Chapter 18 #2
“Why aren’t you the goalkeeper? Can you be him next time so I can see you catch the ball?”
My housemate catches my eye, and we both snort a laugh.
“It doesn’t work like that, pipsqueak. We have certain positions on the pitch. I’m a forward, not a defender.”
Tinsley’s face scrunches in confusion, then she looks at me. “What position are you?”
“I’m a forward, too. A striker.”
Her eyes widen. “That sounds cool.”
I chuckle. “It is cool.”
She swings her bright green eyes back to her brother. “Are you a striker, too?”
He shakes his head. “I’m a right wing.”
“Can girls play soccer, too?”
“They sure can,” I reply with a grin. “There’s even an Australian women’s team, called the Matildas.”
“Mama, can I be a Matilda one day?” she asks. “I want to play soccer like Rett and Blake.”
“If you work really hard, you can do anything you want, princess.” Juliet smiles softly at her daughter, and my chest tightens. She’s so fucking beautiful. It kills me that we have to pretend we barely know each other when all I want to do is reach over and hold her hand.
Tori sniffs, and when I look at her, she’s wiping at her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I ask, suddenly concerned.
She laughs, fanning her face. “Yes. Sorry, pregnancy hormones.”
“Oh my gosh,” Emily squeaks out. “Congratulations!”
My sister blushes. “Thank you.”
“Congratulations,” Juliet adds warmly. “Being a mum is amazing. I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”
Everett stiffens, and I frown, wondering what the hell is going on.
Unaware of the growing tension, Tinsley asks, “What’s pregnancy hormones?”
“It means Tori’s growing a little baby in her tummy,” Juliet explains.
Her daughter looks between me and Tori. “You two are having a baby?”
Unfortunately, I’d chosen that moment to take a sip of my drink, and I choke as the Coke goes down my windpipe.
Everyone laughs while I splutter out, “Heck no, Sprout. Tori’s my sister. I’m the baby’s uncle, not its dad.”
Unperturbed, she looks back at her mother. “Will you have another baby, Mama?”
Jesus Christ.
It hits me how much I want Juliet to say yes.
I want her to consider having a baby with me.
It’s fucking insane considering I’ve only known her for a couple of months and how scared I am of my past repeating itself, but for the first time in my life, I’m thinking I want that future, and I want it with her.
Juliet’s cheeks flush as her gaze flicks to me before settling back on the table. “I don’t know, princess. We’ll see.”
An awkward silence falls around the table, and I’m grateful to Tori when she turns the attention to Emily, asking her about her teaching degree.
As they talk about some of the crazy boys she taught on her last placement, I glance at Everett, who’s picking at his food, deep in thought, then try to get Juliet’s attention, but she’s deliberately avoiding me, helping Tinsley pick up noodles with chopsticks.
As if she can feel my heavy gaze on her, she tucks her hair behind her ear and mutters something about the bathroom before pushing back from the table. My heart races, and I force myself to wait five minutes, then follow her to the back of the restaurant, thankfully out of view of our table.
Feeling like a creep, I lean against the wall opposite and wait for her.
Her eyes widen when she sees me, and I tense as she glances towards the restaurant, but when she sees we’re hidden, she relaxes and steps into my arms. The tension leeches out of me as she tilts her face to look at me.
“Hi.”
I grin, leaning down to capture her lips in a soft caress. “Hey, pixie.”
My heart is beating so hard against my ribcage, I’m sure she can feel it between us.
“Thank you for coming,” I murmur, resting my forehead against hers. “I really needed to see you.”
She runs her fingers over my lips. “I needed to see you, too.”
Unable to stop myself, I close the distance between us and kiss her again.
When we pull apart, she releases a shaky breath before meeting my gaze.
“We need to talk about where this is going,” she whispers, resting her hands on my chest. “There are some things I need to tell you about mine and Tinsley’s situation, and I get the feeling there might be something you need to tell me as well. ”
My stomach twists, but I force myself to nod. “Yeah. We need to talk.”
“What shifts are you on this week?”
I tuck her hair behind her ear and cup her cheek. “Two night shifts, a day off Wednesday, then two day shifts.”
She nods. “Can you come over on Wednesday when you wake up? I’ll have to leave by three to pick up Tinsley.”
“I can do that. But tell me, are we okay?”
Her green eyes meet mine, the uncertainty clear. “We’re okay.”
Reluctantly, I release her, and she steps back. “Can I call you later?”
“Please,” she says, biting her lip to fight her grin.
I nod towards the restaurant for her to head back to the table, while I enter the bathroom.
Moving to the sink, I take in my appearance in the mirror.
My eyes are wide and bright, and my lips tug into a grin.
She makes me so goddamn happy. I can’t focus on the unknown, on the chance she might run when she finds out about my past. There’s a fierce need deep inside me to protect them both, and all I can do is hope I’ve done enough to prove I’d never intentionally hurt her or Tinsley.
After washing my hands, I return to the table, where everyone is finishing their meals. Juliet’s lips twitch as I take my seat, and I press mine together to hide my grin. She ducks her head, her cheeks tinged pink, and I take a sip of my drink to compose myself.
“Thanks for inviting us to dinner,” Juliet says, gathering her things. “I should get this one home, or she’ll be too tired for school in the morning.”
Tinsley pouts. “No, Mama. Can I stay at Rett’s tonight and he can teach me how to play soccer?”
“Not tonight, pipsqueak,” Everett says, ruffling her hair. “Blake’s sister is staying in our spare room.”
She looks at Tori curiously. “You’re staying in my room?”
My sister nods. “I am.”
Her nose scrunches. “When are you going home?”
“Tinsley!” Juliet exclaims, but Tori laughs.
“It’s okay,” she assures her. Turning to Tinsley, she says, “I’m going back to Sydney tomorrow. But thank you for letting me sleep over in your room.”
Sulking from the admonishment she received from her mother, Tinsley sniffs. “That’s okay.” She looks at Everett. “It’s still my room, though, isn’t it?”
“Always,” he says.
Juliet pulls out her wallet, and Everett frowns.
“I’ve got it.”
She shakes her head. “It’s fine.”
He stands from the table and helps Tinsley off her chair. “I’ll walk you out.”
“It was lovely to meet you,” Juliet says to Tori.
“You, too,” Tori replies warmly.
“Good luck with the pregnancy.”
“Thank you.”
I school my features when Juliet looks at me.
“Good to see you again, Blake.”
“Bye, Juliet. See you, Sprout.”
To my surprise, Tinsley pulls her hand out of Everett’s grip and runs around the table to hug me. A lump forms in my throat when she says, “You played good tonight. Mama and I had fun cheering for you.”
I swallow, then clear my throat. “Cheers, Sprout. See you next time.”
She shoots me a blinding smile before skipping around the table to grab Everett’s hand. Juliet brushes her hand through Tinsley’s curls as they leave the restaurant, tearing my heart from my chest because I wish it were me leaving with them.