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I can’t help but bark out a laugh. “God no. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler.”I’m sure he has enough crazies around him that they don’t need to throw me into the mix.
“You sound like you know your football.”
I shrug, being a little coy. No one likes a know-it-all. “You couldn’t get away from football in my house growing up. Myfather was a high school football coach and my grandfather is a diehard Wildcats fan to this day.”
“Aww,” Paula says. “That is so adorable. Well, I’m sure Micah was pleased to find out he has such loyal fans.”
“I promise I’m not crazy,” I joke, then tension making my hands shake.
“Is that what you would tell him if he was here right now?”
“That and Go Wildcats!”
The crowd cheers, and I pet Athena absentmindedly to try to calm myself down. This is actually going well. Despite wanting to puke all morning, I might actually pull this off if we’re nearly done.
“Well, let’s see what he has to say!” Paula yells, and my face falls before my mind can even comprehend her words.
She gestures toward the TV, and a handsome face appears on the screen. Relief floods through me that they’re not going to have him running out of the back or something. “Hi, Raeann, this is Micah Freeman. I hear you’re a fan. Thanks for supporting the Wildcats.” The Wildcats growl sounds, and then the picture blips out.
There goes his adorable dimples and his perfectly manicured facial hair. Soulful brown eyes, brown hair swept to the side. That overly cocky smile. I mean, if I had to pick a fake husband during a medically induced haze, it was going to be him.
“He said your name!” Paula says excitedly.
“He said my name,” I confirm. Thankfully, that’s all he said. From the moment I recovered from the good stuff and Tab played me the video she put up on social media, I wasn’t that worried. It was a cute slice of life snippet that showed Athena rocking an adorable outfit that we sold in our stores. It wasn’t until the views started pouring in and everything seemed to steamroll that I got anxious. Fears of being seen. Fears of being thought that I was stupid or crazy or some other awful, terriblething. I have enough anxiety with my simple life. I don’t need to add to it by worrying about what everyone else thinks of me. “That was cool of him. Thanks, Micah.”
“Well, you can thank him in person. Micah Freeman, come on out!”
My stomach drops immediately and I’m free-falling through a rush of horror.
This isn’t happening. Please be a joke.
It’s not.
Micah Freeman jogs out of the same place I was in only a few minutes ago, except his entrance is effortless. He waves at the crowd, a charming smile on his face. Paula’s team brings another chair to the stage next to hers while they greet each other, and I’m too stunned to move. Nothing works. My feet. My hands. I might as well be moss growing on a fallen tree limb in a dark, dense forest.
The moment I’ve dreaded since the video went viral just sucker punched me on live TV.
Micah releases Paula from a hug before rounding the coffee table and walking toward me. By some grace of something otherworldly, I get to my feet without falling over. He hugs me, and I stand there, his wide torso completely enveloping me, his strong arms like stone. I remind myself to breathe, but then I get a whiff of his cologne and I almost die on the spot.
He smells so good. Like rain showers in the jungle and earthy sandalwood. Like nature and eau de man had to come together to make something not from this world.
“Nice to meet you.” His sexy baritone reverberates in my ear and echoes through my whole body.
I don’t think I utter a single word. I don’t even think my face reacts enough to smile. He lets me go, pulling away. His gaze lands on mine, and I’m once again struck utterly dumb. The corner of his lip tips up, accentuating that dimple, and ifsmoldering was a look, I get the full force of it. His brown eyes, captivating and intense, pin me in place—so much so that I can barely breathe. His stare wanders down and back up, and I swear his eyes shift in front of me. His smile melts, replaced by a feather in his jaw that thrums, nearly matching the beat of my heart.
I’m still in shock when his attention is torn away. “Oh, hey there,” he coos.
I glance over to see what he’s focused on, and Athena is on her hind legs, tail wagging as her paws find Micah’s chest.
“So cute,” he murmurs.
The crowd is loving it. He pats her on the head. But then I see the slight shift in her.
Her feet turn in.
She latches.
Then she starts going to town on Micah Freeman’s leg.