Head Over Heels (20 page)

Kari turned around and nearly choked on air when she saw Thane walking toward her. “What are you doing here?”

“You found me at my hotel. I did my own detective work and found you. I thought you were leaving.” He stood in front of her.

“I never said I was leaving. I said I had to go to the airport.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

She wanted to be angry that he’d found her. Instead, she felt bubbly inside like a lovesick girl. The closer he got, the more her bubbles turned into searing coals, eating away at her insides.

“So who are you waiting for?” Thane scanned the area.

“That’s none of your business.” She peered over the carousel and spotted Reagan coming out of the women’s bathroom with Michael. “I need you to leave.”

“Why? Who are you hiding?” Thane started to follow her. “Are you waiting for your husband?”

“No. I told you I’m not married. Please go.” Kari started to head toward Reagan.

“Is that your sister?”

“No,” Kari growled. Then she stopped and faced him. “I get it. You feel I’ve invaded your space, so you’re paying me back.”

“You’re partially right.” He moved in closer to her. “You’ve invaded my thoughts.”

Kari swallowed hard. “I’m not an oddity.”

“Yes, you are. You fascinate me. I want to know more about the woman who likes watching sports, knows all of my stats, and kisses like you invented the act.”

Talk about bad timing. She didn’t want Thane meeting or even seeing her child. When Michael spotted Kari, he ran right to her.

“There’s nothing fascinating about me.” Kari turned back to her son.

“Mom!” Michael ran into her arms.

“Mom?” Thane stopped in his tracks.

Michael looked over Kari’s shoulder. “Is this your surprise? Whoa, Thane Wells from the Carolina Wrens. Awesome!”

Kari didn’t want Thane this involved in her personal life. She only wanted to sign him on as a client and have a normal life with her child. Now she stood with Michael in front of her, Thane staring at her like she had tentacles growing from her shoulders, and her friend, Reagan, loving every minute of it.

“You are an awesome pitcher.” Michael pointed to Thane.

“You think so?” Thane strained to be polite to Kari’s son by looking down at him, but his focus kept getting redirected back to her.

“Yeah. Mom and I watch your games on TV all the time.” He looped his thumbs into the shoulder straps of his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack.

“Really?” That made Thane keep his stare on Kari.

She wanted the floor at the Norfolk International Airport to open up and swallow her. Kari patted Michael on his shoulder. “Honey, let’s not hold Mr. Wells up. I’m sure he has better things to do than talk to us.”

“Whenever we watch you play, Mom says she likes when you start to pitch.” Michael nodded and crossed his feet. “She says you have a great form.”

Reagan snickered. Kari, not caring if Thane caught her, jabbed her employee with her elbow.

“Good to see that your mom appreciates my…form.” Thane gave Kari a quick wink. “Excuse my manners. We have not been properly introduced. You know who I am, but I don’t know your name.” He bent over and extended his hand.

Michael looked at Thane’s hand before gazing up at Kari, who still hadn’t wrapped her mind around this entire situation.

“This is my son, Michael.” Kari patted her young child on his head, which signaled him to shake Thane’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Wells.” Michael beamed.

“You can call me Thane.”

“No, he can’t. He knows to call adults by their last name.” Kari didn’t need her child to get too comfortable with Thane.

“But, Mom, I call Reagan by her first name, and she’s an adult.” Michael pouted as he pointed to his nanny.

When Kari looked at Reagan, she noticed the woman’s shoulders shaking from her failed attempt to hide her laughter.

“She’s barely an adult.” Kari shook her head.

“Hey, I resemble that remark.” Reagan looked at Thane. “I’m Reagan Amaba. I’m Michael’s nanny.” She shook Thane’s hand.

“Thane Wells.” He nodded.

“I don’t need a babysitter. I’m old enough to take care of myself.” Michael crossed his arms over his chest. “She mainly helps me with my homework.”

“Is that right?” Thane regarded Michael seriously. “So you must be really smart.”

“I like this guy already.” Reagan laughed.

“You might like this even more.” Thane reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. “Why don’t you and Michael ride to the hotel in my Lexus, and I’ll catch a ride back with Kari?”

When Reagan said, “Hell yes”, Kari said, “Absolutely not” at the same time.

“Wow! Your Lexus?” Michael jumped around Kari. “So cool. So cool.” He repeated the phrase as he hopped.

“Will you excuse us for a second?” She managed to grab Thane’s arm to pull him away from Reagan and Michael.

“I’m in trouble, aren’t I?” he mused.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Kari stood toe to toe with him.

“I think I’m trying my best to get to know you and you’re fighting it. Why didn’t you tell me you have a son?” Thane stared at her and didn’t move.

“Because I didn’t want you to know. I want you—”

He cut her off. “You do?”

She took a breath before she continued talking. “I want you as a client. You don’t need to know what’s going on in my home.”

“What if I told you that I want my agent to know what’s going on with me beyond what I do on the field?” He lowered his voice when he made the query.

“I’d say that this isn’t Jerry McGuire. You should want me—”

“I do.”

Kari’s breathing increased as she looked at the man in front of her. To break the spell, she turned to her family only to see empty spots where they once stood.

She headed to the front of the building where she’d parked her car. “We can talk about this another time. Right now, I have my son here with me to show him a good time during spring break.”

By the time she got outside, she saw a silver Lexus rolling by her. It slowed down to almost a stop.

When the window rolled down, she spotted Reagan in the driver’s seat.

“Reagan, what are you doing?” Kari rushed toward the vehicle.

“Enjoying Virginia Beach. This ride is sick.” She nodded her head.

The backseat window rolled down and Michael popped his head out. “This is so cool. Mom, I’m having a great time.”

“I have the Cavalier address programmed in the mapping system. Use that to get to the hotel.” Thane pointed toward the dashboard. “We’ll meet you there.”

“Don’t you dare pull off.” Kari grabbed the passenger side door and glared at her soon-to-be-fired friend. “Get out and get into my car.”

“Sorry. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m not going to pass this up. I suggest you take that advice yourself.” Reagan winked and nodded toward Thane. “See you at the hotel.” She sped off.

“Damn.” Kari turned to Thane. “How did she get your key?”

Thane smiled. “When you pulled me away from them, I threw it over my head to her. I am a great pitcher. Your son even said so.” He held up his bent arm to her. “Can we leave now? We don’t want them waiting for us too long.”

* * * *

Thane knew Kari protected her privacy. He’d also suspected she hid certain aspects of her life. A child. He hadn’t seen that coming. It made sense. Her protective nature over him when he’d had too much to drink. Her drive and determination. Those qualities reminded him of his mother. Kari had something extra.

On the drive back to the Virginia Beach hotel, Kari remained quiet. She kept her stare on the road. Thane couldn’t believe she even let him in her car. He suspected she would have been happy to let him stand on the curb without a ride.

“How old is Michael?” he asked to break the ice.

She remained quiet. Her lips tightened, a bad look considering the lusciousness of them.

“Come on. You can share some things with me. You did crash my mother’s funeral.”

Kari turned to him. “I didn’t. Not on purpose.” She huffed. “Ten.”

“Wow. You were sixteen?” Thane thought taking on three youngsters had been hard. He couldn’t imagine trying to be a parent at a young age. “Where’s the father?”

She shook her head. “We’re not together.”

“Is that recent? The breakup?”

Kari remained silent for a beat before she answered. “No. He was out of the picture as soon as I told him I was pregnant.” She took a deep breath before she continued. “He made a lot of accusations about me. For the longest time, I thought it was my fault. If I loved him more or stayed by his side all the time, he wouldn’t have…” She trailed off.

“What?”

She shook her head. “Never mind. It took me a long time to understand that I can’t control anyone else. My mistakes are my mistakes.”

“You’re not calling your son a mistake, are you?” He couldn’t imagine Kari could be that cold.

“Of course not. Michael is the best thing that has ever happened to me.” She got a faraway look in her eyes before she started smiling. “When Michael was a baby, he was so happy. He laughed at everything. He is so smart. He definitely keeps me on my toes.”

“You didn’t do him any favors with his name.” Thane chuckled.

“What are you talking about?”

“Michael Meyers? Come on. Kids into horror flicks are going to tease him.”

“He has his father’s last name.” She glanced at Thane briefly before returning her gaze to the road.

Thane considered everything she’d said. “You gave Michael his father’s name, and he still didn’t come back.”

Kari shrugged. “I wanted us to be a family. I hadn’t had that. I lost my parents. My grandfather lasted long enough for me to get through college and find a job, and then he died.”

Thane couldn’t help himself. He put his hand on Kari’s, which caused her to gasp and turn to him.

“I think you’ve done a great job.” He stroked his thumb over the back of her hand.

Kari pulled into the Cavalier parking lot and parked her rental in a darkened area. Thane heard her breathing increase. She slipped her hand from under his to turn off the lights and the car. Even in the dark, he saw her eyes.

“My family is inside, waiting for me.” She said it in a way like she needed to convince herself not to do something foolish.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Thane didn’t make a move.

Sitting still gave Kari the opportunity to place her hand on his leg. She brushed her thumb over his knee.

“I’m here for my son.”

“Nothing has to happen.” He placed his hand on hers.

The longer he stared at her, the more he wanted her. He brought his face closer to hers. The motion prompted her to action.

Kari backed away from him. “I need to get my child in the room so he can get some sleep. It’s late.” She unlocked her door and bolted from the car.

Thane had to be as quick. He slammed the door and followed her to the front of the hotel. He spotted his rental vehicle parked in a space close to the door. Once inside, Kari darted toward her family.

“Ready to go to the room?” she asked breathlessly.

Reagan’s eyebrows furrowed. “You can give me the room key if you have other plans.” She put her hand on Michael’s shoulder. “This guy is tired. He fell asleep on the way to the hotel.”

“I did not.” Michael rubbed his eyes and leaned his head against Reagan’s stomach.

“Thanks for letting us ride in your car.” Reagan tossed the key to Thane.

“Not a problem. Anytime.” He turned to Kari. “You think you and I can—”

“Good night, Mr. Wells.” Kari rushed toward the elevator, pulling Reagan with her.

“Um, nice meeting you.” Reagan waved as she dragged a suitcase behind her.

“See ya, Mr. Wells.” Michael gave Thane a sleepy wave as he trotted alongside his mother.

“Kari?” Thane began.

Kari waited until the elevator doors opened and she stepped inside before she looked at him.

“You know where to find me.” Thane winked.

“What the hell was that?” Reagan didn’t wait for Kari to close the bedroom door after tucking Michael in to tear into her. “It was so obvious that Thane Wells wants to get to know you better, and I mean in the biblical sense.”

“Will you stop it? You know his reputation.” Kari sat on the couch and picked up a remote.

Reagan snatched it from Kari’s hand and slammed it on the coffee table. “Don’t deny yourself. Even if you don’t get his business, you can get into his business, if you know what I mean.”

Kari let the thought roll around for a moment before she shook her head. “I’ve been burned by an athlete before. I can’t go through that again.”

“Stop. Just because Jarrod was an asshole, doesn’t mean every athlete you meet will be like him.” Reagan sat next to Kari. “I’m here. Michael will sleep through the night. You will not be a bad mother if you steal away some time for yourself.”

“But I brought you two down here for all of us to be together.”

“No. You brought Michael to Virginia Beach to show him a good time. That good time could be had with me or with you.”

Kari chuckled. “Now you sound like Thane.”

“He makes a lot of sense.” Reagan held Kari’s hand. “Do you know where he’s staying?”

Kari waited a beat before she nodded.

Reagan stood and went to the bathroom. She came out with Kari’s personal hygiene bag and handed it to her.

“Why are you giving me this?” Kari accepted it while glaring at Reagan.

“I figured you would want to brush your teeth.” She smiled and winked.

Kari stood. She padded over to her friend, brought Reagan’s hand up, and plopped the bag into it. “Take it right back to the bathroom.” She waited a beat before she smiled. “I keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in my purse.”

“Go get your man. We’ll be fine. If you’re not back when little man gets up, I’ll call you so we can all go out to breakfast.”

Kari shook her head. “No. I don’t want Michael getting attached. It’s bad enough I’m even thinking of doing this.”

“So don’t think. Do.” Reagan handed Kari her purse and keys. “I keep snacks in my purse so we’ll eat something. I can take him down to the pool at least. Don’t worry about us. Oh.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box of condoms. “I had time to stop at a convenience store before we got here. That car is really fast.”