Chapter Nineteen #3
She laughed, and it felt like the first time in weeks. “You planned this, didn’t you? It was Nick you were texting with during dinner.”
He shrugged. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a squeeze. He did that brotherly pat on the back thing again, which made her laugh harder. He was a good friend. She was glad Nick had him in his life.
She let go and stepped back. He and Nick did that quick, bro-hug, back-slapping thing, and then he was gone.
And it was just her and Nick.
He rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the ugly tiled floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. The silence between them stretched tight, making her skin tingle. Or, maybe that was the stares of the bar patrons. They’d become the main attraction, the night’s entertainment.
“Can we go somewhere?” She grabbed her coat and purse from the booth. “To talk?”
He nodded. “Do you want to go upstairs? To my room?”
She hesitated. That was probably a really bad idea.
Her apprehension must have been broadcast across her face because he shook his head. “Sorry, that was inappropriate.” Sweat dotted his brow. He wiped it off with his sleeve.
“Did you run here?” She steered him out of the restaurant and into the lobby.
Somewhere they’d no longer be the center of attention.
She stopped in front of him and planted her hands on her hips.
“With what is probably a grade two concussion? When I know you were told to not do any strenuous activity, at least for a couple of weeks?”
He tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek. One side of his mouth was tilted up in that half smile she loved. “I didn’t want you to leave before I got here. And I promise, I only lightly jogged from where the cab dropped me off on the corner.”
“You need to stop doing that.” She tried to keep her voice even, serious, but it was so hard when he was touching her. A not-so-small part of her wanted to lean into it, maybe nuzzle his hand a little.
But, no. No. She couldn’t do that because she was still mad at him for dismissing her so easily earlier. Sucking face like horny teenagers in the middle of the restaurant notwithstanding.
She stepped back, hoping the space would knock some sense back into her.
He must have gotten the message because he nodded once, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. His shoulders were tense, hanging out up around his ears. He looked sad and unsure and uncomfortable.
She should be happy about the fact he was miserable, especially after everything he’d put her through this last week, but she couldn’t bring herself to be so petty.
He’d had so much crap thrown at him recently, it was a wonder he was even standing here and not curled up in the fetal position somewhere.
She didn’t think she’d be doing so well if she was in his place.
“Let’s go for a walk.” He tilted his head in the direction of the front door.
“You should be resting.” She couldn’t keep the disapproval out of her voice. His condition was serious. He clearly wasn’t treating it with the gravity it required. “And someone should be monitoring your condition, for at least the next twenty-four hours.”
“Are you offering to stay with me?”
The teasing note in his voice made her stomach do somersault passes intricate enough to win Olympic gold. And when he cocked that ridiculously expressive eyebrow, the corners of her mouth twitched.
She pressed her lips together, trying to stop the stupid smile that wanted to burst free.
He held out his hand. “Come on,” he said, wiggling his fingers. “I promise to take it easy. Just a quick stroll down the block to the water. That’s all.”
She should tell him no, insist he go upstairs and rest. Tell him they could talk later.
Instead, she grabbed his hand and threaded their finger. “A quick, gentle walk.”
Nick’s heart stopped beating the moment he held his hand out to Alex. She wasn’t going to take it. She was going to tell him to go fuck himself and storm out. And she’d have every right to because he’d been a massive asshole.
But, like always, she surprised him, taking his hand and lacing their fingers.
“A quick, gentle walk.”
The relief that barreled through him just about buckled his knees.
His heart kicked back into gear with a whoosh.
Some of the tension in his neck and shoulders melted away.
His neck was still sore, and the ghost of a headache lingering at the base of his skull.
But there was no way in hell he was going to mention it. At least not right now.
The two of them talking was way more important.
He led her out the door and onto the sidewalk. The night was cool, but clear. They walked in silence, crossing the street and heading down toward the water.
Everything he wanted to say was bunched up in his chest. He was glad for the time to sort through it all.
There was a little plaza thing at the end of the street, with a couple of benches that overlooked the water and made for a fantastic view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
He sat and pulled her down beside him. Probably a little too close, since their thighs were touching, but he didn’t care.
He was going to take the fact she didn’t shuffle away, or let go of his hand, as a good sign.
They sat there for a little while, neither of them saying anything. He kept his gaze straight ahead, not quite ready to look at her yet. His thoughts were still a jumbled mess.
Earlier, at the hospital, while he was getting the CT scan and they’d told him to relax, he’d closed his eyes, and the only thing he could think about was her.
How she looked when she had her professional, ass-kicking coach hat on. The way the sun made her hair shimmer. The sound of her laugh when he teased her.
He’d realized, in that moment, he wanted to hear her laugh for the rest of his life. He wanted to feel her snuggled against him every night. He wanted to wake up beside her every morning.
“Nick?” She squeezed his fingers.
He shifted so he could look at her.
She sucked in a shaky breath. “Nick, there’s something—”
“No, let me. Please.”
She gave a single nod, straightening her shoulders, bracing herself. He hated that he’d made her feel so defensive. Like she needed armor to protect herself from him. And, even though he didn’t deserve it, if she gave him a chance, he’d spend the rest of his life making it up to her.
He took her hands in his, cradling them against his chest. “You were right, Alex.”
She cocked her head, her hair sliding over her shoulder. “What?”
“You were right. About winning and the championship and me being an idiot.”
“I never said you were an idiot.”
“No, but you should have.” Unable to resist, he lifted one of her hands to his lips and pressed a kiss against the back of it. Goosebumps pebbled the skin of her wrist. “I was so convinced that if I just won the stupid thing, everyone would forget what a fuck up I was.”
“You aren’t a fuck up.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to her swearing. “We’ll agree to disagree on that one.”
She made a noise of displeasure in the back of her throat. The urge to pull her into his arms, hold her and kiss her and make her promise to be his, always and forever, was almost overwhelming.
“You tried to tell me and I was too stubborn to listen. I was just so afraid… I mean, I…” He took a deep breath, the cold air burning his lungs. Grounding him.
She squeezed his fingers. Something about the feeling of her hands in his, the way her shoulders had relaxed over the last few moments, gave him the courage to go on.
“I was so focused on the end goal, I forgot about everything else. What I’d accomplished, the mark I’d made in the league, and with the Pirates.”
“Those are big things. Things to be proud of.” She nodded and squeezed his fingers again, as if she was trying to drive home the point.
He blew out a breath that was partially a laugh. “And it’s all because of you.”
“What?” Her eyebrows scrunched together. The crease between them was far too tempting. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to the spot. Her skin was cool against his lips.