Page 48 of Let You Love Me

He shifts on his feet, spearing a hand through his hair. “You know what I mean.”

“No. I don’t. Being a sperm donor and her father are two very different things.”

His mouth pinches, but he has the good sense to keep it shut, and I can tell by the way his eyes rake over me, he’s contemplating his next words. “Okay, you’re right,” he says in a level tone.

I swallow over my surprise.

“But I still would like to know what you’re doing here with Nichols. Are you just trying to fuck with me? Is that what this is about? Some sort of punishment after I pulled you aside and told you how I felt?”

Laughter bubbles in my chest. “Oh, you mean when you told me to get a new job? You’re unreal.”

I shake my head and try to brush past him, but he grabs my arm to stop me. “Does your father know you’re here with him?”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not hiding anything, Chance. And if you must know, I met Teagan before I even agreed to work with the team.”Technically. “He’s my friend, like he said. Nothing more.” I wrench my arm out of his grip, then glance toward the booth to check on Soph, only to see her showing Teagan something in her book. “And he wouldn’t even needed to give that little warning if I hadn’t gotten knocked up by a jock at football camp,” I grind out.

Chance swallows and his cheeks flush before he finally nods. “Fair enough. If you say you’re friends, I believe you.”

“I’m so relieved.” I start to brush past him before I pause and look him square in the eyes. “And just so we’re clear, I don’t owe you an explanation, Chance. The only reason I gave you one was for Teagan’s sake. But don’t question me again, you hear me?”

Chapter 11

LANE

Despite Chance’s exit, whenI return to the table, it’s awkward as hell. I have no doubt Teagan’s wondering what Chance wanted, but I’m not about to tell him, so we spend the next fifteen minutes trying to pick up where we left off and failing.

I sit back in the booth, not yet wanting to leave but having no idea how to move past Chance’s intrusion when Teagan clears his throat. “Did you know that Sophie can name every single one of these dinosaurs in this book from heart?”

“I did, actually.” I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear, relieved at the diversion. “She’s mildly obsessed with dinosaurs. We’ve watched every possible age-appropriate show on them millions of times and have tons of books. You want a direct line to her heart; dinosaurs are the quickest path.”

“I’ll have to remember that.” He returns his gaze to Sophie, a twinkle in his eyes. “You know, when I was little I had aniguana named Bruce Willis? He always reminded me of a little dinosaur.”

“Who’s Bruce Willis?” Sophie wrinkles her nose, and he laughs.

“Just an actor. My father was mildly obsessed with theDie Hardfilms,” he explains.

“Oh.” Sophie turns to me, eyes wide. “Can I get an iguana?”

“Um . . .”

“Whoops. Didn’t think that one through. Sorry.” Teagan winces and I can’t help but laugh.

“Do you have any pictures of him?” Sophie asks.

“I’m sure I do back home. I can probably have my mom send me a few.”

“Cool.” Sophie says over a yawn, then leans into my side, exhaustion evident in the dark half-moons beneath her eyes.

I check the time on my phone and see we’ve been here well over an hour. “It’s getting late. I should probably get Sophie home,” I say, reaching into my purse for my wallet. I’m pleased to see that while I was talking to Chance, Teagan stayed true to his word and had the waitress bring separate checks.

Once we pay, I slide out of the booth and scoop her and Betty into my arms while Teagan takes her book. The sky is clear and the air crisp with the promise of fall, but September in Cumberland is still warm.

Perfect porch-sitting weather, I think. And soon, I’ll have one of my own where I can spend all my nights.

When we reach my car, I hit the key fob, and Teagan opens the door to the back seat where I gently sit Sophie inside.

“I had a lot of fun. Thank you for this,” I say, unable to fight my smile.

Teagan turns back to me and slides his hands in his pockets. “Any time,bud.” He grins, offering me a playful punch to the arm, and I laugh.