Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Eventually, I pulled out, even though I’d been enjoying her warmth and could have easily gone for round two if I’d had another condom handy.
When she turned around to face me, I whispered, “I want a kiss.”
Just as she’d leaned in to comply, I heard rustling in the kitchen.
We froze in unison.
I mouthed silently, “Fuck.”
Looking through the small slats in the pantry door, I realized we were about to be way more fucked than we’d ever imagined.
Alex was in the kitchen. He must have come down for a drink, or worse—a snack.
Please don’t let it be a goddamn snack. Because most of his options were in here.
We couldn’t even react verbally to what was happening, because he might have heard us. All we could do was not move—not even to pull up our damn pants—and pray he came nowhere near this closet. I’d hold the door closed if I had to, with every bit of strength in me. No way in hell was I going to let this kid see me in the closet with his half-naked mother while a fully loaded condom hung off my dick. I’d rather die.
The refrigerator opened. I couldn’t see that clearly, but it sounded like maybe he’d taken a drink out of a carton since I didn’t hear him going to the cabinet for a cup. Then came the sound of the refrigerator closing, followed by footsteps fading away in the distance.
That was the biggest bullet I’d ever dodged in my life.
Presley and I continued to breathe against each other. I pulled her closer and could feel her heartbeat racing. Mine was going even faster.
I placed my forehead against hers. “It’s okay.”
“We have to stop,” she whispered.
Yeah. We will—for tonight.
CHAPTER 18
* * *
Presley
Just when I thought nothing else could screw with my head, being back at Beaufort High School had me wrestling a kaleidoscope of new emotions.
Behind me were the bleachers. I looked up at the announcer’s booth and then counted four rows down to the place my friends and I had sat for every football game for four years of high school. I used to love watching Tanner play. If I closed my eyes, I could probably still see the faces of the cheering Friday-night crowd. Heck, if I inhaled deeply enough, I might even smell hot dogs and pretzels. We’d had some good times here. Thinking about it caused a dull ache in my chest.
But turning around and looking out at the field in front of me caused an even bigger tangle of emotions. Tryouts were over now, though a lot of the kids had hung around after to throw the ball with Levi. He was currently in the middle of a game of two-hand touch, with my son as his running back. Levi dropped back to throw the ball, and Alex ran long. The smile on my son’s face lit up the field brighter than the lights at a Friday-night game. I’d already taken all of the photos Levi’s agent needed, yet I lifted the camera and shot more. These weren’t for PR, but for me.
My camera clicked so fast it sounded like someone was typing.
Alex catching the ball.
Alex in mid-air, high-fiving Levi after they scored.
Levi ruffling my son’s hair after he helped him up from the grass.
Levi looking down at my son like a…
Oh my God.
I lost my breath when I realized what I’d been thinking…
Levi was looking down at my son like a proud father.
God, I was probably the worst human being on the planet, but in that moment, I wished Levi was Alex’s father and not Tanner. In the few months I’d been back in Beaufort, the two of them had already spent more time together than Tanner had spent with Alex during his lifetime. That was a pretty sad realization.
I took down my camera and watched how Levi taught him things, how he always seemed to keep his eye on where Alex was, even while throwing the football to another player or running the offensive line. He was protective, truly a natural parent.
Yet here I was, still using my son as an excuse to keep my distance from Levi, while the truth of the matter was, Alex flourished around the man. Of course, if our relationship were to continue and things didn’t work out between Levi and me, it would be difficult for Alex. But wouldn’t that be a risk I’d have to take with any man? And unlike a random stranger, in my heart I knew Levi was in my son’s life for good now, regardless of what happened between the two of us.
A little while later, Alex was playing quarterback instead of Levi. He looked right to find a receiver, and when he dropped back to throw the ball, one of the high school kids on the other team ran at him from the left and tagged him a little too hard. Alex flew in the air and landed on his ass. Levi was by his side in two seconds, making sure he was okay.