Page 57 of Playing It Forward

She rolls her eyes. “I have two black eyes, and my nose is swollen.”

“Your nose is barely swollen, and I can’t see the black eyes.”

“Good. I don’t want Dad freaking out because I was injured.”

“Were you injured a lot as a kid?” I ask as I escort her out of the house to Brock’s SUV. Thank goodness for teammates. There’s no way Terri would be comfortable in my sports car. It’s low to the ground, and the seats are narrow.

“Not really,” Terri answers as I help her into her seat. “But Scott and Ricky…” She shakes her head. “Those two were always getting into fights.”

I kiss her nose before shutting the door and running around to the driver’s seat.

“Listen,” she begins as we drive toward her dad’s house. “We need to set a few things straight before we get there.”

My brow wrinkles. “What things?”

“I don’t want Dad to get the wrong impression.”

“The wrong impression?”

She motions between us. “About us.”

“About us? We’re having a baby together.”

“And that’s it. We’re not a couple.”

Pain hits me with the force of a defensive tackle. I want to be a couple. I want Terri. I thought she was softening toward me.

I glance over at her. She’s fiddling with the hem of her dress and refuses to meet my gaze. She’s uncomfortable. I’d love to dig into why. But we’re nearly at her dad’s house. It’ll have to wait.

“Okay,” I say even though I don’t agree. I want to be half of a couple with Terri. I want to be a team. I want more than to be her baby’s father. But she’s not ready to hear those words. Not yet.

Her shoulders drop as she relaxes. I made the right choice. I don’t like it. But for now, it’s best.

Terri points to a house. “It’s this one.”

I park in the driveway and frown up at it. “Is there a seal lounging in front of the porch steps?”

She scowls. “There is.”

She hurries out and I chase after her. “Wait! It’s a wild animal. You’re pregnant.”

“Don’t worry. It’s only Sammy.”

“Sammy?” I ask as I capture her wrist and pull her to me. “I don’t care what his name is. You’re not going near a wild animal.”

A man steps out on the porch. This must be her dad. “Sammy. You promised to be gone by the time Terri arrived.”

The seal honks.

“Dad!” Terri shouts. “You need to stop feeding him!”

The seal grunts.

She shakes her finger at him. “I wasn’t speaking to you, Sammy.”

He covers his eyes with his flipper.

She sighs. “I’m not mad at you. But I need to be able to use the stairs when I visit my dad.”