Logan laughed along with her, but my mind was somewhere else.
Watching her move her hands the way she always had, the way she’d done our whole lives, made something ache inside me.
How do I take her out of this place when she’s happy here?
It had always been the plan—move her into a small apartment, hire a full-time nurse, let her live as independently as possible.
But this was her home now.
And I had no fucking idea what to do about that.
The visit drained me in a way no workout ever could, and when we left, I felt wrung out, emptied.
I knew Logan did too, but we didn’t talk about it. We never did.
He dropped me off, and I stared at my front door for a solid minute, not ready to go inside, not ready to sit alone with the weight of it all.
So, I did what I always did.
I ran.
I worked out until my body ached.
And when none of that worked?
I found distractions.Like Michelle.
The thought of her sent a small rush of energy through me, enough to propel me through a shower and a change of clothes. Because we had unfinished business.
And this time, I wasn’t letting her walk away without a real explanation.
* * *
Fuck.
Michelle wore tight black yoga pants and an even tighter lime-green tank top that showcased a lot of skin and impressive muscles. She wore her long black hair on top of her head, and I bit my knuckle to stop myself from saying anything stupid. She had the same badass confidence that caught my attention two years ago, but the difference was the fact I knew how she sounded when she orgasmed. I knew how she tasted and what she liked, andI’m getting a goddamn hard-on.
“Bummy? You joining us?” Brigham Monaghan came up and slapped my shoulder. He wore a Soles shirt and a goofy smile. “Good for you.”
“Sorry to intrude. They made it seem like I was taking your spot since you hurt yourself. I can take off.” They invited me to rock climb with them and I jumped at the chance knowing Michelle would be there. But they said it was due to Brigs being hurt but now that he was here, I felt like an ass.
“Nah, no worries. This isn’t like golf. Stay around, dude.” He tilted his head in greeting to some passerby, and when his gaze landed on Michelle, his smile grew. “Shellie, you avoided me all week. When will you go out with me?”
Her gaze flicked to mine for a half second before she shook her head and laughed at Brigs. “Not in this lifetime or the next.”
He scoffed. “We’d be a beautiful couple.”
“Obviously, but you know my thoughts on this.” She greeted him with a hug and fully ignored me.Cool. Cool. Cool.
“You have time to fit in a lunch with me next week? I know you have to eat at some point. You aren’t a vampire.”
She flashed her teeth. “Yet.”
They both laughed and walked toward the instructor without paying me any more attention. While I wasn’t a full diva like some athletes, I didn’t like being ignored. The uncomfortable feeling in my chest had nothing to do with how easily Michelle talked to Brigham. They were close, and where I knew her body, she hid her real life from me. It was clear she didn’t hide it from Brigham, and that fact pissed me off. Years had gone by, yet jealousy swarmed me.
“Bummy, my man,” Gideon said, waving as he walked up to me with his fiancée. Fiona smiled, and I greeted them both with more enthusiasm than Michelle. We signed in, and they passed us waivers to read over. Once we initialed that we understood the risk, they pointed to belts lined up on the counter. They explained the process to me since I hadn’t climbed before, and it seemed easy to understand. It would be tough, but the harness and spotter prevented anyone from getting injured. I relaxed knowing this because my agent—and future manager—would not be pleased if I injured myself weeks before spring training started. The girls wanted to go first, and I remained back, studying the process and stretching since it would require muscles I wasn’t trained to use often.
It felt weird watching each muscle on Michelle’s body curve as she stretched from rock to rock, advancing up the rock wall. Her muscles tightened as she pushed off one rock to grip another, and it fascinated me to learn this new side to her. She was good at golf, liked physical activities and was in the same friend group with MLB players. The first round, she and Fiona went up while the guys remained below.
