Protecting Her Heart: Indianapolis Eagles Series Book 4

by Samantha Lind

  After reading over the comments for a couple of minutes, I slip my phone back in my pocket and look over to Laura and the Macentires. She notices me leaning against the wall and her face lights up, causing Amber to turn my way. They both wave me over to them, so I close the distance in just a few steps.

  “Good evening, how are you guys tonight?” I greet, offering a hand to Will and leaning in to kiss Amber on the cheek, then give her a short hug.

  “We’re good. Sorry about the loss tonight,” Amber says.

  “Thanks, it just wasn’t in the cards for us tonight. Can’t win them all,” I say, shrugging off the loss. We lost two to one, so it wasn’t like it was a blowout game or anything. The puck just wasn’t bouncing in our favor tonight. No one played badly, we just weren’t the lucky team this time.

  “Did Brayden make it to the game tonight?”

  “He did. Our parents took him back to the house for us already. He wasn’t feeling well—all the noise and lights were starting to make his head hurt. They left around the start of the third period. He wasn’t happy about missing the rest of the game, but he also asked to go because of how he was feeling.”

  “I’m glad he at least got to see some of it. The guys were all wondering if he was here tonight. They enjoyed getting to talk with him.”

  “He loved every minute of getting to talk with all of you. Please pass on our thanks to everyone who took the time to talk to him, and to Avery and Liam. You guys have gone above and beyond for us, and made this trip so incredible.”

  “If there’s anything else we can do for you, please reach out to us. I can have Laura text you my cell number, or you know how to contact her, and she can get me in touch with you, as well. I’d love to FaceTime with Brayden to keep in touch, if that’d be okay with you guys?”

  “He’d love that, thank you so much.”

  “Here, add your contact information to my phone now, and I’ll text you so you have my number,” I say, pulling up a new contact and handing my phone to Amber. “And, if it isn’t too much to ask, can you keep me updated on his condition? I’ve grown kind of fond of your little guy these past couple of days. I really enjoyed talking to him.”

  “Absolutely, we can add you to our family loop that gets updates,” Will tells me.

  We visit a few more minutes with Amber and Will before they gather Avery and Liam from the suite where they watched the game.

  “Thank you again for everything,” Will tells Laura.

  “Absolutely. And please let me know when you make it home tomorrow.”

  “We will,” Amber assures her as she gives her a big hug.

  I shake hands, giving Will the man half-hug, slap on the back, before hugging the kids goodbye.

  “Make sure to tell Brayden we said goodbye,” I say to the kids.

  “We will, thanks again,” Will says, as he escorts his family outside to the parking lot.

  I slide my hand into Laura’s, pulling her to me. I cup her face with my other hand and bring our foreheads together.

  “Hi,” she whispers a moment later.

  “Hi, yourself. Ready to get out of here?”

  “Yes. I’m exhausted. I’m ready to have a day and night off tomorrow. No errands. No games. Just a lazy, stay in bed as late as we want, brunch, maybe some tacos for dinner, wine, and a movie to close out the day type of day,” she says, her eyes lighting up at each idea.

  “I like the sound of that. Let’s get out of here so we can get started on that lazy day.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Laura

  “Are you ready?” I ask Mark as we stand outside my parents’ house. I don’t know why I’m so freaking nervous about this dinner with my parents and brother. It isn’t like my parents don’t already know Mark.

  “Relax, Princess. Everything is going to be just fine,” he whispers in my ear, giving my hand a squeeze as he drops a kiss to my neck.

  I take the strength he’s sending my way and open the door to my parents’ house. We’re greeted by the amazing smells of whatever it is that my mom has made for dinner tonight. My brother arrived in town last night, and I’m sure he’s been living in the kitchen since, getting Mom to cook for him.

  “We’re here!” I call out as Mark helps me slip out of my jacket and hangs it up in the coat closet, along with his. We walk further into the house, searching for everyone.

  I hear voices coming from the family room that’s located off the dining room. Upon entering, I find my brother and a few of his bandmates.

  “Hey, we’re here,” I say again.

  “Laura!” My brother pops up from his seat to give me a big bear hug, excited to see me.

  “I missed you, kid,” he says before he sets me down on my feet. He might be my younger brother by a couple of years, but he’s been bigger than me for years. Drove me nuts when we were kids.

  “Miss you, too, you big oaf,” I reply, slugging him in the arm.

  “Damn, sis, you been working out?” he asks, rubbing his arm where I got him.

  “Maybe,” I tease him. “Mike, this is my boyfriend, Mark. Mark, this is my brother, Mike.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Mark says to him, offering him a hand to shake.

  “You too,” Mike replies.

  I can see the manly stare-down happening between the two men, and I find it quite comical.

  “Okay, enough of that, you two,” I say, patting each of them on their chests, breaking up the silent eye conversation between them. I don’t need my brother trying to play the protective brother card on me.

  “How’s the tour going?” I ask, trying to change the subject and find something to talk about.

  “It’s going great. We’ve played a shit ton of shows already, and we still have so many to go. I can’t tell you how much we were looking forward to making it here to town, knowing we’d have a few days of downtime, and of course, Mom’s home cooking,” Mike tells us.

  “I can only imagine how quickly it would get old to be eating on the road all the time. Don’t the venues cater in food for you guys to have backstage?” I ask Mike.

  “Yep, but it’s still catered food. Just something different when it’s homemade.”

  “I guess you’re right. So where do you guys go next?”

  “After our break here in Indy, we’re headed for the south. Stopping in Ohio, Virginia, and North and South Carolina, all before Christmas. We’ll break for a couple weeks, and then meet in January to pick the tour back up. We crisscross over the states before we head overseas for a few weeks.”

  “Sounds like a hectic schedule,” Mark says.

  “It is. I don’t usually remember what city, hell, state, we’re playing each night. They all just end up blending together.”

  “I can only imagine. The same thing happens to me sometimes, and I don’t have that many cities to remember.”

  “Where’s Reese?” I ask my brother.

  “She’s staying at a hotel nearby. She’ll be over for dinner later.”

  “Oh good, we’ll get to catch up!” I say excitedly.

  I’ve been to a few of Reese’s concerts over the past few years since Mike started playing for her, and she’s super sweet. She’s a couple years younger than I am, but just killing it with hit after hit on the charts. Definitely one of the hottest female country music artists right now.

  I leave the group of people in the living room to go in search of my mom and dad while Mark stays to talk to my brother and his bandmates.

  I find my parents in the kitchen. Dad is just bringing in a platter with a huge prime rib roast on it from his smoker grill on the back deck.

  “Oh my, that smells amazing,” I say, as he sets the pan down on the counter.

  “Hey, baby girl. How’s it going?” Dad asks me, leaning down to kiss my cheek.

  “Good, we just got here a few minutes ago. Talked with Mike for a few minutes. Mark is still in there, talking to him and the guys. Can I help with anything, Mom?”

  “Nope, I’ve
got everything under control. The roast needs to rest for twenty minutes or so before we cut into it, and everything else is just being kept warm. I’m just going to serve everything buffet style, with how many people we have eating with us tonight. I’m sorry it isn’t just going to be us with this being the first time you’ve brought Mark over.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine,” I tell my mother, as I start to pull out plates and silverware to stack on the counter for her.

  “How’s work going?” Mom asks.

  “Good. We had a family here for the Make-A-Wish trip a couple of weeks ago, and it was such an amazing trip. I’m still thinking about them. They were so nice. My heart hurts so bad for them and everything they have to deal with in this mess,” I tell my mom.

  “It sure does suck. Dad was telling me what all you did for them. I’m proud of you for going above and beyond.”

  “It was the least we could do. I wish we could do more.”

  “I’m sure you do, sweetheart. That’s that nurturing heart of yours. Always wanting to make sure everyone has what they need, and making it happen if they didn’t.”

  “I learned from the best,” I tell my mom as Mark enters the kitchen.

  “Hi, Mark,” my mom says, greeting him as he comes to stand behind me, arms instinctively sliding around my waist and holding me close to his body.

  “Hello, Mrs. Erickson, nice to see you again.”

  “Oh please, call me Ruth,” she corrects him.

  “Thanks for having me over tonight, Mrs….er, Ruth,” Mark says, catching the name slip-up.

  “You’re welcome to come anytime,” my mom tells him. “Laura, why don’t you go let everyone know that dinner will be ready to serve in about five minutes, if they want to start getting washed up.”

  “Will do,” I tell her, pulling out of Mark’s grip and heading for the family room.

  “Hey, guys,” I say, getting everyone’s attention. “Time to get washed up. Dinner is about to be served.”

  “Thanks, sis,” Mike says, standing and giving me another hug.

  I watch as they all make their way to the downstairs bathroom or kitchen sink to wash up, and then line up single file at the island, where my mom has set out all the food in a buffet line.

  “Help yourselves,” she says to everyone, as she steps aside to let all the guys start filling their plates. Mark comes around to stand next to me, slipping an arm around me and pulling me closer to him. He drops his chin to my shoulder as we wait.

  “You doing okay?” he says, low enough that only I hear him.

  I turn my head slightly and whisper back to him, “Yes,” then kiss his cheek before we both move forward in line.

  Dinner is a riot with my brother and his bandmates around the table. I didn’t realize just how much I’ve missed having him around. We haven’t lived near each other in years, and with his crazy schedule, we just don’t connect much. But being around him tonight has me missing that sibling connection we had growing up.

  The guys keep us entertained with stories of their time on the road, some of them just crazy. From the wild and crazy fans who will do just about anything to try and sneak backstage, to the propositions they get, to learning to sleep on a moving bus all through the night as they move from city to city.

  “How’s Reese handling the crazy schedule?” I ask them. She ended up texting the guys that she was going to pass on dinner tonight, and just stay in at her hotel so I’ll have to catch up with her at the concert.

  “She’s doing great with it all. These few days off were much-needed for all of us to regroup and recharge. Nothing compares to getting to stay in one place for a few days and decompress. Sleeping in a real bed versus the bunks we have in the tour bus is also a nice change,” Brett, the bass guitarist for the band, replies.

  “That’s great. I’m super excited for all of you to be on such a huge headlining tour. You’ve all definitely put in your time to get to the top,” I tell all of them.

  “That we have. We’re just happy that Reese finally hit it big and did it her way,” David, the lead guitarist, states.

  “So, you guys hit the road here in a couple days and don’t break again until Christmas, correct?” I ask.

  “Yep, and we only have about ten days off then, as we’re playing one of the New Year’s Eve television specials from New York City,” Mike explains.

  “Oh, that sounds like fun!” my mom says.

  “We’re looking forward to it. Even if it is going to be freezing ass cold out there. At least we don’t have to be out onstage all night. Just during our five-minute or so timeframe. One song, and then we’re done.”

  We finish up dinner, the guys all offering to help clean up the dishes for my parents. While they are all gathered in the kitchen, my parents and I retreat to the back deck.

  “Things look to be good between the two of you,” my mom states, never being one to beat around the bush.

  “They are,” I say, a smile filling my lips. “He’s so good to me. Wants to support me in every way he can. Gets my reasonings why I held off so long on accepting his request for a date. Understands my hesitations with getting serious and my issues with wanting kids, but not knowing if I can ever have any of my own.”

  “If you’ve discussed all that with him, I’d say it really is serious then.”

  “I don’t think it’s something I should hide, not that I really could hide it. It’s a huge part of who I am, and if I’m going to be in a serious relationship with someone, they need to know the score going into things. But yes, we are serious. I don’t think there’ll be wedding bells anytime soon, but we’re also committed to each other and foresee a future with one another.”

  “As long as you’re happy, then we’re happy for you,” my dad adds. “But one word that he’s hurt my girl and don’t think I won’t trade his ass to another team.”

  I know my dad is just joking, for the most part, but I wouldn’t put it past him to really do something like that, if things didn’t work out between Mark and me.

  “Thanks, Daddy. I’m sure that won’t be necessary.”

  “Let’s hope not. Not only is he one of our best players, but if this is what happiness looks like on you and he’s the one that makes that happen, then he’s a keeper in my book. We just want you happy. It killed your mother and I after what Robert did to you.”

  “I know, Dad, and I feel like I’ve finally found myself again. I’ve learned to love myself, even if my body has failed me in the past and the future is unknown. I needed to go through all of that to get to where I am today. Without the trials I’ve been through, I wouldn’t be as strong as I am today.”

  Our conversation lulls as we enjoy the fall evening outside. The guys finish up in the kitchen, and then join us out on the deck. Mark takes a seat next to me, then reaches over and grabs my hand, linking our fingers together. His thumb rubs along the top of my hand, sending chills up my arm and down my body.

  “You cold?” he asks after I shiver.

  “A little, but it’s also just from you,” I tell him.

  His eyes darken as my words sink in, and his look tells me there’s more to come later tonight.

  The conversation carries on, from music to hockey and everything else in between. The sun has long gone down and my yawns are coming more frequently when Mom finally pipes up that she’s headed to bed.

  “I think that’s our cue that it’s time to head home,” I say, standing from my chair and stretching. “It was good to see all of you again. I’ll see you at the arena tomorrow night before the concert.”

  “Good to see you again, Laura,” the guys tell me.

  “Nice meeting all of you,” Mark says, shaking hands with Mike, Brett, and David.

  We say good night to my parents and head out to Mark’s truck.

  Once we’re on the main road, I turn as much as I can in my seatbelt and take in Mark’s profile. His hand is firmly on my thigh, as usual.

  “That went well,” I say finally.


  “It did, just as I told you it would.”

  “I’m sure it helped that my parents already know you,” I tease him.

  “What can I say, I’m a loveable guy. That, and your brother’s bandmates were a riot.”

  “That they are. I almost feel sorry for Reese that she has to put up with them all the time.”

  “I’m sure she keeps them in their places. She appears to be a feisty woman.”

  “I’ll agree with you on that. Have you ever met Reese?” I ask Mark.

  “Nope.”

  “She’s super sweet. I’ve hung out with her the few times I’ve made it to one of her shows. She’s really down to earth and doesn’t let her celebrity status make her better than anyone else.”

  We pull into my driveway and Mark parks his truck. We make our way inside and I kick off my flats, setting them on the shoe rack I have near the front door. I slip off the lightweight coat I had on and hang it up before moving further into the house.

  “Are you ready for bed, or do you want a glass of wine and to relax, first?” Mark asks, bringing his lips to my neck.

  “I’m ready for bed. I already drank too much wine tonight with my mom,” I tell him, tilting my head so he has better access.

  “Good choice,” he whispers before bringing one hand down under my ass and the other along my back. He scoops me up in his arms, bridal style, and carries me back to the bedroom, where he sets me down on the bed, and brings his lips to mine in a scorching kiss.

  He breaks the kiss and pushes up to stand at the edge of the bed between my legs.

  “Tell me what you need tonight, beautiful.”

  “You,” I tell him, sitting up and bringing my hands to the hem of his shirt. I push it up, exposing his abs, and I bring my lips to them, tracing the ridges with my tongue. Mark takes over and pulls his shirt over his head, then drops it to the floor next to us.