Page 34 of The Air I Breathe

"I'm too old to change."

I glance up at him. "You can't be that much older than we are."

"Forty-seven." He folds his arms over his chest, and I don't see a wedding ring. That's interesting—I might have to ask Blake about it later. There are a few people in my life I could set him up with.

"You're a young coach," I comment.

"He's always been good at his job, even when he was trying to get me to come to early practices." Blake gives a playful punch to the coach's arm. "C'mon, let me introduce you to everyone else."

I stick to his side because I like the fact that he's bigger and taller than me. When I'm beside him, I feel safe, like there's nothing that's going to harm me, even though I'm usually surrounded by security. I'm always on edge, but with him, I don't feel as if I need to watch every single person around me and wonder if they're going to hurt me.

"I'm a big fan, and so is my girlfriend." A big guy with curly hair cut into a fauxhawk.

"Wait, you're Moose, right? You're the one who helped make this happen." I gesture between Blake and myself.

"I did, and I'd like for everyone in the world to know that if it wasn't for me, he'd still be trying to get your number." Moose smacks Blake in the stomach.

"I appreciate you." I reach over, giving him a hug. "It's never easy for me to do the things I want, and you helped facilitate. Believe it or not, people don't tend to help me when I ask. They think I'll write a song about them later, or that they'll end up being on the cover of some magazine. You didn't have to do it, but you did, and I thank you for it."

"It really is my pleasure."

I'm whisked around the room. I don't think I will ever remember all these names, but I'll do my best to remember the ones that Blake talks about the most.

When we're done, he puts his arm around my neck. "You ready to go? I've got Novo downtown booked. We can enjoy a dinner and not have to worry about a ton of people watching. My friends love social media though, and they will most definitely be sharing pics and videos. Is that okay with you?"

I love that he's asking me. The last long-term relationship I had? Mercer never cared about what I wanted, or what would have been easier for me. He just didn't want me to be an inconvenience to his life. No matter how much he said he loved me, he didn't want to change anything about himself, although I had to change things about me to be with him. At first I was so in love, it didn't matter. I was willing to do whatever he wanted, but I was lying to convince both of us.

It wasn't until right before the miscarriage that I was starting to see things for what they really were. But those last few months? They were the worst. All I've ever wanted is to be with someone who wants to be with me. Someone who can handle everything that comes with being with Willa and who loves me for me. What if I’ve already found that man?

Giving Blake a smile, I reach out, grabbing his hand. "That's okay with me. Let's go."

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Blake

"Can I get the steak, medium, with a loaded baked potato and broccoli on the side?" I ask the waitress as she takes our order at Novo. My stomach is growling, but I'm more focused on what's going on with Willa. She's sitting next to Russell and across from Moose.

"It was amazing watching what was going on from up there. Now granted, I haven’t been to many professional games before. I've sung the national anthem, and then left after about a quarter. So I can't say I've ever been able to feel that electricity, but I can't wait to do it again."

Moose takes a drink from his beer. "We're excited for you to be there again. I don't know if you've seen all the videos and stuff."

"Uh yeah." She laughs as she hands her menu up to the waitress. "Grilled chicken with broccoli and the Caesar salad, but be sure to bring me a dessert menu when we're done. That's what I'm here for."

That's what we're all here for.

"Sure thing." The waitress smiles down at her, seeming as enamored with her as we are.

"There're always videos after I've been somewhere, and I knew there would be a ton after I decided to show up tonight. I don't tend to post them myself, but I let everyone else do what they want to do. I can curate my own social media, but I can't curate anyone else's, so I just have fun with it. I'm going to live my life regardless, and they are going to say whatever they want regardless, so I may as well not worry about it anymore." She shrugs "But I can't wait to see what people said about me being there. I'm sure there will be a huge difference of opinion."

I put my arm around the back of her chair, pulling her close. She tilts her head, resting it on my shoulder. I take the moment and drop a kiss on the top of her blonde hair. Softly, I say in her ear. "Thank you for coming."

"You don't have to thank me. It was fun. I can't wait to come to another one. Maybe I'll even travel to an away game and see what that looks like."

I lean in, my lips brushing against her ear. "It's definitely not as fun as our stadium. The Warriors have the best fans at home, and I stand by that."

"I'd have to agree with that. They were up and jumping every single time someone made a catch, block, or just when there was a good song playing on the overhead speaker. It was so exciting." She grabs a piece of the bread that's been put down in front of us, and breaks it apart, before putting half back. “Moderation.” She winks before starting to butter it, and continuing. "That must be what it's like when others go to my concerts."

"It's exactly what it's like. You get swept up in the excitement of everyone around you, and you're trying to figure out if everyone is feeling as good as you are, or if you're the only one having some sort of out-of-body experience as you're listening to the deepest lyrics." I stop for a second, taking a drink of my water. "Then you realize that everyone is having the same type of experience as you and that you're all in it together."

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