Page 106 of How to Prevent a Fumble

The doorbell is going to ring in about thirty minutes. Stop doing your hair and makeup and answer the door, please.

What does that even mean? Is he waiting on something and doesn’t want to be embarrassed of me if I answer the door with half my face done? I’ve done that before, and after the embarrassment of the first time, you’re really good to go. Who cares if someone you’ll never see ever again in your life sees you at your worst?

So instead, I pace.

For the whole thirty minutes.

And when the bell finally rings, I practically run for the door, nearly tripping over Champ.

My hand circles around the knob, slipping from how clammy they are, and when I finally get it open I come face to face with two women, their arms full of cases.

“Briar Crosby?” the most beautiful woman asks, throwing her head to the side to get her locs out of her eyes. Leo’s apartment is up high, and carrying that amount of things, even in an elevator, has to be exhausting.

“Yeah?” I ask, eyeing them.

She smiles, lifting her elbow to her partner. “I’m Nina, and this is Jabari. Mr. Warner called and asked us if we could squeeze you in this afternoon?”

“Oh, you guys must be so busy though,” I tell them, panic rising. I hate it when I feel like I’m an inconvenience.

Nina shakes her head, her shoulder dropping with the weight of the case. I open the door wider, because no matterwhat her response is, she’s here now and deserves to at the very least put the case down for a couple of minutes.

“Are you sure I’m not being a nuisance? I was trying to do it myself. I didn’t know he was going to call someone?—”

Nina cuts me off. “I’m absolutely positive, sweetheart. Now where do you want us to set up?”

I direct them to my room where they start to set up in front of the large windows overlooking the inner harbor when there’s a knock on my door.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell them before running back.

This time it’s Emmett and Juniper. “Hey, thank you so much for getting this organized,” I tell Emmett.

In typical Emmett fashion, he just shrugs it off with a small smile. He’s a man of few words, but he’s like a giant teddy bear.

“This is Juniper?” I ask as I squat down to her level. “You have such beautiful eyes!” I tell her with a smile.

The little girl hides behind her stuffed puppy, her eyes lighting up at my words.

“She got them from her mom.” Emmett’s words drip melancholy in a way I haven’t heard in a long time, and I feel them like a punch to the gut.

I can’t imagine losing the love of your life like that.

I stand up with a gulp, offering him a small smile. “Practice go late?” I ask, leaning against the doorframe as Juniper looks around me.

He face contorts in confusion. “No, we got out a little early because of the event tonight. Why?”

“Oh, he just hasn’t been home much.”

“He’s had therapy, that I know. I’m not sure how late it runs though. We’ve hardly heard from him other than practice too.”

Therapy?

Leo Warner? Going to therapy?

My Leo Warner?

Not yours.

“Oh,” is all I can manage to get out, my lips pursed.

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