Page 26 of Hard To Leave

“Does Tanner play ball yet or is he too young?”

“He played T-ball last year. He’s really good at it. I know it’s early and I’m biased, but he seems to have a lot of potential.”

“Where does he get his athletic genes from? Did you play sports when you were younger?”

“Oh, God, no. I’m too uncoordinated. Besides, the only time I run is if something is chasing me.”

“What about his dad?”

My fingers tightened around my water glass. The waitress appeared and handed Jack back his credit card. She batted her eyelashes at him. “I hope everything was to your satisfaction.”

I couldn’t even bring myself to get annoyed with her this time. I was too busy trying to figure out how I was going to respond. I let her irritating voice trail off as I heard her tell Jack that she hoped to see him again.

I could feel him watching me for a long time after she walked away. I worked my bottom lip back forth between my teeth while trying to come up with an answer.

“Tanner was the result of a one-night stand.”A wave of guilt coursed through me as I told him the same lie I had told many times before, but this time it felt different. With the others, it was a lie of convenience. With Jack, it felt wrong.

Brogan Hayes was anything but a one-night stand, but I knew the lie was a hell of a lot easier than telling him the truth. He was at the peak of his career, and the last thing I needed was TMZ orPeople Magazinepoking around in my life.

“Do you feel differently about me now?”

He reached under the table and dropped his hand to my thigh.“Sweetheart, I’m the last person to judge.”

My gaze dropped to his hand that was firm against my leg. “Thank you.”

I’ve denied myself so much over the years because I was afraid. I was afraid to put myself out there again and risk hurting not just myself, but Tanner too. And no matter how hard I tried to resist my feelings for Jack, they just continued to grow.

“Jack, I need to tell you something. I like you a lot. Like, I mean, a lot. It’s just I’m nervous because it’s been a while for me.”

He tilted his head to the side. “How long is a while?”

“Since college. The last man I was with was Tanner’s father.”

His eyes widened. “You’re kidding. How is that even possible?”

“I’m a single mom with not a lot of time to date. Not to mention, most men won’t swipe right on Tinder if they know there’s a kid involved.”

He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Somehow I find that hard to believe. I don’t want you to feel pressured. I’m going to let you set the pace. You just tell me what you want.”

I didn’t want to keep overanalyzing every touch and every word. I just wanted to breathe him in and enjoy our little bubble. Because I knew come tomorrow, life would get back to normal. I just wanted one night to be me. One night to feel. I needed this. I deserved this.

“I want to go back to your place.”

He drew in a deep breath as his gaze slid across my face. “You’re sure? I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

“Jack, I’m not a virgin. It’s just been a while. I’m sure I can figure things out.”

His forehead creased as his eyes darkened. “Well, then I say it’s time we get out of here.” He held out his hand, helping me from my seat. I placed my hand inside his, feeling a warmth spread through me as we walked out of the restaurant.

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