Page 74 of Wildflowers and Wide Receivers

Camden quietly laughs at something Reid says, and it pulls me from my thoughts. I’m certain this hospital has never seen so many random guys standing in their hallway at one time, but they don’t understand that we’re tight. If I’ve learned anything from these guys over the past couple of years, we celebrate together on and off the field, and these moments matter more than football. While everyone is being polite and keeping their voices down, we are a sight to behold, and it’s funny.

Hearing the whoosh of the elevator doors opening, I glance over and see Sophie step off. My heart stutters in my chest at just the sight of her. She’s come straight from work and still has her green scrubs on, and a scrub cap wrapped around her head. I’ve only seen her dressed this way one other time, and it adds a whole new layer to my level of attraction for her. Damn, she looks good. So good that a stutter causes my chest to seize up, and I stop breathing.

That is until she turns. Her eyes immediately connect with mine, and she smiles.

I fall for her all over again.

This feeling, I know without a shadow of a doubt it will happen over and over again.

As she makes her way to us, I feel someone clap me on the shoulder, but I have no idea who it is. Don’t care either. I leave the group and meet her halfway.

“Hi,” she says, smiling up at me. Her cheeks are pink, her eyes are bright and happy, and I don’t even care who’s watching. I wrap my hands around her face, bend down, and kiss her. It’s not an indecent kiss, but with her lips pressed firmly to mine, I feel like the part of me that’s been missing has returned, and I’m whole. A few low whistles echo down the hallway, but again, I don’t care. Her hands land on my rib cage as she rises on her toes. It turns out I think she needed this just as much as I did.

Pulling back, she lets out a contented sigh.

“Hi,” I say back, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear and under the cap.

“I’m so excited,” she says, her hands slipping as she lowers back down and tightening on my waist. The heat from them fuses through my shirt onto my skin, and at this moment, I wish more than anything we were at home so I could feel more than just her hands.

“I waited for you,” I tell her, soaking in all of the details of her face. Not that I know much about makeup, but it looks like she’s only wearing mascara and lip gloss, and I love it. Clear skin, lots of freckles, and her sky-blue eyes.

“What?” She jerks back a little. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I wanted us to meet her together.”

Her smile turns soft, tender, and I swipe my thumb back and forth across her cheek.

“Well, let’s go, then,” she says, bouncing a little.

“All right. Let’s go.” I can’t help but smile at her. Sometimes it still feels surreal that she’s in front of me. How did I get so lucky?

Dropping my hands, she takes one and wraps hers around it. Together, we walk through the guys, who are all staring silently at us, and to Camille’s door.

“So that’s how it is?” Sully grins at us. “Jonah, my boy, you’ve been holding back some details,” he teases, and I shake my head. He can be insufferable sometimes, but he has a heart of gold and means well.

Meanwhile, she acknowledges him with a smile but more or less ignores every other person in the hallway. She’s on a mission, and it’s not to be social at the moment.

Knocking on the door to let them know we’re coming in, Sophie opens it and pokes her head into the crack.

“Sophie,” Camille says, and I can hear the emotion in her voice. “Come in. Come in.”

Sophie slips through the door, and I follow.

The room is a standard single room. Camille lies on her bed. It has a padded rocking chair, a couch that I’m assuming doubles as a bed, and then the clear baby bassinet that’s been pushed up next to Camille. In the room is Mrs. Jackson, Reid’s mother; Nate, his brother; and a former Tarpons player named Jack with his wife, Meg. Jack is retired now, and they live in Charleston, but like I’ve learned with this team, once you’re family, you’re always family.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here sooner. I saw Jonah’s texts once I was out of surgery, and I came right over,” Sophie says as she makes her way to Camille’s bed to hug her.

“No worries at all. I’m just so glad you’re here.”

“Are you feeling okay?” she asks.

“I feel great,” Camille says, and she looks great too for just having pushed out a baby. “I’m on some cocktail of drugs that is working perfectly.”

“Well, make sure you take it easy and don’t overdo it,” Sophie says as she runs her hand over Camille’s arm.

“Do you see this crew?” She laughs. “I seem to remember Reid’s exact words were, ‘You can just sit there and look pretty. We’ll take it from here.’”

Everyone in the room chuckles. I glance at Reid, and he’s staring at Camille like she hung the moon.