Page 154 of Payoff Pitch
Kam nods. “Without a doubt, but that’s not what stands out to me. Did you know that both brothers havegotten married since they’ve been in jail? One of them even got divorced and remarried.”
Daylen chuckles. “Seriously? Maybe it’s for the conjugals.”
Kamryn shakes her head. “They’re not allowed conjugal visits. These are women who started letter-writing relationships with these murderers and then married them. I think one has been married for twenty-five years. I want a miniseries about these crazy bitches. That’s more interesting than the actual case.”
Daylen nods. “That’s a valid point. I had an ex-girlfriend once who used to write guys in prison. I think it’s a fetish.”
Kamryn lifts an eyebrow. “She admitted that to you?”
Daylen shakes his head. “Nah, I read about it in her diary. Incidentally, she broke up with me because she said I didn’t respect her privacy. Isn’t that crazy?” He wiggles his eyebrows up and down with a small smirk.
Bailey starts giggling. It’s music to my ears. I desperately want her to forget about her sorrows for a few hours.
Kamryn lays down cards on the table. It’s a royal flush, the best hand in poker. She grabs the pile of chips in the middle with a big smile. “This is like taking candy from a baby. I can’t believe you guys claim to be good poker players.”
I honestly don’t know how she does it. Every. Single. Time.
All the guys moan in malcontent. Trey mumbles, “I used to think I was smart.”
Kamryn shakes her head. “Men are only smart during sex.”
Cheetah nods in agreement. “Because our little heads are smarter than our big heads?”
“No, because it’s the only time you’re plugged into a genius.”
Everyone laughs while Fallon looks at Kamryn. “Do you have a list of jokes on hand at all moments?”
Bailey nods. “Her mind is a wealth of useless information.”
Daylen throws his arm around Kamryn. “Don’t listen to them. In my heritage, it’s considered a sign of greatness to make people laugh.”
Heritage? He’s from Maryland.
Kamryn turns to him. “What’s your heritage?”
“My father is Welsh, and my mother is Hungarian. It makes me…well hung.”
Kamryn bursts out laughing. “Oh shit, that’s a good one.”
Gemma starts typing on her phone. “I agree. I need to use that in a book.”
Bailey smiles all night, and my heart warms. I look around the table and realize how many good friends I’ve accumulated throughout the past few years. I’m feeling very fortunate.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ONE MONTH LATER
TANNER
Bailey is doing much better. She can walk short distances without a cane but still needs one for longer distances. Fallon said she’s worked harder than any patient she’s ever seen. It doesn’t surprise me at all.
While she’s advancing quickly from a medical perspective, it’s not fast enough for her. She overworks herself and still has moments of extreme frustration. She fell on her way back to her bedroom tonight but fortunately wasn’t injured. She was upset about it, but Kamryn calmed her down.
As much as I want to strangle Kamryn at times, she truly is an amazing sister. She’s completely devoted to Bailey’s recovery, never missing a single moment. She cheers when Bailey needs cheering and pushes when Bailey needs pushing. She offers both soft and hard love, always seeming to know which is best in that given moment. There’s a bondbetween the two of them that’s hard to understand unless you see them in action.
It's made me think a bit about my own brother and how different our relationship is. I’ve never been able to truly connect with him. I always assumed it was due to our age difference of thirteen years, but seeing Kamryn and Bailey has made me realize it’s more than that. Lincoln would never be here for me the way Kamryn has been here for Bailey. He’s inherently selfish. He always has been. He’s only met Harper twice, and that last time was years ago. I can’t imagine a scenario where Kamryn wouldn’t be a huge presence in the life of Bailey’s children.
Bailey’s children. Another thing I’ve been thinking about. I want so badly to give her that so we can be together, but first I need to break free from this coexisting zone we’ve settled into. I can’t ever get her alone. I’m keeping my distance because it seems to be what she wants, but it’s hard. What I want most right now is for her to recover, and if keeping me at arm’s length for now helps, then so be it.