Instead of speaking, she grabs my face gently in her two hands, pulling me in for a kiss that says so much more than words ever could.
She pulls away first, but it’s only to ask, “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
Before I have the chance to respond, she is diving back in to press her soft lips to mine again. I can feel the warmth of her touch everywhere on my body. It warms me from the outside in, making me feel in love.Oh my god! I haven’t felt this way in so long.
This should make me feel uncomfortable. A couple of weeks ago, this feeling would make me want to run for the hills, but now that I’ve had a taste of what it feels like to love Olivia, I never want to quit.
ChapterForty-Four
Rhett
“Come on! That wasclearlya strike!”I bellow.
“Hey, ump! Get yourself some glasses will ya?” Jack seconds my frustration as the Astros’ batter takes a base. “I amnotabout to watch the Rangers lose to the Astros! Not this year. The Astros haven’t been worth spit this season.”
My stomach churns. I’m not sure why I thought it was a genius idea to watch the game with Jack andthentalk to him about dating his daughter.
I want the Rangers to win just as badly as Jack, but I have a little more riding on this than whether or not my team wins. I need Jack in a good mood. After everything Jack and Mandi have done for me, I feel like the respectable thing to do is let them know I’m going to be taking Olivia out on a date before they hear it from someone else. I already know Mandi will be supportive, and I know Jack respects me, but his opinion of me as a young man who helps them out and watches sports with him may not remain the same when I become the man dating his daughter.
The Astros’ batter strikes out, ending the inning. One more to go, and the Rangers are only up one.Come on.
The first two pitches of the inning are strikes, and I’m hanging on the edge of my seat. I can feel Jack’s temper boiling up even from my seat across the living room. The next pitch is good enough to get the batter on base. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife as we both lean in, watching the game with laser focus.
Mandi walks in, beaming. “Oh, you two are watching the game? How’s it going? Are they creaming the Astros?”
“No, they’re only up by one,” Jack practically growls. It’s amazing what sports can do to a man. Jack is otherwise a pretty kind, approachable guy, but when his team is losing, or even at the risk of losing, he scares the hell out of me.
The next batter strikes out, but the one following him gets a double, and I feel my shoulders relax just the slightest bit.Come on. Come on.
Strike one. Strike two. Jack’s face is scrunched up into a scowl. But the batter adjusts properly, shooting the next pitch high up into the stands.
“Yeah!” Jack leaps out of his chair, jumping up and down. He takes two steps toward me to give me a high five, a huge smile lighting up his face. That’s three runs for the Rangers, putting them at a four-run lead. I wish we could just call the game now.
The next batter steps up to the plate, and my phone buzzes in my back pocket. Normally, I’d let it go to voicemail during a game, but the urgent pattern of the buzzes indicates it’s Olivia, so I quickly swipe to answer. Jack glances at me with a furrowed brow as I point to my phone, standing from the couch and excusing myself to the other room.
“Hey, Wildflower.”
“Thank goodness you answered.”
Panic inflates my chest at the sound of desperation in her voice. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“I’m freaking out!”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I followed up with Chance and Morgan after the fundraiser, and Chance just called me back to ask if I could meet him for dinnertoday.”
“That’s great! Why are you freaking out?”
“Because I’m so nervous. I have no time to prepare. It’s been a couple years since I’ve had to interview for a job, and I’m so worried he’s going to realize that I don’t have any experience in marketing.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You just planned a fantastic event, and you exceeded your goal. Plus, you’ve been running @Dog_Central_ since college.”
She groans. “I know, but that’s not enough. It’s not like I’m a professional. Plus, he only reached out to me because you intervened.”
“I may have reached out to him, but he didn’t have to show up at the fundraiser at all. I didn’t hold a gun to his head and force him to get in touch with you. He took the information I gave him and decided he wanted you all on his own. You don’t need a ton of experience to excel at this job. I’m sure he just wants to make sure your personalities mesh and you have the qualities that can’t be taught, which you do.”
“How can you be sure I have those qualities? You’ve never worked with me.”
