When we got into my SUV, I turned to her, waiting until I had her attention. “Today, we go home, and I take care of you, then we celebrate you at the game. Tomorrow we can figure out the heavy stuff, okay?”
“Oh—” she said, as if she were remembering something important. “—I also realized something else during the race.”
“What was that?”
“I decided that yes, I’m ready to move in with you.”
I had asked her weeks ago; granted, it was pretty quick. I’d dated Giada for years and never felt like making the next move. Relief punched through me. I hadn’t thought too far past tomorrow, and was still trying to absorb how I had unwittingly forced Kendra to be around her abuser since we signed Milligan. But even if she hadn’t said she’d move in with me, I would have set her up with a full security detail.
Safety aside, I tried to come to terms with being bothdevastated for her, Tucker’s identity made the assault a bit more real, and elated that we were moving forward.
“You’re making this decision because you’re ready, right?”
“One thousand percent ready.” Her answering smile didn’t waver a bit. “And we’re getting a dog.”
I laughed. “How the hell are we going to take care of a dog?”
“Oh boy, I thought you’d know enough baseball historynotto ask that question. Does Marge Schott not ring a bell?”
I burst out laughing. Of course, I knew Marge Schott, the former owner of the Reds. She was famous for a lot of things, and only one of those was when she brought her St. Bernards with her to the ballpark.
“You don’t want a giant-breed dog, do you?”
“No. I think that Colby can plan an adoption event on one of the weekends the team is away. We can fill the stadium with adopters and adoptees. We can find our dog then.”
“Is this what happens when you have 26.2 miles to think?”
“Yes, buckle up. I’m signing up for New York next fall.”
“Maybe I’ll train and run it with you.”
“You can do anything you want with me.”
I looked at Kendra and could so clearly see my future. I hadn’t expected dogs to come into the equation so soon, but I was down for just about anything she asked of me.
FORTY-NINE
kendra
The restof the day was only slightly mired in worries about what came next. But as we watched the game with both our families, I had faith in someone else for the first time in my life.
Had I feared that Jonathan might not believe me? In my heart, no. But my head reminded me that things aren’t always what they seem.
Crew ran around the suite like the little prince he was, hanging on to Jonathan and Colby as if he had known them since birth. My sisters drank mocktails and compared pregnancy stories. My parents had a rare day off together.
My legs were sore; my body ached, and my abs were so strained it hurt to laugh. But I found a reason and did it anyway.
And I was continually surprised at how fucking normal Jonathan’s family acted. Yes, Colby and I had lunch several times a week, and she constantly showed up at Jonathan’s begging for dinner. I would now consider her a close friend.
Nonna? She made me wish my grandparents had beenaround when I was younger. The impact she’d had on the man Jonathan had become—well—it was significant. His parents were nothing like I had expected—yes, I had expected spoiled, adult trust fund babies. But there was so much love.
“JJ said you were going to talk him into training with you for the next marathon. I can’t wait to cheer you both on at the finish line. I’ve lived in Boston my entire life, but I always avoided the marathon route during the race. I swear I shed more tears watching strangers cross the finish line than I ever imagined.” His mother chatted as we watched Sam complete his fourth perfect inning.
“What do you think, Kelsey? Has he got another perfect game in him?” Jonathan’s grandfather called out as Sam trotted to the dugout.
“Does he have it in him? Or will the baseball gods bless him with one?”
His grandparents couldn’t get over how all three of us had become linked to the organization.
