Chapter 13 #2
“See,” Coach adds as if he can hear my thoughts. “I told you. This is a huge opportunity, and I want you to be able to take full advantage of it. The team is looking at you, and we want them to keep it that way.”
My heart rate kicks up a notch at all the implications running through my mind. They asked Jacob Miller about me. I’ve spoken to him briefly before I committed to St. Michael’s but that’s it.
I honestly assumed he’d forgotten about me.
“That’s… wow.” I swallow the sudden dryness in my throat. “Thank you for setting that up, Coach.”
“I didn’t,” Coach says simply. “Miller requested it specifically. Said he sees something in you.” He leans forward. “This is a big opportunity, Evans. It’s huge exposure and people will be watching.”
By “people,” he means NFL scouts. Agents. The kind of connections that can make or break my draft stock.
“I’ll be ready,” I say, already mentally preparing myself for the things we’re going to talk about. “Is there anything else I should know before I meet him?”
“Study his film. Take advantage of being in the presence of a great college ball turned elite NFL player,” Coach says firmly, and I nod.
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m running through the itinerary with the team tomorrow. Make sure by the time we’re leaving you’re caught up on your work so we don’t have any issues while we’re out there.”
“I'll be ready,” I promise, standing up. “Thank you, Coach. I don’t know what else to say.”
He waves me off. “You don’t have to say a damn thing. You earned this, Evans. Now go out and prove it to everyone.”
Leaving with a short goodbye, I don’t bother heading back to the locker room, knowing everyone would be gone by now, and head to my truck.
Jacob fucking Miller wants to have dinner with me. The Crossbills coaches have asked about me. It’s all too much for my teeny tiny brain to handle.
As I slide into the driver’s seat, my phone buzzes.
Honey: Food's getting cold. Everything okay with Coach?
Zach: On my way. Got some amazing news to tell you, Honeycomb.
I add quickly:
Zach: I love you, Honeycomb.
Fuck me, ten days away from Honey when she’s only just started getting comfortable at our home.
I’ve been away from her for longer, but this time feels different.
It’s the start of my career prospects and the reminder that if all goes to plan, next year will be our last year together here.
I’ll be moving to whatever team drafts me, and Honey will be here… still figuring things out.
Her smile, her scent, and the way she curls into my side are the only things that keep me grounded during game time.
How the fuck am I supposed to cope with that?
I blow out a breath and start the truck. It’s something I’ll have to figure out another time. Right now, I need to get to my girl.
“Jacob Miller, huh?” Honey says with a smirk pulling across her lips.
“Yeah, you remember him, right? He’s the quarterback who was drafted right before we started here.”
Her eyes roll to the ceiling, and she tilts her head playfully from side to side. “Jacob Miller…. Jacob Miller…”
I take her hand, drawing her attention to me. “Yeah, we’ve talked about this before. It’s the guy you thought was hot. Tan skin, dimpled smile, and abs that nearly rival mine.” I push out a laugh. “I’m pretty sure he’s the only guy you would’ve left me for if he’d stayed at St. Michael’s.”
Her brows cross together and she breaks away from my hand before pushing herself away from the table. “Is that what you really think?” Her hand grazes my shoulder, and she tips her chin toward my lap.
I shift, pushing the chair out and spreading my legs wider, making room for her. I don’t bother to hide the evident boner since it’s pretty much a fact of life at this point. A Honey proximity meter, if you will. She breathes; I react.
She plops down on my lap, directly on said erection, and wraps her arms around me, throwing the most innocent smile my way. The audacity for her to act like she doesn’t know what she’s doing when she’s literally grinding her hips down on the problem she caused in the first place.
“Do you really think I’d dump you for Jacob Miller?”
I shrug. “I mean… I’d dump me for him.”
She scoffs, then kisses the tip of my nose, which would be cute if I wasn’t rock hard and craving her mouth. I lean in to kiss her, but she pulls away, just out of reach.
Fucking tease.
“You’re everything to me, Zach,” she says, and just like that, the teasing’s gone. Her voice is soft but serious. Her eyes cut through me, no armor, no jokes… just the truth. “Don’t ever think for a second there’s anyone in this world who can replace you.”
I swallow hard, my hands tightening on her waist.
“Good,” I murmur, dragging her closer. “Because I’m not fucking going anywhere.”
She leans in this time, pressing a long, hard kiss to my lips. I take it, fighting the urge to rock against her. That’s not what she’s here for, and I need to prove I’m not always about sex.
When she breaks the kiss, she rests her forehead against mine, and smiles.
“This is a huge deal, Zach. I’m so proud of you.” Her eyes drop for a beat. It’s short, but long enough for me to catch it. There’s something else behind her expression.
Doubt? Fear? Maybe a little of both. Either way, I want to break her out of it.
“I’m going to miss you, Honeycomb. Ten days? Have we ever been away from each other that long before?”
“Not that I can remember.” Her eyes flick up to mine and she offers me a small smile.
There’s a small silence between us, and before I can really think about it, I say, “You could always come with me.”
Her eyes flash to mine. “What?”
“Well,” I hesitate, knowing this sounds ridiculous, but I’ve come this far, I might as well keep going. “I hate the thought of you alone in that dorm with those girls still giving you a hard time. And with those weird texts you've been getting—”
“Zach,” she interrupts, laughing now, but it sounds a little forced. “That's crazy stalker behavior. I can't just follow my boyfriend across the country. What about my classes? My internship?”
“Then at least stay here in our home.”
“I’ll think about it,” she says in a way that makes me feel like she’s not really going to think about it at all.
I give her hips another squeeze and bite my bottom lip. “If you do stay, can I request that you only wear my jersey when I get home?”
She laughs, slapping me lightly on the chest. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Fuck, if that hasn’t just made this entire trip worth it.
“Can I invite a couple of my friends over if I do stay?”
Well, shit. I feel happy and fucked at the same time. I’m thrilled she wants to bring her friends here. She deserves that, but it’s those friends I have a problem with.”
“Sure,” I say, drawing it out to emphasize my unease.
Obviously, Honey picks up on it immediately.
“Zach,” she groans. “We’ve talked about this.”
“I know,” I say, raising my hands in surrender. “I’m trying, I just… I just don’t trust them yet.”
How can I?
Jenni lies and manipulates the situation, and Chris looks at Honey the way I look at her. I’m not an idiot. I know what he’s doing.
He’s waiting.
Waiting for me to fuck up. Waiting for all of it to become too much for Honey. Waiting for her to see that she’d rather be a mediocre hockey girlfriend than mine.
Well, he’s going to be waiting for a long fucking time.
“Okay, I hear it loud and clear. I won’t invite them here.”
“You can do what you want, Honeycomb. I just want you to be careful with them. Both of them.”
“Both? What has Chris done?”
She looks genuinely confused.
“Just a feeling,” I say instead with a shrug. “Call it quarterback instinct.”
She rolls her eyes, but she's smiling now. “Your quarterback instinct is making you territorial. Chris is just a friend.”
“If you say so.”
Without warning, she’s off my lap and back in her seat.
Great. I’ve pissed her off, but what am I supposed to do? Let her walk into the fire knowingly? This might be something we disagree on, but at least she knows my position.
I dig back into the plate, chewing through the tension that’s now thicker than the sauce coating my lukewarm chicken parm. “This is really good, by the way.”
“Thanks,” she says lightly, but her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “Found the recipe online and I thought you could use the protein after practice.”
“Always taking care of me,” I say with a soft smile. “That's why I need to marry you. Who else is going to feed me like this?”
She huffs out a laugh, the tension finally breaking. “Is that the only reason?”
“No,” I say, leveling her with a look. “Also, because you look criminal in my jersey. Oh, and let’s not forget that thing with your tongue that—”
“Zach!” Her cheeks flush, but I see the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “You can’t keep saying things like that.”
Oh, she still doesn’t think I’m serious, does she?
I set down my fork, reaching for her hand.
“I want to marry you because you're it for me, Honey. You've always been it. Since that first time we practiced kissing in your car. Since you put my necklace around your neck and haven’t taken it off since. My biggest goal in life is to marry you and show you all the ways I love you for the rest of it.”
Her expression softens as she shifts her vegetables across the plate. “I know.”
“Do you?” I press. “Because sometimes I wonder if you really understand how serious I am about us. About our future.”
She doesn’t speak for a moment. Then—quietly, achingly honest—she says, “I do understand. I just… I need to figure out who I am first. Not as a daughter or a girlfriend.”
It stings. Of course it does, because I’m so fucking sure about her, and I can feel it. I know she is about me too; she’s just not ready to admit it.
“I know,” I say softly. “And I'll wait. As long as it takes.”
Her eyes glisten, but she blinks it back like she always does. “What if it takes years?”
“Then I'll wait years,” I say simply. “Hell, I’ll wait forever, Honeycomb. I'm not going anywhere.”
She smiles, really smiles, bringing my hand to her lips and pressing a kiss to my knuckles. “Good, because neither am I.”
The knot in my stomach doesn’t go away. Not really.
How can it when I’m leaving her with two people I don’t trust?
But you trust her. That’s the most important thing.
I pull her into my arms and press a kiss into her hair. “You know you’re my home, right?”
Her body stiffens ever-so-slightly before she relaxes into my arms. “I know,” she says.
I close my eyes and pretend her answer is enough, ignoring the fact that I’m already bracing for the distance between us.