I continued checking my phone throughout the night, but Kendra didn’t respond, so I checked my outgoing texts again.
Me: Milligan is as good as done. Check your e-mail.
The read receipt showed that she had seen my text. Four hours later, however, she still hadn’t responded to me.
THIRTEEN
kendra
Fuck Tucker Milligan.Fuck him for interrupting my peace, fuck him for taking one of my favorite parts of my career and destroying it.
Fuck him for the hell he put me through when we dated, and fuck him for the torture he inflicted when I left him.
And fuck myself, I was the one who trusted the bastard. That was the worst part of it; he duped me. How many nights had I lectured my sisters about getting involved with the wrong men? His magnetic charm sucked me in, and I ate it up.
How many more women had he tormented or destroyed?
Do not go there. It’s not your responsibility.
I repeated the mantra my therapist had helped me craft. I was not responsible for Tucker Milligan’s actions. But goddammit, why did he have to sign with this team?
I wrote and deleted several texts to Hawk. I knew in my bones that if I told him why, he would withdraw from the negotiation. But why did it have to be up to me to stop it?
Me: Sorry for the late response. It looks like a solid infield, but I have a bad feeling about Milligan.
Hawk: Can you talk?
Me: Yeah.
I left the wedding shortly after Kylie and Luc disappeared and had ended up poolside. I couldn’t listen to my sister having sex.
“Hey, Merry Christmas.” Hawk’s voice was gruff, and I wished I could see him.
“Merry Christmas to you, too. Looks like your gift was a whole bunch of contracts.”
“Not signed yet. But by tomorrow, we’ll be making announcements. Can you explain to me exactly why you have a bad feeling about Milligan?”
I sighed. “I mentioned I went to school with him. I omitted that we dated. He’s a dick. Plain and simple. And I’m not exactly thrilled that I would now need to cheer him on.”
I attempted a laugh, but it sounded strained even to my own ears.
Hawk didn’t say anything for a bit, and the silence was deafening.
“Did he ever hurt you?”
My lie was immediate. “No, never.”
“We sign more than a few assholes. Is that your only concern?”
“Yeah.”
Lies. Lies. Lies.
Aware that this lie would lead to a signed contract forsomeone who might be a liability for the team, I spoke it anyway.
You are not responsible for Tucker Milligan’s actions. Who knows, maybe he’s changed? Maybe he was right? Maybe itwasmy fault he did what he did?
“My sister came out today at dinner.”
