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He goes from warm affection to cold politeness in the blink of an eye.
“Hey, man,” Ike says to the fan.
“Oh, my God, I always hoped I’d run into you,” the guy says with enthusiasm and shakes Ike’s hand. “Hey, can I get a picture?”
“Sure,” Ike says.
I discreetly take the bag of donuts from him and stand aside while he signs a few autographs and poses for photos as a small crowd gathers around him.
He’s not rude to one person. Not even the woman who wants to cling to him a little too much.
He simply disengages from her and sets her aside.
“Okay, everyone, thanks for all of your support, but I’m going to get on with my day now. Y’all have a good one.”
He waves and takes my hand, and without a pause, leads me away from the crowd that continues to form.
“That doesn’t happen often,” he says when we’re out of earshot of the fans. “But all it takes is for one person to recognize me, and then it’s all downhill from there.”
“I get it,” I assure him. “It doesn’t bother me. I’m really used to it. I have a lot of celebrities in my family.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t love it. I don’t mind—that’s not it. I really do appreciate the fans and love how enthusiastic they are about football. They’re my people, you know?”
“Sure.”
“But sometimes, they get a little overzealous.”
“Has it ever gotten scary?”
His grip on my hand firms as we cross a busy street, headed for my condo.
“No, there is usually security around. And like I said, I’m rarely recognized when I’m alone. I think people expect to always see me with my teammates.”
“That makes sense. I’m glad the little crowd gathered when we were at the end of this little date.”
“Me, too.”
He walks me into my building and escorts me up to the condo.
Once I open the door, he pins me against the door frame and kisses me in that way he does that makes my toes curl and my belly do back flips.
“When can I see you again?” he whispers.
I lick my lips, still tasting him there, and try to think straight.
“I have a family thing tomorrow,” I reply. “So, the day after?”
“I’ll text you,” he promises, then kisses my forehead and backs away. “Have a good day, Soph.”
“You too, Ike.”
I smile and close the door, then lean against it and let out a long sigh.
Saying I like Ike is a severe understatement.
But I do. I like him a lot.
“There’s a bubbly bar,” I say with a giggle as I walk into Luke and Natalie’s house with my mom. “With the most beautiful balloons I’ve ever seen.”
“The whole place is gorgeous,” Mom agrees, and is suddenly swept up in a big hug by Natalie herself. “Hello, mother of the bride.”
“Oh, stop,” Nat says, shaking her head. “You’ll make me start crying again. My baby’s getting married. How is that even possible?”
“Well, a hot movie star swept her off of her feet, and now they’re getting hitched,” I reply. “I think that’s the same story as yours.”
Nat laughs and then nods. “True enough. Come on, you two. Help yourselves to the mimosa bar and the food spread in the dining room. We couldn’t decide on just one thing to serve, so there’s a huge buffet. And Nic brought all kinds of cupcakes and macaroons, too.”
“No one will ever go hungry at a Montgomery function,” I say with a laugh. “I’m going to go say hi to the bride.”
I leave them and cross to where Liv and Stella, her cousin and bestie, are huddled around the bubbly bar.
“Leave it to you to throw a wedding in less than a month.”
Liv spins around, shrieks in excitement, and throws her arms around my neck to hug me.
“Geez, how many drinks have you already had?”
“Just one. I’m just so happy, you know? All of the girls in the family are here, and we get to eat all the good things and talk, and it’s just the best.”
“Don’t forget about the karaoke,” Stella says smugly. “Because we’re going to crush that shit.”
“Also, don’t forget about the presents,” I remind her. “I brought you something good.”
“No one needs to get me anything,” she insists, but her eyes drift to the gift table. “What is it?”
“You’ll see later.” I kiss her cheek, and then the front door opens, and there’s more commotion as even more moms and cousins arrive. “How does Alecia seem to age backward, even with a teenager and a business to run?”
“She’s a vampire,” Stella says with a laugh.
We’re all swallowed up in hugs and excitement, as if we don’t see each other on the regular.
In fact, we just all had our monthly birthday dinner at Sam and Leo’s house two weeks ago.
There are so many people in this family, and therefore birthdays, that we just have one celebration a month. It totally works for us.
