Page 12 of Secret Love (The Single Dad Playbook #2)

CHAPTER TWELVE

FIRESIDE CHATS

TRU

I don't know why it surprised me when Henley showed up at the party, but it was a nice surprise.

He looks so good in his shirt and hoodie, unzipped. Relaxed and oh, so hot. Those broad shoulders make it hard to look away. It doesn't help that every time I make eye contact with him, he's looking at me, his brown eyes assessing and playful.

When I texted Mom that the guy I’d met at the grocery store and then had a run-in with ended up being a professional football player, she wanted to know more details immediately.

Mom

HENLEY WARD?!

She’d texted in all caps.

Mom

ONLY YOU COULD GET HIT ON BY THE MOST WELL-KNOWN WIDE RECEIVER OF ALL TIME AND NOT KNOW IT.

I don’t even know what a wide receiver is.

It’ll be a long time before she stops teasing me about meeting someone famous and being clueless.

Everyone I’ve met tonight has been great. I absolutely love Sadie and Felicity, Weston’s sister. I find out that Sadie and Weston are engaged and deep into planning their wedding. I also find out that Sadie is not their adorable little boy’s birth mom. I don't know the full story there, but he is clearly obsessed with Sadie, who he calls Mama.

But he worships the ground Unca Hen walks on, which I have to say does something to my ovaries.

We sit around the fireplace and make s’mores, the handful who are left. Several other players from the team and their spouses left, and it's just me, Henley, Weston, Sadie, Felicity, and Penn. Bowie had to get home to his daughter and Rhodes had to get home to his son. Couches surround the fire and they’re roomy, but these guys are large, so it makes the space feel smaller than it is. Henley is next to me, close enough that his side is touching mine. I’m hyperaware of every move he makes.

It’s dark and cozy now, the firelight flickering across each face. We all chat for a while and then conversations shift and I interact more with the girls while the guys talk about something that happened at the gym.

I love the way the guys all talk about their kids and the way they tease each other. They seem like a really close-knit group and I can tell they adore Sadie too.

Henley stretches his leg out, bumping mine, and I tense. I’m glad it’s dark out here because I have no doubt that I’m flushed.

“Sorry, I’m not trying to hog the couch.” He laughs.

“No worries. It must be hard to know where to put those long legs all the time.”

Ugh. Did I just say that?

He chuckles. “Your long legs must deal with some of that too.”

My heart feels like it’s going to thump out of my skin. Knowing I should stay away from this man while also thinking he’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen is doing a number on me.

“Were any of you friends before you were on the team?” I ask.

I shiver and rub my hand over my arm.

“No, we only met once we were all with the Mustangs. Hang on a sec,” Henley says, standing up.

I watch, trying to keep my mouth from dropping when he takes off his hoodie. His long-sleeved shirt rides up for a second, giving me a glimpse of his six-pack. I swallow hard and give him a weak smile when he hands me his hoodie. He holds it out for me.

“Here you go,” he says.

I refuse to let my feelings trip over themselves just because a guy is chivalrous, but I’ve not had much experience with that, so it’s taking a concerted effort.

“That's so nice of you. Thank you.” I take it and he helps me get my arms in the sleeves.

I inhale deeply and sigh over how good it smells. Just like him. Leather and wood and something sweet.

“Much better.” I smile over at him and he grins back.

I melt.

“Good.” We stare at each other, a long, weighted look.

Is he feeling this overwhelming pull that I am?

I get chatty.

“But this has been the perfect day. This weather's been crazy, right? It’s not normally as warm as it was today, is it? Just cool like this at night,” I say it all a little too fast, but he just calmly shakes his head.

“I’ve never seen it this warm so early in the year,” he says.

“I love it,” I admit.

He leans in and I catch another wave of how delectable he smells.

“It sure was a surprise to see you here tonight,” he says softly.

“You’re probably sick of running into me by now.”

His eyes dance over my face, and the way the light from the fire highlights his chiseled jaw and those smiling eyes, makes my airwaves fluttery.

“Not even close, Tru,” he says. “Do you know how many times I’ve wished I could go back and redo that meeting in your classroom?” He shakes his head.

I give him a sideways glance, smirking, and he laughs under his breath.

“You did make up for it pretty well with those cinnamon rolls,” I have to admit.

“Oh, did that work?” he asks, laughing again. He scrubs his hand over his face. “I wasn't sure if that did the trick or not.”

“It did help.”

“Well, good,” he says. “I was a real jerk.”

“Yep.”

He makes a face and now I’m the one laughing. My marshmallow is perfectly roasted and I take a big bite, barely holding back my moan. I haven’t had one of these in so long.

“So, are you getting settled into teaching at the middle school? Liking Silver Hills, hopefully?”

“I love it,” I tell him, honestly. “We moved a lot growing up, so I’ve been looking for a place that feels like home. And besides Guatemala, even in the short amount of time I’ve been here, this is the closest I’ve come to feeling that way.”

“Guatemala, wow. That must have been an exciting place to live.”

“For me, it was probably because it was the opposite of exciting. It was more the sense of community I felt while I was there. We weren't going nonstop and doing activities all the time, filling it up with busyness like we do here…I don't mean Silver Hills, I mean in the States. Everything felt simpler to me. I made some lifelong friends there that I still keep in touch with…Maria and I still write back and forth.”

“I love that,” he says. “What took you to Guatemala?”

“My dad’s job. He’s an engineer.”

“Interesting. Were you mostly out of the country?”

“No, but my parents are in Australia now. And I’ve lived in California, Texas, Illinois, New York…and spent some time in Boulder.”

He whistles. “That’s all over the place.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what to say when people ask where I’m from.”

He smiles, and it’s really such a lovely smile. He leans in and I gasp when his thumb swipes over my bottom lip.

“You have a little bit of marshmallow…”

My tongue flicks out and I accidentally lick his thumb as he’s pulling it back. We both stare at each other and he grins.

“You got it,” he says.

Then he licks the marshmallow off of his thumb…

And.

I.

Die.

“I’m really glad you're liking it here. Silver Hills is a good place.”

“Uh, did you grow up here?” I ask, somewhat shakily.

“No, actually my family is from Minnesota, and my parents still live there now. But I’ve lived in a few places because of football. This is the place I would have wanted to stay though, even if there’d been another transfer for me to play elsewhere. It’s not going to happen now, at least I’m not planning on playing anywhere else…I’m already playing overtime at this age. Most are retired when they hit thirty-six,” he adds.

He gives me a pointed look when he says that, like he’s letting me know just how old he is. Message received. I swallow hard, wanting to go back to what he said about football.

“That would be hard to stop doing something you love so much…well, I'm assuming you love football since you're still doing it. Maybe you're ready to be done.”

He leans forward, his elbows on his knees. “I do love it so much. I never thought it would take me this far, but it's been amazing. But yeah, I will be okay when it's over too. My body is tired and it's cost me…this job has cost me.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“For one thing, Bree didn't sign up for a professional football husband. And I don't have regrets that things are the way they are now because I know it's how it's supposed to be. We're in a good place. We're friends. It's probably all we ever should have been. But when our marriage fell apart, I didn't quite see it that way.”

“I’ve noticed you two seem close. I wasn't sure if you still hoped to be more or if it really is over,” I admit.

He turns and looks back at me. “No. We're much better off as friends, and I’m content with that.”

The way he looks at me when he says that…I swallow hard. I know he's feeling something too. My hands are shaky as I lift one to push my hair back.

He's your student's father , I remind myself. This can't work.

We stare at each other, the fire twinkling in his eyes, and longing stirs in me.

“Tru, would you like to go—” he starts.

I shoot up. “Oh, I should be getting home. I need to check on my…Earl. I need to check on Earl. And I need to get ready for tomorrow. Dance will come early,” I say, laughing awkwardly.

“Oh, right. Yeah, sure. Can I help you?” He reaches out to grab me before I trip into the fire and I mumble thank you under my breath. I start to shed the hoodie and he shakes his head. “No, it's okay. You keep it. Stay warm.”

“I’ll give it back to you the next time I see you. I promise.”

“Not a big deal,” he says.

The mood is broken and I feel bad because I’m the one who put a halt to how magical things were feeling between us. But what else can I do? I want to get lost in his eyes and possibly jump the guy’s bones, but I can't exactly do that, can I?

Sadie looks up and her face falls when she notices that I'm gathering my purse. “Oh, are you leaving?”

“Yeah, I need to get home and check on my kitten. I feel bad for leaving him for long stretches of time.”

“You should bring him. Next time you come over, bring him.” She gets up and hugs me and Felicity does too.

“I had such a good time. Thank you so much for inviting me.” I turn to Felicity. “And I'm so happy I got to meet you too.”

“Me too,” Felicity says. “Have Sadie bring you to Landmark Mountain sometime. It's a whole other vibe there, but you'll love it.”

“That sounds fun.”

I say bye to everybody, avoiding eye contact with Henley. If he smiles at me one more time, I’m not sure I’ll have the strength to leave. Sadness overrides all the warm fuzzies I’ve had from such a great night, and I walk away feeling like I'm missing out on a chance.

There’s no doubt in my mind that I will regret it later.

Because I already do.