“Yeah, about those.” He kissed my shoulder and rose onto an elbow. “But not now. Now we should enjoy this bed together.”
I rolled onto my back. “And that we don’t have to worry about the sheets.” A soft snort worked out of me. I was pretty sure the maids had seen worse.
“True.” He cupped my cheek and pressed a lazy kiss on my mouth. “How’s your ankle?”
“I forgot I even injured it.” I wriggled it, and the ache wormed through the joint. “It’s a little better.” Lifting my head, I planted a quick kiss on his lips. “It usually heals quickly. When I fell on it, I sensed it instantly, and so I dropped to my ass.”
“Yeah, I saw that.” He stroked my hair, skimming locks off my forehead, with a small grin on his lips. “I was so worried about you.” His gaze snapped to mine, and his brows furrowed. “Never scare me like that again.”
“This…coming from a linebacker?” I raised the corner of my mouth. “Eli, I hurt myself. You have guys coming at you, intending to throw you to the ground every weekend.”
“I can handle it. I’m bigger than most of them.” His smirk widened. “And I’m stronger.”
With a scoff, I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean. I’m the one who needs to worry about you. Not the other way around.” I had to watch myself, though. I enjoyed cheerleading, especially since I got to be on the field with Eli.
Tapping my chest, he said, “Just be careful. Please.” He nuzzled my neck. “I enjoy having you with me on the road.” He bit my earlobe. “And on the field, cheering for me.”
“I’m cheering for the team.” I turned my head, his gazecatching mine as he lifted, a pout hanging on his lips. He was so damn cute. “Okay, I’m cheering for you and only you.”
“You’re damn right, you are.” He scrubbed the top of my hair. “Let’s clean up before Grace gets back. We need her to let us do this again.”
“I’m pretty sure I’d have to fake an injury for this to happen again.” I tapped his nose. Plus, I wasn’t sure the team’s manager would be happy if they heard about us spending the night in the same room.
“We’ll see.” He lifted off me, taking the covers with him. “Let me help you into the bathroom.” As he gave me a wicked smile, he said, “And I should probably shower with you. I can’t have you slipping in there.”
“Of course.” With a quick snicker, I climbed out of bed.
The team gaveus plenty of encouraging remarks during the nice catered breakfast. Afterward, I boarded the bus with the cheering squad for our long ride to Dallas. My ankle was already feeling better, not perfect, but if I was careful, I didn’t limp too much. My only looming prospect now was dinner with my father.
Following Grace onto the bus, we slid into seats toward the back, with her taking the window.
“You and Eli are getting along well.” She slipped a tube of lip gloss from her bag and spread it over her lower lip, then rolled them.
“Yeah, he’s the same as in high school, but then so different.” I lowered my backpack to the floor and fished my phone from an outside pocket. “Is that possible?” He was still the old Eli, the caring man I knew, but he was so much more confident. And it was sexy as hell.
“Yeah? I suppose. I think people change, but it’s not like they become someone completely new.” She stuffed the gloss into apocket of her bag and dropped it on the seat between us. “When are you seeing him next?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. We didn’t discuss it, but I’m sure he’ll be busy with studying and practice.” A knot slowly wound in my gut. “I’m having dinner with my dad on Wednesday night, and he’s coming with me.” She knew about my dad, but there wasn’t time to tell her about his moving here.
“Your dad? I thought he was in California?” Her brows crept up.
“He was. He moved to Scottsdale, and he wants to have dinner.” I worried my lower lip. It might prove to be the awkwardest dinner of my life.
With her eyes widening, she said, “When did this happen?”
“I don’t know, last week?” He’d called when I’d been at Eli’s for dinner. “Eli was there when he called me.” I twisted my phone in my hand. “With Eli by my side, I don’t have to face this shit alone.”
“Good.” With a huff, she said, “Why would your dad move here? Did he do it to be closer to you?” She scratched her head. “But you’re graduating in May. If you want to return to Oregon, then it would be stupid on his part.”
My heart jolted. What would I do after graduation? Eli would enter the draft. Would I follow him to whatever city he’d end up in? What if my relationship with my dad were better? Shit. “His wife is pregnant, and her family is from here, so they moved to be close to them.” Of course, the decision hadn’t been made because of me. I ground my molars. Did it involve me at all?
She sighed. “Damn, Wren, it sounds like your dad is trying. You should give him a chance.”
Like I’d given Eli a chance? “I will, I just…” I scowled and glanced through the window at the flat land and scrubby trees rushing by us as the bus drove onto a freeway. “He’s disappointed me so many times.” I drew a deep breath, my gaze falling to my phone. “I can’t tell you how often he promised to call me, like outside of a holiday or my birthday, and then never did.”
“I’m sorry, Wren.” She squeezed my forearm. “It must be hard to have hope right now.”
“It is. I expect the worst now so when it happens, I’m not hurt.”As much. It still always hurt when he didn’t keep his promises. Especially when it involved something as small as a phone call.
