I tuck my face into his strong neck. “Thank you.”
Football Crush
Fiona
Does this count as a first date? I moved in with a guy that I haven’t even dated yet.
Weird.
My life is so weird.
Picking what to wear wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.
Though I keep second-guessing myself. More layers seem like the way to go, but if we’re in a box, I’m going to be hot.
“Hey.” Hope pokes her head in my open door. “I just wanted to tell you, Dad has warm clothes at the stadium for us if we decide to go sit on the fifty-yard line. So just dress comfortably for the box. And Nonna has already packed Dash’s diaper bag with everything he might need.”
What? “Is your family always this organized?”
She tips her head to the side. “Um…yeah. You know they’re your family, too, now.”
But they’re not. We’re just guests visiting.
Hope walks in and sits down on the corner of my bed, ignoring the massive, oversized chair that’s covered in this fluffy wool. It’s like sitting in a cloud.
“We need to talk.”
Do we? Because these talks kind of freak me out. Especially since I don’t think she wants to talk about her own boy problems.
“My mom died right after I was born, and since then, Dad hasn’t even looked at a woman. For the last few years, I’ve been worried about how he was going to handle life when I moved out. Not that I’m in any rush to go, but it’s going to happen sometime.”
It’s odd that the child is acting like the parent. “Your father can take care of himself.”
“That’s what everyone thinks because he’s rich, smart, and powerful. But my dad was lonely. He made raising me and his business his entire life…until he met you. Then, all of that changed. Bisnonna and I came up with a plan to help the two of you get together.”
What? “I thought you were trying to play matchmaker for Gabe and me.”
Hope snorts. “You two aren’t right for each other. He was just to ensure that Dad didn’t waste time. He’s old enough already.”
Max old. I try to hold back a laugh. That man is so virile and full of life. Old would be the last word to come to mind when I think about him. But to a child, we both probably seem ancient. “You shouldn’t rush a love story. They follow their own timelines.”
“That’s not what Bisnonna says. According to her, sometimes you need to give love a nudge. And she’s always right. But that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. Dad’s good. He knows what he wants and is all in. You, on the other hand…I just realized I never asked if you were actually ready for a relationship.”
“Sweetheart, it’s not your job to figure that out.” Hope has placed a lot of responsibility on her own shoulders.
“Yes, it is. You’re like them. Like Cammie and Autumn and all the other girls on Willow Street. And I forgot to ask if you were ready for a relationship before I finagled you intoone. For that alone, I’m sorry, but I’m even sorrier knowing my father might have gone all in with someone who isn’t ready for a relationship because of me.” Hope’s head drops down and tears fill her eyes.
Part of me wants to say that’s what happens when you meddle in things you shouldn’t. “It’s not that I’m not ready.”
“Huh?” Her head swings up. “But I thought—”
“I know your dad is all in. And I want to be too, but things aren’t that easy.”
“You’re ready? Really?”
“Hope, listen to me. I said things aren’t that easy.”
She waves off my comment. “Nothing important in life is easy. But you’re ready.” A smile spreads across her face.
