Page 46 of Here and Now
“I tried to offer to keep him the other night, but she wouldn’t let me.”
“Postpartum is a really hard time. Most days you think you want something you don’t, or you do want it and tell yourself you don’t. I’m sure she regretted not taking you up on it.”
I felt like I was a yo-yo after Kai. One minute I was up, then down, then back and forth. I just couldn’t get a grip.
“I can only imagine. So areyoucoming to watch me play?” His grin is adorable, and I’d like to kiss it off his perfect face.
Which is a bad idea.
Instead of doing that, I lean back a little. “Not exactly. I’m coming to pick up the boys.”
“And that,coincidentally, means you’re coming to the game.”
“Sure,” I say with a laugh.
“So it’s kind of a date.”
“No, it’s a coincidental meeting location.”
“Also known as a date.” Miles tilts his head. “I’m just saying, we’re having a lot of these lately. I’d like to plan something a little more formal.”
I chuckle. “I bet you would.”
“With all the thinking you’ve been doing, I’ve been doing some as well.”
“Have you?”
He nods. “Yeah, so, how about this? We coincidentally meet on ... say, Thursday night? I’ll just happen to have some kind of coffee emergency that you have to come to my house to fix. The neighborly thing to do is help someone in need.”
“I see.”
Miles continues on, letting out a long sigh first. “It’s just ... the way it goes. I’ve helped you, you help me. When you get there, I’ll just be finishing up cooking, so you can just—stay.”
“It’s a very orchestrated coincidence to have a coffee emergency, which I didn’t even know was a thing—while cooking,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest and fighting back a grin.
God, he’s cute.
He’s cute and he’s funny and he’s sweet and I don’t want to like him, but I do.
Damn it.
“It is, but fate has a way of making things happen.” Miles shrugs and stands up. “I have to go, but I’ll see you at the field.”
“I’ll see you then.”
“What a way these coincidental dates keep happening, Penny. You’re going to have to accept that maybe some things are out of our control and we’re just fighting the inevitable.”
I snort a laugh. “I guess we’ll have to see what happens ...”
“I guess we will.”
nine
Miles
“If you fuckers don’t start playing well, I’m quitting,” I warn everyone.
Lachlan huffs. “Yeah, because we’re trying to look like fools, just to piss you off.”
