AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I scoff. “As if you have any room to talk, Coach Thirsty.”
He shrugs unapologetically. “I’ve never cared. You, however, have a rep to uphold.”
“I’m pretty sure my reputation’s already been damaged beyond repair.”
“In other words, you don’t care anymore.”
I can’t help it when the corners of my mouth turn up this time. “I really don’t.”
“Then I’m proud of you, too, man.” He grins back at me.
I look away. “This is getting uncomfortable. I can see why Ethan’s always complaining about the level of cringe.”
“I am what I am,” he says, lifting his hands. “I’m also your girlfriend’s boss,” he begins, and I growl under my breath. “And as much as the entire staff and student body seemed to enjoy watching your make-out session in front of the restrooms, I’m obligated to tell you that lunch recess isn’t the appropriate time to drop by just to say I love you. Save that mushy crap for when you get home, bruh.”
“It was a kiss on the cheek,” I mumble, bringing my feet down.
JD stares at me thoughtfully. “She still hasn’t given in, has she?”
“I honestly don’t know what’s going on anymore,” I say, rubbing the back of my head. “We act like a real couple most of the time, except for the physical stuff. But we haven’t really discussed our relationship status in a while.”
He frowns. “Why not?”
“I guess I got a little tired of being rejected,” I retort. He opens his mouth to respond, but I cut him off. “So help me, JD, if you call me Roy Kent or tell me to ‘be a goldfish’ right now …”
He holds up his hands apologetically, and I take a deep breath before I begin again. “Look, I know I’ll never be good enough for her, for them. I just want her to see how hard I’m trying and to know that she’s the reason I want to be better. But the stronger my feelings become, the less I’m able to risk getting shut down.”
“Blake, there’s nothing wrong with falling in love with the mother of your children and growing as a person. In fact, that sounds like a whole lot of right.”
I allow my head to roll back as I let out a loud groan. “Can we just skip the sermon and go straight to the part where you tell me the secret to making her go from tolerance to white dress overnight?”
He beams at me, and I feel my face flushing again. “You know, a wise man once told me that it’s important to actuallymake a move, because there’s only so much hinting around a guy can do if his girl’s afraid of commitment for one reason or another. You’ve been doing a great job of laying all the groundwork for your relationship, and she obviously wants to be with you too. Now you just need to help her figure out what’s holding her back, so you can resolve it together. And that starts with being honest about your feelings.”
“Dude, I haven’t used the L-word, but I’ve done everything I can over the past few months to show her I want something real. I have no idea how to be any clearer without scaring the hell out of her.”
“Hmm. ‘I love you, will you marry me?’ is pretty clear.”
I huff. “You would say that.”
“And you said ‘white dress.’”
But I can’t help it as the corners of my mouth begin turning up at the thought of Loren meeting me at the altar … one day. “It was a figure of speech.”
He grins at me again. “You know who could help you with this?”
“One of your patron saints?” I ask, rolling my eyes.
“Well, yes. But I was going to recommend talking to a good priest—and I just happen to know one. In fact, he’s been asking to get together with you and Loren to discuss the baptismal stuff, anyway.”
“And how’s Father Conrad going to help my situation?”
“For starters, he’s an ordained minister and can preside over a wedding ceremony.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself again.”
“I meant that you’d be surprised at how good he is with couples’ counseling. Not to mention, he can help you lift some of that burden you’ve been unnecessarily carrying around for the past few years.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask defensively.
