Exhaling a calming breath, I lifted my chin and pushed open the door to my office.
While I thought I was prepared to meet with Fin face-to-face, I wasn’t. Seeing him again in person after so many years was closer to the materialization of memories, ones I’d buried deep inside, than to reality.
As I entered my office, Fin stood, his eyes opening wide. He’d been seated where Dad had been hours earlier. Wearing dark blue trousers, a button-up shirt open at the collar, and shiny leather loafers, he could easily be on the cover of GQ.
For a moment, we remained silent, each one scanning the other. I wished I could have ascertained that in the last fifteen years Griffin Graham had developed a beer belly, a face-altering injury, or even wrinkles due to excess sun.
None of that was true.
Fin was even sexier than I remembered, causing my core to twist and my nipples to harden. I didn’t lookbut silently prayed my bra was doing its job. Obviously, my body hadn’t followed my command.
The youth of Fin’s and my first meeting morphed into maturity that couldn’t be categorized by years alone. The world we once shared split in a cosmic divide, taking each of us on separate journeys that somehow had once again collided.
The hint of gray in his dark hair gave Fin character. His chiseled jaw had grown sharper with time, the edge covered by merely a shadow of hair. Beneath his expensive clothes, I could tell that his body had matured, yet judging by his wide shoulders and trim waist, I could see he’d remained toned as only an athlete could. The intensity of his sapphire blue eyes brought back an ache I hadn’t experienced in years.
Refusing to show the cauldron of emotions bubbling to life within me, I pressed my lips together. “Mr. Graham.”
His lips quirked. “Abby, I wanted to talk to you.”
Abby.
He remembered our first meeting.
My cheeks fought to rise, yet I held them resolute. I offered him my hand. “Mr. Graham, in case you didn’t know, I’m Maeve, Maeve Hubbard.”
He stepped forward, taking my hand in his, his long fingers swallowing mine as warmth transferred from him to me. He held on longer than was socially acceptable. As I pulled my hand free, the tips of his lipscurled, revealing a blindingly white smile. “I do remember. You go by Vee. And I go by Fin.”
Trying unsuccessfully to quiet the rush of circulation in my ears, I turned and walked toward my desk. Once my tablet and papers were on the hard surface, I straightened my shoulders and turned back to my guest. Motioning to the chairs, I managed to speak. “Please, let’s get this over with.”
“Vee,” he said, still standing, his hands resting casually at his sides. “I don’t want things to be awkward or uncomfortable around here.”
Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. “I’m vice president of stadium operations and marketing. I have little to no interaction with the players.” Although that seemed to be shifting.
“That’s too bad,” he said, taking a step toward me.
Without thought, my gaze went to his left hand. What was I doing? There was no reason for me to speculate. Surely, there was a wedding band. Had I heard of him marrying? I hadn’t thought of that until this minute.
Fin must have followed my gaze because he lifted his left hand and wiggled his fingers. The only ring was a smart ring he wore on his first finger. “Not married.”
“Not my concern.”
His timbre unexpectedly ricocheted through me ashis deep baritone voice carried through the air. “Are you or have you been?”
“Not your concern.”
“I was,” he shared, his tone self-abashing. “It only lasted less than a year. I think she had some preconceived notions about being married to a professional football player. I didn’t fulfill those expectations.”
I set my jaw, and pressing my lips together, I inhaled. “Mr. Graham, we’re about to meet with you and your agent, my father, uncle, cousin, and Royce Beasley to discuss your contract. Any discussion regarding personal information is inappropriate.”
He took a step closer. “I told you about the failed marriage because to be honest, I’m not good at relationships. It isn’t anything new. I made some horrible choices when I was younger, a lot younger.”
“Can I take that to mean you won’t fulfill your contract?”
“No.” He opened his eyes and clenched his jaw. “I will uphold my end of the contract.”
I crossed my arms over my breasts. “Tell me, Mr. Graham, why did you agree to come to the Coopers? You had to know I would be here.”
“Would you believe me if I told you that your presence with the team weighed heavily on my decision to come to Lexington?”
