“Don’t go to work,” I tell her.
“Show up driving Coach’s car without Coach? No, I’m not going to risk the questions that might raise. I’ll be back soon.” She kisses me briefly, but it’s in front of Trick and Sinclaire, and she’s a very good girl indeed for being brave like that.
I follow her out to the front so I can tell her that in private too.
But as soon as the front door closes behind me, she buries her face in my chest.
I tip her chin up so I can see her face. “Hey. Look at me. Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes, of course.” She lets out a shaky breath. “You told Sinclaire you love me.”
“I do love you.”
“We’ve only known each other—barely—for two months.”
“And I’ve been in love with you for most of that time.” I stroke her cheek. “Is that a problem?”
“No.” Her eyes are shining. “Because I love you too. But it’s scary.”
“You’re allowed to feel whatever you want, Whirlwind.” I kiss her softly. “If you’re scared, that’s okay. And if you love me anyway, then I’m the luckiest man alive.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me properly, deep and hungry. When we break apart, we’re both breathing hard.
“Go get a bag of things you want to leave in my house forever,” I growl against her mouth. “Because tonight I’m taking you to bed, my bed, and I’m going to show you what I really mean when I say I love you.”
CHAPTER 20
MOLLY
Returning to Jeff’s house an hour later with a big overnight bag, I have nervous butterflies in my belly, but the way he lights up when I walk into the great room at the back of the house chases those nerves away.
“Come here,” he says warmly, hauling me over the back of the couch and right into the crook of his arm.
Silas laughs and climbs on top of us, joining the cuddle pile.
We watch another baseball game. Jeff gets a constant stream of text messages from his assistant coaches and the support staff, prepping for tomorrow, and I realize he must have silenced his phone earlier.
“So your days off aren’t really days off,” I murmur.
“I get more time off in the offseason,” he murmurs back.
“You’d have all the time off in the world if you retired to Wildflower Hollow,” Sinclaire says brightly, a reminder that our conversation isn’t exactly private.
“That’ll be up to Molly,” Jeff says casually.
My stomach flip-flops.
“And we aren’t going to rush that decision.” He kisses the side of my head. “Think of this as an extended engagement. A secret engagement, and we’ll explore our options at the end of the season.”
I think about that conversation for the rest of the day.
Through a genuinely lovely dinner and a long walk through the neighborhood once the temperature dips.
And then after Sinclaire and Trick say goodnight and retreat to their suite with Silas, Jeff brings it up.
“So that’s a day with my family,” he says as he backs me up against the kitchen counter and wraps himself around me.
I lean into his big, strong body, pressing my face into his neck, absorbing his warmth.
