Page 198
I get to my feet and hold out my hand to my wife. She takes it, letting me pull her onto the roof.
“I was with my parents,” she tells him, her eyes locked on mine. “Hey.”
I angle closer and press a quick kiss to her lips. “I missed you.”
A silvery laugh springs out of her mouth as I guide her to the blanket spread out on the roof. “I’ve been gone for three hours.”
“Entirely too long.”
I sit down first, and then she lowers herself, settling between my legs the way we’ve always done. Arms wrapped around her waist, I pull her in until her back is against my chest.
“Ugh, guys, you’re going to make me all sappy if you keep acting so lovey-dovey.” Ash may act like he’s annoyed, but the trembling corners of his mouth give him away.
“It’s actually contagious,” Isla tells him. “Who knows—now that you’re coming to New York, you might find yourself a girlfriend.”
“You’re too sweet, Isla. I haven’t had a girlfriend since high school. Long-term commitment isn’t for me. Yeah, I love going out with girls, and I love sex, but that’s about it. I’ve never met a woman who could change my mind.”
“Not yet, you haven’t,” Isla says. “But one day, I guarantee, you will meet a girl like that.”
“Don’t jinx it,” he grumbles, pushing to his feet. Looming above us, he stretches, rolling his shoulders back.
“Where are you going?” I ask as he stalks to the window.
“I got my dose of sweetness, and now, I need a break.” He climbs back into my room. “I need a break from you two, if I wasn’t clear.”
“We got it.” Isla lets out a laugh. “See you later, Ash.”
Without a word, he disappears, and a second later, the door to the room closes with a soft thump.
“He’s more bummed about the trade than I thought,” I sigh, my shoulders drooping. “I hoped he’d be excited to play together again.”
“Give him time,” she murmurs as I tighten my grip on her. “His life has been turned totally upside down. I’m sure if the situation were reversed, you’d feel the same way.”
“Nah. I could be traded to literally any team, and as long as you were with me, I’d be fine.”
“And now we’re circling back to what I said—he hasn’t met the one yet. Maybe New York will be the place where everything changes for him.”
“Hopefully. I don’t like seeing him so out of his element.” I rest my mouth at her ear. “How are your parents?”
“Waiting for us to come to dinner. My uncles are here, and so is my cousin. They can’t wait to finally meet you in person.”
“We met.”
“Yeah, when we were ten.” She snorts. “You’ve changed a little since then, don’t you think?”
“Fine, fine, you have a point.” I kiss the top of her head, burying my nose in her hair. She still smells like peaches and vanilla, the scent I love more than almost anything in this world. “Though if they’d come to our wedding, they would’ve met me then.”
“My Uncle Tom’s appendix had other plans.”
“Touché.” I laugh. “Why do I even bother arguing with you? You always beat me.”
“Babe, I work with kids. I know all the tricks.”
“Coaching kids is definitely your forte. I’m not even a little surprised Elena says everyone requests to work with you.”
My heart squeezes lightly, and I instinctively stiffen. We’ve been trying for a baby for over a year, but we haven’t been successful yet. Sometimes, talking about the kids she coaches is fun, but sometimes, her mood plummets, and the last thing I want is to make her sad.
“Michael?”
