Synithia Williams - Guarding His Heart

Kevin gave his grandmother a mildly disapproving look. He wouldn’t dare to give her an outright glare. Not if he hoped to keep his eyes inside his head. “Grandma, come on. You know she wasn’t always like that.”

“Well, it’s been twelve years since you two divorced. Y’all were too young when you got married anyway. Barely out of high school and right when you were offered a multimillion-dollar contract. I could have told you that was a mistake.”

“If I remember correctly, you did.”

Charlotte snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “Damn, right. She was the only girl you’d dated. Then you became a star. Don’t blame yourself for wanting to see what else was out there. At least you didn’t dog her out the way some men might have.”

“I know, Grandma C.” That still didn’t make him feel better.

He’d filed for divorce after four years of marriage. He’d never cheated on Sabrina, but the temptation had been there. His grandmother was right. He’d been young with a lot of money and little experience with women wanting him. So he’d left the marriage instead of cheating, but Sabrina never believed he’d resisted temptation. The years of enjoying the company of beautiful women after their divorce hadn’t helped.

They’d managed to salvage their friendship due to both of them wanting to make things easier on their daughters. He would always be there for their two girls.

Five years ago, when Hanna, his girlfriend at the time, gave birth to twins, Sabrina hadn’t batted an eye at considering the twins part of her family, even though Hanna’s pregnancy had been unexpected, and Sabrina and Hanna hadn’t gotten along. He’d been on the verge of ending things with Hanna when she’d gotten pregnant. He may be terrible when it came to relationships, but he’d be damned if he’d be a terrible father.

“Besides,” Charlotte continued, “you know what to look for when it comes to no good men. If you say Asia’s new boyfriend is decent, then Sabrina should go along with it.”

“She did.” After he reassured her a dozen times that Asia’s boyfriend had no evil plot to break their oldest daughter’s heart. “I don’t think Asia has to worry about that. She does have to worry about her mom killing her. She’s still in trouble for sneaking out to meet him at a party. That’s uncalled-for.”

He’d made sure Asia understood he wouldn’t stand for that either. The car they’d been considering for her sixteenth birthday was firmly off the table. He was especially proud of the way he hadn’t wavered when the tears had flown.

Charlotte laughed and patted her legs. “The oldest is always the wild one. At least Paris isn’t like that.”

Kevin nodded. “Thank heaven for that.” Asia’s little sister was more into fantasy novels and reading than boys. That might change in a few years, but for now he was thrilled.

“Well, if you calmed down Sabrina, then why were you frowning?”

He shook his head. “No reason.”

Grandma C gave great advice, but he didn’t discuss his affairs with her. He would figure out a way to see Jasmine again.

He’d held her briefly. That swift touch and quick kiss had gone through his mind almost as frequently as he’d thought about dropping the ball. Both had been recent major disappointments. He was handling the situation with his deteriorating joints, and he would also figure out why Jasmine had run off when there was obviously a spark between them.

“It’s a woman, isn’t it?” Charlotte asked in a knowing voice. Her piercing gaze held laughter.

He should have known she’d guess the problem anyway. “I know a lot of women,” he hedged.

“I see the reports. I know you do. But this woman must be special.”

Kevin didn’t want to think about the reports his grandmother had seen. He was considered a wild child in the league. The media liked to document his dating life as evidence of his carefree lifestyle. They assumed he dated different women because he liked the playboy lifestyle, not because he refused to get serious and disappoint another woman.

“Can we talk about something else besides women?”

Charlotte leaned back in her seat. The humor didn’t leave her expression. “Fine, just don’t run off and marry her before I get to meet her.”

The idea was so ludicrous Kevin laughed hard enough to bring a tear to his eye. “I am never getting married again.”

“That’s what you think. He—” she pointed to the sky “—may think differently.”

Kevin nodded and looked over the spacious, manicured backyard instead of arguing. He doubted the Big Guy upstairs had a personal interest in his abysmal love life. If that were the case, his marriage would have worked out, or at least his relationship with Hanna.

His mother had prayed hard enough for both. She’d be giving him a lecture about finding love and happiness right now if she hadn’t gone to the West Coast to visit the twins.

Kevin preferred to focus on quick flings. No feelings to attach. No expectations of more. He was old enough to admit the marriage to Sabrina hadn’t been wise. They’d been young and in love but hadn’t really gotten out of their small town to see the world. Things with Hanna had been good, but he hadn’t loved her. He didn’t think long-term relationships were in the cards for him and he’d accepted that. He didn’t have to play baseball to recognize that he’d had two strikes in the relationship department. He wasn’t playing to lose.

“I spoke with Robert Taylor yesterday at the grocery store.” His grandmother changed the subject. “He says work is almost complete on the new community center. That’s going to be great when it opens. Exactly what the town needs. He told me to thank you for the donation.”

“Mayor Taylor doesn’t have to thank me. This is my hometown. I’m happy to help.” Forgetting where he came from, where his mother and grandmother still lived, wasn’t an option. He’d grown up here, therefore he’d always be invested.

“I know. Still, I want you to know people around here appreciate what you do.”

“It’s what anyone would do.”

“Not everyone. You should go down there and see the work before you leave town.”

Kevin didn’t go into the small town much when he visited, if at all. He came home to visit family, not to sign autographs and take selfies with fans. But he was curious to see some of the changes that had taken place over the past year or so. “I will.”

He’d donated a hundred thousand toward the renovations of the old community center. That’s where he’d learned to play basketball and found sanctuary after school until his mother or grandmother got off work. In the years since he’d gone to the league, the town had started to dwindle. He’d given money where he could to support the opening of new businesses and renovate downtown. His donations had paid off. The town was experiencing a surge in regrowth.

Charlotte nodded, obviously pleased with his decision. “Good. Also, before you go, take a look at the old farm across town. I’ve got a guy interested in buying it. Says he wants to put a drive-in theater over there.”

Kevin raised a brow. He shifted sideways on the porch step to look at his grandmother. “A drive-in?”

She nodded. “Yep. Apparently, people like that sort of thing again. The land is just sitting there. Might as well make some money off it.”

A thought hit him. Kevin sat up straight. “Grandma C, is the old house still on that land?”

“Not unless it sprouted feet and walked off. Why? That house ain’t nothing but ruins now.”

Ruins or not, the house might fit a certain sexy photographer’s project standards. “Still, if you’re selling, we might want to find a way to save it for future generations.”