The Southern Nights Series Page 12

  “I was with Kam . . . at the cabin.”

  “Oh?” His face perks up.

  “With the allegations and media hounding him, he needed to get away. So, we went to his father’s cabin. To hide out.”

  “I see.” My father eyes me speculatively. “I didn’t realize you and Kam were socializing again.”

  I turn red. What can I say? Don’t worry; nothing happened? We’d both know that’d be a lie.

  “We were reconnecting.” I clear my throat.

  “It doesn’t look like it went so well.”

  “It was going fine until Sam the Magic Man showed up,” I say spitefully. “And reality came crashing down on us.”

  “Yeah. It does have a habit of doing that.” His southern twang surfaces with a vengeance. “Where is Kam now?”

  “At a press conference. Sam set it up at the high school.”

  “Why didn’t you go?” He walks me over to the counter and urges me to sit down on one of the stools.

  “I figured he’d be surrounded by enough people. His adoring fans, the press, Sam.”

  “Ah, Sam, your favorite person in the whole world.”

  “Most favorite,” I respond sarcastically. Kam was right—I do like Sam as much as I like sweet tea.

  “Well, what are you gonna do?”

  “About what?”

  “About Kam.”

  “What’s there to do? You don’t give up everything you worked toward for some guy. All your hopes, all your dreams.”

  “You’re right. Some guy? No. Kam, maybe.”

  “Dad.” My jaw drops. Is he being serious? He knows what I had to go through to get that internship. How unbelievably hard I had to work. Architecture is a highly competitive business. If you don’t get in with the right firm, you might as well give up before you even start if you want any kind of a halfway-decent career.

  “Laney, look.” He puts his hands up in surrender. “I’m not trying to tell you not to go after your dreams, or give up who you are. I’m the last person who would ever suggest that. But, in hindsight, I realize your mother and I made a lot of bad decisions. We worked against each other instead of with each other. Maybe you and Kam just need to find a happy medium.”

  “I don’t think that exists unless I go where he goes.”

  “Would that be such a bad thing?”

  “Possibly.” I chew my lip. “I don’t want to lose myself because of his career. I don’t want to feel like I’m always second.”

  “I understand, sugar. Living a public life is trying, but if I know one thing, Kam would never put you second. Yes, he has obligations and responsibilities, but the love is there. That’s what’s important. And trust me, he needs you.”

  “For what?” I scoff. “He has the world at his feet. He practically walks on water.”

  My father smiles knowingly. “Kam may be surrounded by adoring fans and hounding media, but believe me, he really is alone.”

  “Are you speaking from experience, Daddy?”

  “Possibly.” He smirks. “You were always my rock, maybe it’s time to be Kam’s.”

  I gaze into my father’s kind eyes. I honestly never thought of it like that. Kam walks around with an air of authority that feels untouchable. Sometimes you almost forget that he’s human.

  Was I wrong to leave him the first time? My heart says yes, but my head says no. Now that I look back, maybe I was just a confused, eighteen-year-old girl trying to adjust to college and jealous she had to share her boyfriend with the whole damn world.

  “Looks like you’ve got some thinking to do.” My father smiles sympathetically.

  “I sure do,” I pout.

  Kam

  I’M SITTING IN the middle of Radio City Music Hall surrounded by my peers. As I look around, the excitement and stress is almost palpable. This is the biggest day of my life. My dream come true. Draft day.

  There’s a rumble of voices as the crowd anxiously awaits the picks to begin. We’ve only been sitting a short while, but it feels like days have passed. This moment will define the rest of my life; it will shape my career and my future. I’ve never felt so nervous; my stomach is actually flip-flopping, my palms are sweaty, and I’m a little lightheaded. I was calmer during the Sugar Bowl when we were down by six and the entire game was riding on me. I catch sight of the commissioner walking purposefully across the stage that is plastered with the NFL logo and insignia. As he takes his place behind the podium, cameras flash and a wave of quiet blankets the room.

  My whole body starts to prickle as he leans forward and speaks into the microphone. The moment leading up to the first-round pick announcement is electrifying. It feels as if I am balancing on a razor-sharp tip three hundred and fifty feet in the air.

  “With the first pick in the two thousand fifteen NFL draft . . .” The commissioner pauses for effect and the room seems to tilt, or maybe that’s just me, “Seattle selects . . . Kamdyn Ellis, Quarterback, Alabama.”

  The crowd erupts into a deafening roar as time stands still. Congratulations pour over me. My mom is crying, my dad is beaming, and Sam’s eyes are sparkling like chocolate diamonds. Everyone I love is here, except one very important person.

  I walk onto the stage a split man. It is the happiest day of my life and the most disappointing. Every time I pictured this moment, Laney was always a part of it. Even when we weren’t together she was still somehow here. I have regretted walking out on her every second. Regretted not fighting harder to keep her. Just like before. History has a way of repeating itself.

  Looking back on it now, I should have just flung her over my shoulder when she started with that crap and not given her a choice in the matter. She should be here, with me, right now. She should be sharing the spotlight because she is the other half of my happiness. That’s my life—one part football and one part Laney. I have always known that, and I’m not going to stop until I put the two broken pieces back together again.

  I smile as I pose for pictures holding up the navy and white jersey. It doesn’t feel real, at least not yet. It has to sink in that I am now a professional football player.

  My dream come true.

  I meet Sam backstage as the commissioner continues to announce names.

  “My man! My man!” Sam clasps both of my shoulders and squeezes hard. “I knew it! I knew you were gold the moment I laid eyes on you. That’s how you succeed—hard work, dedication, and me.” He smiles obnoxiously.

  “Modest, as always,” I jibe.

  “Only one person gonna toot your own horn in this world, and that person is yourself.”

  “You’ve done just fine tooting my horn for me,” I point out.

  “That’s just because I know this business and how to make it to the top. That’s why they call me Sam the Magic Man. I make things happen.”

  “You can do anything that needs to be done.” I repeat the mantra I’ve heard a thousand times.

  “Smart and pretty.” He smacks my face playfully.

  I smile connivingly. “I need some magic, Sam.”

  “What kind of magic?” He creases his eyebrows.

  “I need a Sam special. I need something to get done . . .”

  Several weeks later . . .

  I crack my knuckles nervously as I stand in front of the door. Just knock already.

  I inhale a deep breath and rap firmly on the wood. I wait a few, impatient seconds then knock again.

  “Hang on!” Someone yells before the door swings open. Standing on the other side is a guy who doesn’t look much older than me, wearing a bathrobe over his clothes and a five o’clock shadow. I eye him up and down. Who the hell is this clown?

  “Yeah? Can I help you with something?” His eyes are glassy and his speech is slow.

  “I’m looking for Laney Summers.”

  “Who?”

  “Laney Summers,” I repeat. “She supposedly lives here.” Her father gave me this address.

  The guy pouts his lip and shakes his head. “Never heard of he
r. No one but me and Jarvis live here. Just moved in.”

  I peer into the apartment and see a bunch of boxes on the floor, a couch you couldn’t pay me to sit on, and a fat, orange cat.

  “Sorry,” I tell him, confused and disappointed. “I didn’t mean to bother you. I have the wrong address, apparently.”

  “No problem, man.” He takes a good hard look at me. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

  “Doubt it.” I start to step away.

  “Yeah, I do.” He snaps his fingers as his bloodshot eyes light up. “You’re . . . You’re Kamdyn Ellis. Quarterback for Alabama and first-round draft pick!”

  Shit.

  I rub the back of my neck. “Yup, that would be me,” I admit reluctantly.

  “Holy shit!” The guy nearly back flips out of his bathrobe. He’s awake now. “Hold on! Hold on!” He trips over his own feet as he runs back into his apartment. “Please, man, would you sign this?” He holds out a black Sharpie and a football.

  “Sure.” I take the items and sign away. “What’s your name?”

  “Nick.” He pipes up with a dopey smile. His expression makes me smile.

  To Nick, nice bathrobe. Kamdyn Ellis

  I hand him back the football, and he reads my note. He beams. “It’s my favorite. I’ve watched every single one of your games in it. Brings luck.”

  “Good to know.” I laugh. “Huge fan of plaid.” Not really.

  “Sorry I can’t help you find who you are looking for. Might want to ask the landlord to see if she left a forwarding address.”

  “I’ll do that.” I nod. “Nice to meet you, Nick.”

  “Awesome to meet you,” he replies like a kid in a candy store.

  I turn to leave as he shuts the door. Before I try the landlord, I pull my phone out on the way to the elevator, search my contacts and find the one number I haven’t dared to dial in weeks. I press send and hold my breath. Someone answers after a few rings.

  “Hello?”

  “Lemon . . . ?”

  Laney

  “KAM?”

  “Where are you?” he asks immediately.

  I look around the airport and pause. Does he know I’m here? “I’m . . . in Seattle.”

  “You’re where?” He sounds flabbergasted. Maybe he doesn’t know I’m here.

  “Seattle,” I say again. “I was going to surprise you. I gave up the internship. I want to try, Kam,” I divulge nervously. I had planned to do this in person, but since he has me on the phone, I might as well spill all my secrets while I have the nerve. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

  “Laney.” He breathes, and it sounds pained. I instantly regret every decision I’ve made over the last few weeks. I walk over to the nearest restaurant to get out of the way of the bustling travelers. When I look up at the television, I see Kam’s name flash across the screen.

  In an unforeseen turn of events, Kamdyen Ellis, Alabama all-star and first-round draft pick has been traded to New York. In a statement released earlier today by the team, the organization could not be happier to have picked up Ellis and are ecstatic to start the phenom in the upcoming season.

  If someone brushed by me at this very moment, I would surely fall over.

  “Kam?” My voice is shaky. “Where are you?” I am ninety-nine percent sure of the answer, but I just have to hear him say it.

  “New York.”

  I almost sob.

  “I wasn’t letting you go again, Laney. Not without a fight, this time.”

  “Oh, my God.” I turn straight around and head back to the gate I just deplaned from. “I’m coming back.” I push against the crowd moving in the opposite direction as me. It feels like I’m wading through the ocean, but I don’t care.

  “I’ll be at the airport waiting for you.”

  I wipe away the tears and giggle. “You better.”

  I hang up once I reach the ticket counter. “I need to go back to New York. Right now. The next flight,” I tell the attendant behind the counter. Her eyes widen.

  “Is everything alright, ma’am?”

  “Yes,” I answer excitedly. “I just need to get home, right away.”

  “I wasn’t letting you go again, Laney. Not without a fight, this time.”

  She types some info into the computer. “Looks like the next flight with open seats leaves for JFK in an hour.”

  “I’ll take it.”

  “Do you want to know the price of the ticket?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” I whip out my credit card. “Book it, please.”

  Within a few minutes, I am booked on the flight and hurrying to the gate that is on the other side of the terminal. I make it just in time.

  I buckle my seat belt between a very large man with a fedora and an overweight woman munching on french fries. If I was in any other state of mind, this flight would suck, but nothing could ruin my amazing mood. It feels like a boulder has lifted off my chest. I have ached for Kam every second we have been apart. Watching him walk away affected me in ways I couldn’t explain or even comprehend. I just knew I needed to try and make things work. I needed to know if we could really have it all. So, I gave up my apartment in New York, resigned from my internship at the architecture firm, packed my bags, and headed for Seattle not knowing what the future would hold. I was hoping Kam would at least talk to me, see that I made the big gesture, and forgive me for being such an idiot. Forgive me for not trusting in us—or in him—enough to take a leap of faith. I have always been levelheaded. It’s my curse. Sometimes it costs me things, like missed opportunities or the courage to take chances; it almost cost me the man I love.

  But not this time. This time we are going to do things right. Kam has a bright future and major responsibilities ahead of him, and my father was right, it’s time that I’m his rock.

  I already know he’s mine.

  I am nearly jumping out of my seat by the time the plane taxis and pulls up to the gate. I am squished all the way in the back between two people triple my size, but it doesn’t stop me. As soon as we are given the green light to deplane, I jump up and start to push past the other passengers pulling down their luggage from the overhead. Some none too happy with me, but shit, that’s life. Welcome to New York. The five-and-a-half-hour flight was torture. It felt twice as long since all I could think about was Kam. Once I finally make it through the jetway and into the airport, I literally run. Luckily, my only carry-on was a duffel bag, so it was easy to stow under the seat and sling over my shoulder. I pass the last, final exit sign and make it down the escalator to passenger pickup. It takes me all of three seconds to spot Kam. He’s standing in the middle of JFK wearing loose jeans, his favorite Roll Tide T-shirt, and a backward hat. He’s circled by a small crowd of fans, asking for autographs. Years ago, this would have upset me—today, I’m elated because I see how happy it makes him. He’s a born star, reveling in the role. There is no denying it and no taking it away from him.

  “Kam!” I yell just as I step off the escalator. He looks up at the sound of his name. My feet carry me faster than I anticipate and the crowd parts as we move toward each other. I don’t even try to be modest. I drop my bag, jump into his arms, and plant a kiss right on his lips that mothers have to shield their children’s eyes from. I hear the camera phones snapping away, and know this kiss is going to go viral in nanoseconds, but I couldn’t care less. Right now, the only thing that’s important is Kam and me. Not his status, or his fans, or the media, or even the team.

  What’s most important is just Kam and me. . . .

  Kam

  MY EYES ARE still closed when I feel Laney’s lips on my neck. I moan sleepily.

  “Morning,” she sings softly, seductively.

  “Morning,” I grumble as I grab her hip.

  “Time to wake up, sleepyhead.” She grazes her hand over my shorts.

  “Persuade me.” I smile with my eyes still closed.

  “I plan to.” She covers my mouth with hers. Our tongues duel and our hands roam until
there’s nothing separating our bare skin. Laney spoils me. Ever since we got back together, our bond has become stronger. There are no questions, only answers: yes, mine, always, yours, together, forever.

  She straddles me, taking the reins. She likes to take control, and I love it when she does. That confidence is what has always drawn me to her; it’s what makes me so fucking hot for her.

  She’s all ready to go; no foreplay this morning. Laney knows what she wants and she’s going after it. It isn’t much different outside the bedroom either. She’s a wildfire, a force to be reckoned with.

  In one easy move, I’m engulfed in her heat, my body turning over with ecstasy. I pull her against me—one hand on her neck, the other on her lower back—and meet her thrust for thrust. This isn’t going to last long, but it’s going to be intense.

  Fucking intense, just like Laney.

  “Kam.” She bites my bottom lip and moans as her body stiffens.

  “Laney,” I goad her as I slide my hand down to her ass and push her right to the precipice.

  “Fuck!” She spasms, coming hard, which prompts my own release. I watch her until I can’t keep my eyes open, until the pleasure drags me under, demanding total control.

  How did my life become so perfect? It seems as if I just woke up one day and had everything I ever wanted.

  “Morning,” Laney says lazily, resting on my chest.

  “I think you said that already.” I breathe heavily.

  “Did I?” She laughs. “I can’t remember what happened before five minutes ago.”

  “I can walk you through it again if you want to be reminded,” I say salaciously.

  “Mmm, I would be all for that, but someone has to get up for training camp.” She pushes off me, but I grab her wrist.

  “If it was anything else, I would blow it off to spend the morning in bed with you.”

  Laney smiles, her tousled, brown hair falling over one side of her flushed face. “I know.”