Page 52 of The Surprise Play (Nolan U Football #3)
ELIZABETH
Holding my breath, I pad out to the kitchen, wondering what my parents are going to say about last night’s escapades.
Dad’s not around, and I sink onto the kitchen stool with a touch of relief.
That poor man.
He’s probably gonna have nightmares for the rest of his life.
“Good morning,” Mom greets me cheerfully.
I smile at her, grateful for the coffee she hands me. “Thanks.” I blow on it and take a sip, testing the temperature.
“Where’s your man?”
“He’s in the shower,” I mumble, heat flushing through me. We both needed cleaning after last night.
My insides tremor, my lips fighting a grin as I momentarily relive our lovemaking. It wasn’t just once either. He nudged me awake with soft kisses sometime in the early hours of the morning, and we had each other all over again.
Will my body ever recover?
I’m not sure.
Do I ever want it to?
Not really.
Smirking into my mug, I take another sip and don’t even notice my surroundings until Mom starts giggling at me. “You’ve got it bad, Bessie Boo.”
I can’t do anything but laugh along with her.
My cheeks must be fire-engine red right now, but I look up at her anyway. “He’s so amazing, Mom.”
“He certainly looked it.” She waggles her eyebrows at me, then laughs off my baleful glare. “Oh, stop. He’s gorgeous. There’s no denying that.”
“It’s true.” I give her a dreamy smile.
“But he’s more than that.” She tips her head, going back to stir the oatmeal on the stove. She’s added nutmeg and cinnamon. I sniff the air, already looking forward to it. “He’s kind, sweetie. And, unfortunately, that can be a rare quality in a man.”
“Dad’s kind.”
“Oh, yes, he is.” Mom grins.
And I can’t help a wince. “Is he okay? After last night?”
She covers her mouth, laughing behind her fingers. “Not sure he ever wanted to see you that way, but he’ll recover.”
I groan, hiding my face behind my fingers.
“It’s funny.” Mom laughs.
“It’s embarrassing!” My hands hit the counter when my arms flop down. “Seriously, Mom. That’s like a living nightmare.”
“Oh stop. It’s not. We caught our daughter getting frisky with a man she loves. A man who loves her back. That is a beautiful, natural thing, my darling girl.”
“I do love him,” I admit.
“I could tell the second you two walked through the front door.” She beams at me. “And I’m so happy for you, sweetheart. You deserve a good man in your life.”
I brush away her words and focus on my coffee, curling my fingers around the mug as I watch her move around the kitchen the way I have thousands of times before.
She’s my mom, and I couldn’t love her more if I tried.
She’s the person I’ve always trusted most. Her and Dad.
So, it’s probably okay for me to say what’s on my mind.
“It doesn’t feel real sometimes, you know?” I purse my lips and force myself to say it. “Guys like him don’t fall for girls like me.”
“What?” Mom turns to face me. “You mean funny, talented, intelligent, sweet girls like you? Yes, they do. They fall for them all the time.”
“No, Mom.” I frown at her. “You know what I mean.”
“No.” Her voice gets firm, her expression hardening to match.
“What I do understand is that my beautiful, amazing daughter has found herself a boyfriend who knows her well enough to buy the perfect birthday presents and thinks she’s so sexy he can’t even go one night without sharing a bed with her. That’s what I know.”
My lips twitch and I try to soak in her compliments, wondering how I’ll ever explain this so she’ll understand .
Wily is wonderful.
He’s so incredibly wonderful.
And he’s sexy as all get-out.
He could have any girl in the world.
Which makes me worry that this thing we’ve got going can’t possibly last.
He told you he loves you. He gave you a coyote necklace so he’ll always be with you.
My brain is begging me to believe it. But some small part of me is still struggling…
Because I’m me… and every time something amazing like this happens, something horrible comes along to screw it up.