Chapter 15
15
Cade
D espite the chilly evening air, sweat drips from my temples. I grab a cup of Gatorade and sling it back, my eyes wandering. I know I shouldn’t, but I roam the sidelines for Charley.
I find her standing next to Coach, scribbling furiously on a notepad. Throughout the last several weeks, I’ve been by her side while she’s typed them up, emailing them to him and the entire coaching staff. Every time the guys are around, they try to get her to tell them what Coach has said about them, but her lips remain sealed.
Speaking of her lips… They’re perfect. Soft. Encouraging. I get lost in them. Every. Single. Time.
Though, the craziest thing about the last couple of weeks is seeing Charley blossom like a flower around others. She still gives as good as she gets, but she smiles more than frowns now. I told Reid, Lex, and Briar about her, and I’m still getting teasing texts about that, but I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be taunted about than her.
I grab another cup of Gatorade, and by the time I’m done drinking that one, I’ve talked myself into going up to her…during practice. Heaven help me. Just my luck, by the time I sidle up next to her, Coach has pulled Aidan to the side to have a chat with him. I don’t waste the precious few moments I have. “Go out with me tonight.”
She starts a little, then her cheeks turn red when she realizes it’s me. “Excuse me?”
“Go out on a date with me tonight. A real date. Dinner at a fancy restaurant. We’ll hold hands across the table. I’ll drop you off at your door, heart pounding, hoping that you’ll let me kiss you.”
“So, because you’re a football player, you think I’ll go out with you?” Her eyes dance under a shadow of forced contention.
“Let me do this,” I say more fervently. Nothing sounds better to me right now than making sure she knows how I feel about her.
She presses her lips together, peering away. “Our landlord is actually, um, fixing some of the stuff in the house. Can I meet you at the restaurant?”
“Babe…”
“Or we can do it another time?”
For whatever reason, we always meet in my room. Or on campus. She never lets me take her home. I haven’t seen her place. Or met her roommate. I don’t know what color the walls of her room are or the design on her sheet set. “I really want to pick you up. Like a proper date. I’ll bring flowers and dress to impress.”
“If these are all supposed to be surprises, then you’re doing a poor job of keeping them secret.”
“Heywood!”
Charley jumps, then turns in the direction of Coach’s voice before running over to him.
I smile after her. A proper date. Tonight. Because on top of showing her how I feel, we’re making this official.
I pull my button-up on, deciding which button to start with, when my phone buzzes.
Charley: Pick me up at Kenna’s.
My slight frown is immediately replaced by a grin. Charley and Kenna hit it off. Bailey, too. They’re starting to call one another the OWC. Old Wives Club. Charley hesitates whenever they say it, but I don’t want her to. I want her to own it because I’ve never felt stronger for a girl in my life.
But the fact that something always comes up when I talk about her place makes me uneasy. Now they’re doing updates. Before, she’s told me that her room was a mess and she’d be embarrassed to let me see it that way. She’s also shown up at my room early, stating she just couldn’t wait to see me before I even had a chance to leave and pick her up. Also, I still don’t exactly know where she lives. The topic always gets changed or?—
Charley: I can’t wait to see you.
Her text puts me at ease, a little. I grab my phone and respond.
Me: See you soon. Work on your surprise face when I hand you flowers.
I don’t know why I’m concerned about this. I knew she was shy and withdrawn when I decided to pursue her. Nothing else is different. She’s evolved in so many other ways that this is a small blip. Barely a sticking point. We’ll get there.
I grab the flowers from my bed. Their rose perfume surrounds me in a decadent mix. The florist suggested I choose red, so that’s what I went with. I forgot to ask what Charley’s favorite flower was, but if I had to guess, she probably doesn’t have one.
On the drive to Kenna’s place, my heart beats fast despite myself. “Get a grip, Farmer,” I mumble. No girl has gotten under my skin this badly. I want to be under hers. I want her to long for me like I long for her. I want her to smile at me like I’m her world because she’s quickly become mine.
I check myself in the visor mirror before I get out and jog up to the front door. It opens before I get there. Black curls cascade to Charley’s shoulders. A splash of red across her lips and a deep, smoky eye greet me, and I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone so beautiful.
Kenna runs up behind her, smiling ruefully. “I told her you should come in, but she couldn’t wait to get to the door.”
I meet Charley’s gaze, and her eyes round, transfixed on me. Then, her stare drops to take me in, and mine do the same. A dark-blue dress hugs her body before flaring past her hips. The top shows off the barest hint of cleavage.
“You look beautiful,” I tell her.
“Kenna lent me the dress.”
“Don’t tell him that,” Kenna chastises. “You own that dress. You can have it.”
“I think she might be right.” I smile ruefully at my date before handing her the flowers.
She brings them to her face, inhaling deeply. “I’ve never gotten flowers before.”
“I didn’t know your favorite.”
“I’ll go with these,” she says, her eyes practically glowing. “They smell divine and they’re gorgeous.”
I point out the card in the middle, and she takes it out, biting her lip. “If Chuck Norris tells a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Will Smith will stand up and slap himself.” She can’t control the laughter that bubbles up. “That one’s good. I love it.”
“You two are too cute,” Kenna says. “Here’s your coat. I’ll take the flowers and put them in a vase. You can drop by and get them whenever.”
“Thanks, Kenna.”
She waves at me, lifting her shoulders and grinning excitedly when Charley steps out with her coat. I help her put it on and then place my arm around her waist while I walk her to the car to open the door for her.
“Full service?”
“Just want to make sure no one in this neighborhood is going to steal my date from me.”
“Chuck Norris himself couldn’t steal me from you.”
I stop her when we get to the car, palming her cheek. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
She gives me the cutest smile and shrug before I help her into the car and shut the door. I point the car toward Rizzo’s, the finest restaurant in town. Luckily, they’ve always been friendly to football players since the owner is an alumnus.
Though it’s November, the town is already prepping for Christmas. Twinkling lights on every lamppost make the drive down Main Street almost magical.
“Are you going home for Thanksgiving?”
Charley looks at me, then back out the window. “Yeah. We don’t usually make a big deal out of it, though.”
“No? My family does. All my cousins will be there. There’s always too much food and pie and who knows what.”
“That sounds nice,” she says wistfully. “Big family?”
“Very. Younger sister, then there are my aunts, uncles, cousins. My grandparents’ house can barely fit all of us, but that’s part of the fun. They still make me sit at the little kids’ table, which is actually more like the twenty-somethings’ table. Most of my cousins are my age.”
“I love that. Our family is…small. Really small.”
We pull into the parking lot of Rizzo’s, and I grab her hand. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look? Because you do.”
“You look really handsome, too, Cade.” She turns in her seat and places a hand on my shirt. “You clean up nice. But then again, you look good in everything you wear. Your tight football pants, regular clothes, dress-up clothes…nothing.” The corners of her mouth quirk.
“Me? You should see you through my eyes.”
She holds my gaze, and my heart stutters. I fish around in my pocket, bringing out the little box with her present in it. I was going to wait to do this, but I’ve never been patient and this moment feels right. “I got you something.”
“What?” she asks, peering down at the small blue velvet box. She presses her lips together and tears gather at the corner of her eyes.
“Don’t…freak out. It’s something stupid. Something I’ve always wanted to do when I found the perfect girl.”
“I didn’t get you anything.”
“I didn’t expect you to.”
“Cade, I…”
She looks away, and a single tear falls down her cheek. “Hey.” I reach out to wipe it. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. It’s really no big deal.”
“I can’t get you anything,” she says again.
“I don’t want you to. Sunshine,” I make her look at me, moving her chin so she can see the honesty in my eyes, “I don’t need anything from you except you.”
She places her hand in mine, and I flip it over, palm up and spread her fingers before placing the box there.
“Open it.”
With shaking fingers, she lifts the top. I watch her face, seeing in real time when her lips part. She smiles at me. “It’s your number.”
I take the box, delicately pulling the necklace out of its holder. “I thought it would be perfect for you to wear on our first official date. And…to make it official… Will you be my girlfriend?”
“You told me it wasn’t a big deal.”
“I may have downplayed it because you were getting in your head.” I hold the necklace out, the number seventeen winking in the interior light. “This has been my number since middle school when we could choose our own numbers. I’ve worn it on my chest proudly, and I wondered if you might want to wear it, too?”
She brings her hand up to rest it on her heart. “That was…beautiful, and yes. I’d love to wear your number.”
I motion for her to spin, and then I wrap the chain around her neck, closing the delicate clasp. She pulls her hair out from underneath it and then turns, fingering the necklace as it rests on her chest.
“My girl,” I tell her, doing the same, tracing my finger along the edges of the charm. Funny how something so small can be so symbolic.
She leans over, placing her lips on mine, giving me a short kiss before saying the two most amazing words I could ever want to hear. “Your girl.”
The way the world seems to correct its axis when she says that… Like everything clicks into place. Everything that was confusing before now makes sense in that one microsecond, one brush of lips, air moving over vocal cords.
“Spend the night tonight,” I whisper.
“Cade…”
“Please. Tonight. Your place is being renovated anyway, right?”
She looks away.
“You don’t have to be scared, Charley.”
She nods, throat working. “Tonight,” she confirms.