Guarding His Heart. Synithia Williams

to his daughter’s mother and her passion slowly cooled. Her internet search had brought up personal information on him, as well. Married young to his high school sweetheart, right when he entered the league. Divorced four years later. After that, he’d been in a long-term relationship with another woman and she’d had twins right before they’d split. Since then, he hadn’t been connected with anyone on a lengthy basis.

       Baggage, drama, warning! Back away from this man ASAP.

      “Okay, kitten, calm down,” he said laughing. “I agree on punishment. She shouldn’t have come in late. I’ll swing through Atlanta and check out this guy she likes.”

      He paused to listen. Jasmine’s mind whirled. Kitten? That was definitely a pet name and had definitely been spoken with affection.

      The call ended. He shook his head and slipped the phone in his pocket. “Sorry, that was my ex-wife. My daughter has a new boyfriend and it’s driving Sabrina crazy.” He turned back and reached for her. “But that’s not important right now.”

      So kitten was the ex-wife. Oh no! She wasn’t about to sign up for this again.

      Jasmine stepped far out of his reach. She looked at her watch. “You know, I’ve really got a lot to do tomorrow and I need to go.”

      “Now?”

      “Yeah, like, right now.” She was having a serious case of déjà vu and that crap wasn’t cool. Memories of getting swept up in a guy she knew could get under her skin, ignoring his overly friendly relationship with his ex-wife, the crushing blow when he left her to go back to the familiar. Sure, she didn’t have plans to do anything long-term with Kevin, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be halftime in whatever game he played with kitten.

      “But I thought—”

      “Kevin, it was really nice to meet you. Good luck in the off-season, okay?” She turned and hurried off the balcony before his smooth lines, sexy smile and sweet kisses made her forget that men always went back to their first loves. She wasn’t going to be the rebound chick ever again.

       Chapter 4

      Two weeks later and Kevin still couldn’t get Jasmine out of his mind. He’d swung through Atlanta and checked in on his ex-wife, Sabrina, and their girls. Sabrina always worried their daughters would fall too hard and too fast for a boy and end up brokenhearted.

      Kevin couldn’t blame her for her fears. He’d broken her heart when they were young. That’s why he worked hard to keep his relationships superficial. No more broken hearts in his future if he could help it.

      “Why are you frowning?” his grandmother asked.

      Kevin looked up at her from his spot on the back porch step. He hadn’t heard her exit the house to join him. Every off-season, he spent at least a week or two back home with his mother and grandmother in Silver Springs, South Carolina. Not just because his grandmother made the best red velvet cake in the state.

      Charlotte moved a little slower than she used to due to arthritis. Kevin could sympathize with her on that. Her mind was still sharp, and at eighty-three, she was the person most likely to give him good advice when he needed it.

      “Was I frowning?” He stood and took his grandmother’s arm.

      She tried to shoo him away, but he wasn’t to be deterred. She liked to ignore her walker and cane when she was at home. Kevin helped her to one of the rocking chairs on the porch and helped her sit.

      “I can walk by myself.”

      “Yeah, and I can still palm a basketball easily,” he replied.

      He eased back down onto the top step of the porch. The humidity was at a decent level for a change, making the high temperatures bearable. His grandmother and mother lived together in a house he’d purchased for them in one of the newer subdivisions on a golf course that popped up as part of the town’s resurgence. His family lived on a private corner lot that backed up to a natural undisturbed area.

      Charlotte huffed and rocked back in the chair. “Is that why you’re frowning? You still thinking about that play?”

      The play that had almost cost the Gators the championship. The play when the pain and stiffness residing in his hands had gotten so bad he’d dropped the ball and the opposing team scored, tying the game and potentially costing them the win. The play that would have ruined the season if his teammate, Will Hampton, hadn’t scored a winning three-point shot right before the buzzer.

      “I’m over that, Grandma C,” he replied. His grandmother grunted again but didn’t dispute him. “I was thinking about Asia. Sabrina’s worried about her boyfriend.”

      “You checked in on them though, right?”

      “Yep. He seems like a good kid. I put a little fear in him if he hurts my baby, and I’ll drop in more.”

      “Sabrina’s always worried about something,” Charlotte mumbled. “Maybe if she stopped worrying, she’d be able to pull that stick out of her ass.”

      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