Page 37 of Make Your Play

Nova glances over at the front door just as Nonna comes strolling into the house. Posey climbs off the couch and goes running for her, the older woman scooping her up in her arms as she gives her a hug.

“Hey, Nonna,” Nova says with a smile as her grandmother walks into the living room carrying a bag and Posey. She smiles at the two of us, coming to sit next to me as she sets her bag on the coffee table. “I didn’t know you were stopping by.”

“I had some things for you and Poe and figured I would swing by since I was running errands this way.” She glances at me, a smile brightening up her face. “How are you, Riley?”

“I’m good.” I nod, smiling back at her. “Can’t complain.”

“Nash is coming to pick her up soon,” Nova tells her grandmother, wagging her eyebrows at her. She looks at me, an apologetic smirk on her face, although her eyes don’t say she’s sorry at all. “He’s gotten pretty comfortable at your house, huh?”

“Don’t either of you start.” I laugh, shaking my head as I shove away my real feelings. “Nash and I are just friends, you both know that.”

“Honey, I hate to break it to you, but friends don’t look at friends the way that man looks at you,” Nonna tells me, a soft snort escaping her.

Nova nods, giving me a knowing look. “I know my brother, Ry. I’ve never seen him this way with anyone else.”

“Never seen who what way?” Lincoln asks the three of us as he comes strolling into the room. He looks back and forth between Nonna and Nova before looking at me. “What did I miss?”

“You’re home early,” Nova says, a grin drifting across her lips as she rises to her feet to greet him. She steps up to him, her arms moving to link around the back of his neck as he grabs her waist. He leans down and she lifts up onto her tiptoes, their lips meeting in the middle.

I glance away, feeling like I’m suddenly being invasive. I glance at Nonna and she looks at me, half rolling her eyes with a knowing smirk as she turns her attention back to Posey. Nova and Lincoln break apart from one another and she gets swept away in him as she starts to ask him how his day was. Lincoln went golfing with some of the guys earlier today, but he didn’t disclose whether or not Nash was with him.

I think if Nash was doing something as simple as golfing, he wouldn’t have needed me to get out of the house since he wouldn’t have been there anyway.

The back door opens and closes, the sound echoing through the kitchen before bouncing into the living room. I sit up on thecouch, glancing behind me, feeling a wave of relief as I see Nash walking into the house. His eyes meet mine, his face lighting up as soon as he sees me. He changed his outfit and his hair looks damp, almost as if he just got out of the shower.

“Hey,” I say softly as he walks up behind me, his hands landing on the back of the couch by my shoulders.

His eyes drop to my lips before his gaze collides with mine once more. “Hey.” His voice is husky, his lips parting as he almost starts to inch his face closer to mine. “There’s my wi—” He abruptly stops himself, straightening back up. My breath catches in my throat, my heart pounding erratically in my chest. “Are you ready to go?”

Swallowing roughly, I nod as I begin to climb up from the couch. Lincoln says something to Nash as I say bye to Nova and Nonna, giving both of them hugs before kissing the top of Poe’s head. The four of them all say bye to us, and I let Nash lead the way as we walk out of the house and head to the car.

Nash stops by my side, opening the door for me, and waits until I’m in my seat before he closes it and walks over to his own side. I’m putting on my seat belt as he climbs in behind the wheel and turns on the engine.

“So, what’s the secret you’re keeping from me?”

Nash glances at me, a ghost of a smile dancing across his lips, but he doesn’t fully turn to face me as he begins to back out of the driveway. “It’s not really a secret, but more of a surprise.” He pauses as he reaches the street, putting the car into drive as he looks at me. “If I tell you, it will ruin it.”

“But if you don’t tell me, doesn’t that still make it a secret?”

He looks at me from the corner of his eye. “Do you like secrets, love?”

“Maybe,” I admit, my voice quiet as I look at him then glance back out the window.

“Perhaps I’ll tell you mine sometime,” he says softly, one hand on the wheel as he rests the other on the gearshift. “But only if you tell me yours in exchange.”

***

“After you,” he says, opening the front door in a sweeping motion as he stands off to the side, letting me walk in first. “I’m not going to tell you what the surprise is. I’m just going to wait until you discover it yourself.”

As I walk into the house, I glance at him over my shoulder, my eyes narrowing on his. “You’re not going to even give me a hint?”

“If you look around, it’s kind of hard to miss,” Nash tells me with a smirk as he steps into the house and shuts the door behind him. He kicks off his shoes the same time I remove mine and he takes my jacket before motioning for me to move. “Go ahead, see if you can find it.”

I blow out an exasperated breath before I start to walk around the first floor of the house. My eyebrows are pulled together, my eyes squinting as I look in each and every room, looking for something different or out of place. Nash simply follows me around, his face giving absolutely nothing away.

“It’s not on this floor, is it?”

He shrugs with indifference. “You tell me.”

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