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Now that she thought about it, if Nick didn’t want to come, she wasn’t going to push him. The two of them would be the lone singles swimming in the sea of married couples. That would levy an altogether different kind of pressure than what Kate and Liam had joked about tonight.
Once they were a good distance away, Becca withdrew her arm from Nick’s.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said.
“About what?” he asked.
His question threw her for a moment, but she recovered.
“They love to joke around. The football parties are fun. It’s a great excuse for everyone to get together. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea and think that it would be a night full of pressure, of them pushing us together. It’s mostly guys in one room and women in another—especially this week, since we’ll be busy with the wedding favors. With as many people as Jake and Anna are inviting, it’s going to take a village to get them done on time.”
Before he could answer, they walked into the midst of a rush of latecomers who had just purchased tickets and were streaming into Denison Field, obviously intent on getting to the bleachers to find seats before kickoff. Becca and Nick were momentarily separated. But once Becca found her way through the crowd, Nick was waiting on the other side for her. Her stomach did a little stutter-step—as it did every time she saw him. There was this momentary rush of disorientation over the fact that this gorgeous man—this man who looked dark and a little bit dangerous—was actually very kind and caring, even if he was still a bit of a mystery.
* * *
Nick knew Kate and Liam’s good-natured banter was just that—good-natured banter. He also knew they wouldn’t say things like that if they didn’t welcome him into their inner circle. Sure, there was a grain of seriousness to it, and if he let it, it might bother him—only because he wasn’t used to other people being so into his business. But as he looked around at all of the people who’d turned out tonight for the football game, he realized living in a small town like Celebration meant people would be in your business. It was a given. Celebration wasn’t like San Antonio, where it was easy to be a face in the crowd. Here, new faces stood out in the crowd, and the community made it their business to find out about their new neighbor.
His gaze snared Becca’s as she walked toward him. Someone stopped her and greeted her with a hug. It gave Nick a chance to watch her without her realizing he was staring. She looked gorgeous in her tight jeans and blue-and-white Celebration High School Wildcats spirit shirt. Her navy blue peacoat hung open so that the T-shirt underneath was visible. He couldn’t help but notice how the V-neck emphasized her breasts, which had been sexy as hell before the pregnancy, and appeared to be even fuller now.
A man would have to be dead not to notice how good she looked. And damned if that same aching need that had drawn him to her that first night didn’t threaten to consume him again.
When she reached his side, he took her hand. “We wouldn’t want to get separated again. I might not be able to find you amid the throng of sports fans here tonight.”
She smiled at him, and they found their way to the small outbuilding to the right of the bleachers where the band boosters were selling food.
The smell of grilled burgers and hot dogs filled the air, and Nick’s stomach rumbled. He wasn’t sure the concessions would feed what he was hungry for, but for now it would have to do. They got in line just in time for the marching band to begin playing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” All of the cooks put down their spatulas and removed their hats; the money takers stood and put their hands over their hearts. Everything stopped until the piccolos trilled the last trill and the cymbals put the final exclamation point on the national anthem.
When it was all over and the announcer started speaking, Becca asked, “What are you going to have?”
He smiled at her, tempted to say, The same thing I had that night at Bentleys. But she had acted so jumpy over Liam and Kate’s teasing that he didn’t want to push it.
Right now, he was content to be out with her on this beautiful, cool fall evening, holding her hand and enjoying her company.
“I think I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries. They must be serious if they’re operating their own FryDaddy.”
“Best fries in town. I highly recommend them.”
The crowd went wild as the team ran out onto the field. The announcer informed everyone that if the Wildcats won the game tonight they would advance to the semifinals for the district championship. The crowd cheered again, and several people leaned on air horns. The band broke into a rousing round of what must’ve been the school’s fight song. After another exuberant cheer, the crowd settled down until the Wildcats won the coin toss and elected to kick the ball to the visiting team.
