Page 117 of How to Score Off Field

“Six-ish?”

Six!?

I sit up.

I nod, heart in my throat. "Yeah, of course. Come in."

I move over on the bed, giving him room to sit without sitting on my legs.

A silence lingers between us like a heavy fog.

“How is your lip?”

He touches a finger to it. “Fine. Honestly, I’ve had worse. This will heal in a few days.”

He’s acting like it’s no big deal, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

My brother hit him.

“I know what you’re thinking, and for the record, this isn’t the first time Grady has walloped me.”

“It’s not?”

“No.” He laughs. “He loves a scuffle—should have been a wrestler, not a football player.”

“I had no idea he liked to fight.”

Drew shrugs. “Eh. You know how guys are.”

“Um. That’s no excuse for being an asshole and seriously no excuse for hitting people.”

He concedes with a terse nod, running a hand through his hair.

"I've been thinking a lot about everything," he starts, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "About us and the baby."

I can’t help but notice that he hasn’t shaved in days, and his hair is too long. He looks tired, as if he hasn’t slept.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "Drew, I need you to know that I didn't want any of this to happen the way it did. I didn't want Grady to go to the press, and I certainly didn't want to keep the truth from you."

He sighs, his gaze dropping to his hands. "I know, Tess, but…I was really blindsided."

"I understand," I say softly. "I should've been upfront with you from the start. But please, don't let Grady's actions define what we do next."

He reaches out, hand brushing against mine, and I feel a spark of chemistry. "We have a lot to figure out. We live so far apart, which sucks, because I don’t want you going through this alone.”

“Uh, yeah—I don’t want to go through this alone, either.” I laugh. “It’s scaring the shit out of me.”

He nods, his grip on my hand tightening ever so slightly. “I know. I’m freaking the fuck out, too.”

As we sit there, our hands intertwined, a sense of cautious optimism washes over me.

CHAPTER41

DREW

DATE SOMEONE YOU THINK YOU MIGHT WANT TO ANNOY FOREVER…

Now is notthe time to tell her your family wants her to take a paternity test.

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