Page 103 of Secret Love

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

IN A SPLIT SECOND

HENLEY

I jog out onto Clarity Field’s sidelines. Colorado is still feeling a spike of heat even though it’s the end of September. I’m tired and missing Tru and the girls after an intense week of practices, but I’m in the middle of a great game. It’s halftime, we’re up by fourteen, and Coach Evans just gave the halftime speech of a lifetime back in the locker room. We’re pumped, and with good reason. Besides the loss to the Vikings last week, we’ve wonevery other game this season. And I’m ready to make up for that loss tonight.

Tru is up in the suite with our friends and family and I look up there to see if I can catch a glimpse of her. She’s wearing my jersey and it just does something for me. My family adores her. My parents have visited several times since we’ve been dating, and they prefer her to me. I don’t blame them. I prefer her too. Pretty sure my girls feel the same. All three of them hog her when they’re over, and she says she loves every second.

I only have one complaint: Tru is insistent that there is no PDA around the girls. I’m trying to change her mind about that, but she’s stubborn. She more than makes up for it whenever we’re alone though.

We have regular game nights with the girls now and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much. It hit home one night when I dropped the girls off and Audrey said, “You smile a lot now, Dad.”

I met her eye in the mirror and could tell her eyes were smiling.

“You think so?” Yeah, I’m cheesing right back at her.

Cassidy pointed at me, laughing. “You look like that all the time.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re in lurve,” she sang.

“I am,” I said. “Iam.”

“TMI.” Cassidy held her hands over her ears.

“I like lurve,” Gracie said, laughing.

“Me too,” Audrey said.

“Me three,” I chimed in.

“Ugh, you guys are nauseating,” Cassidy said, but she laughed, and when she looked over at me, she put her hand on my shoulder and shook me. “Tru’s good for you,” she said softly.

I don’t think I’ve ever been any prouder or happier than I was right then.

Jeremy says I need to put a ring on it and coming from him, that’s the highest praise. He’s happily married, but after Bree and I divorced, he was all about me living the bachelor life. He’s singing a different tune now that he knows Tru.

I’d be happy if I could convince her to move in with me. Her mom is doing great, moving forward with a divorce and fitting in to the Silver Hills life, but Tru is still hesitant to move out and leave her.

I’m more than ready. It just feels right when she’s there. I glance up at the box again, my thoughts on getting caught with her in the rain a few nights ago. She was in jean shorts, not her typical attire, but she looked so damn cute in them, I hauled her onto my shoulders. Instead of wanting to run inside, she leaned over and kissed me. We ended up under the eave of the pool house, her jean shorts history, as we created a storm of our own. She was still hoarse yesterday from screaming out my name.

Fuck.

I swipe my hand down my face, trying to cover my grin. I can’t think about any of that in these football tights, as she still calls them.

Liver and onions.

Curdled milk.

Roadkill.

Those sad puppy eyes on the heartbreaking ASPCA commercials.

Okay, dick crisis mostly averted.

“You ready?” Coach Evans asks.

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