Sweet Spot (Summer Rush #1) (23 page)

Rowan took a deep breath, trying to imagine if he would have shown the same restraint had he been a part of Tenley’s life back then.

“But I didn’t. You know why?”

“You didn’t want to lose your job?” Rowan knew cops weren’t well received in prison. Even a tough guy like Brant would have a rough time surviving on the inside.

“I didn’t want to lose my sister.” When Rowan frowned, rubbing his forehead as he tried to make sense of what he was saying, Brant explained, “She’d already been through enough. Seeing me go away would have done her in. I have no doubt about that.”

“She’s stronger now,” Rowan said, praying that was true. After last night, he didn’t know what she was thinking or feeling, and that uncertainty was killing him.

“Yeah, but she needs stability to continue to heal from this.” Brant gripped his shoulder, looking him in the eye. “She needs a man she can count on to be there for her. Not a hothead who’s gonna go off at the slightest provocation.”

Rowan’s eyes drifted to his best friend, and he knew Ace was thinking about what had gone down between him and Tenley last night. Brant’s warning almost made him wonder whether he’d talked to his sister about last night’s fiasco. Or maybe the cop who drove her home had filled him in. Either way, he seemed to know things Rowan wasn’t proud to admit. Even to himself.

Everything he said made perfect sense. Rowan was a master at controlling himself on the mound, practicing patience until he could capitalize on his opponent’s weakness. But with Tenley, he was the one feeling weak and vulnerable, and he hated that.

“I hear you,” Rowan said.

“You sure?” Brant stepped back, folding his arms as he gave Rowan a hardened look that he was sure made his suspects cower in fear during interrogations. “I’m telling you that it would break my sister’s heart to see you get led away in handcuffs for putting this guy down. No matter how much he might deserve it.”

Rowan inhaled deeply, trying to find an ounce of the control he was so famous for.

“I’m not suggesting you back off.” Brant pointed at the window of Justin’s room. “Tell him you’ll break both of his legs if he comes near Tenley again. Just don’t make good on that threat today.”

He nodded slowly, considering his options. “Yeah, okay.”

“I mean it,” Brant said, thrusting a finger in Rowan’s face. “You hurt her, and you’ll answer to me. I’ve been watching her go through the motions for seven years, pretending she was fine when I knew she wasn’t. It killed me to know she was living half a life because some asshole robbed her of the ability to trust someone.”

When Rowan would have said something, Brant raised his hand. “But I saw her with you, and it was like she’d come alive again. And I can’t tell you what that does for me.” He flattened his hand against his chest, the movement pulling his black jacket back enough to reveal the piece strapped to his waist. “I feel like I’m finally getting my little sister back, thanks to you.”

Ace, who was standing behind Brant, gave Rowan a half-smile to let him know he was there if he needed him.

“But I’m not going to lie to you. Life with Tenley won’t be easy,” Brant said. “Especially in the beginning. There will be setbacks while she tries to figure out how to let someone back into her heart and her life. It’s been a long time since she’s done that, and given how it turned out, I don’t think you can blame her for being scared.”

“You talked to her, didn’t you?” Everything he said led Rowan to believe he knew what happened last night.

“I just came from her place. She was miserable because of the fight you guys had. She’s beating herself up, questioning whether she’s ready to be in a relationship at all. She thinks she’s too messed up and you’d be better off without her.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“I know that, but I’m not the one you have to convince. She is.” He nodded toward the motel room. “Don’t waste too much time on this loser. Say what you’ve got to say, then focus on what really matters—making things right with my sister.”

Rowan extended his hand, and he pulled Tenley’s brother in for a half-hug. “Thanks, Brant.”

“You can thank me with tickets to the home opener,” he said, grinning.

“Done.”

Ace and Brant shook hands, and they watched him walk toward his truck before Ace asked, “You ready to do this?”

It was suddenly clear to Rowan—he didn’t have to waste any more time or energy worrying about the guys who wanted to take Tenley away from him, one way or the other. He had to worry about driving her away with the kind of shit he pulled last night.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

As soon as Brant’s truck pulled out of the lot, they walked up to the door.

“What if he doesn’t answer?” Rowan asked, raising his hand to knock.

Ace grinned, leaning his back against the brick wall between Justin’s door and his neighbors’. “We kick it in.”

“What if he’s not here?” Rowan asked, scanning the parking lot. No vehicles were parked outside his room, but since he’d just gotten out of the joint, he assumed he couldn’t afford one.

“We wait,” Ace said, shrugging. “He’s got to come back sometime. Right?”

Rowan didn’t want to wait. He wanted to see Tenley. But he couldn’t walk away until he’d faced the son of a bitch who tore her life apart.

He was surprised when the door flew open a few seconds after he knocked.

“Hey, you’re late,” Justin said, his smile slipping when he realized they weren’t the company he’d been expecting.

Rowan stuck his foot in the doorway before he could close the door. He pushed him back while Ace slammed and locked the door, in case Justin was stupid enough to think he could run.

“Hey,” Justin said, looking from Rowan to Ace. “You’re ball players, aren’t you? Phillips and…” He snapped his fingers. “The pitcher… Rowan Nixon, right? What the hell do you guys want with me?”

“You call my girlfriend again”—Rowan stepped toward him—“you’ll wish you were back behind bars, where there are guards to protect you.”

Justin looked as Rowan thought he would. The remnants of a good-looking guy lingered behind unruly dark hair, yellowing teeth, dull green eyes, and pasty skin. He appeared to be in decent shape. Probably because working out was the only thing that kept him from becoming someone’s bitch on the inside.

“What’re you talking about, man?” he asked, looking nervous as his gaze jumped from Rowan to Ace, who was guarding the door in case Justin tried to make a run for it.

“Tenley.”

Rowan watched the shift in his demeanor at the mention of her name. He went from nervous to scared spitless in the span of a second. He could practically see his heart thumping beneath his thin cotton shirt.

“You and Tenley?” His Adam’s apple bobbed repeatedly. “Shit. I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, well, now you do.” Rowan stepped closer, forcing Justin’s back to the wall. “The phone calls stop.” He slammed his hand against the wall next to the smaller man’s head, making him flinch. “You or one of your buddies park outside her place again, and I’ll blow your tires out, then I’ll beat the shit out of you.”

“I want in on some of that action,” Ace said, folding his muscular arms across his chest. “That’s not goin’ down without me, man.”

Rowan hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “You hear that? My buddy wants a piece of you too.”

Justin’s eyes were wide as he clenched his hands at his sides, preparing to defend himself. What a joke. If they unleashed on him, he wouldn’t know what hit him.

Rowan and Ace both grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and Ace had done time straight out of high school, almost losing out on his one and only shot at the big leagues because of a car accident that took the life of his girlfriend’s twin brother.

“You scared?” Rowan asked, leaning in close enough for Justin to hear him whisper. “You should be. You should be as scared as Tenley was when you had her holed up in that warehouse like a caged animal, begging for her life. You sick bastard!” He slammed his fist into the wall beside Justin’s head, making him jump. “I should break you the way you tried to break her.”

“That…” Justin licked his dry lips before clearing his throat. “That was a long time ago. I’m a different person now.”

“Oh yeah?” Ace asked, scowling at him. “Then why’ve you been hanging around her place calling her… sending her flowers?”

“I just wanted her to know I’m sorry about everything that happened.”

Rowan didn’t believe him for a second. If he was sorry, he could have apologized in court.

“You’re a lying sack of shit,” he said, grabbing the front of Justin’s shirt. “You were trying to scare her. Well, let me tell you this—I’ll give
you
reason to be scared if you don’t stay the hell away from her. You don’t get where I am without making a lot of friends along the way, friends who would do just about
anything
for me.” He didn’t have to spell it out. Justin may be spineless, but he wasn’t stupid.

Judging by Justin’s expression, Rowan was surprised he hadn’t pissed his pants by now.

“Have I made myself clear?”

Justin nodded vigorously.

Rowan pulled him forward, then slammed him back against the wall hard enough to make his teeth rattle. “This is your one and only warning. You come near the woman I love again—you call her, send her flowers, a text, email, any contact whatsoever—and you’ll be the sorriest son of a bitch alive. Is that understood?”

“Yeah, man, yeah,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “I got it. I hear ya. Tenley won’t have to worry about me again, I swear.”

“You violated the terms of your probation,” Rowan said, smirking. “I might just have to call your probation officer.” He still couldn’t believe he’d been stupid enough to do that, especially knowing Tenley’s brother was a cop.

“I’m not going back to the joint,” he said, his gaze darting wildly around the room. “I’ll kill myself before that happens.”

“Aw, what a shame that would be. One less loser taking up space.” Ace crooked a finger at his friend. “Let’s get out of here, Row. We’ve wasted enough time on this piece of shit.”

Rowan couldn’t agree more.

Tenley felt guilty for asking Corrie to come to her place instead of making an appointment at her office, but the thought of stepping into another therapist’s office made her break out in a cold sweat. After she’d spilled her guts about what happened with Justin all those years ago and how she felt that was connected to the fight she’d had with Rowan last night, Corrie simply stared at her, processing it all.

“I guess I just needed a professional opinion,” Tenley said, her hand trembling as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Am I even ready to be in a relationship? Will I ever be?”

“People who’ve been the victim of a violent crime never forget what happened to them. It becomes a part of who they are, whether they want it to be or not.”

She nodded, knowing that single event had changed the course of her life forever.

“But that doesn’t mean they can’t go on to have happy, fulfilling lives in spite of it.”

Until she met Rowan, Tenley had been so focused on survival, she hadn’t considered whether she was happy. “I want to be with Rowan, assuming he still wants to be with me.”

Corrie smiled. “But?”

“I’m worried that stuff like this will keep happening. That he’ll say or do something to trigger me, and I’ll go off on him for no reason.”

“Based on what you told me, you didn’t exactly go off on him for no reason. I think your anger was justified, given he was trying to pry into a part of your life that really was none of his concern since it happened before you two met.”

“I just want to be normal.” The words sounded weak, almost foreign on her tongue.

Corrie chuckled, shaking her head. “Since I’m here as your friend, not your therapist, I can tell you this—normalcy is an illusion. No one is ‘normal,’” she said, air-quoting the word. “Besides, who would want to be normal? That’s boring.”

Tenley appreciated Corrie’s attempt to make her feel better, but a boring life sounded pretty damn good to her. “I’m just sick of all the drama. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder, being suspicious of everyone, unable to let my guard down or let anyone in.”

“I agree there comes a time when you have to take a chance and trust someone. Even if it’s scary.”

“I thought I trusted Rowan.” She bit her lip, considering what she just said. “I do. I do trust him, but I’m afraid I may have too much baggage to make him happy.”

“It’s not your job to make him happy. It’s your job to make yourself happy.”

“What do you mean?” She always assumed people in relationships tried to make their partners happy. That was the foundation of a good relationship, wasn’t it?

“Does seeing Rowan happy make you happy?”

She loved seeing him smile and hearing his laugh. She loved to watch him work out with his trainer, knowing he was in the zone. She couldn’t wait to be in the front row at his next game, watching him do what he loved most… assuming she got the chance.

“Sure.”

“Don’t you think he feels the same way, that all he wants is to see you happy?”

“I guess so.”
I know so.

“So just focus on making Tenley happy,” Corrie said, reaching for her hands. “And let Rowan focus on making himself happy. Two people who are content and enjoying their lives usually make for a pretty compatible couple when they’re focused on getting their own needs met and not relying on their partner to meet all of their needs.”

Everything she said made sense. If Tenley didn’t have to rely on Rowan to be her everything, a committed relationship didn’t seem as scary.

“The most important thing,” Corrie said, “is that you go on being the strong, independent woman you were even before you met him.”

“I don’t feel very strong sometimes,” she admitted, lowering her head.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Corrie whispered. “Neither do I. It’s part of being human, I think.”

Hearing someone like Corrie, who seemed so self-assured, tell her she wasn’t a complete mess made Tenley feel so much better about the odds of her relationship with Rowan going the distance.