My first instinct is to ask him how he knows we slept together, but it’s likely that, with me, he just assumed. I know that’s my reputation, but that bothers me now when it comes to her. She’s so much more than that.
But I can’t stop focusing on what he said after that.
She could be in literal danger.
He’s right. Skipping that meeting and now the gala…that was reckless. And if I’m not more responsible, I could foil the whole plan before it even goes into play.
“You’re right,” I admit. “I’m sorry. I’ll make up some bullshit with Dad, and it won’t happen again.”
“I’m sorry, Brooks. If the situation was different, I’d be ecstatic that someone finally has you acting like an adult.”
I smile.
He’s right.
“I’ll fix this,” I reassure him. As I’m hanging up, I hear the door creak. She’s standing there, sleepily, her bun falling out as she rubs her eyes.
“Everything okay?” she asks. I smile and pull her into me, kissing the top of her head.
“Yes,” I tell her. “Just family stuff.”
“Uh-oh. Did you get in trouble for not going?” she asks. I shrug and smile, making sure to keep it light. She has enough to worry about.
“It’ll all be fine. So, what now?” I ask, raising my eyebrows up and down. I would love a second round, but I also could just sit and watch her snooze all night. She laughs.
“Now, it’s actually bedtime. I have to be in Jersey tomorrow morning,” she says. Tomorrow’s Sunday. The Empire plays at one. I smile and nod.
“Game time?” I ask.
She nods.
“Yep,” she says. “I try to get him to a few home games a season.”
I lean down and kiss her gently.
“Well, then you better get to bed,” I tell her, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Goodnight, sweet girl.”
She smiles, pressing up on her tiptoes to kiss me again.
“Are you leaving?” she asks, disappointment dripping from her voice. I chuckle and wrap her in my arms, pulling her into me.
“Oh, thankGod,” I say dramatically. “I thought you’d never ask.” I undo the rest of the buttons on my shirt, unbuckle my pants, and let them pool at the ground. She giggles and climbs onto the bed, pulling the covers back for me. I smile at the view: her in her little bed in her little apartment in Brooklyn. She’s wearing an extra-large t-shirt and tiny little shorts that I want to pull off with my teeth, but I’ll save that. Right now, I just want to snuggle the fuck out of her. I take a mental picture of her like this as a reminder that this is all I ever really need to be happy.
I climb in the bed and pull her into my chest, where she very quickly falls back to sleep, as if she is meant to sleep there. And then I do too. Because, I realize, she is.
WREN
Iwake up in the morning to the smell of fresh coffee, which is weird because I’m in my apartment.
When I sit up, I find myself alone in bed, which is also weird because I definitely didn’t fall asleep alone. I rub my eyes as I lean over to check the time.
Fuck.My alarm didn’t go off. I’m gonna have to book it if I want to make the train. I scurry out of bed, digging through my closet for my jersey. I pull on a fresh pair of jeans and comb my hair out with my fingers, when I hear someone whistle from behind me.
Brooks is leaned up against my bedroom doorframe, fucking me with his eyes as he sips on a paper coffee cup. He has another one in his other hand.
“God, your ass is perfect,” he says with that sexy smirk that makes me want to take off all the clothes I just put on and jump his bones. I giggle and walk toward him, kissing him deeply. He hands me the other coffee when we come apart.
“Where did this come from?” I ask him, taking a sip.
