Quarterback Keeper (Fall Lake Ballers #1)

Chapter Twenty-Two

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

GIA

M y hands shook as I pushed my hair away from my face. I paced in a small circle in the boat’s primary sleeping cabin while Kylian’s Dad’s words played in my head. I’d been insulted, accused of intentionally getting pregnant and targeting Kylian for his money—okay, that one hurt because it aligned too closely with the truth. Sort of. It was a mutually beneficial contract, and recently… circumstances had changed our deal.

I never should have let him kiss me.

The encounter with Mr. Wilder had been so full of drama and painful accusations. I hadn’t been that emotionally abused since Dayton, another time I would never forget, though I wished I could.

Screw it. I grabbed my purse, raced up the stairs, and slammed the door that separated the lower quarters from the deck. I had to get away and clear my head. The attempted payoff made me feel dirty. I hated when people used money to control and manipulate situations and people to their benefit, and that was exactly what Mr. Wilder had done.

I jogged down the dock, wondering what I should do and where I could spend the night. I didn’t want another run-in with Mr. Wilder, and Kylian wouldn’t be there to run interference. I would have time to return and get my things once I had a plan. Fortunately, Kylian had football practice, so he wouldn’t be back. I didn’t want him to know I was running scared.

Wandering along Chicago’s lakefront eased some of the chaos churning in my mind. Navy Pier wasn’t far from where Kylian docked his boat. I could see the Ferris wheel spinning, the sun glinting off the metal against the clear blue sky.

I couldn’t blame Kylian for putting his mom first. His dad probably wouldn’t come back while I was alone. Right? He should care for his mom’s well-being. I would’ve too.

I kicked at a pebble and cringed when it bounced off the leg of a woman in front of me. She didn’t spare me a glance as she hurried down the sidewalk, weaving through people ahead of her. I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts. When I reached Navy Pier, I turned toward it along with several others. It was loud and teeming with people. One of the three huge dining and entertainment boats that typically parked at the dock was out carrying a lunch crowd.

The pier was busier than usual, with booths and games lining the dock—some kind of event. A carnival of sorts? Despite being late afternoon, the lighting from the flashing colors, games, and rides felt eerie.

A hint of mint permeated the air. The abhorrent smell disoriented me, sending a sliver of fear in its wake, and I stumbled, bumping into someone on my left. As I turned toward the person to apologize, whoever it was didn’t pause. But I did as pins and needles pierced every inch of my skin. Instead of confronting a stranger, I saw a familiar figure half-hidden behind one of the booths. Dayton?

I stood frozen, people parting around me as I squinted to better glimpse the dark form. It was his shape but thinner. Panic laced my blood, just as it had so many times in our relationship. I took a hesitant step closer to be sure it was Dayton, but he was gone. Only the crowd that meandered along the pier remained. Could I have imagined him?

A few blinks to clear my eyes, and I looked again. I must have imagined him. The day had begun with stress and accusations. Why wouldn’t my mind instantly go to my ex?

That made more sense. I pushed out a breath and turned to head back to the boat, doing my best to dismiss the way I’d felt when I’d thought it was him watching me.

A gentle breeze stirred my hair, and I enjoyed the sun’s warmth. I loved the sound of the waves breaking along the shore as I walked adjacent to the beach. I was glad I’d decided to walk. It gave me time to think. Mr. Wilder was trouble, and without Kylian running defense, I wasn’t up for round two. Not if it would mess with my head and dredge up phantom glimpses of Dayton.

I had to keep reassuring myself that there was no way he’d found me. I would have known. Right? The article about Kylian’s connection to me didn’t even matter. The picture of me in Kylian’s passenger seat wasn’t clear, since I’d held up my hand to block my face. Only my hair was visible. I dismissed that. Dayton wouldn’t have known it was me from that one incident. Besides, Science Barbie had been all over Kylian at the fundraiser. I was safe.

It helped, especially after he’d left me alone—with good reason. If he hadn’t, I liked to think that I would have told him to go and maybe even to forget about the contract, that his mom’s health and safety were so much more important. I didn’t want to add to their stress. Maybe I should think about moving on, since my presence only infuriated his dad. And people like him were dangerous.

When I arrived at the dock, I leaned against one of the pillars and stared at Kylian’s luxury sailboat, which I wouldn’t be sleeping on anymore. It was for the best.

A shadow fell across me, and I jumped.

“Hey.” Kylian laid his hand on the small of my back. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, you just startled me.” I cleared my throat, needing to say what had to be said. “I was going to get my stuff and head out.” A strand of my hair danced in the wind, and I tucked it behind my ear.

“What are you talking about? I had to check on Mom, but she wasn’t home. So I wanted to make sure my dad hadn’t come back. He’s not here.”

“But for how long?” That man had an agenda. I knew people like him. There would be no stopping Danbury Wilder from getting what he wanted. It wasn’t over. I should run, get away as quickly as I could. Definitely before the press got ahold of whatever story he would put out about me or find from snooping into my past.

“I don’t know how long. It’s probably not a good idea for us to stay on the boat tonight. I need to return to my mom’s, and I want you to come with me.”

“Are you sure? It might be easier for you if I left and you made the same deal with that girl your dad wants you involved with.” I refused to name Science-Nerd Barbie.

“No. That’s not happening. We made a deal, and I’m holding you to it. My dad will move on. He made his point, and I made mine.”

I got the sense that there was more to the story, but I left it alone, deciding to trust him instead. Sinking into his side, I borrowed his strength. I felt safe with him and didn’t want to ruin it by pressuring him about details or what came next. “Okay, just let me grab my stuff.”

With my bag stowed in his SUV, he drove us to his mom’s place. Leaning back against my seat, I studied him. Tension rolled off him in waves.

“Can you get notes for your missed classes?”

“Yeah, I got it covered. This is more important. I can’t skip practice, though.”

“I can stay with her when you have to leave.” I shrugged. “It’ll be good to hang out with her anyway, and I can cook.”

“That would work.” He grinned then pulled into an open spot about a block from his mom’s brownstone.

We didn’t say anything more as we hurried from the SUV and into her building. While we waited for her door to open, I struggled to not let him hear how out of breath I was after climbing all those stairs—at his superhuman speed—without using the railing to pull myself up. I mentally rolled my eyes because, of course, Mr. Superstar Athlete wasn’t suffering with me.

The door opened, and Kylian’s mom’s joyful smile settled my discomfort.

“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise? I didn’t expect you today.” She stepped aside. “Come in.”

A tremor ran through Kylian’s body as he hugged his mom. I rubbed my chest, trying to ease the ache at seeing someone who exuded so much confidence look scared, despite the way he shouldered his dad’s threats with ease.

I shut the door behind us and stepped fully inside the apartment. Kylian ushered his mom to the couch and sat beside her, angling so they faced each other. I leaned against the door, not knowing what to do.

“Dad hasn’t stopped by or called, has he?” Kylian stretched his arm along the back of the couch.

“No.” Evalyn pulled her discarded blanket over her legs, her eyes narrowing. “Why?”

“He’s threatening to kick you out.”

“What do you mean?” Her voice sharpened, and I shifted from foot to foot. “Explain. Don’t hide anything from me. It’ll only come back around to blindside us if you do. And, Gia, please have a seat, hon.”

I took the only other seat in the room, her recliner, which she probably spent the most time in. It felt wrong to sit there, to be a part of the intimate moment between mother and son. But if I were his fiancée for real, wouldn’t I be present for something like this? I held as still as possible, trying not to be a distraction.

Kylian didn’t waste time. He relayed what had happened at the campaign fundraiser his father had asked him to attend and his pressure on Kylian to make one of his benefactors happy by threatening to throw Evalyn out on the street. “I can’t imagine he’ll do it. Displacing you would make him look bad.”

Evalyn scoffed. “You’re right. No man who wants to be a senator will risk bad press by tossing his terminally ill ex-wife to the curb.” She laid a hand against his cheek. “I’m proud of you, but maybe we should talk about this wedding, since everyone in the room knows it’s not real.”

“Mom.”

My mouth fell open, and I met his apologetic gaze with my wide one.

“No offense to you, dear.” Evalyn took in my shocked expression and grimaced. “You’re lovely, and I would love nothing more than to call you my daughter-in-law, but the timing is suspect, and I know my son. He’ll do anything to make me happy.”

“Our engagement is real, Mom.” Kylian’s voice didn’t even waver. “Maybe we would have waited to set the date until after I settled in whatever city and team I sign with, but there are extenuating circumstances.”

I sucked in a slow breath, appreciating how he didn’t say what those were—not only about his mom’s terminal illness but my homeless situation.

“We can talk about it later.” She leaned against the couch as if it took too much strength to sit up without its aid.

“Evalyn.” I cleared my throat to get rid of how shaky my voice sounded. “I would love nothing more than to be a part of your family.”

“In my heart, you already are, Gia.” She smiled, stood slowly, then bent to hug me. “I’m tired, but you’re both welcome to stay. I’m going to take a nap.” She turned to Kylian at the entrance to the hallway that led to what were probably the bedrooms. “Don’t worry about your father. He won’t throw me out and risk the press catching wind of his actions. He’s not that stupid.”

We didn’t say anything until her door clicked softly closed, telling us she was out of earshot.

“I’ll stay here while you go to practice. If he shows up, I’ll threaten to go to the press.”

Kylian stood and crossed the distance between us in two long strides. I was in his arms before I knew his intentions. I sank into his embrace, shaken from the day’s events. I was still stunned by what a raging asshole his father was. But… politics. I should have assumed he was a jerk behind the fa?ade.

“Thank you.”

The deep rumble of his voice traveled through his chest and into mine. I couldn’t control the shiver that raced up my spine, telegraphing too loudly for my peace of mind the effect his touch had on me.

“We’ll stay here tonight.” He released me and moved toward the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. “I’ll try to get back as soon as I can.”

I shrugged. “You don’t need to rush. I’ll make dinner for your mom and hang out with her this evening.” Honestly, I was glad we were staying there. I was entirely too freaked out about the guy I’d seen on the dock. He’d looked at me oddly. I could have imagined it, but the way my skin crawled, I didn’t think so.

“Don’t worry about anything, okay?”

I nodded, questions poised on the tip of my tongue. He’d told his mom our relationship was real and that we planned to get married earlier because of the circumstances. I wanted to ask him when because I was almost desperate for the protection he offered. I rubbed my hand over my heart for the second time as he left with instructions for me to lock the door behind him. Doing that simple task was easier than addressing the weird ache in my chest and what it meant.