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“You’re ridiculous. It means they want us to be in a relationship.”
I scoff. “Oh, now they do. After calling us every name in the book for supposedly sleeping together, now they really want us to. Isn’t that just the way the crappy world works.”
Sean laughs, and it’s beautiful. There’s a rare sighting of that cute little dimple.
Something has happened, spending these past few nights with Sean. Our time together has always been pretty easy. Even stuck in the elevator, when I thought he was a stuck-up jackass, it was easy. But something in the air is slowly shifting. I can feel it like when you know it’s going to rain.
A lot of me is terrified, and the other part is curious. I’m no dummy. I’ve seen the way Sean looks at me sometimes. It started at the event when he asked if he could call me, and it happened the other night when he held my wrist. Last night, when I joined him on the couch, him on one end and me on the other, and my legs stretched out toward him, his hand found its way around my calf. All of it is inching toward something. All of it is incredibly scary.
Josh was my one and only. He’s all I’ve known. I thought he was my forever, even though we spent more time apart than we did together. In all of this, I feel naive and inadequate. Then, add in the uncertainty of what I’m ready for, and it equals a crapload of nervous suspense.
Sean is patient and kind. He’s treading lightly, which only makes me like him that much more.
I get up from the table to throw away my trash. “What did you do today? Get a massage again.”
I’m so freaking jealous of his regular massages. He looks all pretty, while I look like a homeless old hag most of the time. I haven’t had a massage since I was nineteen when my mom took me for my birthday. Even then, it wasn’t that enjoyable. I hadto hear about Brice and his medical school applications and how wonderful he was the entire time. It was not relaxing.
“No. I talked with Rob. He said the Tigers are in negotiation with a couple of teams, and I have to wait and see if any of them come to an agreement. We’re talking with a potential sponsor and reviewing a contract.”
I grab a washcloth and wipe Ax’s hands off. “What sponsor? Anti-fungal cream to take care of your terrible case of athlete’s foot.”
“Ok, smart ass. First of all, I don’t have foot fungus issues. Second, I try to only take on sponsors of stuff I actually use, like gear and certain sports drinks or protein bars.”
I pull Ax from the high chair and carry him to the living room, where his toys are, while Sean takes care of his trash. It's so easy and natural.
I settle Ax on the floor, pulling his toys from the basket, and he gets to work trying to inch and roll himself around. I flop on the couch, and Sean sits beside me, not leaving much space between us. Snipe, the traitor, lies down at his feet.
“Do you care if I stream the Colorado State game? My brother, Shane, is the defensive coach.”
I shake my head and hand him the control. “He’s the big, good-looking guy with all the kids?”
Sean’s head swivels in my direction. “Good-looking?”
I smirk. “Yes. He’s very handsome. His wife is really nice, too, and their kids are adorable.”
Sean makes a noise in his throat. “He’s a quiet, grumpy pain in the ass.”
I want to pick at the hint of jealousy, but I don’t. “So, how did your brothers become brothers?” I ask carefully, knowing he doesn’t like to talk about his past.
He messes around with his phone and the remote until the game appears on the screen. “We ended up in a group home andstuck together. We played high school football and somehow ended up being good enough to get picked up by colleges. We didn’t have anything else to do, so all we did was play ball.”
“Did you all end up in foster care when you were babies?”
He fidgets with the control but still answers. “Shane’s mom disappeared when he was five, and Mark was removed from his home when he was eight.”
I let my shoulder rest against his solid arm. I didn’t grow up in the most loving home, but I had a home and was safe. I hate thinking about what his life might have been like.
He focuses on the game, so I change the subject. “When do you get to play again?”
“I meet with the team doctors tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll be cleared for some light training. Maybe another week, and I’ll be fully cleared, but then it’s bye week, and I’ll be off. I should definitely be good after that. What about you? What do you have going on?”
I blow out a breath. “Jonesy’s set up more time in the studio, and Ax has his nine-month checkup. I should schedule some therapy sessions for a party I’m required to attend. Get a head start, you know?”
“A party? Whose party?” he asks, and I lean over to roll a toy to Ax.
“Apparently, Gem has decided getting older is a reason to celebrate rather than be ignored and dismissed.”
He bumps my arm. “Funny thing, I was invited to this party.”
