Page 10 of Wildflowers and Wide Receivers

“Dr. Sophie Black,” I state. Just saying her name out loud has my stomach tightening.

A grin splits his face. “I didn’t even think to ask who you saw. Camille loves Sophie. She comes over occasionally, but mostly, they go out at night after Pilates.” His grin turns mischievous, and he raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t you hook up with her a couple of years ago?”

“Yep,” I say, looking down at my bottle. I really do hate how things ended.

I also hate the word “hookup.” It makes it feel like it was cheap, quick, and easy, but that night, I had more of a life-alerting epiphany. Life-altering in that she would be in it indefinitely if I’d had my way.

But fate had a different plan.

“What happened there?” he asks, watching me for a reaction while taking a sip of his beer.

“Nothing.” I shrug one shoulder. “That following morning, I found out about John.”

Saying his name makes my stomach tighten again, but for a different reason.

He remains silent. Nothing more needs to be said.

I met Sophie at a New Year’s Eve party that Reid and Camille had thrown. I didn’t want to be there. I was bitter after being traded from Carolina a few months prior, I’d been working my ass off to prove myself so it wouldn’t happen again, and I was tired. I’d only gone to that party to show solidarity with my teammates and had zero plans to meet someone, but the second my eyes landed on her, no one else there mattered. She wore this little gold-and-silver dress, high heels that made her legs look long and toned, and bright pink lips. Her lips and smile were like kryptonite to me, breaking down every wall I had around me. I had to meet her. I had to know if she could be mine.

And she was . . . until she wasn’t.

“Well, what did you think? I’m pretty sure she’s just biding her time and not dating anyone seriously.”

Dating anyone seriously. That means she’s dating someone casually, and I find that thought makes me regretful. But what could I do, or what could I change? Vivi needed me, Vivi still needs me, and she’s my number one priority.

“Does it matter?” I say, defeated, running my hand through my hair.

“Of course it does. Your life may have changed, but you still have a life,” he says.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure that I’m ready for any more change.”

But would it change, or would it just get better? And what I’m most unsure of is how Vivi would react. Not that I think she would respond badly, but is she ready for change? Can she handle a new person in our life?

“I think you’re wrong. I think now is the perfect time,” he states, letting his comment linger between us in the cool air.

What I don’t tell him is that after we got home last night, I impulsively ordered thank-you flowers and had them delivered to her office. I didn’t hear from her today, not that I expected to, but secretly, I had hoped I would.

“What makes you say that?” I ask, curious to hear what he thinks.

“What makes you say it’s not?”

Lifting my bottle, I take another sip as I think about this. The obvious excuses trickle through my mind, but even I recognize them as excuses.

Then I think about Sophie. This new Sophie. Same blond hair, same bright blue eyes, wearing green scrubs and a white coat. She may have been at work, but she was even more beautiful than I remembered.

Can I do this?

Can I ask for more?

That’s assuming she’d want this too, which, after how I left things, I’m not so certain that she would.

Chapter 5

Sophie

I'm not sure what to think of the dark pink roses sitting on my kitchen table.

When they arrived at work two days ago and my medical assistant brought them into my office, I was pleasantly surprised. Although Isaac and I have been seeing each other, I didn’t think we were at the place in our relationship where he would be sending me large romantic bouquets.