Chapter 25
BECCA
Once Theo finds me, we only spend another hour or so at the beach. Mostly because I’m starving and my stomach won’t stop grumbling.
“Okay, that’s it,” Theo says after a particularly loud rumble. “I have to feed you.”
As we’re gathering up our gear, several men walking down the beach stop a few feet away. “Hey, you play hockey, right?” one of them calls. “You’re one of the Williamsons?”
I find myself wondering if that ever gets old.
That when Theo is recognized, he’s only recognized as one half of a set.
I mean, they really are identical. If they aren’t in uniform, I wouldn’t expect any fan to tell them apart, unless they’re wearing different facial hair. But I still wonder if it annoys him.
Theo turns and lifts a hand. “Hey, man. How are you?”
“We’re huge Jaguars fans,” he says, motioning to the other guys. “These are my brothers. We live in Atlanta.”
“Oh awesome,” Theo says. “Thanks for your support.”
“Do you think we could get a picture?”
Theo obliges, stepping forward and posing for a selfie with the group of men, then he very politely sends them on their way. That’s four different times he’s been recognized in the past three days. Once on the airplane, once by the pickleball bartender, once at dinner last night, and once today.
“What are you thinking about over there?” Theo asks as we haul our gear back to the house.
“Nothing,” I say a little too quickly. “Or, I don’t know. I was just thinking about all the people who’ve recognized you this week. Does that happen a lot?”
“Actually, it’s happened more this week than usual. Which is a little weird. Most of the time, nobody knows or cares.”
“Unless you and Carter are together,” I say.
“Together and in Atlanta,” he says. “But that’s just because of the team’s marketing.”
“Oh, I bet. I saw the new billboard right down the street from my condo,” I say.
He huffs out a laugh. “I hate that I have to drive past that billboard every time I go to work.”
We drop our gear and head around to the outdoor shower to wash off the sand and salt from the beach. Theo steps to the side while I rinse off my hair, the water cool and refreshing against my sun-warmed skin.
“It’s still a little wild for me to think that this is your life,” I say. “I know I’ve said it before, but sometimes when it’s just the two of us, I forget. And then someone recognizes you, and I’m reminded that you’ve got this whole big job.”
“But stuff like that doesn’t happen very often,” he says.
“No, I know. But it’s more than that too.
You have a team and an agent and a front office all invested in your career.
You have to think about travel and contract negotiations and national media.
Then there’s your health and keeping yourself in peak physical condition.
Not to mention the fans. I mean, it’s not like I didn’t think about it before.
But when we were in high school, we were ranking NHL cities based on who had the best french fries.
I wasn’t thinking about everything else. ”
I move to the side and make room for Theo.
He steps into the spray while I work on squeezing the water out of my hair.
We’re outside, still wearing our swimsuits, clearly visible to anyone who happens to be hanging out in the neighbor’s backyard, but there’s still something intimate about watching him run his hands through his hair, to see the water cascading over him like he’s in some sort of shampoo commercial.
“For the record,” he says, rubbing his hands over his face. “Atlanta has some amazing fries. And I get what you’re saying, but I would argue my life isn’t as big as you think. A lot of guys on the team have pretty normal home lives. Wives. Kids. Hockey is just their job.”
An intensely vivid visual pops into my brain. Theo holding a baby. Theo holding our baby. Theo walking out of the locker room toward the ice, all geared up, fist bumping a tiny boy in a Jaguars jersey with Williamson printed across the back.
I give my head a little shake to dislodge the image. It’s way too early for that particular brand of yearning.
“I get that,” I say. “And probably I’ll get used to it. I guess you did.”
He reaches over and turns off the water, then hooks a hand around my hip, tugging me against him. “I like that you’re even thinking about it.”
My cheeks heat the slightest bit. “I mean, I know it’s early. I don’t mean to imply—”
“Please imply,” Theo says, cutting me off. He looks at me, blue eyes sparkling, his gaze so warm and sincere I might melt right where I’m standing. “Make all the assumptions, Bec. Whatever you think you might be feeling, I promise I’m already there.”
I lift my hands to his chest, and suddenly, I’m keenly aware of just how little I’m wearing, how much of our skin is in contact. “So basically, you’re saying you’re obsessed with me?” I tease.
He shifts his hands to my hips, guiding me back until I’m pressed against the wall, his big body hovering over me in the most delicious way. “Obsessed is an understatement,” he says, his voice low and gravelly, then he kisses me like it’s his job, like he was put on this earth to explore my mouth.
I slide my hands up his chest, over the curve of his shoulders and down to his biceps.
His muscles flex under my touch, and my grip tightens.
I love the strength of him, the reminder that he uses this body to do something amazing.
He isn’t just an athlete; he is elite. Disciplined. Focused. Among the best in his field.
And he’s kissing me.
I’m not here for the playoff jacket. But it’s still a heady thought to think of how truly exceptional he is. And how hard he’s worked to be that way.
“I don’t see them,” Kim says from somewhere on the patio. “They must still be at the beach.”
Theo and I freeze, our mouths finally breaking apart. The outdoor shower is on the side of the house, so our mothers won’t see us from the patio. Not unless they walk around the corner to look for us.
“I guess they’re back,” Theo says, his lips lifting in a grin. “Should we let them catch us?” He steals another quick kiss. “They’d probably throw us a party.”
“We absolutely should not,” I say. “I don’t want to deal with their gloating.”
“You didn’t mention anything to them this morning?” he asks. “About how the date went?”
“I didn’t see them,” I say. “They left before I was awake.” An idea pops into my mind, one that’s completely ridiculous and a lot more characteristic of Theo than it is me.
But I think I want to do it anyway. “You know, it might be nice to mess with our mothers a bit. Give them a taste of their own medicine.”
His eyebrows lift. “Yeah? What do you have in mind?”
I bite my lip, sliding my hands up his chest to hook around his neck. “What if we tell them we’ve decided to just be friends?” I say. “That we gave it a go and the date was fine, but we’ve ultimately decided we don’t really have any chemistry.”
He chuckles and nuzzles his nose into my neck. “That’s going to be a hard sell. I think I’d rather deal with the gloating just so we can do more of this.”
“We wouldn’t be doing this if our mothers were watching,” I say.
His lips brush against my earlobe, and I let out a little moan, my fingers pressing more firmly into his skin. “Just today, then,” I say, my voice faint, breathy. “We can tell them the truth tonight.”
He finds my mouth one more time. “Deal,” he says against my lips. “But I’m kissing you every time they aren’t looking.”
Theo and I take turns in the bathroom to shower and clean up, then we sit down with our mothers for a late lunch. “So how was your morning?” Kim asks. “Do anything fun?”
Theo and I exchange a glance. “I saw some dolphins,” I say as I pick up my sandwich. “Atlantic bottlenose.”
Kim’s face brightens. “Oh, that’s fun.” She looks over at me then tilts her head toward Theo. “This little nerd over here used to steal my phone after every snorkeling expedition so he could search and figure out exactly what he’d seen when he was out there.”
“He told me,” I say. “And he pointed out all kinds of things when we snorkeled on Monday. A spider crab. Some kind of ray?”
“A spotted eagle ray,” Theo says. He takes a bite of his sandwich, then clears his throat, making eye contact with me before saying, “So, uh, Becca and I also went a nice long walk this morning.”
Both our mothers perk up. “Did you?” my mom asks.
“We did,” I say. “We had a great conversation, and we decided…” My words trail off.
Under the table, Theo stretches out his stupidly long leg and rubs his foot up the inside of my calf.
I press my lips together, fighting a laugh, and he gives me a smug smile.
Like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.
The jerk.
“We’ve decided that we just want to be friends,” I finally finish.
My mother’s expression falls, and I suddenly regret our little ruse. I don’t want her to worry about me. And this is definitely going to make her worry.
“Friends,” Kim repeats. “Even after your date last night?”
“We just aren’t feeling it,” Theo says.
“No chemistry,” I add, and Theo practically rolls his eyes.
“I mean, that’s…” Kim exchanges a look with my mom. “I suppose if you’re both happy, that’s all we want. That’s been our only goal, really.”
“We’re happy,” Theo says, eyes still on me. “Incredibly happy.”
His mother’s eyes narrow.
“Definitely,” I say. “So happy.” I sit up a little taller, using my own foot to kick Theo’s away. He lets out a grunt. I’m only wearing Birkenstocks, but I’m pretty sure I hit his shin. Maybe I kicked him harder than I thought.
“Are you okay?” his mother asks.
“Yep,” he says, voice a little strangled. “Just knocked my knee on the table.”
“So, what else are we doing today?” I ask. “I saw Scrabble in the game closet. Maybe we could all play?”
“I love Scrabble,” Theo says.
Twenty minutes later, we’ve cleaned up lunch, and the four of us are playing a game.
Halfway through, I’m convinced Theo is cheating. Because the words he’s playing are way too pointed.