Chapter 4
TALIA
My second day at work was even better than the first—in large part due to the giant bouquet Brady sent me.
The arrangement was so big that I couldn’t imagine how I would ever be able to transport it home with me, so I handed out flowers to the kids in place of gold stars for good behavior.
That made me quite popular with my adorable charges, and I still had a sizable bouquet when I left after my shift.
Brady waited for me right outside at the curb in front of the building, and I flashed him a sheepish smile when his brow furrowed as he took in the flowers I was holding. “I hope you don’t mind. I shared some flowers with the kids since there were so many.”
He returned my smile and shook his head. “Not at all, baby.”
“Thanks again for sending them.” I had sent him a text and photo of the arrangement when they were delivered, but he deserved to hear it from me in person too.
Even if he’d only done it because he wanted to be convincing in his role as my pretend boyfriend.
“I wasn’t kidding when I said that I loved flowers, so they seriously were the best surprise. ”
I watched as the muscles in his arms bunched as he turned the wheel to pull away from the curb. “It’s a good thing you mentioned that when you texted me because you gave me the perfect inspiration for our date tonight.”
Glancing down at my outfit, I mentally kicked myself for not bringing something to change into and heaved a deep sigh.
I’d worn jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt again because I knew I’d be spending most of my day crawling around the floor with kids.
Although he was dressed similarly, the standards were different for women and men…
especially when the guy was a famous football player.
“I hope I don’t stand out like a sore thumb wherever we’re going. ”
“Nice try at getting me to spoil the surprise.” He winked at me and added, “But the only way you’d ever stand out is because you’re too fucking beautiful.”
He took FDR Drive north, and as we drove along the East River, I tried to figure out where we could possibly be going.
It wasn’t until a little while after he exited and we went past the Bronx Zoo that I remembered what he’d said about how my text about loving flowers had inspired him.
I started to get super excited until I realized it was already almost six.
“I hate to break it to you, but if we’re headed to the Botanical Garden, they close soon. ”
“They do,” he agreed, seeming unworried, which only confused me further when he turned into the Mosholu Entrance, and a guard directed us to park in one of the tree-lined spots directly across from the Hudson Garden Grill.
After he turned off the engine, he twisted in his seat with a smile.
“Luckily, nobody had the restaurant booked for a private event tonight, so we have it all to ourselves.”
I stared at him with a dazed look as he climbed out of the car and circled around to open my door.
I wasn’t sure what I expected for my first date ever—especially since it wasn’t truly real as I was only pretending to be Brady’s girlfriend—but it definitely wasn’t a private dinner at the Botanical Garden.
A man waited at the door of the restaurant as we approached. He led us through the empty space and out to the back, where one table was set under the awning. The glow from the lights inside was enhanced by fairy lights which were strung above our heads. “Wow,” I breathed.
“If you follow the walkway”—the employee pointed directly ahead of us—“you can tour the Home Garden Center and the Rosen Seasonal Walk while the chef prepares your meal.”
“Thanks,” Brady murmured as he placed his hand on my lower back to guide me in that direction.
“I can’t believe you arranged all of this for our date when I’m only your fake girlfriend.” I said it so I didn’t forget this wasn’t real, but Brady looked oddly irritated by the reminder for someone who’d come up with this whole plan.
A muscle in his jaw jumped as he muttered, “It wasn’t that much. All I did was make one phone call.”
“The perks of being a famous professional athlete, huh?” He chuckled, and I asked him questions about his football career as we went through the model gardens filled with fall flowers.
When we reached the brick path lined with purple asters and waving grasses of the Seasonal Walk, he asked, “What made you choose a job in the daycare instead of going to college?”
“School was never really my thing, you know? My grades weren’t bad, but I just wasn’t interested in spending another two to four years in a classroom. At least not right now.” I shrugged and added, “And I always kind of wanted to follow in my mom’s footsteps.”
“What does your mom do?” he asked.
My cheeks heated as I explained, “She’s a stay-at-home mom.
My dad is almost ten years older than her, and they had me when she was nineteen.
He was already settled into his career, so it made sense for her to take care of me instead of paying for daycare, which was awesome for me because I got so much one-on-one time with her growing up. ”
“And you want to give that to your children, too,” he guessed.
I nodded, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
“Yeah, I know that you don’t hear many girls my age say that they’re ready to start building a family and want that over a career or furthering their education, but for me, that’s what I really want.
So working at the daycare for now made sense to me because at least I get to spend my day with children. ”
“It sounds as though you made the right call.”
I would’ve expected a professional football player in his late twenties to run screaming from me when I brought up wanting kids on our first date, so his reaction was a pleasant surprise. The approving smile he aimed at me had butterflies swirling in my belly.
“I’ve only been there for two days, and I’ve already had so much fun.”
I shared some funny stories as we made our way back to the restaurant, and the server came out with two dishes and set them on the table. “The rest of your meal will be out when you’re done with the starters.”
Brady waited until he was gone to say, “I hope you don’t mind that I went heavy on the vegetables and lean meats for dinner. I have to eat healthy in season.”
“As long as we’re watching your weight and not mine, we’re good,” I teased.
His gaze dropped to my breasts for a moment before his heated blue eyes met mine again. “I haven’t seen a single thing you need to change, so we’re definitely good.”
A shiver raced up my spine as the chemistry between us sparked to new levels. Unsure of how to feel about that when this wasn’t a real date, I just flashed him a quick smile before focusing on the appetizers. The food was as delicious as it looked, and we demolished both dishes in no time.
Demonstrating that he was keeping a close eye on us, the server quickly returned and set down two salads—one with beets topped by grilled chicken and the other with couscous, cauliflower, and salmon—and two entrées. Chicken and salmon again. Plus, two extra plates.
“This looks delicious,” I murmured as the server hurried away.
Brady’s shirt pulled taut against his broad shoulders as he shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if you liked fish, and chicken seemed to be a safe option.”
“Since I do, how about we split everything?” I suggested, loving how much thought he’d put into what he ordered when making the arrangements for our private dinner. I could easily get used to this kind of thoughtfulness…if only we were dating for real.
He beamed an approving smile at me. “Sounds like the perfect plan.”
We dished portions of the salads onto the extra plates, and I hummed in pleasure when I took my first bite of the beet salad. “Mmm, delicious.”
“Yeah,” he groaned.
I looked up and noticed that he hadn’t taken a bite yet, and his gaze was locked on my lips.
The heat in his eyes had me wondering about our deal again and hoping that maybe something would happen to turn our fake relationship into a real one.
Sitting across from him on what had to be one of the most romantic first dates ever, I decided to go with whatever happened between us and see what developed.
I might end up hurt in the end, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to explore my attraction to Brady.