Page 151 of How to Prevent a Fumble

I shake my head. “I’m going to piss you off sometimes. I’m going to anger you like I always have. I’m going to fuck up, and I’m going to be an absolute fool. But I’m going to be a fool for you. I’m going to continue to live every single day like I’ll lose you tomorrow if I step out of line. Fuck, Briar. I’m going to keep doing the work to deserve you, because you deserve absolutely nothing but my best every single day and night, and so does your daughter out there. She deserves someone else in her life that loves her more than anything.”

Briar smiles slightly, looking down at her feet. “She loves you, you know,” she whispers.

“And I love her, Briar. I love when she hears me wake up, so she comes out to make you breakfast with me. Ilove when she lies to me and makes me do all of the work. I love how she definitely brought a dog into my home after I told her no, and I love how she filled the place with fucking plants that smell like dirt, half of which have died because I forget to water them—I’ll be better about that too—and I love how much she loves you, Briar.”

She smiles. “Keep complimenting me, please.”

“I want to compliment you for the rest of your life, Sunny. Every single day.”

Worrying her lip, she takes a step forward, looking up at me before taking another, more hesitant one.

And I close the distance, wrapping her in my arms and squeezing. I just want her near me. I want her close.

But this doesn’t feel close enough.

44

BRIAR

My lips meet Leo’s in a slow, deep kiss. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I curl my fingers into his hair, and my toes curl at the moan he lets out, his hands grasping my hips.

Pulling away, he looks into my eyes, a crease between his brows. “If we do this right now, there’s no going back. You’re mine, Briar, you got it?”

I freeze.

I wasn’t expecting anything he said in the past five minutes. Never expected to feel the way I do, either. Sure, I’ve wanted him. I’ve wanted him bad. And I’ve seen how much he’s grown as a person, too. I know that he’s been trying, I just didn’t quite know why. I thought maybe he was trying to get better so that eventually when our fake engagement fails, he doesn’t have to deal with what he did before. That I could be the villain of the story and he can go on his merry way, not getting in any more trouble. That I would be the lesson.

I could read the headlines in my head. Leo Warner Used by Ex-Fiance for the Money, Takes Off And Leaves Him Shocked. Leo Warner Changes His Ways After Ex-Fiance Leaves Him.

Sure, the media has never been kind to him. They always find something wrong with athletes, and they can never quite do anything right, no matter how hard they try. They could be doing a charity game with kids and an article will come out about how they shouldn’t be doing it because it’s selfish to put themselves in harms way before the season.

But the media has never been kind to women, especially when it comes to a golden boy.

“I want to love you,” I whisper, looking up at him.

“Then letmeprove myself to you, okay?” he asks, dipping his head to look into my eyes.

I bite my lip, nodding.

His hands leave my waist, grabbing ahold of both sides of my face. “It’s you and me, Sunny. We got this, okay?”

“And Elara,” I tell him.

“And Elara,” he chuckles with a smile. “I love that kid, and I’ve loved you for a long time, Briar. It’s hard not to love you.”

I frown, attempting to look down, but his hands keep my face in position. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I hope you know that you’re worthy of all the love I’m going to show you, okay?”

My lips thin. I want to say okay.

And I do.

I give him a small nod, and Leo takes it as permission to kiss me again, his fingers curling into my hair, pulling my head in the position he wants before settling at the top of my hips. I shift my body toward him, placing my hands on his chest, quickly getting swept up in the beautiful scent of him.

“I need these leggings off now,” he whispers, his breath fanning my lips.

I waste no time sliding them off, kicking them to the side.

Stepping back, Leo’s green eyes sear his name into my skin. He takes his sweet time drinking me in, and when I start to get uncomfortable and cross my arms, he stops me.

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