“The one who ended it when he didn’t make the active roster?”
She nodded. “That was puppy love. When it ended, he said he wasn’t getting into another relationship until he found exactly what he was looking for.” She pointed at me. “You are exactly what he’s looking for. He’s always wanted someone he connects with deeply, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard of it happening. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him really in love.”
My stomach flipped excitedly. “Oh,” I murmured.
Her ruby-red-coated lips spread slowly. “This summer, sometime during training camp, he called Erickson and told him that you two only talked through editing his business plan. Erickson asked him why he’s so pressed if you weren’t calling or texting him back and you’d only hung out a few times. He said, ‘She’s different. This is different.’ Erickson questioned him, and he said that you speak to his soul.”
Looking down, I opened my clutch and pretended to look for something. “Well, we’re not together, so…” Grabbing my lip gloss, I put it on.
Tara stared at me with a knowing expression. “All I know is that when we walked in and saw him looking at you, I saw all thirty-twoof that man’s teeth.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “The way he talks about you, about the future, about life… I’ve never seen Lamar as happy as he’s been lately. And a large part of that is you.” She linked her arm with mine. “Let’s get back to the boys.”
We headed back to the table, and both men stood.
“What were y’all in there doing?” Erickson asked. “We know y’all were talking about us.”
“And?” Tara replied.
I burst out laughing.
The waiter brought over our check, and we wrapped up the night. When we were standing outside on the sidewalk, we exchanged hugs and goodbyes.
“It was really nice to meet you,” I told Tara, and I meant it.
“You, too,” she replied. “And I look forward to seeing you again soon,” Tara said as she climbed into the backseat of the rideshare.
I held up my phone and shook it. “And I just followed you back.”
She grinned and scooted over to make room for her fiancé. I stepped back from the curb and happened to overhear Erickson whisper to Lamar, “You did good.”
Smiling to myself, I pretended like I wasn’t listening and looked down at my phone. Shifting from one foot to the other, I tried to reposition my pinky toe.
“Again, it was really good to meet you, Jazmyn,” Erickson said, giving me a quick hug. “Take care of my boy. That’s league greatness right there.”
“A future Hall-of-Famer,” I agreed, waving as he got into the car.
Lamar draped his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. “I’m sorry you were put on the spot.”
I shook my head. “I wasn’t.”
“About E’s wedding,” he reminded me. “I asked them if I could add you to the guest list. I wanted it confirmed before I asked you to go with me. And then stuff kept happening, and I wasn’t thinking about it. But I would love for you to be my date to the wedding.”
I grabbed his sides, gently holding on to his shirt. “I’d love to. When is it?”
“It’s after the season is over. I want to say April. The invitation is at the house.”
“Give me the information when we get back to your place, and I can put it in my calendar. But, of course, I’ll be your date.”
His hands cradled my cheeks, and his head hovered a few inches above mine. In the pregnant pause that hung between us, I knew there was something else he wanted to say. It was clear there were thoughts he wanted to share from the look in his eyes, yet he just continued staring at me.
Emotion welled up inside me, and my eyes pricked with tears.
Leaning down, he moved his mouth over mine slowly, passionately. It wasn’t a lust-fueled kiss. It was romantic, full of love and reverence. Our lips met repeatedly as if having a silent conversation that my heart understood but my ears couldn’t translate. When he pulled away, the tortured look in his eyes caused my breathing to hitch.
“Are you leaving tonight or in the morning?” he wondered softly.
“I should leave tonight, but I want to leave in the morning. What do you think?”
“I want you to stay. I also don’t want you to be late for work and regret staying. So whatever you want to do is what I want you to do.” He pulled me into his body. “But I do want you to stay.”
