Page 29 of Offsides

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Cowboy leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes and reminding himself to breathe. The last time he’d talked about Dulcie—and the subsequent aftermath that ripped his family apart—was more than two years ago, when he’d first accepted the job with the Atlanta Rising. Very few people knew about his connection to the case, and he preferred to keep it that way. Thankfully, the Sutherlands were respectful of that and gave him the freedom needed to limit the media’s access to the team.

Looking over at Theo, he could see the wheels turning in her head, trying to work it all out. Her beautiful hazel eyes were shiny, reflecting his own image back at him.

“Our moms are sisters. We grew up a couple of streets over from each other, and we were inseparable. She was the happiest person I have ever met. We were always laughing at something, usually up to no good,” he continued, letting the memories wash over him.

He could still see her, bright blue eyes and cornsilk curls that were always in a tangle, skipping along the sidewalk, her infectious laugh filling the air. The sound of laughter followed wherever she went and was a go-to memory when he needed a pick-me-up.

“She was always singing but never knew the correct lyrics to songs. Every time you tried to correct her, she’d scoff at you, with her sassy little girl ‘tude, and tell you that she was ‘freestyling.’ Like it was totally a normal thing to freestyle to classic rock.” Cowboy laughed, letting the joy of the memory wash over him.

“Sounds like she was a lot of fun,” Theo commented. Her voice was soft and warm, matching the look on her face. “Were you with her when…”

“Yeah,” he answered, his voice catching. “I mean, not the exact moment. We hung out after school that day, swinging on the swing set in the playground in our neighborhood. She was worried about the spelling test the next day, because she was in a race with this other girl in the class for best speller. So we were practicing all her words. Funny the things you worry about when you’re eleven.”

Cowboy paused, feeling tears well up in his chest. He didn’t want to cry, not in front of Theo, but he wasn’t sure that he was going to be able to hold it in. As if reading his mind, Theo reached over, taking his hands. The softness of her skin was so welcome, like a salve he didn’t know he needed.

“It was starting to get dark, so we headed home, as was the rule. I told her she had nothing to worry about, that she was gonna kick ass the next day. She looked at me and said, ‘I know.’ So self-assured, with a wide toothy grin on her face. That was the last thing she ever said to me.”

“Britt…”

“About halfway through dinner, the phone rang, and it was Aunt Leslie asking my mom if she had any idea where we were. When my mother told her I was at the dinner table, on my second helping of meatloaf, and that she hadn’t seen Dulcie all day, well…panic set in. The cops were called, a search party was sent out, everything you see on TV. But Dulcie was gone.” He sucked in another breath, forcing himself to continue. “If you followed the case at all, then you know. Within forty-eight hours Dulcie was national news, her face everywhere as they tried to find her. That’s when the vultures swarmed in. It became a circus. Reporters everywhere. Our house, their house, school. Trying to get whatever they could. Despite the fact that he had an alibi, and the police verified it, outright stating they didn’t believe he had anything to do with the murder, they all focused in on Uncle Harris, coming up with these wild theories about how he must have left work early or hired someone to kidnap her. That he was abusing her. They wouldn’t leave him alone. Any of us really, but him more so than anyone. One reporter even went so far as to ask Aunt Leslie what it felt like to realize she’d married a pedophile.”

“Oh my God!”

“Two months after she disappeared, there was still no sign of her. And the media was still harassing my uncle. The auto body shop he worked for even let him go, because they were losing business with the media camped out there all day. That was the same day he…”

“He took his own life,” Theo finished for him.

Tears stung his eyes, threatening to fall again. Blinking rapidly, he fought them back, trying to think of something—anything—else in this moment. Squeezing Theo’s hand, he let his mind wander to her, how good she’d felt in his arms earlier today. The amazing feel of her wrapped around him on the ride up here. It was enough to pull a smile from him, giving him what he needed to continue to let her into his world.

“Reporters ruined my family, Theo. The police had cleared Uncle Harris. But they weren’t having it. It wasn’t a juicy enough story for them that the trail had gone cold. Two weeks later, when that bastard was pulled over for speeding, Dulcie’s backpack in his car, and he confessed to taking her, the relief wasn’t there. Because the damage was done.”

“I’m so sorry, Britt. I can’t imagine what it was like to lose her, then your uncle right after. And what those reporters did was wrong. There’s no excuse for behavior like that.”

“I made a promise to Dulcie the day we buried her that I would live life enough for both of us, and I would continue to always be happy, because I knew that was what she would want.” Cowboy paused. This was the most he’d shared about himself with anyone in a long time. It felt weird, but cathartic to let her in. Even if Theo was a member of the group that had turned his life upside down. “I learned then that nothing good ever comes from involving a reporter. I learned it again when I got to Liverpool, and I saw how the media hounded my teammates. Especially Cullen. Dude couldn’t go to the grocery store without someone taking his photo. And Beau? Well, that’s a whole other story. I blame most of it on Petra, but still, poor dude can’t catch a break.”

“That’s paparazzi. They are a beast all their own.”

“Really? I seem to remember a certain local sports talk show host who was very adamant about knowing when he would arrive.”

“Touché,” she said, pulling her lips into her mouth, an embarrassed look on her face. Even in the fresh darkness surrounding them he could see her cheeks pink, and it was too cute for words. Being this attracted to a reporter was dangerous. Even more so now that she knew his past. She had a weapon to use against him.

Yet, he just didn’t care.

“You’re cute when you blush,” he whispered, leaning into her. She looked up at him, blushing even more.

“I’d like to apologize. For my own actions, but for all of them too. I know it doesn’t change things, but, I still want to. And…I get it. I understand why you don’t want to deal with reporters. I probably wouldn’t either.”

“Thank you. And I’m sorry if I came off as an asshole. It’s kinda my default mode when dealing with the media.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, with a history like yours, we kinda deserve it.”

Cowboy laughed, the guilty expression on Theo’s face sending a weird rush of excitement through him. What kind of magical powers did this woman have? Just a couple of minutes ago he was fighting back tears thinking of Dulcie, and now he was laughing. All because of the beautiful brunette next to him. He’d always suspected Theo Kappas was full of surprises. He simply never would have guessed this was one of them.

And he couldn’t wait to see what else she had up her sleeve.

Chapter Eleven