Page 19 of Make Your Move

She nods in agreement. “I hope so. Just to be safe, Riley came over and stayed when she was able to.” She pauses, her eyes slowly looking between both of mine. “You remember her, right?”

Riley Harris has been Nova’s best friend for as long as I can remember. She’s one of the most straightforward and blunt people I’ve ever met, and honestly, it’s kind of refreshing. You always know you’re going to get the truth from Riley, even if you don’t like what she has to say.

“I do remember her,” I tell her, nodding. “I’m glad she came to stay with you so you weren’t alone.”

“Me too,” she says quietly as she directs her gaze down to her hands. She runs her right thumb over the left’s nail. A soft pink polish coats them.

I can’t help but wonder if Riley is the only one who came to see her…and I decide to take a page from her book.

“Is she the only one who came to keep you company?”

Nova whips her head to the side as a wave of surprise passes over her expression. Her blue eyes meet mine. “Yes. I don’t have time to entertain other…company.”

Relief floods me, and I stare back at her. She seems to know exactly what I was asking. I’m glad to know there’s no one in her life like that. “I understand that.”

She doesn’t break eye contact, and her tongue darts out to wet her lips before she speaks. “What about you?”

“What about me?” I question her, knowing exactly what she’s asking, but I want to hear her say the words.Ask me if I’m single, Nova.

“Who are you entertaining nowadays?”

I’d love to entertain you.

The corners of my mouth twitch. “No one,” I tell her honestly. There have been a few women in the past, but nothing long lasting. None of them were the type I would bring home to my family. Since Nash, his family, and the guys were the closest thing I had to one, I know none of them would have approved.

And there was no one I would have wanted to bring home for them to meet.

Those women were just passing moments—someone to occupy my time with and to make me feel a little less alone on those lonely nights.

I can’t even imagine bringing someone back here now. I wouldn’t even want to. Nova Simmons is the only one I want to occupy my time—even if it’s just as friends.

Nova’s throat shifts as she swallows. Her lips part, a shallow breath escaping her as the subtlest pink hues dances across her cheeks. “That’s good to know.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhm,” she murmurs, nodding as she mimics my movements and props her elbow on the counter and sets her chin on her hand. Her face is free of makeup, and I love howcomfortable she is in her skin. Nova has always been so sure of herself and what she wants out of life.

I stare at her for a second, my stomach feeling like it’s floating. I pull out my phone, tapping on one of the ticket apps as I scroll through available seats. “Did Nash get you tickets to the home opener?”

She raises an eyebrow at me as she sits up straight. “No, not yet. He mentioned it, but didn’t say anything else.”

“Good,” I tell her, smiling to myself as I find seats in a suite box and select two of them. I can feel Nova’s eyes on me as she waits for me to say something.

“Why do you ask?”

The transaction is complete, and I send her the link for the tickets through a text message. I lift my eyes to hers as her phone dings on the counter. She raises an eyebrow at me, and I say nothing as I wait. Nova picks it up, unlocks the screen, and her eyes scroll through the text.

“What is this?”

“Tickets for you and Poe,” I tell her as she lifts her gaze back to mine. “I figured Nash was going to invite you, but I wanted to beat him to it.”

Nova’s eyes are soft and warm, gentle and tender as they penetrate mine. “You didn’t have to do that, Lincoln.”

“I wanted to.”

She shakes her head, almost as if she doesn’t want them. “Let me at least pay you back for them.”

I realize how forward the action was, even if it was coming from a good place. I don’t want her to feel pressured or anything negative. “If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

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