14. Austin
FOURTEEN
AUSTIN
ME:
Can I swing by and pick up your hedge trimmer? I accidentally left mine out in the rain. It’s fucked.
THEO:
Yeah. No problem. Didn’t you just tear out all the shrubs along your walkway, though?
ME:
It’s not for my house. I’m trying to help Paris clean up her yard. I mowed last week but noticed that her hedges are pretty overgrown. With her brother being on the road so often and me having too much time on my hands, I figured why not?
THEO:
Do the girls know about this? Particularly, your nosy-as-fuck bestie?
ME:
Nope. And you’re not going to tell her, either. Last thing we need is Stella taking a perfectly innocent situation and turning it into her next project.
THEO:
Would it be terrible if she hooked the two of you up? Paris is very pretty, and I know you agree. Plus, her kids are cool as hell.
ME:
Yes, it would be terrible if she made a big deal out of nothing. I’m giving a friend’s sister a hand with yard work. That’s it.
THEO:
Whatever you say, Cap. My hedge trimmer is your hedge trimmer.
I shove my phone into the pocket of my athletic shorts, dragging a frustrated hand down my face.
Ever since our almost kiss, I haven’t been able to get her out of my head.
I was already drawn to her before then—from the moment we met, if I’m honest. But now that I know what it feels like to be so close, her soft, bare flesh beneath my palm, I can’t seem to focus on anything else.
I know I shouldn’t. I’ve gone over the reasons why this is a terrible idea no less than a million times.
I’ve told myself that I’m too old for her.
That she’s freshly divorced and doing an amazing job on her own.
That it could complicate my friendship with her brother.
Yet, none of it is enough to keep me away.
I just want to be in her orbit, in whatever ways she’ll let me.
Hopping into my truck, I make the short drive to Theo’s, where I dip into his garage and load up the hedge trimmer.
His mom flew in from Georgia earlier this week, so I’m not surprised to find that nobody’s home when I arrive.
It’s Sunday, which the Renegades have off during OTAs, so I’m sure they’ve taken the kids out to do something fun.
Lucky fucker.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m envious of my teammates who’ve found love and started families over the last few years.
It’s been a privilege to witness, and I’m so happy for them, but every engagement party, wedding, and baby shower brings with it a slew of emotions that I hate having to go through.
I know I’m not getting any younger. I’m pushing forty, and all I have to show for my life is a couple shiny MVP trophies and an empty house on way too many acres of land. It’s hard to look back at my career—one that so many athletes would kill for—and not have a few regrets.
All those years, I thought I’d have all the time in the world after I retired.
Even when I was with Bianca, football was still a priority, which I beat myself up for after she admitted to cheating.
I blamed myself for not being home more, even though she knew that my job kept me from doing so for a good chunk of the year.
It certainly didn’t make the breakup pill any easier to swallow when I knew the guy she left me for could give her the attention that I wasn’t able to.
Now, all I have is time, yet I still manage to self-sabotage everything that comes my way because none of it feels right.
Thankful for the distraction, I head toward Paris’ house, the engine of my truck rumbling as I pick up speed.
I made quick work of her lawn last Sunday, finishing what she wasn’t able to get to in just over an hour.
I stuck around afterward and gave the mower a quick oil change while she worked inside, catching glimpses of her here and there as she brought bags of old clothes out to her car, so she could drop them off at a donation box on her way to work the next morning.
The whole thing felt oddly domestic, and I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to have a life just like it.
I long for a day where I’m able to go inside after a day of yard work to a beautiful woman and happy kids, then settle down together for the evening.
I was more content in that little daydream than I’ve been in my own reality for a long time, and let me tell you, I was judging Paris’ ex hard for letting such a perfect situation fall apart.
About ten minutes later, I’m slowing in front of the modest dwelling, all the tightness in my chest from thinking about where I’m at in life fading away the moment the scene comes into view.
My stomach flips, a slow smile spreading across my face as Rowan and Rhys sprint across the front lawn, both wearing swim trunks with their hands full of colorful water balloons.
They’re yelling for Paris, who’s likely in hiding as she tries to avoid becoming a target of their shenanigans.
I do my best to remain unseen, pulling over to the side of the road and throwing my truck into park.
I wait until the boys have disappeared around the far side of the house before I quietly get out, determined to get to her before they do.
Even if she’s got Lennon with her, it’s still not a very fair fight when I know for a fact that Rowan and Rhys both have pretty accurate arms.
I’m coming to save you, Baby Girl. Hang tight.
I can still hear the boys calling for their mother as I stealthily run across the street and down the driveway, noticing the large bucket that’s filled with even more ammunition sitting in the middle of the walkway.
I slip into the narrow space between the house and garage, stopping in my tracks at the most beautiful sight.
Paris’ back is to me as she peeks into the backyard, her long, toned thighs disappearing beneath an oversized white t-shirt.
I’m guessing she’s got her bathing suit underneath, but I can’t stop my brain from conjuring up the filthiest thoughts.
I imagine running my hands along the soft, smooth flesh, going up until I can feel the heat radiating from her core against the tips of my fingers.
It wouldn’t take long for me to find out what she likes, cataloguing every catch of her breath and committing it to memory while I drove her wild.
Before I get lost in the fantasy—or experience a very ill-timed hard-on—I force myself to return to the here and now, quietly padding across the grass in her direction.
She’s locked in, staying as quiet as possible while the boys scream and laugh, clearly too enthralled in whatever they’re doing in the distance to notice me sneaking up behind her.
Taking a quick second to breathe in the scent of whatever coconut sunscreen she’s wearing, I slide in close, snake a hand around her waist, and bring the other up to cover her mouth just in time to muffle her surprised gasp.
“It’s just me,” I say quietly, my breath dusting along the shell of her ear.
She looks over her shoulder, her rigid muscles relaxing when my face registers.
I slowly allow the palm that’s cupped over her mouth to fall, keeping the other splayed across her torso because I just can’t bring myself to let her go.
Rowan and Rhys have momentarily paused their search, opting to jump through the flower-shaped sprinkler that’s wildly flopping from left to right in the grass.
“You always seem to show up right in the middle of chaos,” she whispers, punctuating the sentence with an adorable smile that I have to physically restrain myself from stamping a kiss to.
“Lenny’s napping, and the boys talked me into setting up the sprinkler before I soaked up a bit of sun, but the little stinkers turned on me.
I was waiting for them to get distracted, so I could grab more balloons, but then they ended up distracting me with their cuteness.
” We both look over to where Rowan has Rhys on his back, the younger of the two acting like a cowboy as they gallop back and forth through the crazy water stream.
I laugh under my breath, my thumb gliding along her stomach through the wet cotton fabric that covers it. “I don’t blame you for that. They’re a couple of characters.”
“They are,” she agrees, surprising the fuck out of me when she leans back, sealing her body to mine.
I want to press my lips to her neck, licking and sucking on her sweet skin just to hear the noises she’d make as I did.
But I hold back, knowing that something so intimate could complicate things, especially if the boys happened to see it.
“Looks like we have two choices,” I murmur, noticing the way goosebumps trace a path up her shoulder and loving the fuck out of it.
“We can either continue hiding here, which I certainly don’t mind doing.
” I drag the tip of my nose along her ear before lowering my voice to a teasing growl.
“Or we can make them pay for ganging up on you.”
She bites her lip coyly, then allows a scheming smile to break free.
Fuck, I love seeing her like this, playful and carefree while she melts into my hold.
I want to bottle the feeling up and save it for later, when I’m alone in bed and longing for just one more press of her soft curves against me. “What do you have in mind, Coach?”
I stifle a groan at the nickname. I wonder if she even knows what she’s doing to me, her flawless skin glowing as those mischievous espresso-colored eyes burn into mine.
The fact that I haven’t blurted out how much she turns me on is a true testament to my self-discipline.
The words have been hanging from the tip of my tongue for weeks, and I know that sooner or later, I’m going to lose my grasp on them.
Thankfully, the laughs and high-pitched squeals coming from about fifteen yards away are enough to make me swallow them down—at least for now—so we can devise a plan.