AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, I’ve made it obvious that I like her, and she seems to like me, too. But she’s a lawyer and really professional and guarded. I don’t think she wants to be swept off her feet, so I don’t know how to get through to her.”
“A lawyer. Impressive.”
My chest gets all tingly as I think about her. “She’s so freaking smart. Strong. Independent. I know you’d like her.”
A smile lights up my mother’s face. “I’m sure I would. But let me tell you; every woman wants to be swept off her feet. Even the strong ones. Heck,especiallythe strong ones.”
My brows pinch together and I push aside my empty lunch tray. “I don’t know…”
“Well,Ido know,” Mom says confidently and I let out a flat chuckle.
I feel crazy saying this out loud, but if there’s anyone I can say it to, it has to be my mother. I start blabbering and I can’t stop myself. “I feel like she’s my soulmate. I mean—from the very first time I saw her, I was in love with her in an instant. Nothing has ever felt the same for me since that moment. Getting her out of my head is impossible. Believe me—I’ve tried. And it’s mildly terrifying to think that I’ll never get over her and she’ll never feel anything for me.” I quit rambling and shut up before my own mother calls the guys with the straight jackets to come get me. Because I sound insane.
Mom’s shoulders rise on a deep inhale. “Seems to me like you have her on a pretty high pedestal. To her, your assessment of her probably doesn’t seem genuine or realistic. That’s why she doesn’t trust you.”
“So what do I do?” I question, feeling desperate.
“How about you try treating her as a friend? Get to know her. Treat her like a human being instead of holding her to some superhuman standard that she probably thinks she could never live up to.”
I weigh Mom’s words. I want to argue with her about just how amazing Nadia is—beautiful, accomplished, adorable, yet mysterious.
But what if she doesn’t see herself that way? That would certainly explain why she thinks I’m being insincere when I tell her how great I think she is.
Mom lays a hand on mine. “You need to make her feel safe enough to let her guard down. Make her trust you. You have the biggest heart, Harry. Let her see that. Let her see the real you.”
Shit. I’d already accepted that I don’t have a shot with Nadia. But now, this conversation with Mom is putting thoughts in my head. I’m not sure I want to go down that road again, though. Hurts too much.
Glancing down at my phone, I check the time. Gotta get out of here. I need to get to the stadium.
I rise from my seat and gather my mother into a hug that pulls her to her feet. “Right,” I say, just to appease her.
Because Nadia’s made it clear—she’s not interested in seeing the real me. She’s not interested in seeing any part of me.
And to be honest, that fucking sucks.
9
NADIA
The ball soars through the air and my eyes hone in on the field. Tall powerful bodies rush back and forth across the turf, dodging around opponents and shouting commands as they go.
I don’t know how, but even in the rush of bodies, even from this distance, my eyes find him. Number twenty-two. His strong arms shoot up for the catch.
He fumbles.
My stomach drops.
“Goddammit, Westbrook!” Liam slams a fist into the armrest of his seat, snapping me out of my trance.
We’re seated among a group of Kline-Simmons executives, watching tonight’s home game from the luxury of Liam’s private VIP skybox.
On-field, Harry somehow manages to keep the ball in his grasp just long enough to pass it off to Maxwell. Collectively, we all exhale in relief.
Liam shakes his head. “If I start balding prematurely, that kid will be the reason. When he’s good, he’s so damn good. But he’s inconsistent. Drives me nuts.”
I discreetly wipe my sweaty palms down the front of my navy blue straight leg pants. I shift in my seat with a short, uncomfortable laugh. “Hey, I don’t know what to tell you. Rating the on-field performance of your football players iswayoutside my area of expertise.”
“Right.” Liam drops his attention back to the sheaf of papers in my hands. “What is it you were saying?”
