Page 65 of Houston, We Have a Problem
“I’ll say!” Micah chimes in. “All the other women have been too afraid to look at him too hard.”
The irony of that comment makes me laugh, and I finally turn to meet Houston’s gaze. It hits me right in the gut because he’s looking at me with so much warmth and awe that my insides twist themselves into knots. This expression isn’t so different from the one Jordan gets every time he looks at Brooklyn. Or the way Fischer smiles at Micah’s antics.
Dare I even wonder if Houston is falling in love with me? This is going to end so badly, and yet as I watch him right back while the family changes topics to something less heated, my heart beats with a solid rhythm that seems to say, “I love you too.”
That can’t be good.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Houston
I’ve never felt this way.I lost track years ago of the number of times I’ve told a woman I loved her, but I know for a fact I never meant it because nothing ever came close to the way I feel right now. I wish I could say for sure what this tightness in my chest really is. If this is love, it’s so different from what I expected. I expected it to be light and easy, like a fire igniting inside me every time I look at the woman who has captured my heart. I imagined trumpets and fireworks and excitement.
This is different. This is contentment and calm. This is a need to protect. This is a fear that I’ll never measure up to the man I want to be for her.
As I watch Darcy bob for apples, with her hat backwards on her head and her glasses in her hand, I want to make her happy. I want to see that light in her eyes never dim. I want her to believe that no matter what, I will have her back because she makes me feel strong enough to be that for her. Even when my own life is still at a terrifying crossroads, I feel like no matter what decision I make, she’ll make it worth it.
She said it herself that she’s leaving Sun City at some point, but there has to be a way I can convince her to stay. If her job is remote, surely it doesn’t matter where she is. And if not… If not, that might make my decision easier. If Darcy is going to leave, would she be up for me going with her? It’s not like I can play anyway, so what’s the point of me staying with the Red-tails and finishing my contract?
Chad joins me on the stairs, where I’ve been watching Darcy interact with my family for the last ten minutes. “Jordan told me about your arm.”
My heart drops into my stomach. “He did what?”
He puts a hand on my shoulder and holds me down before I can get up and strangle my former best friend. “Indirectly,” he clarifies with a little smile. “He was talking about his landscaping and how he’s glad you’re still half owner despite offering to sell your share. I inferred the rest.”
I groan. Chad has been a private investigator for the last eighteen years, which is too long in my opinion. “Have I ever told you you’re terrifying?”
“Many times. Why didn’t you tell me you’re injured?”
“Because no one knows.” My shoulder twinges in response, even though I only just started working it out this week. It’s already sore, and the PT isn’t thrilled by the minimal recovery I showed from a week of rest. Hence Roundy getting jumpy about my lack of a decision. I can’t skimp on practice for much longer before the team really starts to notice, and my ligaments have been stretched too far to heal without surgery. That’s not even touching on the subject of the potentially torn supraspinatus tendon. The MRI was unclear, but it’s hard to ignore the way it feels.Has felt.
I don’t think I can brush away the problem any longer.
I rub my shoulder, grateful to know Chad will never judge me for this moment of weakness. He always thought I pushed myself too hard anyway. “I don’t know what to do,” I admit.
“Can you play?”
I shake my head. “Maybe a few innings, but I don’t think I can last a whole game anymore.”
“They never should have played you so hard. You’re a starter, not the end-all be-all.”
“That was always by choice.” At least, it was in the beginning. I wanted to prove that I was strong enough to carry my team to victory. To be worthy of the role of captain.
Chad hums, resting his elbows on his knees as Darcy emerges from the bucket of water victorious, an apple clampedin her mouth as the others cheer. “Have you talked to Darcy about all of this? What did she think?”
“She doesn’t know. She barely knows anything about baseball to begin with, and I don’t want to dump something like this on her when we haven’t even been on a date yet.”
“Haven’t you?”
I’m not sure I can call lunch at Big Henry’s with fifteen screaming boys a date, especially compared to what I’ve done with Tamlin recently. Between trivia night, dancing at the gala, and today’s lunch, I’ve been awfully good at creating imbalance when it comes to my relationships. It’s no wonder I’ve been torn between the two. I want to get to know Darcy, but I’ve been spending all my time with Tamlin.
“I’ll tell her about my shoulder,” I say, if only to get that judging look out of Chad’s eyes. “Eventually. And I don’t think you should be giving dating advice when you just spent two weeks in the woods with a girl and came back empty handed.”
Chad grimaces. “Micah doesn’t know everything,” he says, referring to our group chat and Micah’s insistence that he’s been falling in love since the day he got to Laketown. He scrubs a hand along his jaw, looking older than usual. He’s been good about hiding his tension for the most part, but I spent most of my childhood idolizing my big brother. I know when something’s bothering him.
We never talk about our dating lives—except when Chad gives me lectures on how to treat women—but maybe we’ve grown up enough to have an adult conversation. “Want to talk about it?” There has to be a good reason he’s back in Sun City. I got the impression he was going to stay in the small town for a while.
His grimace shifts into a scowl. As if sensing his master’s frustration, Duke hops up from his bed in the corner and plants his head on Chad’s knee.
