Page 83 of Hometown Halftime

Heat crawls into my cheeks.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Rookie.”

His laugh rumbles low in his chest, warm enough to loosen some of the heaviness hanging in the room. I’m glad, because another five minutes of emotional vulnerability and I might have been in his lap, hugging him.

“So,” he says, reaching for his drink, “what deeply embarrassing secrets are you hiding?”

I shake my head. “Oh no, I’m not giving you any of my secrets.”

He sucks in a breath, pretending he’s offended. “That’s not fair, Malone. I just opened up to you, now it’s your turn to open up to me.”

“Ugh.” I roll my eyes. “Just promise you won’t make fun of me.”

He holds up his hand like he’s taking an oath. “I promise.”

I pause for a moment while weighing my options. Then I make a catastrophic mistake.

“I sleep with a stuffed otter.”

Silence.

Riley slowly turns his body toward me. “I’m sorry, what?”

The regret hits instantly.

“I shouldn’t have shared that.”

“No, no.” His grin spreads wider every second. “We’re absolutely discussing the emotional support otter.”

“It’s sentimental. I’ve had it for years.”

“Does it have a name?” He leans closer.

“You own an exfoliating cleanser,” I shout, pointing a finger at him.

“That’s unrelated.” Then he pauses. “Wait, did you go through my medicine cabinet?”

“That’s not important.” I wave him off.

His laughter fills the room, making my stomach flip embarrassingly hard.

“Well? What’s the otter’s name?” he asks.

“I’m not telling you that.”

“Oh my God, it has a name.”

“His name is Chase, and don’t be rude!” I shove his shoulder lightly.

Unfortunately, Riley is built like a concrete wall, so he barely moves.

“What was that?” he asks innocently.

“I’m angry that you’re picking on me.” I dramatically push out my bottom lip.

He scoots closer to me on the cushions. “I’m sorry, Kinsey.”

I shove him harder this time, and he comes even closer before nudging me back with his shoulder.