Maggie looks down in surprise and blinks at the hickey that’s barely visible as she shifts and adjusts the material of her dress. My cheeks go pink and I try not to look at either of them.
“I said I don’t date, not that I don’t have fun,” she replies, unfazed.
“So have fun with me.” He grins, being a persistent little pest.
“Sorry, mate,” she says, attempting an English accent, “but you’re not my type.”
Jacob grins and bites his bottom lip, showing off hisperfect white teeth. “Understood,” he says, looking between us with a smirk.
We spend the rest of the night talking about tennis and the upcoming semi-finals and the three of us share a cab to the hotel.
When we get to my room, I expect Maggie to come inside, but instead she says, “I’m gonna head back to my room tonight. I probably shouldn’t risk another hickey before being on live television,” she says, holding back a smile.
I groan. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think I was gonna leave a mark.”
“It’s okay,” she says, studying me. Then she looks around the hotel hallway and when she doesn’t see anyone, she leans in and kisses me sweetly, capturing my bottom lip between her teeth. “Good night, Rowan.”
“Good night,” I whisper against her lips, stealing one more peck before she walks to her room.
Once her door shuts closed, I add, “I love you.”
The List
No kissing
No cuddling
No spending the night
No telling anyone
No hickeys
No PDA
No falling in love
No matching tattoos
No marriage talk
CHAPTER 22
Maggie
April - Palm Beach
I’m in my kitchen,absentmindedly fidgeting with the cup of coffee in my hands as I think about what Rowan told me on the court last week. His words keep coming back to me.What if I only want to play with you?Is that what I want? Our professional careers have been tied together for so long, and if I’m honest, I don’t know what tennis would look like for me without Rowan.
Mixed doubles is not something I considered for my own future. Truthfully, I don’t think I would be good at it. While I support his move to doubles, knowing that he’ll excel at it, I can’t say the same about me.
For the past week, we kept showing up for practice at the country club, playing against coaches and staff. We improved our communication skills a lot, but there’s still something keeping us from being fully in sync. When Anthony pulled me aside yesterday, my hunch wasconfirmed.
“Maggie, I think you’re struggling with giving up control out there,” he said, motioning over to the court. Understatement of the century. My need for control has cost me plenty of training partners and coaches in the past.
“You noticed that, huh?” I say.
With a soft smile and a pat on my shoulder, Anthony said, “I know it’s hard, but try to think of the game as a partnership. The two of you are in this together. You’re supposed to trust each other and have each other’s backs. When one of you falters, the other is supposed to pick up the slack.”
