Page 124 of How to Score Off Field

All I wanted was Drew Colter to notice me, and well—he’s noticed me all right!!

And now I have to tell him that the media has noticed us, too.

I walk into Miranda’s small kitchen, ready to break the news.

"So. We need to talk.”

He was about to check his phone but sees me and sets it down. “Again?”

He’s grinning, but concern crosses his face when he notices my expression. "Shit. Sorry, what's going on?"

I sit across from him, my fingers nervously tapping against the tabletop. "While we were at the park earlier, we were... photographed."

I whisper the word as if someone is going to jump out of the closet and take more pictures.

He looks confused. "Photographed? Bywho?"

"The paparazzi," I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. "They took pictures of us—Miranda texted.”

Drew lifts his phone off the counter and looks at the screen, holding it toward me. He has a million text message notifications on his screen.

Dang.

He’s way more popular than I am, ha.

His jaw tightens, his expression shifting from confusion to anger. "They invaded our privacy like that? We’re in the middle of Nowhere, Texas. How did they find me?"

Let me count the ways…

“You’re kind of hard not to notice, and I’m sure you were spotted at the airport, all six foot something of you. Without a ball cap, Drew? Shame, shame.”

He runs a hand through his hair, his agitation palpable. "Dammit. This is exactly what I was afraid of."

“Soo…what do we do?”

Hide?

Flip off the next pap we see?

He lets out a frustrated sigh, his gaze locked onto the table. "We can't just let this slide. I need to do something about it."

"Drew, I get that you're angry," I say, my voice gentle, "but what can we really do? The paparazzi are relentless, and confronting them might just make things worse."

He looks up at me, determination in his eyes. "I can talk to Drake’s agent, and have him deal with it. We need to protect our privacy, Tess. Especially now, with everything that's going on."

“I get that, Drew, but going after them might just give them more attention. We're already in the spotlight because of the baby news, and we don't need any more drama."

His grip tightens on his phone, his frustration evident. "Tess, I can't just let them get away with invading our privacy like this. It's not right."

I chew on my lower lip, thoughts racing through my brain as I consider his words. "Okay, I understand your point. Maybe we can find a middle ground. Let's see if we can handle it discreetly without drawing more attention to ourselves. Hang out at the park and invite them to a picnic?"

Seriously, can you imagine?

Drew's gaze softens as he looks at me. "You're right, Tess. I don't want to make things worse. But damn, it's infuriating."

I offer him a reassuring smile, squeezing his arm gently. "We’ll just have to lay low.”

He nods, his frustration slowly subsiding. "We are not laying low. We’re gonna do whatever the hell we want and you’re not going to be afraid to go out.”

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