Page 25 of Her Football Star Ex

“So you were watching me finish my dinner alone?” she asked, and it looked like her cheeks were slightly flushed more pink than they already were from the cold.

“I wasn’t watching, I justnoticedyou,” I clarified.

“And did you send my date a thumbs-up on his way out for his good sense in dodging this bullet?”

“No.” I furrowed my brow. “I wouldn’t do that.” Yes, maybe I had peeked over in her direction several times once I knew she was sitting in the same section of the restaurant as us. But did she really think I’d rejoice because a guy walked out on her?

“Sure.” She started heading toward the parking lot again.

I jogged to catch up. “I don’t know why the guy had to leave early, but if it was because he’s a jerk, I hope you know me well enough to know that I wouldn’t be happy about that.”

She stopped walking and turned to look at me with a sigh. “Okay. So what did you need to talk to me about?”

I was about to tell her about my mom’s text when out of nowhere, a car appeared at the entrance of the parking lot, going much faster than it should have considering the compact space and snowy conditions.

“Watch out!” I yelled when it looked like it was going to hit Emerson. But she was slow to respond, so I grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way.

“What are you…” She squealed, bumping against my chest with the momentum.

And all I could mumble was “Car,” because the dangerous circumstances and having her body suddenly pressed against mine after a year of zero physical contact had temporarily overwhelmed my senses.

We both wore thick coats, so it wasn’t even that intimate of a position, but one whiff of her shampoo and I found my stomach muscles clenching.

I had missed the way she smelled.

She recovered her footing a second later and pushed herself away, putting a good two feet between us. And all I wanted to do was pull her back against me once more, because for those few seconds, I had been happy again.

“I guess I need to pay better attention to my surroundings.” She tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear, her green eyes dark in the moonlight. “Thanks for saving me.”

“No problem.” My voice came out lower than usual, so I cleared my throat and willed my heart to resume its normal rate.

“So what were you trying to say again?” She blinked, like she was still recovering from the near accident.

“Umm.” I shook my head, trying to remember what I’d wanted to talk to her about before her breathtaking beauty made me lose my train of thought. Then it came to me. “I got a text from my mom earlier this evening about her plans for the game on Sunday. She said she would like to pick Jaxon up around one-thirty, if that’s okay. Traffic will be crazy that day, so she wants to leave plenty of time to get to the stadium.”

“Sure, that should be fine,” she said.

I nodded, debating on whether to refer the other part of my mom’s message to her. The part where she said I should tell Emerson that my mom and Arianna would love to have Emerson join them at the game.

Deciding to risk it, I added, “She also wanted me to tell you there’s a spot in the stadium suite for you if you want to come.” I swallowed. “She, uh, says that she misses sitting with you at the games.”

Emerson’s expression went from comfortable to suddenly wary.

“She invited me?” She said it like she didn’t quite believe me—like she suspected I was the one behind the invitation and not my mom.

“Yes,” was all I said. It was the truth.

But it was also true that I wanted her there, too.

After all the years we’d dreamed of the Dragons making it this far in the postseason, it only seemed right that she should be there.

I wouldn’t have made it this long with the Dragons without her support.

So even if we weren’t married anymore, she should have a spot at the game…if she wanted it.

I watched her face go through a range of expressions: from surprise, to confusion, to worry.

Her eyes seemed to search mine for some hidden motives, so I tried to appear neutral about the whole thing so she wouldn’t know how much I hoped she’d say yes.

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