Page 47 of The Problem with Sports
She let out a choked laugh. “Yes, Nat-oh, oomph-”Andrea was perched on my lap before she could say anything more.
“You’re not fucking with me, are you?”
She shook her head. “I was scared, Nate,” she confessed. “That’s it. That’s all. While you did mess up big time, I let fear dictate how I handled it. I let fear lead in my reaction, and that wasn’t fair to you.” Getting comfortable on my lap, she put her arms around my neck. “This is the first time Steven and I have had to navigate someone whose was involved with Grant, too. I think we’re all just fumbling about.”
“Steven’s never introduced any of his girlfriends to Grant?”
“Grant’s met a couple, but only because they accidentally showed up at Steven’s, not realizing Grant was there. Or there’ve been a couple of times he’s run into one of them while he and Grant were out and about,” she explained. “Steven hasn’t cared about someone strongly enough yet to introduce them to his son.”
I nodded as I realized I had a lot to learn about being a parent and stepparent, because that’s where this was going. Of course, I didn’t tell Andie this because I wasn’t sure if she was still on her take-it-slow kick, but that’s where this was definitely headed.
I tightened my hold on Andie’s hip. “I need to be honest with you, Andrea,” I told her, and he immediately looked wary.
“Uh, okay…”
“I’m going to fuck up again,” I blurted. “I’m a super work in progress, and that being said, you’re in for the fight of your life if you think I’m going to just let you break up with me every time I screw up. So, think about that, and just save us the aggravation, okay?”
She chuckled. “Oh, really?”
I nodded. “We can fight. We can yell. We can silent treatment. We can do all that. But we can’t break up. That’s non-negotiable.” She opened her mouth to argue, I’m sure, before I added, “And we can only fight Thursday evening through Sunday evening during the summer, and Friday evening through Sunday evening during the school year.”
Her smile lit up her face. “Of course,” she agreed.
Chapter 25
Andrea~
This was about as perfect as it got.
Well, almost.
We had a lot to work out, and I knew there was going to be more bumps in the road, but I was all in for this.
I didn’t want to be afraid.
And Nathan’s love for Grant was clear. There was no way to deny that he adored my son, and that mattered on a big scale.
“I have another confession to make,” he blurted again.
“Oh, yeah?”
“I’m in love with you, and I have to put that out there because I’m not sure I can contain it,” he confessed, and my stomach dipped. “It’s going to just come flying out of my mouth, I’m sure, and I don’t want to hide it, even if it doesn’t go hand-in-hand with your going-slow program.” His blues searched mine. “I love you, Andrea,” he said. “I love you so much, baby.”
“Nathan…”
“I don’t need you to say it back,” he quickly added. “Especially, if you don’t feel it. But I just needed you to know how I felt.” He pulled me up higher on his lap. “I’m in this for real.”
I knew I was probably already in love with him, but I needed to take this slow for me. I’d only ever said those words to one another man, and I didn’t take that phrase lightly. It wasn’t about being afraid, so much as it was about being sure. So, instead of trying to explain how I felt, I decided to show him.
I leaned in, and as soon as Nathan gauged that I was about to kiss him, his hands darted into my hair, and he held me firm as his lips landed on mine. My hands tightened around his neck as I deepened the kiss and hoped he could feel what he did to me.
“Fuck, baby,” he rasped out. “Even one day is too long to be without you.” I knew exactly what he meant.
“Prove it,” I demanded. I knew what Nathan was capable of in bed, and I knew my demand would be met with the same determination as he played baseball.
Before I knew it, Nathan had me off his lap and on my knees, facing the back of the couch. I braced my hands on the top of the backrest, and I was already panting with anticipation. My fingers curled into the upholstered wood as Nathan’s hands grabbed the waistband of my yoga pants. Being a Saturday morning without my son, I had been lazing around in an old washed-out Hoyas t-shirt and a pair of black yoga pants. My flip-flops had easily come off when Nathan had positioned me where he wanted me.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard, Andrea,” Nathan promised against the bare skin of my left hip. “I’m going to bottom out in that sweet pussy of yours.”
