  “Okay,” I conceded. I wasn’t a doctor—who was I to argue? But I was the girlfriend, and I needed him to be whole.

  “But I could use some aspirin, I have a bit of a headache,” he admitted.

  “Did the doc check that out too?” I asked. “You took some big hits tonight.”

  “Nah, I’m probably just dehydrated, that’s all,” he answered dismissively.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I just need aspirin, water, and you…and I’ll be fine,” he said with a smile.

  The medicine was in my bathroom and I closed the door behind me so he didn’t see the fear I was trying too hard to hide. I took a few deep breaths and glanced at my reflection in the mirror. To myself I appeared more haggard than I’d seen in a while, and I couldn’t help but wonder if those new lines on my face were of the worry variety.

  “He’s fine,” I whispered to myself.

  I grabbed the pill bottle and filled a cup with water from the tap and exhaled.