Page 67 of Playing With The Mountain Man

“Yours?” Cody interrupted and moved beside me. I could feel the warmth of his body through my shirt.

“Mom fell off her bike and hit her head. She had this awesome egg on her head,” River excitedly explained, filling in the blanks.

“When?” Cody asked, grabbing my hips and spinning me toward him. When he lifted his hand to my cheek, I felt a shudder race through my body.

“Doesn’t matter,” I brushed it off, not wanting to get into it.

“Last week. Mom and I went bike riding, and she fell off,” River dobbed.

“Last week?” Cody repeated, his gaze burning through me. Even though we’d spoken almost every day, I hadn’t told him. I didn’t need him knowing how clumsy I was.

“I should get River home,” I replied, diverting again.

Cody’s stare held questions, but he wasn’t the only one. He was a famous baseball player, a fact he’d failed to disclose. But as much as I wanted to demand answers, I knew I was on shaky ground. He hadn’t been the only one hiding his truth. I hadn’t shared my past or the fact that I had a son. I knew I owed him an explanation, but now wasn’t the time. And it certainly wasn’t the place.

“I’ll take you,” Cody offered, and I found myself nodding.

“River, where’s your bag?” I asked, focusing on more practical things.

While I busied myself, Cody led River to his truck. To his credit, he didn’t flinch as River bombarded him with question after question.

I reached the truck, and like nothing had changed, Cody held open my door before helping me in. Once I was safely buckled in, he climbed behind the wheel. “Where am I going?” Cody asked, stiffly.

I gave him directions to our home for the first time. As he drove, I studied his profile. Gone was the lighthearted, easy-going man I’d been crushing on, replaced by a heavy-set jaw and determined eyes.

“Cody?” River’s small voice interrupted the silence.

He glanced up, meeting River’s eyes through the rearview mirror. “Yes?”

“Is your shoulder okay?”

I caught the way Cody winced. “It’s getting there.”

“It’s why you went to Dallas,” I stated under my breath.

“It is.”

“And you’re okay?”

“They assure me that in time, I will be,” Cody promised, flashing me one of those devastating smiles that made his dimples pop, and my pulse quicken.

“Can I come and watch you play?” River asked, excitedly bouncing in his seat.

“I’d love that,” Cody replied.

“You don’t have to,” I whispered, not wanting him to make promises he couldn’t or worse, wouldn’t keep. River had already had so much disappointment in his life, I didn’t want to risk any more.

“I’d love both of you to come,” Cody reinforced.

We arrived home soon enough, and River scrambled out of the truck, running inside. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he’d just taken ten years off my life with his recklessness.

I unsnapped my seatbelt and turned to face Cody. I feared I owed him much more than an apology, but it seemed like a good place to start.

“Cody,” I began, the emotion suddenly clogging my throat.

“Tillie,” he started at the same time.

“Please. I need to apologize.”