“Let’s go, ladies! Get those fucking knees up! That means your broody ass too, Cade! I want to see those balls slap against your thighs!”
I glare at Anniston mid-stride, my eyes narrowing in an attempt at the stink eye but the kiss she blows me has me laughing instead.
“You have something to say, Gorgeous?” She’s taunting me, running alongside.
The guys are huffing out obscenities behind me. We’re four miles into our six-mile morning run. I remember the days when that was me. Lungs burning. Legs quivering. Pleading with Anniston for a break. And just like back then, she doesn’t stop. She pushes us with her taunts and teases, knowing what to do to inspire. Right now, as I lag behind my usual pace, she shoves into me, trying to break my stride.
“You see Thor back there?” she asks, hiding her smile behind her hand.
I grin. It’s been a week since we brought in the newbies. Thor has been a constant pain in our asses ever since. I keep waiting for Theo to relax and send him home but he hasn’t. Probably because Theo has only been home once this week. The team has a pitcher down with an injury and he’s taken on an additional game in the rotation.
Thor, unlike us, is a big brute. All strength and no stamina. Our runs have kept him in a perpetual state of distress. The funny thing is, he’s been so tired from the runs that he hasn’t had the energy to protect Anniston even if he needed to.
“I heard him moaning this morning from his aches.” My lips tip up in a satisfied grin.
“Five bucks says he pukes in the next quarter mile.” She’s jogging at a leisurely pace while the rest of us struggle. I have no doubt that Thor will puke by the time she’s done with him. It’s a losing bet, but one that she wants me to take.
“You’re on,” I tell her, extending my fist for a bump.
Her responding smile is sweet before she turns, screaming to the line behind me. “The last one to finish cleans the bathrooms for a week.”
The gasps and grunts behind me ensure her victory.
“What’s up with that Tim guy?” Theo casts me a questioning look, tossing a piece of gum in his mouth as we watch the guys and Anniston toss around the football in the grass below.
I was hoping to avoid him and all his assholeness like the plague today. His constant questioning is getting old after he came home last night in grand fashion. He rushed Anniston upstairs and made sure that we all heard him staking his claim.
Now, he’s satiated, lounging on the back deck, and has been grilling me for the past half hour on our new roommates.
“Have you run a security check on him? He seems too…quiet.”
The throbbing in my temple is growing stronger by the minute. “No, I haven’t. But I’m sure you have.”
He has the decency to look sheepish, biting his nails to hide his smile. “I had to make sure.”
I shrug. I know he did. And honestly, I’m grateful. I made a promise to keep her safe but other than physically protecting her, I am at a loss. Theo has resources that only money can buy. Normally, that would piss me off but in this case… I’m relieved.
“So, what’s his deal?” He won’t stop until I answer him. Trust me, I’ve tried.
I kick back on the lounger, making myself comfortable. Once he starts getting answers, he won’t stop until he’s satisfied.
“Tim is fine, Theo. Just because he’s quiet doesn’t mean he’s a psycho. Some people actually like listening instead of talking. You should try it sometime.” I give him a smug smile that he ignores.
“I mean, what’s his deal with the whole homeless thing?” He waves his hands dismissively like it’s no big deal. Like it’s easy for us to discuss the low points in our lives. He doesn’t mean any harm. He and Anniston have no boundaries when it comes to their lives. Unless it’s about their relationship, then they suddenly turn into mimes when questions are asked. But anything else… no filter.
“Theo, I don’t know all the details and it’s not polite to ask.”
He glares at me. He knows it’s impolite, but that doesn’t stop him from asking, and he expects an answer.
I sigh, knowing I’m going to have to give him something. “Fine. He lost his hearing in an explosion. His voice is messed up, so he doesn’t speak much.”
His mouth drops open in disbelief. “Damn. That sucks.”
I nod in agreement. It does suck. I can’t imagine not being able to hear, never hearing the voice of my angel. Tim reads lips, so he understands but it’s not the same. Anniston wants us to all learn sign language to help. And what she wants, she gets.
“Anniston told me a little about Hayes and Mason, but what about Vic?”
“Vic is a little different…” I hate sharing their secrets, especially with Theo. Not that I think he will exploit them or throw what he knows in their faces, but still… it feels like a betrayal. I know he’s coming from a good place though. He wants to ensure Anniston is safe. And for that reason alone, I tell him.
“He and his wife divorced when he was serving. Her boyfriend killed his son in a fit of rage. He was never the same after that.”
Theo is quiet, picking at his tweed bracelet. “Oh.”
There is nothing left to say. It was a horrific nightmare that no parent should ever endure. I asked Vic what happened to the guy, thinking maybe he killed him and served time, but he said they never found him. I can’t speak for Vic but I wouldn’t rest until that fucker was six feet under.
“Mind if I join you?” Hayes’ voice is a welcome distraction from my dark thoughts.
“Sure, man.”
He drags a chair over and sits between us. Hayes has been enamored with Theo since he’s been home. I thought Theo would be standoffish and a dick like he was to me, but nope, he seems to like Hayes. As much as I tell myself it doesn’t matter, it does. Then again, Hayes isn’t trying to take his girl.
Hayes looks out over the view of the countryside. “So, your brother….”
Theo’s face scrunches up at the mention of Thad.
“He’s a cool guy.”
Theo laughs darkly at Hayes’ observation. “I suppose.”
It’s no secret the two brothers don’t see eye to eye. I guess it’s because of their mutual love for a tiny blonde. I don’t know all the details, but I do know they all lived together in college. Maybe Thad developed a love for her, too. I wouldn’t doubt it. She’s exciting to love.
“He said you threw a no-hitter the other day. I love baseball. I haven’t seen a game in forever.”
Hayes prattles on without realizing Theo is clutching his beer so hard that the glass is a few seconds from shattering. But Theo is a pro for fielding uncomfortable topics. He smiles genuinely at Hayes. “I did. You should come to a game. Tell Commander—” he looks at me and grins, “—to bring you all up.”
I can’t tell if he thinks this is all some big joke or if he says this type of shit just to piss me off. I’m going with the latter.
“Man! That would be incredible! You think she would go for it, Major?”
I want to glare at Theo. Hayes asking me that played right into his little fucked up sense of humor. Since bringing on the new recruits, as we call them, Theo has been making nonstop remarks about Anniston and I having children. I’m smart enough to know he says it because he’s jealous that she and I have something that he isn’t part of. But it doesn’t soothe my anger with him when he makes a dig like, all I’m good for is being her little bitch and babysitting.
“I’m not sure, Hayes. Feel free to ask her yourself.”
My mood is plummeting by the second. Each time I think I can handle Theo he goes and does something that tests my patience. The patio door slides open and Thad pokes his head through.
“Come join us,” I say with a smile. Theo flicks me off, which makes me laugh. Serves the fucker right.
Thad makes himself comfortable across from us, near the railing. My guess is that he doesn’t want to be close to Theo. I wish I would have made the same decision.
We’ve all moved on to a safer topic. Football. Mason, Vic, and Tim are down there with Anniston playing flag football, having a blast, tossing each other to the dirt. Theo watches her like a hawk, smiling now and then when she makes a good play. Pride is evident in his eyes. He loves her, and that makes me feel sick. I knew they had a thing but… I guess I thought maybe I had a chance. I realize now, Theo won’t let her go. He has his hooks in her and apparently, she likes it.
I glower at Theo because I’m petty but instead of giving the look back to me or doing something ridiculous he’s looking like he is seconds from launching at Thad. Huh.
Thad is twirling one of Anniston’s hair ties around his fingers and I wonder why he has it. Obviously, it’s grating on Theo’s nerves because he’s clenching his hands, moving closer to the edge of his seat.
“Will you stop twirling that?” Theo doesn’t let Thad answer as he leaps out of the chair, snatching the hair tie out of Thad’s hand, and hurls it over the deck.
Whatever beef him and Thad have going on has his patience thin. Thad’s head rotates like something out of the exorcist and he glares at Theo with hatred in his eyes. Geeze. I know Theo is annoying, but he’s tolerable, at least around here. Who knows what he does to Thad when they are alone in Washington.
Everyone is silent as Thad continues to stare at Theo.
Theo, having lost all his patience minutes ago, snaps. “What’s your deal?”
Thad traces his finger along his lips, worrying the bottom one between his teeth. His jaw clenches before he speaks. “You are,” he spits rather spitefully.
Theo balks. “What the fuck did I do? I mean really, I’ve played. I’ve behaved at work. What else is there?”
Thad barks out a fake laugh. “You are so dense sometimes.” He stares out at the backyard, his eyes zeroing in on Anniston.
Theo looks confused, glancing at me and back to Thad. I shrug. I don’t know what his deal is. My time has been absorbed with the new recruits. I haven’t had time to deal with Theo and Thad and all their drama.
“I guess I am, because I don’t understand what you are getting at. Please, enlighten me, oh wise one.” Theo is picking a fight with that remark.
Thad’s head snaps around and with a sneer, he grits out, “Do you have to fuck her in the open all the fucking time!”
Oh. I see what the problem is. Unlike me, Thad must not be used to all the exploits. I heard them downstairs this morning. I quickly decided that I didn’t need coffee as I bad as I thought.
Theo shrugs his shoulder and smiles proudly, like an asshole. He knew what he was doing.
“We were in the kitchen,” he clarifies. “It wasn’t like we were in your bedroom.”
Thad kicks the railing on the deck. “She was on the fucking countertop! Spread wide for everyone to see!”
And from her screams, she absolutely loved it. I see her with him. I know the games they like to play. I learned that the hard way when we were in Washington. I will never forget the look on his face as he fucked her into the glass, flipping me off as I watched helplessly from the living room. I felt ashamed at the excitement that swirled inside me. I was pissed. I was envious. And I was so turned on that I jacked off to her screams for days. I hate that she loves him. I hate that he knows he has her wrapped around his million-dollar arm.
But I know my place in her life. Thad apparently, doesn’t.
“Do you like to demoralize her? Is that it?” He keeps reaming Theo, his jaw firm.
Theo looks to me. For what I don’t know. Help? Surely not.
“Demoralize her?” Theo asks. “Is that what you think I’m doing to her?”
Thad is silent for a moment as he scowls at Theo. “You have everything. Everything, Theo! And you piss it all away like you couldn’t care less.”
Theo scoffs. “That is not true.”
Thad’s laugh turns dark again. “Yeah, it is. You are the best in the league and you want to quit because Ans doesn’t watch you play every game. You want Anniston, but you demean her and parade her around like some kind of trophy. She gave up her life for you and you don’t even care. You are the most selfish person I know.” He’s breathing hard after his rant.
Hayes is wide-eyed as he looks to me to intervene. Brotherly fights are not in my job description. And who am I to stop someone from tearing into Theo?
Theo takes a healthy swig of his beer. “First of all, I don’t want to quit totally because of Ans. I have other reasons. Reasons that you don’t even know. Secondly, I don’t demean Anniston in any way. She likes our kinky games. And I don’t know what the fuck you mean about her giving up her life for me.”
“She’s a sports therapist. She went to school to be there for you and your career.”
Theo rakes a hand through his hair and chuckles. “Is that why you think she chose that major?”
Thad just stares at him, his earlier confidence fading.
“You’re an idiot. You know nothing about her.” Theo’s dig is meant to hurt and by the look on Thad’s face, he succeeds. Once again, Theo manages to get under someone’s skin. “Tell me then,” he spits, gulping down his beer. “You remember when Anniston broke her foot junior year?”
The way Theo’s frowning, I don’t think I’m going to like this story.
Thad nods slowly, as if this story is well known between the brothers.
Hayes and I are quiet as Theo begins to tell the story of our elusive Commander.
“I found her in the weight room screaming as she tried to curl a thirty-pound dumbbell with a shaking arm.”
Thad immediately disagrees, shaking his head. “No, she said she stepped in a hole running.”
Theo smiles snidely. “She lied.” He chugs the rest of his beer and continues, “Tears were running down her face as she screamed at herself to curl it. Her arm was shaking so violently that I thought she was going to pass out. When I got to her, she screamed at me to go away. I didn’t, obviously, instead I watched as she screamed at her arm to move and it didn’t. Until it did, and the weight fell to the floor, breaking her foot.”
He glances out into the yard and I follow his eyeline just in time to see Vic and Ans do a little jig after scoring a touchdown. It makes me smile. Mostly because it’s terrible.
Sighing, Theo wraps up this little tale of horror. “She suffers from a mild form of cerebral palsy. Did you know that?”
What? I didn’t know that. I have never seen any indication that she was less than perfect.
Thad shakes his head somberly. He realizes now that there are secrets he will never be privy to. Theo has this in the bag. We all need to accept our places in Anniston’s life and move on.
The thought is bitter as I swallow my own acceptance. This man will always belong to her. We have shared some secrets, but nothing big. I don’t quite feel comfortable enough to disclose all my skeletons, and she feels the same. Theo holds them all. As much as we may hate it. He’s hers.
Theo nods to all of us this time. He knows he has our undivided attention and we all want to know more about her.
“She was three months premature. She suffered a grade-four brain bleed and spent almost her first year of life in the hospital.”
Thad swallows, looking down at his beer bottle. He fidgets with the label, picking it apart piece by piece. “I didn’t know that. I knew her mother died in childbirth,” he whispers sadly.
My heart clenches with this new information.
“Her mother died prior to childbirth. They barely got Ans out in time,” Theo confirms. “After years of physical therapy, she finally has the CP under control. But in great times of stress, you will see her hands shake.”
I rake a hand through my hair, growing more pissed off by the second that Anniston never felt she could disclose this secret.
“So, no, asshole, she majored in sports medicine for her. She wanted control of her body. It was never about me.”
Thad stays silent, mulling over this enlightenment.
Theo stands, looking down at his brother. “She hates to be treated as a damsel in distress. Or a princess, as you call her. She wants to be strong. In control.”
He moves closer, so he’s in Thad’s face. I get to my feet, ready to intervene if necessary.
“So, when I tear the screams from her throat, you’ll know it’s because she begs for them. She aches to feel alive. To feel strong.” Theo shoves at Thad and turns toward the door, knocking into my shoulder.
He looks at Thad and me. “So, if you’re thinking of challenging me for her, then come at me. I am a selfish asshole when it comes to her and just so you know, I always go down swinging.”
He’s talking to the both of us, I realize.
He chucks his bottle into the trash before heading back into the house.
I follow him. I have to know more. He can’t reveal this huge part of her life and just walk out. I’m hauling ass trying to keep up. He’s much faster than me.
He’s at the front door sliding on his shoes when I approach.
“I’m not in the mood,” he says, sidestepping me.
I counter, blocking his movement. “You going for a run?”
He sighs. I’m sure he really doesn’t want to be around me right now. The feeling is mutual, but I have to know.
“Yes. Now move.”
“I’ll go with you.” I’m opening the door to let us out when he pops back.
“No.”
I shrug and open the door anyway. He’ll come. He needs the release too bad. Reluctantly, he pushes past me.
“You are not going with me.”
I smile. “We’ll see.”
I love pushing his fucking buttons. He launches out the door in a sprint, hoping to lose me. He’s faster than me but Lady Luck is on my side because I easily catch up. He must be tired.
He groans when I jog up alongside him. “Go away.”
I stay silent as he runs, hoping he’ll cool off after a mile or so. I can’t last though. Two minutes in and I blurt out my curiosity. “I didn’t know that about Anniston.”
Inhaling a deep breath, he pushes forward. “I imagine not. She’s not a sharer.”
I keep a steady pace beside him, both of us facing forward to keep the conversation from being too intimate.
“How did her mother die?” I’m winded trying to keep up with his pace but I try not to let it show.
As we push forward over the crest of the hill, he huffs out, “Ask her yourself.”
“She won’t tell me,” I admit. She won’t. I’ve tried digging into her past. “Not without something in return,” I add, so he knows I’ve attempted. But everything has a price. One I’m not willing to pay.
The smug bastard smiles at me. “Seems like you’ll have to cough up the info she wants.”
I want to punch him. Seriously. I want to kick one of his legs out from under him, watch him fall, and then beat the ever-loving shit out of him. But I don’t. Instead, I give him the only bargaining chip I have left. Something he wants more than anything.
“I will concede,” I mutter quietly.
He pulls to a halt. “What did you say?”
I stop running and circle back, raking the sweat from my hair. “You heard me.” I know he did. He just wants to hear me say it again. Prick.
He cocks his head expectantly. He knows I’ll repeat it. I want the information too bad. I’m desperate for the information. I would do anything for it except disclose my own secrets.
“I will concede,” I grit out painfully. I don’t want to lose her but then again, I never really had her in the first place.
This makes the little prick happy, as he flashes me a cocksure smile. “And why would you do that?”
Now he’s just being a dick. He wants me to spell it out for him so he can rejoice in his victory.
He paces in a circle, huffing out breaths as he waits for my answer.
“As much as you may think it’s true, I’m not an asshole. I recognize a deep-rooted love when I see it. I may not understand why she loves you but I can respect her wishes. I thought she deserved better than you and I still think she does, but I can see that you love her. You know her better than anyone ever will. I can accept just being her friend.”
When I finish, he looks up and gives me a terse nod. It’s a brotherly code. I’ve accepted my fate in her life and given my blessing to him in hers.
He swallows thickly, probably swallowing down some asshole remark, and starts walking. I follow, eager for the other piece of the story.
“Her parents were young when they got pregnant. They married. Her dad joined the military to earn a living. Her mother, Sarah, was on the way to the grocery store one afternoon when she lost consciousness and crashed her car into a ravine. A brain aneurysm, they called it. She was being airlifted to a local hospital when she coded. They kept her alive long enough to get Anniston out. She weighed like a pound or something.”
He gives me a sad smile. I chew the inside of my cheek, giving him my undivided attention.
“Anyway, you heard about all the issues, the vision, CP, brain bleed, etc.—”
I cut him off. “Vision?”
“Oh, just that she can’t see shit. She wears contacts now, though, instead of those huge glasses.” He laughs, probably remembering how dorky she looked in glasses. I don’t. This is serious.
He clears his throat after my scathing look and gets back to his end of the bargain.
“They called her dad home from overseas. He took one look at her, handed her over to her grandfather, and said, ‘Look after her.’ Later, he was injured by a roadside bomb. He came home, not knowing how to care for a child or function at his job at the mill. One day, he never showed to pick up Anniston from their house. Hines, Anniston’s grandfather, found him dead in the car. Asphyxiated, carbon monoxide from the exhaust. She was two.”
My eyes widen with that information. Her dad was military? Is that why she felt like she needed to help me? Is this her redemption for not being able to save her father? I have so many questions but I stick to a safer one. “So, her grandparents raised her?”
“Yep.”
He begins to jog, so I do, too, keeping up easily this time. My endurance is getting better every day.
“How did you come into the picture?” I want to know how this angel of shit came in and swooped her off her feet.
He makes a soft noise, almost like he’s reliving the memory. “Would you believe she saw me next door and fell all over herself to meet me?”
I actually snort. “No.”
He barks out a laugh, obviously pulling my leg. “Believe it or not, I lived down the road. She took walks with her grandpa every evening, past our house. One day, I was playing basketball in the driveway when she stopped and told me the object of the game is to get the ball into the net.”
I chuckle, thinking that is just like something she would do.
“And so, she stayed and showed me how it was done. Her grandparents died our senior year of high school. We moved in together after that and the rest is history.”
I nod in silence. They go way back. Much further than I originally thought. “I knew about this being her grandparent’s house but not the rest. Thank you. I meant what I said.”
I will concede and be content being her friend. Hopefully.
He nods in return, meeting my gaze. “I appreciate it.” He turns to sprint off but pulls back. “This doesn’t mean we are friends.”
I look at him and flash him the cockiest fucking smile I can muster. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”