Author: Jaci Burton

She’d spent her adult life studying body mechanics. She loved sports and sports players, and Garrett was one of the best. She’d watched him in the workout room, day in and day out, sweating through his therapy. From day one of his injury, when he could barely move his shoulder, she’d ached for him, wished she could be in there helping him.

And now he was all hers. Talk about a huge responsibility.

“They told you?”

She swallowed. “Yes. My question is . . . why me?”

He shrugged. “Because you stood up to me. I need to work with someone who isn’t going to take shit from me. The rest of them tell me what they think I want to hear. They pacify me. I don’t think you’ll do that.”

She needed to relax. Think of him as a patient, not a hot man standing only inches away.

“No, I definitely won’t do that. I’m not going to take shit from you. But I am going to help you. You have to believe that. And believe in yourself. That’s the first step.”

He studied her then nodded. “Sure. I cleared your schedule, so you’re only going to work with me.”

She arched a brow. “You know, I can work with more than one player.”

“Probably. But I need you concentrating on my recovery.”

A little ego there. Understandable. She’d deal with it. “Okay.”

“Then let’s get started.”

“We will. On Monday. I’ll need a few days to develop your treatment plan. Since today’s Friday, the weekend will give me the time I need.”

“Fine.” He whipped out his phone. “What’s your number?”

She gave it to him.

“Okay, good. I’ll call you on Sunday, and we can get stuff set up. Does that work for you?”

“Sure.” He gave her his number, and she pulled her phone out of her pocket to add it in.

He punched the info into his phone then lifted his gaze to hers. “What’s your last name?”

“Riley.”

His lips lifted. “Any relation to Gavin?”

“Actually, he’s my cousin.”

He looked up. “No shit. Is that how you got this job?”

He wasn’t the first person to ask that question, and it always annoyed her. “No. I got this job because I’m good at sports medicine. I’m so good at sports medicine that you’ll be pitching come April, Garrett. Which has nothing to do with my cousin and everything to do with me.”

He laughed. “Man, have you got some attitude. I like you, Alicia.”

She wasn’t sure how she felt about him. Jury was still out. She headed to the door. “You won’t like me when I start kicking your ass, Garrett.”

 

 

TWO

ALICIA PULLED UP TO THE CURB AT HER AUNT AND uncle’s house. She was obviously the last to arrive, because the driveway was full. She hoped they hadn’t started dinner without her. She was starving. She’d worked all weekend, buried in Garrett’s file, going over everything about his injury. She’d spent Friday night and Saturday reviewing his notes and writing her treatment plan, so she’d be free on Sunday to enjoy family time.

Plus, she hadn’t seen her cousin Mick’s wife, Tara, since the hospital, and Alicia was dying to get her hands on the new baby.

As she walked in the door, the baby’s cries tugged at her heart. She headed into the living room and found Tara, her mother, and her aunt huddled over a small blue wrapped bundle.

“Okay, you can all get out of my way,” she said as she slipped out of her coat and tossed her bag on a nearby chair. “I need to hold little Sam.”

Tara turned and sent a tired but giddy smile her way. “Take a number. You might have to fight Sam’s grandma and aunt Cara for him.”

“They get to see him more than I do.” She squirted some antibacterial gel onto her hands, rubbed it in, then held out her arms. “Come on, Aunt Kathleen. I know for a fact you’ve been camped on Mick and Tara’s doorstep since he was born three weeks ago.”

Kathleen sighed. “You bet your cute little butt I have. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a baby in the family. And little Sam here is the brightest thing to come around since I started getting new daughters-in-law.” She gave a little wink to Tara, who took a seat on the sofa.

Kathleen handed Sam over to Alicia. She took him and pulled him against her chest. He was awake, and his big blue eyes regarded her with a curious stare. His cheeks were full and pink. He had dark hair like Mick, but she saw a lot of Tara in him, too.

Alicia walked over to the sofa and sat next to Tara, who looked about ready to pass out.

“He’s gorgeous,” she said, sliding her fingers across his soft, chubby cheek.

Tara leaned forward and smiled. “I think so. He looks like Mick.”

Alicia shifted her glance from the baby to Tara. “And you. His chin and his mouth are definitely yours.”

“You think so? I only see Mick when I look at him.”

“Oh, I definitely see you. And Nathan.”

Tara sighed. “Nathan says that, too. He tries to act like he doesn’t care since he’s almost a man himself now. But he’s over the moon about having a baby brother. And when he sees Mick fussing over the baby, it’s like Mick’s giving him permission to do the same.”

“Well, you know how it is with guys.”

“I do. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I’m the mother of a newborn and also a son who’ll be eighteen this year. That’s quite a spread.”

Alicia laid her hand on Tara’s. “And isn’t it wonderful that you get a second chance to do it all over again?”

Tara regarded her. “When you put it like that . . . you’re right. I’m so lucky.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, shit. Here come the hormones again.”

Kathleen laughed. “Expect those for a while, honey. I’ve told you they come and go.”

Tara grabbed a tissue from the box Alicia’s aunt held out for her. “I know. It’s been so long that I forgot what it was like. Poor Mick. As if my pregnancy wasn’t bad enough, now he has to deal with this postpartum nonsense.”

Alicia cuddled Sam’s warmth against her chest. “Oh, but look at the result. How could he complain?”

“No complaints here,” Mick said as he walked in and slid onto the sofa next to Tara. He pressed a kiss to Tara’s lips and pulled her against his side. “You can cry all you want, or yell at me anytime those hormones act up.” Mick gazed over at Alicia and gave her a giant grin as he looked with pride at his son. “Because look what you gave me.”

“Look what we made together,” Tara said, lifting a loving gaze to Mick.

“Okay, it’s getting all nauseating in here. The room is so filled with love and baby hormones I might have to take a step outside just to get a cold slap of frigid air.”

Alicia laughed. Leave it to Gavin’s wife, Elizabeth, to break the weepy mood. “Hey, Liz.”

“Hey, yourself. I see you’re holding my new nephew. And time’s up.”

Alicia stood. “You want your turn?”

Elizabeth took the baby from her. “Honey, this baby will likely never have a minute’s peace when he’s over here for family gatherings.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Alicia’s mom said, throwing her arm around Kathleen. “I suppose we should go check on dinner.”

“Might as well,” Kathleen said with a sigh. “I obviously won’t get another turn with Sam for a while.”

“You’ll get your turn plenty, Mom,” Mick said. “Tara loves that you come over to help. And she needs it. She’s out of practice with this new-mom thing, as you can tell.”

Alicia glanced over to see Tara’s head resting on Mick’s shoulder. She was sound asleep.

“Oh, poor thing,” Kathleen said. “Was she up late again last night?”

“Yeah. Sam eats every three hours, and since she’s breastfeeding, she’s up, too. I get to do the diaper changes, though.”

“Now, who would have thought diapers and poop would be something you’d be excited about?” Gavin asked as he crowded into the room. He peeked over his wife’s shoulder. “You’re a natural at that, babe. Maybe we should have our own kid soon.”

“That would require you to stay in one place long enough for me to jump your bones so you could get me pregnant.”

“I’m not hearing this,” Kathleen said. “Come on, Cara. Let’s go work on dinner.”

“Making babies, are you?” Alicia asked.

Liz shrugged. “We’re practicing making babies.”

Gavin wrapped his arms around Liz. “That’s the fun part.”

“I don’t want to hear this,” Mick said from his spot on the sofa.

“Too bad. You’re stuck there with your passed-out wife,” Gavin said. “Is this what happens when they give birth? They sleep all the time?”

“The wife or the baby?” Alicia asked, nudging Gavin in the ribs.

“Both,” Mick said with a wide grin.

Alicia rolled her eyes. “I’m going in the kitchen to help Mom and Aunt Kathleen. Where’s Jenna?”

“She called,” Liz said. “Said she and Ty will be a few minutes late.”

Alicia nodded and went down the hall, meeting her mom and her aunt in the kitchen.

“Where are Dad and Uncle Jimmy?”

“Tinkering on something in the garage with Nathan,” her aunt said, giving Alicia a knowing look.

“Oh.” In other words, avoiding the women. Not that she could blame them. It got a little crowded in here when the entire family showed up. “Cole and Savannah doing okay?”

“They’re fine,” her mother said. “Still taking an extended vacation after the end of football season. I think last time I heard from him they were in . . . What was it I said to you, Kathleen?”

“St. Lucia? St. Thomas? I can’t remember which it was.”

Her mother waved a knife in the air and shrugged. “I don’t recall. They’re taking a few weeks, hitting a couple of islands to just be alone together. That’s all I know.”

“Sounds fun,” Alicia said. The two of them deserved it. It had been a tough season but a great one. Her brother’s team had made it all the way to the championship before they lost. Cole had been pissed, but he’d really clicked with the team. She was glad. Meeting Savannah had changed his life in ways none of them could have ever imagined. She’d not only changed his professional attitude, the two of them had also fallen in love in the process. Alicia was happy for both of them.

“How’s work, Alicia?” her mom asked, handing her a knife and a couple of tomatoes so she could help make the salad. The one thing about family dinners was they assumed if you stepped into the kitchen, you were there to help. No one even blinked when handed a task. She washed her hands and dug in.

“Oh, work? It’s . . . interesting.”

Her mother paused as she opened the oven door. “Does that mean you’re enjoying it?”

“Of course. I love it. It’s everything I wanted and more.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.”

She didn’t want to talk about this new assignment with her mother or with her aunt. But when she finished the salad and headed down the hall, Liz was coming up. Alicia grabbed her by the arm.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Okay. Sure.”

“Let’s go upstairs.”

“Tara’s up there. She just went up to feed Sam.”

“Good. She can listen in.”

Jenna peeked her head in around the living room wall. She was slipping her coat off. Her cheeks were red, and she was rubbing her hands. “Oooh, gossip? Can I come? I need something hot and juicy to warm me up. It’s freezing out there.”