Stone

“This is so cool,” one kid says to another. “Did you know he went to our school?”

“That was a long time ago,” the other kid says, sounding not at all impressed.

I’m smiling, although it’s forced.

Up to this point, I haven’t been bothered by the fact that there are over a hundred kids here to see me and Snyder. Savannah set it up so that they came to see the last part of practice, but now I’m being ushered around by one of Savannah’s assistants as they move the kids to the end zone.

“It doesn’t matter,” the first kid counters. “He’s Jason Stone. Who cares how long it’s been?”

“But he’s not Adam Richter,” the other kid states. “And my dad says he’s not as good.”

Adam Richter? Seriously? He was the previous quarterback for the Dallas Wranglers. He was forced into retirement last year, after a dirty hit broke his back. Hence the reason the Wranglers snatched up Michael Edelston—the rookie I replaced.

“No, he’s better.”

That makes me smile.

“You ready for this?” Snyder asks, nudging my shoulder as we move around the huddle of elementary-school students being situated in long lines.

“Not even a little bit,” I mutter.

“Don’t worry, man. I got your back.”

More like, he’s going to have to lead the charge. No, I’m not at all worried that something inappropriate is going to come out of my mouth. I spent last evening talking to my mother, prepping myself. She was excited for me, as she always is.

Sure, I understand the appeal for these kids. I was in their shoes at one point. However, I do have to find something to talk to them about and that might be an issue. They might be little kids, but their eyes seem to follow me everywhere and the only thing I can think about is them laughing at me when I can’t find the right words to say.

This might not be my first rodeo, but that doesn’t mean I’ve completely overcome the anxiety.

“Dude, this is cool,” Snyder says. “Do you even remember elementary school?”

I hear the teasing in his tone, and I smile despite the obvious jab.

“Oh, I remember,” I tell the rookie. “I guess you do, too, since it was what? Last year?”

Snyder laughs, then his voice drops to barely above a whisper. “I would’ve given my left nut for a chance to see my favorite players up close like this.”

Well, when he puts it that way.

I take a second to scan the group, noticing the familiar T-shirt with my elementary school’s mascot on the front. The kids are all smiling, laughing, talking to one another as teachers do their best to get them in some sort of orderly fashion.

I see Savannah talking to one of the teachers. As if she notices me watching her, her eyes slide over to mine. She shoots a sweet smile and I find myself smiling back at her. I haven’t seen her since early yesterday morning when I left her place after we shared breakfast together. Well, technically, we shared another orgasm or two after that, but then I left. For some reason, we both seem to be inserting a little space between us. I’m not sure why that is, other than we both know that this is heading somewhere neither of us is prepared for.

At one point, I would’ve said I wasn’t ready, but that’s not true. For whatever reason, this feels right to me. In ways I hadn’t expected. However, I don’t have the first clue what the next steps are and truth is, I shouldn’t even be worried about that right now. The season is winding down, and we’ve already clinched a spot in the playoffs. The question now is whether we’ll take first place or not. Only one more game will determine that. That should be my only focus right now.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

My gaze swings over to a little girl sitting in the front row. I smile down at her.

“Actually, I…” I glance over at Savannah momentarily, then turn back to the little girl. “No, but I like someone.”

“You do?” another little girl asks, clearly shocked by my response. “What’s her name?”

Knowing I can’t out Savannah like that, I smile. “That’s a secret.”

“I can keep a secret.”

I grin. “I’m sure you can, but see those?” I point toward the cameras. “They can’t.”

Several kids laugh.

“Did you play football when you were in third grade?” a boy in the third row asks.

“Not officially,” I tell him. “But I did play with some of my friends.”

“Me and my friends play football.”

“Do you?” I take a step closer to the group. “What position do you play?”

“Quarterback,” he says. “Like you.”

“That’s a great position to play.”

Another little boy lifts his head. “My dad says I should be a running back ’cause I’m fast.”

“That’s the best position to play,” Snyder says, his enthusiasm evident. He steps up beside me. “Then you get to hang out with the QB all the time.”

“I wanna hang out with the QB,” another kid notes. “But I’m too small to play.”

“Says who?” I ask.

The kid shrugs.

“What do you eat for dinner?” Snyder asks him.

“Pizza. Sometimes chicken nuggets.”

“Do you eat salad?” I ask, speaking to more of the group.

“Ooh, yuck.”

I knew I would get that reaction, but it makes me laugh anyway. “Yeah. I don’t like salad either. What about fruit?” I peer around at all the faces. “Raise your hand if you eat fruit.”

Almost all the hands go up.

“What’s your favorite fruit?” Snyder asks, pointing to a little girl in the front.

“Bananas,” she answers quickly.

Snyder points to another, then another, all of them announcing their favorite fruit.

As I stand there, engaging with the group of kids, Snyder standing beside me and Savannah watching from the sidelines, I have to wonder whether I’m really ready to give this up.

Sure, I’ll likely get a job as a commentator, still be immersed in the sport. However, I won’t have this, nor will I have the fans and the excitement that comes with running out onto the field.

Snyder nudges me. “Your turn, bro. Tell ’em what your favorite fruit is.”

“Apples,” I answer honestly, my eyes instantly shooting over to Savannah.

When I see her smile, the way she’s watching me, suddenly, I’m feeling ten feet tall and bulletproof again.

Yeah. I really don’t know if I’m ready to give anything up.

Savannah

“Why do you have to?” I ask Stone as we’re walking through the hallway toward the exit to the parking lot. We’ve spent the last few minutes discussing how everything went. He mentioned that he doesn’t think he is ready to give it all up, which is the perfect segue for me, I know.

From my perspective, the event exceeded any and all of my expectations. Jason Stone is a true inspiration. Not only to kids, but to adults alike. He had the kids laughing and smiling, the teachers relaxing. The man was meant to be a star, meant to be in front of people.

He seems a little subdued, and I’m not sure why that is. Or, that could just be me projecting because I’m not sure what’s going on between us right now. Ever since the moment we shared at my place, things have been a little tense between us.

But I’m trying to keep business and personal separate today, although it’s been difficult because I’m just so in awe of Stone, of how he handled things today. It seems every time he opens his mouth, he makes me like him a little more.

Personally, I’m trying to figure out why he would possibly want to retire, to give this all up. Never once did I see him stumble over an answer, never did his smile falter, and his shoulders seemed to be less tense. I’d go so far as to say he was having fun. And he had the kids so engaged, laughing as he teased Snyder, even cheering. Him and Snyder both. They make quite the pair.

He shrugs. “I’m not sure.”

“Is it what you want?” I ask. “To retire?”

Another shrug. “Right now, I don’t know what I want.”

I get the feeling there’s a wealth of emotion behind that statement, but he doesn’t seem willing to answer. After the phone call from my father this morning, telling me he expects some sort of update on where Stone stands, I know I have to pursue this a little more.

“Okay. So say we win the Super Bowl. Will you still want to retire? Give this up?”

Stone pushes open the door and holds it as I move in front of him. I wait until he’s beside me again.

“Can I take you to dinner?” he asks, totally ignoring my question.

I stop moving and turn to face him. “Dinner?”

“Yeah, you know, the meal between lunch and breakfast?”

He’s smiling, so I take that as a good sign.

“I could eat,” I tell him, using his phrase.

“Good. Me, too.”

“I’ll drive?” I didn’t mean to phrase it as a question, but since he offered dinner, I don’t really know what his plans are.

“How ’bout I drive for once?”

I nod. I’m okay with that.

I’ve missed him since Monday morning. Neither of us texted or called the other, but I haven’t let that bother me. We’re both extremely busy. Plus, I’ve needed the time to hash it all out in my head, trying to figure out where—if anywhere—this thing between us is going.

I don’t resume the conversation until we’re in his Escalade and he’s pulling out of the parking lot.

“Thank you for doing this today,” I say. “I really think it went well.”

“I had a good time.”

I shift so that I can face him. “Stone, you’re a natural at this. The way you entertained those kids…That’s part of it, right? Not only being out on the field, but spending time with the fans, letting them see the real you. If you retire, you won’t have that.”

“I get that, Savannah. I do.” He clearly doesn’t want to talk about this.

“But there are other things to consider?” I probe, wanting him to open up.

“Yeah,” he says with a huff. “Things like Luke Devereaux and the bullshit that comes along with being in the public eye.”

“Fuck Luke Devereaux,” I snap. “He doesn’t get to take this away from you. Did you like hanging out with the kids?”

“I did. I’ve never had a problem with these things,” he admits.

For some reason, I don’t think he’s necessarily talking about the kids or the event. Rather than make an assumption, I wait for him to continue.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t, which leaves an awkward silence lingering between us.

When he pulls the SUV into Texas Roadhouse, I smile to myself. I like that we’re on the same page when it comes to restaurants. In fact, I like that we have so much in common.

I meet him at the front of the Escalade, and once again he stuns me when he takes my hand and leads me into the restaurant. My first instinct is to pull away because I don’t want to take the chance that someone might see us. But I don’t pull away because, truthfully, I want him to touch me more than I care what other people might see or think.

Unless, of course, those people include my father and brothers. I really need to give them an update on what’s going on. And I need to find a way to tell them the truth.

The waitress seats us quickly, placing us in a booth in the back. We’ve got a little privacy for now, but that’ll likely change as the dinner crowd arrives.

“Did you tell your mom about today’s event?” I ask, trying to make small talk after the waitress takes our order and delivers our drinks.

“I did,” he says.

“Next time, you should invite her out. She’s more than welcome to come to any of the events.”

One dark eyebrow slowly lifts. “She would like that.”

“Good. Then, I’ll make sure I get her a pass or an invite.”

“Are you planning more?”

I detect a hint of concern in his voice.

“I was thinking about it.” I offer a small smile. “Why?”

He meets my gaze. “Right now, I need to focus on the game, Savannah. With the playoffs coming up, I can’t divide myself like that.”

I nod, understanding. “Okay.”

Stone shakes his head slightly, then glances away from me. “It’s not that I don’t want to do them, but I really don’t have time for anything more.”

Now I’m curious as to whether he’s talking merely about press interactions or if this has something to do with us.

I reach for his hand, unable to help myself. I know what this looks like on the outside, but I can’t bring myself to care. Although I know we both agreed—maybe not officially—that we didn’t want anything serious, I can’t help but think this is going in that direction.

“Does that mean we need to take a break?”

When Stone meets my gaze again, I can tell he’s thinking hard about something. “No. That’s not…no.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” His response is too quick, too clipped for me to believe him.

“Did I do something?”

Stone’s eyes soften and he shakes his head. “I’m just…” He shrugs.

I give his hand a slight squeeze, then let go. “I didn’t mean to make this about us. I mean…I’m not assuming there is an us. Just that…”

The smile that curls the side of his mouth is both sexy and sweet. “Oh, there’s an us.”

I can’t help but stare at him, completely intrigued by the heat in his gaze. I don’t know where this thing is going, but I’m happy to see we’re on the same page.

“Definitely an us,” he clarifies.

“Good.” I sit up straight, exhaling. I know I need to lighten things up before we get too immersed in something that doesn’t need to be hashed out right now. “Then what d’ya say we eat dinner, then maybe go do somethin’ else after.”

“Like what?”

It’s my turn to shrug. “I’ll let you pick. Whatever you want.”

“Whatever I want, huh?”

The way he says it has my body heating. The glimmer in his dark eyes doesn’t help to cool me off either. I give a slight nod.

“All right then.”

“So, what are we gonna do?”

He shakes his head. “Not telling you yet. You’ll find out after dinner.”

“Does it involve a cheerleader outfit?” I say it teasingly, but I can’t help but wonder if the man is going to eventually convince me to dress up for him. The idea isn’t completely absurd. In fact, it’s kind of hot.

Stone’s dark gaze lingers on mine for a second.

Great. And now the man has me coiled in suspense. It’ll be a wonder if I can eat anything at all.

Then again, knowing Stone, I should eat everything. I’ll probably need the energy.

I hope.