“Then you should,” he says in a gravelly voice.
His lips meet mine in a kiss that lingers. The sounds of nature lift and fall around us. And beyond that, the world fades until everything is Greyson and his hands on my hips and the feel of his hair between my fingers and the way he holds me close like he wants to keep me forever. I melt into him—into our kiss, losing myself in this strong, beautiful, tender man.
We separate and he lowers his forehead to mine. My breath comes slow and steady. I place my hand over his heart and it beats hard under my palm.
“I wish I were the kind of man who could come up with words that expressed everything inside me.”
“I don’t,” I tell him plainly.
“I …” his brow draws in. “You being here …” He pulls back, shaking his head lightly and running his hand through his hair. “It means a lot to me.”
“You inviting me here means a lot to me.”
“I’ve never taken anyone to the pond before.”
My smile overtakes my face. “Really?”
“It’s my place.”
I grab hold of his hand, intertwining our fingers. “You win.”
His face contorts with confusion.
“The contest. To live with me in my castle …”
He chuckles. “Ah. The Justizpalast.”
I nod, feeling silly, but meaning it. No one compares to Greyson. No one ever could.
We walk back, our mood light, hands connected.
I ask him what he does on his days off. He lists dutiful and responsible things like homecare. He occasionally pops in on Zach’s mom. My heart can barely hold the reality of what that must be like for each of them. And I fall a little more for this thoughtful man with each thing he tells me. I’m in quicksand. And I jumped right into it. How could I not?
He tells me about days spent on Cody’s ranch, pitching in when the workload is heavy.
“Then there’s baseball,” he says with a smile.
“How’d you get into coaching?”
“I loved the sport. It was a bright spot in my childhood—which was a good childhood. I loved the game. And mycoaches played a big part in my life, so I just decided it would be good to be that kind of role model for kids too.”
“Girls.”
“They have it worse off in sports. In everything, really. Men get ahead. Women have to double the effort. Sports programs are underfunded for women. Scholarships are less common. I wanted to shift that tide in my own small way.”
“Wow.”
“It’s not impressive, Hallie. I’m just coaching seven and eight-year-old coach-pitch ball. I’m not curing cancer.”
“Right. Thanks for the perspective check.” I bump my hip into his. “I get to say wow when you impress me. And you don’t get to stop me.”
“Is that in the rules too?”
“I just added it.”
He smiles down at me. “Well, thanks.”
“What are you doing now?” he asks as we approach his house.
