Page 42 of Make Your Play

I don’t tell her that I planned on waiting until he was born to tell anyone.

“Sounds like a plan.” She smiles at me, winking as we step into the elevator and make our way to the suite level. Posey wiggles to be let down and she takes Nonna’s hand as we file out into the hall. Nova grabs my arm, pulling me closer for a moment. “I just want you to know, if there’s anything going on between you and Nash, I fully support it.”

My breath catches in my throat. “There isn’t.” The two words escape me in a rush and nervousness lingers in my tone.

“Oh, I know,” she says with a knowing look in her eyes and a ghost of a smirk playing on her lips. “I’m just saying that if there ever were to be, Nash is the kind of guy who would never break your heart.”

I choke out a laugh, shaking my head at her as we start to walk, following behind Nonna and Posey. “You do know he’s broken a lot of hearts, right?”

“Well, duh, silly.” She laughs softly as we reach the suite, holding the door open for me. “That’s because none of them were you.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

NASH

As I walk down the hallway heading in the direction of the players’ entrance, I see Riley standing off to the side as she waits for me. A smile dances across my lips and my heart pounds erratically in my chest at the sight of her. I’m surprised that Nova and Nonna aren’t waiting with her, but I also know how stubborn and fiercely independent Riley Harris is.

“Hey you,” I say softly, stepping up to her as my hand finds her waist. Instinctively, I press my lips against her temple.

Riley glances up at me, a wave of nervousness passing through her eyes as she takes a step away from me and quickly looks around to make sure no one sees us. “Anyone could see you, Nash.”

“What if I told you I don’t care?”

She tilts her head to the side, her eyes narrowing on mine. “Well, I do. You live under a microscope. The last thing I need right now is to be caught up in the rumor mill with people speculating you’re the father.”

Her words catch me off guard and I’m a little thrown off by the coldness she’s cloaked herself in. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

She closes her eyes, inhaling slowly as her hands find her stomach. “I’m sorry. I’m tired and my feet hurt and I shouldn’t be taking it out on you.” She pauses, her eyes opening as her gaze settles on mine. “I know your history, Nash. I don’t need people getting the wrong idea about us.”

What if it’s the right idea?

The words linger on my tongue, but I don’t dare to speak them. I don’t love whatever this shift is between us. Riley is unusually frigid as she constructs a wall around herself. I’ve known her long enough to know that when she’s afraid of something, she projects. She retreats and protects herself.

I want to know what has her suddenly scared, but now isn’t the time or the place.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her, motioning toward the door as we begin to walk down the hallway. I do feel regretful for doing it. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable in any way. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“No,” she says quickly, shaking her head as I hold the door open for her, and she steps out into the cool air of the night. “I don’t want you to feel bad. It’s just…” She lets out a breath as we walk to my car. “It’s complicated.”

The corners of my mouth twitch because goddammit if I don’t feel the same way. “Isn’t it always?”

Riley glances at me, but she doesn’t respond as she gets into the car. I close her door for her and walk around to my side, climbing in behind the wheel. I’m not sure if I did anything wrong or what happened from when I saw her earlier today. Something scared her—something that has to do with me.

“Do you care if we stop by my house?” I ask her as I pull my car out onto the street. “I need to get some clean clothes.”

“That’s fine,” she says quietly, turning her head to look at me with a smile. As we drive farther away from the arena and closer to my house, I find a safer topic. I ask her about the game andNova and Nonna and watch her face light up as she talks about my family. She fits right in with them… Always has.

We fall into a comfortable conversation and it isn’t long before we’re pulling into my driveway. I park the car by the garage and hop out after turning off the engine. I stop by the trunk, getting my bag of dirty clothes out of the back and meet Riley by the back door. I hand her the keys and she slides it into the lock, turning the knob as she lets us in.

We both kick off our shoes and Riley walks into the kitchen as I head into the laundry room to throw them into the washer. As the drum starts to fill, Riley appears in the doorway. The light behind creates a halo effect around her and I momentarily find myself captivated by the way she looks.

“Are you coming back here later to put your clothes in the dryer?”

My brow furrows. “Huh?”

Riley points at the washing machine beside me. “Your clothes are going to get gross if you wash them and don’t dry them right away.”

“Oh,” I say slowly, what she’s saying registering in my mind as I pull myself from the depths of her eyes. “Well, yeah, I know that. I just didn’t really think it through other than knowing I need to wash my clothes.”

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