“Right.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “You’re the only one on this floor. The team is three floors below you.”
Relief washed over me. “How did you manage that?”
He intertwined our fingers and led me to the bed. “I just told Loretta that it was at your request.”
“Smooth.” I rolled my eyes as I climbed onto the mattress.
He moved across the room with comfort, dressed in gray freaking sweatpants and a faded Cougars T-shirt. He looked cozy andhot, and I had to clench my legs when I thought about his words in the garage last weekend.
“Last time, I didn’t get to enjoy this with you.” He plucked both boxes from the table, then slid off his sneakers before he joined me on the made bed.
“Thank you.” I reached out to squeeze his forearm. “You didn’t have to.”
“I know. But I’m selfish and I wanted time with you. I missed you.” He casually tossed out the confession before stuffing a meat lovers slice in his mouth.
Meanwhile, I almost physically swooned off the king-sized bed.
“I missed you too,” I admitted.
“Eat.” He motioned. “Tell me about your week.”
When was the last time someone asked me that and genuinely wanted to know?Never.
I recounted my week in between bites of pepperoni magic. He laughed, listened, and at one point I thought he’d blow a blood vessel when I told him about the voicemails from my mother.
“What about you?” I asked.
He polished off his piece before leaning back against the headboard. “Wasn’t bad. Practice was good and I feel confident about tomorrow’s game. Ray had a couple of good days this week, so that always gives me a little relief. Liv called to tell me she’d be here for Thanksgiving.” He shrugged. “Other than not getting to be alone with you, it was a good week.” He held my stare. “But you’re here now. So I’m golden.”
I fiddled with the edge of the comforter, nervous to ask intrusive questions about his life. “How did Wesley’s girls become your goddaughters?”
I wanted to know everything there was to know about Preston Rusk.
“Wes and I grew up next door to each other in a small town about an hour from here.”
“Really? I had no idea.”
“Yeah. When Liv and I went to stay with Ray and Cecile, we met the boy next door. We clicked that first day, and the rest was history.”
Wow. A friendship that spanned that amount of time was precious.
“Crazy we ended up here. We played ball in high school and went on to play in college, but at different places. I went on to the NFL, but Wes didn’t go pro after college. He focused on his family.”
“What are the odds?” I laughed.
“I know. Wes had married Kassidy, and Kyndall was a baby, so the coaching thing just fit him. The time spent away from them would have been tough and he didn’t want Kyndall growing up without a dad.”
As soon as he said the words, his eyes widened. “Shit, baby. I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay.” I shuffled up to lean against the headboard next to him. “I’ve got thick skin.”
He sighed and reached down to take my hand.
“Where is their mother?” I asked.
“Not around. Being a mom was never really Kassidy’s thing.”
“Hmm.” I hummed.
