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“I’m—”

“Not you,” I grind out. “And you act as though I have a record.”

“Dodger—”

“Sheriff. And you’d be lucky if someone like me dated your sister, Kerrigan. I can actually add, read, and tie my shoes.”

He’s silent for a beat, and the roaring of my temper still resonates loudly in my ears, filling the silence for me. He’s out of his mind if he’s worried about me hurting his sister.

His older sister.

The one who has more brains than he does, and he should talk about chasing women around and behaving. It’s all he didn’t do with his now-wife, Layla Jean.

“Looks like I hit a sensitive subject,” Briggs finally responds smoothly. “Am I interrupting something?”

It’s on the tip of my tongue that I’m not the kind of guy who has my woman call his brother mid-fuck, but refrain.

I don’t want any beef with her brother, an old friend, and I know my impatience is starting to get the best of me. That walking around town gets me to search for Adeline over everyone. That I sit in the office waiting for her call like a kid waiting for a buddy to ring so we can meet up to go outside.

My mind isn’t right, not as of late.

The strain between Adeline and me grows thicker every time we’re within feet of each other, and I’m not sure how much more I can take.

“I’m hangin’ up now,” I warn him because I am. “She’s safe, she has the dog she was chasin’. Call her tomorrow.”

Then I hang up on my way to the kitchen.

Idiot.

Cracking my fridge open, all I have is a hamburger from Maple & Main that I was going to eat, but if the dog doesn’t eat over me, Adeline will insist we hit the grocery store, and we’re not going anywhere in this weather.

Pulling it apart, I grab a bowl, toss it in, and give him the fries, in case he has a mind to like those too. I didn’t want them, but Sherry threw them in anyway, so at least they’re not going to waste.

After a few minutes, Adeline comes out of my bathroom in my gray sweatpants and one of my old Magnolia Ridge High football tees.

Bad choice.

Seeing Adeline in nostalgic school spirit only reminds me of what we used to be. I was the football player, she was the cheerleader. We were as cliché as you could get.

I was the guy who had a crush on the hot blonde, and she was the popular girl who was nice to everyone.

We could’ve been something.

That always enters my head when I think back on our past and all the time wasted.

All the time she wasted on everyone else. All the times my courage slipped away when rumors spread that she was interested in someone else.

Regardless, if I wasn’t chicken shit back then and asked her out, maybe things could’ve been different. I just didn’t want to ruin something that didn’t need to be ruined. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable being around me.

Now, I’m not so sure I’m built to wait anymore. Football was all about pressure, discipline, and chances.

I’m ready to go big or forever forget it if she doesn’t respond or feel the same way I do.

I just don’t want to maul her about it.

“I hung my clothes up in your shower,” she says as she watches the dog devour my hamburger. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Fine,” I croak out, immediately damning my voice before I walk toward my bedroom. “You’re stuck here tonight. Lemme show ya where you’ll be sleepin’.”