Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 111685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 558(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 558(@200wpm)___ 447(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
Now I hid a grin. “The hardships of being a football god.”
And it was his turn to grunt, finishing the other toast for himself. “There’s the perks, but trust me, there’s cons, too. A shitty pic of you is on Page Nine’s website today.”
“You’re lying.” But I was pulling my phone out, typing in Page Nine, and then swearing. He hadn’t minced words. It was a shitty pic of me. I was pale. My hair a mess. I groaned. “You look like you’re picking up a drug rehab reject.”
The headlines weren’t far off. Mysterious New Love Interest for Reeves? And the article went on to detail how he’d been a regular visitor at the hospital, spotted several times going in and out. Half my face was hidden by his truck, but enough they caught enough of me where it made me think hospitals needed to offer a spa day to patients before allowing them to be released.
“I’m surprised they didn’t get the other shot. That would’ve been better.”
He poured my coffee, took it to his fridge and glanced back. “You still like milk in your coffee?”
“I never drank coffee when we were friends. How’d you know that?”
“I might’ve had a conversation one time with your mom in the grocery store. I was picking up flowers for graduation and she was there.” He lifted his milk from his fridge. “Buying this for you.”
I—I swallowed over a lump. “You have a lot of secret conversations with my mom?” I took the cup as he handed it over, then watched as he poured some green juice in a glass and placed it right next to me.
He pointed at it. “You can’t have coffee if you don’t drink that, too, and maybe a couple more. Random times I saw her. We liked to buy groceries at the same time.”
“Saturday morning.”
He added, “Nine in the morning.” Leaning his back against his counter, he sipped his own coffee. “Course once I realized that was her usual time, I might’ve made sure to always have to pick something up for my mom during that time.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. “It’s like you had a secret affair with my mom, hopefully in a platonic sense.”
He barked out a laugh, his hands going to his shoulders, making his entire chest area bulge up.
Jesus. Those biceps. They flexed just as I was watching them.
Then I stepped into the equivalent of a cold shower as he said, “Your lawyer is coming this morning.”
Right.
Because for thirty minutes there, the image of a shirtless Stone had distracted me from what plagued me all night. “Right.”
“You want me here?”
“Yes.” I said it almost before he finished. I not only wanted him here, I needed him here, too.
I was past trying to be prideful.
A soft chuckle from him. “Can I make more food for you?”
I shook my head. I still hadn’t started on the toast. “Why are you up this early? Isn’t the day after your games for resting?”
“Technically, but I usually get up and head to the gym. I gotta run into the stadium today, too. And speaking of,” He moved to his phone, hitting the screen and scrolling. “Your lawyer will be here around nine this morning, so I’ll plan on going in after that.” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “You want to come with me?”
“Where?”
“To the stadium. I just gotta go in and talk to my coach, then do a few other things. I won’t be there long.”
“Um…”
He cleared his throat, setting his coffee aside and coming to lean over the counter across from me. He was almost staring down at me. “Let me put it this way, both times I’ve left you, I’ve not enjoyed the myriad of phone calls I got later. You’re coming with me where I know you probably won’t get into trouble.”
It was yes, sir. Right away, sir. No, I can’t talk back, sir.
I lifted up the toast, nibbling at the end. My stomach was growling and protesting, but I took a few bites. I knew there’d be a time I’d look back at this day with fondness, where I was trying to make myself eat. Not about all the other stuff, all the reasons why I didn’t feel like eating to begin with.
Except maybe a shirtless Stone, or a stern-talking Stone. I’d make sure to memorialize those moments.
Good Lord. I had a concussion. I was finding Stone attractive. I pondered that, and no. Not at all related. Finding someone attractive and being attracted to someone were totally different. I could recognize Mia and Savannah from the house were both gorgeous, but I didn’t want to jump either of them. It was the same deal here.
And speaking of my housemates, “How long am I staying here?”
“You’re here until I deem you’re able to function in the real world again.”