He grabbed my hand and kissed it.
“How’s your family?” I wondered, shifting the focus.
When we arrived at Al’s Diner, we ordered cheeseburgers and fries. We sat across from each other and talked about music. We argued over lyrics and the lyrical prowess of different artists. After leaving, we walked up the street. We listened to the songs we’d discussed in the diner while I showed him parts of Richland.
He was a step behind me, and when I stopped to point out something, he gripped my hips, pulling me into him as he listened. Feeling his fingers flex against me had my stomach quivering in excitement. I looked up and over my left shoulder.
My heart skipped a beat.
I loved the way that man looked at me.
“Are you paying attention?” I asked, trying not to smile.
“You’re beautiful,” he commented. “So I’m a little distracted. But I’m listening.”
With a giggle, I rose up onto my toes to kiss his lips.
Once he slipped his arm around me, we continued the tour.
“This is it,” I remarked after we’d made it to the park on the other side of the downtown area. “I don’t think I was ever meant to be in a small town.”
“I don’t think you were either.”
“I got here twelve years ago, and it was like…” I gestured around. “I was finally home. I knew it was the place for me. That’s why I built a life here after graduation. I found my place. When I met Aaliyah and Nina, I knew I’d met my people. So that’s why I’m still here.”
“Would you want to stay here permanently?”
“I would. Unless there was a really,reallygood reason for me to go elsewhere.” We turned and started walking back toward Al’s Diner. “Is Baltimore like that for you?”
He shook his head. “Nah. The only thing that’s like that for me is football. I mean, home is home. Spring Hill is where I was born and raised. And Baltimore has been cool for the last few years. But if I’m playing ball, I could make almost anywhere work.”
“So, you’d move to Wyoming if they had a team?” I asked, picking a state randomly.
“If that was the only place that I could play, hell yeah. And crazy enough, that could happen.”
My eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“You can be with one team for one week and then be across the country with another team the next week. As long as you get released early enough in the week, another team can pick you up for the practice squad.”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait… don’t you have a place in Baltimore?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“What if, God forbid, you get sent to a new team? What happens to your apartment?”
“I have a townhouse. I know guys who live out of a hotel because that’s more cost-effective for them.” He shook his head. “But I couldn’t do it. I need a home base. So, financially, it might not make sense to some people, but—”
“No, I get it,” I agreed quickly. “Having a place to call home makes complete sense to me. And fortunately, it’s been working out.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it has. You should come check it out.”
“Your place? Or Baltimore.”
“My place. But I’ll show you around Baltimore, too.”
My lips twitched, trying not to grin up at him. “Is that an invitation?”
“Yes.” He smirked, running his hand over his beard. “An open one.”
