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“Easton?” she asks cautiously.
“Hey, Ris,” I say, not moving. I want to though. I want to hop off this tailgate, pull her into my arms, and kiss the ever-loving fuck out of her. Instead, I stay rooted to my spot.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, stopping just in front of me. She’s no longer in her uniform. Instead, she’s wearing jeans, with holes in the knees and a tank top.
“I wanted to see you,” I tell her honestly. I don’t want to play games, not with her.
“You were with me most of the day yesterday,” she reminds me, even though she doesn’t need to. I’ve replayed our day together over and over.
“Yeah, and today, nothing. I needed my Larissa fix.”
A slight tilt of her lip appears and disappears just as quickly. She’s trying to hide it, but it was there. “Where’s Paisley?” I ask her.
“She’s staying at my mom’s tonight.”
“So you have nowhere to be? You going somewhere,” I ask. I’m not used to her c
oming out dressed in something other than her uniform.
She hesitates. “No, not really.”
“Why the change of clothes?” I ask, knowing it’s not really any of my business. But the thought of her possibly meeting up with someone else lights a fire inside me.
“Oh, I was running late, so I changed here. My last table was a family and the kid, a little older than P, was rushing back from the bathroom and ran into me. A full plate of spaghetti and meatballs right down my shirt. Luckily I had clothes with me so I changed after we closed up.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Have you eaten?”
“Yeah, one of the perks of the job.”
“You wanna go for a drink or maybe just a drive?” I’m reaching, and we both know it. I just want to spend some time with her. Hell, we can sit here in this parking lot and just talk if that gets me time with her.
“A drive?” She poses it as a question.
I jump off the tailgate and close it. Reaching for her hand, I guide her to the passenger door and open it for her. I wait for her to get situated before closing her door and rushing to the other side. I slide in behind the wheel and look over at her. “You look good in that seat,” I tell her.
She smiles. “Yeah, the leather really sets the backdrop.”
“You’re beautiful, Larissa. You don’t need a backdrop.” She swallows hard, and I want to lean over and kiss the column of her neck. Instead, I start the truck and pull out of the lot.
“So, where are we going?” she asks.
“I have an idea.” I’m evasive in my answer. I want to take her to my house, but I know we’re not there yet. Instead, I’m taking her to my second home. The drive is quiet, but not uncomfortably so.
“We’re going to the stadium?” she asks as we pull into the lot.
“We are. I wanted to share this with you.” She doesn’t say anything to that, not that I expected her to. Larissa analyzes everything. She just needs a little time to catch up to where I am. At the moment, I want nothing more than to spend as much time with her and her daughter as possible. I was raised with the mindset that family is everything. I grew up watching my uncles, my dad’s brothers, fall hard and fast with the loves of their lives, and it’s as if a light is switched on. The light is on and shining brightly down on Larissa.
Parking my truck in my reserved spot, I climb out and rush to her door.
“You sure we’re allowed to be here?” She glances around the empty parking lot.
“I’m sure.” Taking her hand in mine, I lead her to the players’ entrance gate. Pulling out my key, I make quick work of unlocking the gate and pulling her through.
“You have a key?”
“I do.” I grin. I don’t tell her that I had to come back last week to get my gear that I left and had to swing by coach’s house to get his extra key and have yet to give it back. Making sure the gate is secure behind us, I lead her down the dimly lit hallway. Her hand clutches onto mine. On instinct, I release her hand and place my arm over her shoulders, holding her next to me.
“It’s so quiet,” she says in awe.
