ME.
MOM.
SIR FLUFFERNUTTER.
COLBEE.
Crayon hearts surround all four names.
One branch holds a badly drawn hockey stick.
Another has what appears to be a cookie.
At least I think it's a cookie. Knowing Jillie, it could also be a potato.
My throat tightens, because nowhere on this page is uncertainty.
Nowhere on this page is fear.
Nowhere on this page is the possibility that people leave.
In Jillie's mind, Colby belongs exactly where she put him.
Beside us. Part of us. Family. It’s as though she never considered another possibility.
My chest aches, because for weeks I've been terrified of what might happen if I let myself fall for Colby Reid.
Terrified of needing him.
Trusting him.
Losing him.
Tonight, for the first time, I realize that may not be the biggest risk.
The biggest risk might be letting Jillie fall for him first.
And I have no idea how to protect either of us from that.
I set the paper back on the dresser.
Turn off the light and stand in the doorway for one last second.
Listening to my daughter breathe.
Wondering how something that started as a fake relationship became the most frighteningly real thing in our lives.
Chapter thirteen
Colby
The Offer
I know something is wrong the moment my agent calls before eight in the morning.
Normal people do not receive career-altering phone calls before coffee.
Sports agents absolutely do.
