“Nope. Lia’s just too strong for me.”
“Time to play catch,” Katie said with a frown.
Katie led us into the hallway where we’d be alone and rushed to get the girls set up to play for the last few minutes of the session, then she turned to me. “Did he hurt you?”
“No! Of course not!”
“Then why are you hiding it?”
I sighed. No way would I let her think badly about Dylan. “We ran into his ex-wife last night,” I started. “She said some shit, and then her boyfriend punched Dylan, and then shepushed me. We were standing in the aisle of a store, and I fell into the shelf behind me.”
“What the hell?” she yelled in a stage whisper.
“It gets even crazier. We were standing by the beer. You know the six-packs that are just like a little cardboard basket and open on the top? She pulled a bottle out and ran towards Dylan. I tackled her like I was a linebacker in the Superbowl before she could get to him.”
“Good for you!”
“Thanks! I’m proud of it. Dylan’s mad, though. Really mad.”
“At you?”
“No, he’s furious that it happened, and that I got hurt. He’s worried they’ll do more.”
“Yeah, they sound crazy, like in a real way. You’d better be careful.”
“I will be, but I think I’ll be fine. I’m more worried they’ll go after Dylan.”
“Still, be careful.”
“I will be.” I turned to Kenley and Lia. “Last one.” They finished and we all walked to their classrooms together.
At the end of the day, I stayed late to finish my paperwork. My prep time and lunch were usually a mix of eating, chatting with Katie and the other OTs and PTs in the room, and writing my notes, but today I’d talked to Katie and the other therapists every chance I had. It was awesome. I’d never had so much to say before.
They’d admired my necklace, and I told all of them about our day on the Riverwalk and how sweet he was, buying the necklace and the drawing. And I gushed like a schoolgirl about the dinner he made for me and the hike we went on, and how gentle and protective he was. But I only told Katie about Kayla and Leo and about our moment by the bridge on the Riverwalk.
I didn’t tell any of them about the life-changing sex we’d had. Despite my blushing and stammering that probably gave away more than I wanted to, that was just for Dylan and me. Well, I’d probably tell a little to Jenna and Nicky. But just a little.
I didn’t tell any of them about the bar or our fight, either, because I’d rather just pretend those didn’t happen. I was still embarrassed about how I acted at the bar and afterwards, but I was trying not to give it too much thought. Dylan’s response was perfect, so I was trying to hold onto those words.
You’re strong, independent, and capable. And I’m an overbearing caveman who insists on protecting and caring for his woman regardless of whether or not she needs it.
Just thinking about it felt like a warm hug from him. When he’d said that, I’d wanted to melt into his strong chest and kiss him silly until he knew how much I loved him.
Watching Dylan get punched was horrifying. He always seemed so strong and bigger than life. It was terrifying to think of him getting hurt. When Kayla had turned towards Dylan and I saw the bottle in her hand, I didn’t even think. I just reacted, my only thought to stop her before she could get to him. I’d never felt such rage and fear.
Then there was the way Dylan was so protective of me. The way he held me so tightly, practically vibrating with rage, yet so careful with me at the same time. He’d checked every lock on the house last night and this morning and made me promise to lock all the doors the second I entered the house or the car, like I was a teenager on my own for the first time.
I really hoped this situation would end soon. I couldn’t stomach the thought of Dylan getting hurt or being scared, and I didn’t want that for myself either, but even more, I just didn’t want them interfering in our lives.
I wanted more time like the beginning of this weekend. I wanted Dylan to look at me again and say he was falling in lovewith me while the rest of the world faded to the background without him feeling like he had to look over his shoulder. I wanted the peace and joy and excitement and rightness that I felt with Dylan to continue to grow. What we had was so good and I already felt so close to him, but we’d actually only known each other for about a month. What if the threat of Kayla and Leo ruined what we had?
I’d never experienced this before in my life. The closest was when I was with my sister. Audrey always understood me, even when no one else did. I occasionally wondered if she lied to make me feel good, but I didn’t think so because she always responded appropriately to everything I said. Dylan seemed to usually understand me too. And he didn’t get frustrated when I gave really short answers either. My mom got mad at me for being rude for not giving full sentences, but I felt like Dylan knew why I sometimes did that.
I never felt belittled by Dylan the way I did when I was with Jake. I’d always felt like I was on the sidelines, doing what I could, but missing out on so much because of my limitations, or as Audrey liked to say, because of my insecurities. I didn’t want to hold anyone back with me, and Jake said he appreciated that. He would do what he wanted and tell me he understood why I didn’t want to.
Dylan made me feel like I didn’t have to sit it out. I hadn’t even known him that long, but I truly trusted him to have my back. When he didn’t understand me, he patiently asked me to repeat myself. When other people didn’t understand me, he didn’t rush in to smooth things over. For example, with just a quick look, he’d taken over when I needed him to speak to the waitress. And when he held my hand or helped me physically in any way, I trusted him completely. He’d saved me from tripping and falling more times than I could count. We had a great time on the hike, and when he asked if I wanted to go further or takethe short loop, he didn’t sound at all upset that I chose the short one.
He made me feel more capable than I ever have in my life.I’ll do the kickball game, I suddenly decided. He’d promised it would be okay, and if it wasn’t, he’d make an excuse for us to leave early. If I really believed everything I just said to myself, I should trust him for that too. I would text him to tell him I’d go.