Page 33 of Touchdowns and Temptations

“But I wanted a girl,” I grumble, which makes her laugh.

“Me too,” she replies, “but Caleb is very excited about having a son.”

“I'm sure he is,” I mutter. It was so obvious that a man like Caleb would want an heir, a firstborn. Whether the child is healthy or not is probably irrelevant.

In the end, I still hope it's the right decision for my best friend and that she won't regret being with him one day.

“We are very happy,” Marina continues as my phone vibrates and I look at it.

+ 1 new message from Noah

Out of respect for my friend, I don't answer it. I stay focused on our conversation, which is anything but easy for me. My fingers itch to see what he has written. Last week I went to the opening game with my parents and saw him win. We also met up once to explore Boston, and then he went to his first road game in Seattle. Unfortunately, the Boston Foxes lost the game. Noah was pretty frustrated.

To be honest, I don't know how I got into this whole thing. But suddenly he's so present in my life, and I think we could really be friends. My embarrassing request for a kiss is long forgotten, and I've been very careful not to get close to him since. I want to try to build a real friendship with him.

“And you?” asks Marina, sipping her water. “How are things going with Noah?”

That brings the subject back to him. Doesn't she have anything more to say about the baby?

Apparently not.

Marina knows there's nothing going on between us. But she keeps asking me about him. It's like a long, annoying record.

“There's nothing going on with Noah,” I reply, annoyed. “We're friends.”

“Who says my question is on a sexual level?”

“Everyone who knows you,” I reply matter-of-factly.

“Okay,” she says, grinning at me. “How's your friendship going?”

Maybe I'll just tell Marina what she wants to hear and that'll be the end of it. But that's not right. Noah and I are friends. She shouldn't read more into it.

In her eyes, Noah is the absolute jackpot for me.

“Good,” I say. “Our friendship is good. We do a lot together.”

“And?”

“And what?” I ask skeptically.

“Damn, Cara.” Marina rolls her eyes. “You're not telling me you have a purely platonic friendship with this really hot guy, are you?”

I don't think it's that far-fetched that we're friends. Noah and I get along well and have the same interests. We both like fast cars, love to shove greasy pizza down our throats, and enjoy the same comedy shows on TV. Outside of work, he's good for me. It's nice to spend time with someone who likes football but doesn't talk about it or my dad all the time.

“Actually, yes,” I reply. “Why don't you believe me?”

“Because in my eyes it's complete nonsense.”

“In your eyes?” I ask, raising my eyebrows. “Why can't you leave me alone?”

As soon as I say it, I bite my lip. Shit, I didn't want to say it like that. I didn't want to blame her. I know she doesn't begrudge me.

“You think I am judging you?” she hisses. Since she got pregnant, she has become much more sensitive. Things she used to laugh about are now big drama. I always manage to say something that upsets her, or worse, makes her cry.

“No!” I yell. “I never meant to say that.”

“Really?” she asks pointedly.

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