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“I’ve eaten. I’ll probably eat again,” she says, her voice tinged with humor. “Food’s just about the only thing on my mind these days.”
“Hmm. That’s funny. The more you eat, and the bigger your belly gets, the less room there is for anything but you in my daily thought rotation.”
“Blake,” she chides me, and I hear her smile again.
“Fine,” I say with a sigh. “I should get back to work. Don’t forget to forward that paperwork to me.”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
“Anything for you.”
“Mm-hmm. Bye.”
I’m grinning stupidly when she ends the call, and I pull up to the closest grocery store and run inside for a box of Strawberry Uncrustables. I pull out a couple bags of Reese’s Easter Eggs from the secret stash I keep in my truck, then I head over to Camellia High School.
“Hey, Ms. Sam,” I drawl.
“Coach Blake,” the school secretary returns with a knowing smile. “Are you here to see your brother or …?”
I clear my throat and turn on the charm. “Well, I was actually here to see you, but I suppose my girlfriend might get a little jealous.”
She cackles loudly before hitting the button under her desk that unlocks the door into the hallway. “She’s probably at lunch duty, over by the girls’ restrooms.”
“Thanks,” I return with a wink before passing through the doors and down the hall. I stop to reply to a text from Jada asking me if everything’s okay since I left in a hurry, and I tell her that Loren needed my help with some paperwork. She sends me back a “Cool story, bro” and a winking emoji, making me blush. I’m still getting used to that.
I clear my throat again as I open the doors to walk outside, and I’m immediately met with dozens of glares from the student body. But I continue on, giving a few of my football players the nod as I approach Loren. Her eyes widen when she spots me, and a coy smile takes over her face.
Gah, she’s adorable.
Her Ophelia T-shirt stretches across her baby bump, which I swear has grown overnight. The outline of her belly button pokes out, making me want to pull her shirt up and brush my lips over her skin.
“What are you doing here?” she whispers when I approach.
I cup a hand around her belly and lean in to kiss her cheek, lingering a few seconds for a hit of roses. Her face reddens before my eyes, and my self-control absorbs another blow.
“I was in the neighborhood.”
“You’re full of it, Coach Blake,” she says, narrowing her eyes.
I lick my lips. “Maybe I just needed to see you.”
Her chest expands, and I can tell I’m affecting her. “I told you I was fine.”
“Don’t make me kiss you for real, Agnes. Not in front of the kids,” I tip my head down to murmur beside her ear, making her shiver.
She clears her throat, signaling that she’s deliberately ignoring that last line. “So, what’s in the bag?”
“Second—” Her eyebrows shoot up, and I correct myself. “Third lunch? Fifth breakfast?” I hand her the box of Uncrustables, and when she moans aloud, my knees threaten to buckle beneath me.
“Ugh, I love you for this,” she proclaims, frantically unwrapping the box. And I know she’s just kidding, but the rest of my body can’t seem to get the memo.
I shake my head before adding, “But wait, there’s more.” Her eyes light up when I pull out a bag of Reese’s Eggs. She instantly tucks the Uncrustables under her arm and reaches for the candy. “Uh-uh,” I tease her, lifting the bag out of reach. “You know you have to earn these, right?”
She glares angrily. “You’ve made your point. This’ll be the biggest scandal of the week, as it is,” she spits out, and I glance around to find she’s not exaggerating. More students have gathered around and are now shamelessly watching our exchange. I think it’s also safe to assume they’ll take that cheek kiss as confirmation of my involvement in their teacher’s recent extracurricular activities.
Good.
“For propriety’s sake, I’ll accept verbal proclamations in lieu of PDA, but only this time,” I concede after a while.
