AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good,” I said. “It means a lot to both of us.”
Scott nodded toward Sage. “The Jets, huh? This has gotta be a huge change coming from New York.”
I let out a small snorting laugh. “Like a different planet. I was in New York for almost as long as I lived here growing up. I forget that everyone seems to know everything about your business.”
“Not everything,” he said easily. “No one sent out any emergency bulletins letting me know that a beautiful new woman moved into town.”
My brows rose slowly, and I was surprisingly flustered at the unexpected compliment. “I suppose I slipped in under the radar. Maybe because I’m not really new.”
“It’s, uh, just the two of you, right?” At the startled look on my face, he laughed quietly. “Sage mentioned her dad wasn’t in the picture.”
Now my face was hot, more out of embarrassment than anything. “Kids have an interesting way of just blurting your whole history out, don’t they?”
He smiled. It was a nice smile, I had to admit. A small dimple popping out through the stubble. He reached up, rubbing at his jaw with his left hand. I almost rolled my eyes, because it was so clearly designed to display his empty ring finger.
“That’s my fault, actually. I asked her if Ian Wilder was her dad when he walked into my office looking like he was ready to rip my head off.”
“Ahh.” I cleared my throat, trying to stem the hysterical laugh that threatened to escape. “Nope. Ian and I have been friends since kindergarten. He’s … protective.”
“I can see why,” he murmured, and I took a deep breath, pretending like he was talking about Ian being protective of Sage.
We stood watching more kids and parents arrive, the energy in the place palpable. A good smattering of the parents wore Voyagers shirts, and I wondered how many of them were more excited to be here than their kids.
“So what do you do, Harlow?” he asked.
“Oh, uhh, I’m a writer…” I was about to finish my sentence when the sound of an SUV pulling up cut through our conversation.
Sage sprinted over, a little out of breath, her cheeks pink and her eyes bright. “They’re here,” she whispered frantically. Behind her, the kids on the team were practically vibrating.
“Everyone, find a seat,” Coach Scott yelled. “No need to bombard them, okay? You’ll all have a chance to meet the guys, so don’t worry about that.”
Sage pressed back against me, and I settled my hands on her shoulders and squeezed. Ian got out of the car first, his gaze catching on mine immediately. He smiled a soft little smile, then winked at Sage.
From the passenger seat came Parker—looking absolutely nothing how I remembered him—and even I got a little flurry of nerves as I clocked the sheer height and breadth of his muscular frame. His hair wasn’t quite as dark as Ian’s, his jaw freshly shaved and sharp as a knife, his features hard and handsome.
“Wow,” I said under my breath. “The gene pool in this family is something else.”
The other three players got out, all just as impressive as Parker, and the noise from the team reached a fever pitch.
“No way, that’s Cannon Bishop,” someone said. “And-and Jamari Jennings!”
“And Miles Cooke,” another boy’s voice cut through. “He’s my favorite running back.”
Coach looked back and gave them a gesture to be patient. Ian and Parker approached me and Sage first, and it felt like my daughter might spontaneously combust underneath my hands.
Parker gave me a small smile and a nod. “Harlow. Not sure you even remember me. I was just a young punk when you moved away.”
“You’re still a punk,” Ian added quietly.
Parker nudged him with a big shoulder, and the two brothers shared a look. Gawd, it was too much handsome in one space, my brain was getting scrambled.
“Of course I remember you,” I told him. “Though you do look a bit different from the last time I saw you.”
He smiled. “Just a bit.”
“Thank you for doing this,” I told him.
Coach Collins stepped forward, but instead of turning to greet him, Parker crouched down in front of my daughter, hanging his hands between his bent legs. “You must be Sage,” he said.
