Chapter 32
I’m starting to understand football. Feelings are another matter.
Terri
I smile at Nolan as I open my door to him. My smile widens when I notice the Wok the Plank bags he’s carrying.
“You didn’t have to bring me food.”
He shrugs. “Brock wanted to stop at Wok the Plank to pick up food for Jace.”
I lift an eyebrow. “Food for Jace?”
Brock and May have been circling each other all summer. All of Smuggler’s Hideaway is gossiping about when they’ll finally get together. I placed my bet on them already being together and keeping it quiet.
Nolan chuckles. “Never thought I’d witness Brock fall in love again after Serenity.”
Who’s Serenity? I want to ask, but my stomach rumbles.
He scowls. “Have you eaten today? I knew you should have brought more snacks to practice.”
I roll my eyes. Nolan is overprotective, but I don’t complain because it’s sweet. No one else has ever worried if I brought enough snacks with me before. Mom certainly never had the energy to worry about me – even before she was pregnant.
My hand drifts to my stomach. Don’t worry, little mermaid. You will never be without snacks.
Nolan’s gaze sharpens. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just hungry.”
“You’re a liar.”
“You can’t possibly read me well enough to know when I’m lying.”
“Sweetheart, what do you think I do for a living?”
I roll my eyes. “Play football. I watched you do it today.”
“And part of my job is reading the defense. Knowing what every one of those defenders is thinking before they do it.”
“Really?” My nose scrunches. “I didn’t understand much of what was happening.”
“Why don’t we eat and I’ll explain?” He lifts the bags of food and my stomach rumbles in response.
“Little mermaid has decided. Food it is.”
He places a hand on my stomach. “I can’t wait to meet you, little mermaid.”
Tears well in my eyes at the sincerity of his voice. There’s still a thread of fear running through my body, but I’m not letting it ruin this moment.
He kisses my cheek before pushing past me and strolling into the kitchen. “I got you some low sodium options. Sodium can cause high blood pressure. I also asked them for the dishes with the least MSG. MSG is safe, but it can cause water retention, bloating, or heartburn.”
He smiles up at me. “Don’t want my sprite getting any of those.”
“At least tell me you got sweet and sour chicken. It’s my favorite.”
“Sorry. Too high in sodium.”
I groan. “But I love sweet and sour chicken.”
He drops the bags on the counter and approaches me. He palms my cheeks. “You can have as much sweet and sour chicken as you want. Once our little mermaid is born.”
“You bet I will since the pregnancy police won’t be around.” I sound as if I’m joking, but it hurts knowing Nolan will be far away while I handle this pregnancy alone.
He leans over to touch his mouth to mine in a soft, brief kiss. “I’m going to be around more than you think.”
Is he serious? He’ll be around more? Dare I hope?
He kisses my nose before moving away to grab plates out of the cupboard. “Do you want water or ginger ale?”
I grimace. “Water. I’m sick to death of ginger ale.”
“I’ll buy you some lemon lime soda.”
I sigh. “You don’t have to buy me anything. I’m perfectly capable of buying my own drinks.”
“I know you are. I also know you’re growing our baby. I can’t help you with that. But I can make sure you’re taken care of.”
I melt. Of course, I do. To the rest of the world, he’s a big, bad football player. To me, he’s a fluffy teddy bear.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” I nod. He grins. “Thank you.”
“Are you thanking me for letting you take care of me?”
“Yep. Because I know how hard it is for you to let anyone take care of you.”
I have no response since I can’t deny his words. I concentrate on placing the food on the table while he brings plates and silverware and our drinks. I frown at his water.
“There’s beer in the fridge.”
“I’m not drinking beer when you can’t.”
“You can drink beer. I don’t mind. I bought the beer for you.”
“I’m good.” He kisses my nose before settling in a seat across from mine.
“What exactly do you do all day?” I ask once we’re digging into our food. “Besides throw a football and get interviewed?”
He chews for a moment before answering. “I'm basically the guy who decides where the ball goes. Before every play, I have to figure out what the defense is doing and then make a decision in about two seconds.”
My eyes widen. “Two seconds?”
“Usually less.”
“Sounds like a lot of responsibility.”
He shrugs. “It’s what I do.”
“Why quarterback?”
“I enjoy solving problems. Every defense is a puzzle.”
“Huh. I thought all you did was throw the ball and accept glory for every touchdown.”
“The hardest part isn't throwing the ball. It's trusting someone will be where they're supposed to be.”
“Explain.”
He glances around the table before grabbing an empty container and placing it at the end of the table. “Pretend this is Tanner.”
“The empty container is Tanner?”
He snorts. “It’s about as obedient.”
I frown. Tanner’s pretending to date my friend, Alaia. Except Alaia isn’t pretending any longer. I hope he doesn’t break her heart.
“I call the play,” Nolan says, and I return my attention to him. “Tanner runs a route. Maybe he runs ten yards and cuts toward the sideline. My job is to throw the ball before he's even there.”
“You throw the ball to where he’s not? You’re making no sense.”
“It’s all about timing.”
My brow wrinkles. “I’m confused.”
“I can show you.”
“How?”
He stands and offers me his hand. “Come with me.”
I grasp his hand and he pulls me to his feet. He leads me outside to his SUV.
“Are we going somewhere?”
“Just getting a ball.”
I blink. “You carry footballs around with you?”
“Part of the job,” he mutters as he digs a football out of the back. He points to a tree. “Run to the tree.”
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
“If you hit me in the face with a football again, I’m siccing my dad on you.”
Pain flashes in his blue eyes. “I’m sorry, sprite. It was an accident. I promise to be careful with you and our little mermaid.”
“I was actually joking.”
He caresses my cheek. “I’m not. I was an idiot showing off for some old men. I didn’t want to admit how bad my shoulder hurt.”
I frown. “Does your shoulder hurt now?”
“It’s fine.”
“Why do you continue to play if you’re in pain?”
He doesn’t deny being in pain. He can’t. He knows I caught his lie. “For a few seconds after the snap, everything else disappears.”
I understand. It’s not the same, but when I watch a bride walk down the aisle, I forget about all the crazy requests, the late nights spent making gift bags, the screaming at me for being incompetent. It all disappears. Love and excitement for the couple replace everything.
“Run to the tree and I’ll show you why timing matters.”
“Timing is that important?”
“Yes, because the hardest part isn't throwing the ball. It's trusting someone will be where they're supposed to be.”
I understand how hard trust is. I’m trying to trust that Nolan will be around when our little mermaid is born. He did cancel all of his obligations in March. But it’s still difficult.
I force those thoughts away. Nolan’s here now. He showed up with food. He worried about the food not harming me or the baby.
“No making fun of how slow I run,” I holler as I jog toward the tree.
I glance behind me and he throws the ball. He doesn’t throw it to me. He throws it to where I’m going. I continue running to the tree and catch the ball.
“I caught it!” I shout loud enough for the neighbor’s curtains to twitch.
I run back to Nolan with the ball high in the air. “Touchdown!”
He smiles at me and his dimple comes out. I want to dip my tongue in the groove. Before my tongue continues to taste every inch of his skin. My nipples tingle.
“Show me something else,” I insist before I tackle him to the ground and have my wicked way with him.
“Do you know what a stiff arm is?”
I roll my eyes. “I didn’t know what a route was five minutes ago. What do you think?”
“Stop being cute, sprite.” He tweaks my nose.
I bristle. “I’m not cute. I’m sexy and irresistible.”
I’m joking, but Nolan’s eyes heat as his gaze rakes over me. “You’re those things, too.”
Under his gaze, I do feel sexy and irresistible. He makes me feel those things. And more. He makes me feel heard and understood. He didn’t give up when I pushed him away. He stuck around.
Uh oh. I sway from the force of the realization hitting me.
I’m falling for him.
I want to deny it, but I can’t. I’m falling for the father of my baby.