Page 40 of Thoroughly Innocent Intent

“Sometimes you’re too close to a situation to see it clearly. You need an outsider’s opinion.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear.

“You don’t feel like an outsider,” I whisper, surprised to realize I’m not just saying that for his benefit. It really does feel like there’s a connection between us unlike I’ve felt with anyone.

“I don’t want to be one anymore.” His blue eyes get a little dimmer as they grow distant.

“Anymore?”

His gaze follows his hand as it drops from my face to his lap. “I don’t really belong anywhere outside football.” His voice is soft, raw, so unlike the carefree guy who first walked into my office. We’ve shared some personal details since then, but I have a feeling this is the one that’s closest to his heart.

“The guys I’m closest to on the team are mostly married with kids.” He rubs a large hand over his thigh. “And even my own kid has a new family she can rely on,” he continues. “It’s my fault I don’t belong anywhere off the field, but I don’t want that anymore. Might be too late though.”

He says that last bit more to himself than me, but given how much his words touched me only minutes ago, I can do nothing less for him.

“If that were true, I wouldn’t be here.” I put my hand on his arm. He looks at me warily, but doesn’t pull back, so I continue. “You have a pattern you’ve been comfortable with for years, but this,” I gesture between the two of us, “isn’t part of it. You’re making a new pattern with me. You can do that with others, too.”

“How?” He sounds bewildered. “No offense, but making a new pattern with you was easy. We didn’t have an old pattern I had to break first. With everyone else there is.”

“So, break it,” I say calmly. “You said you want to share football with Sawyer before you’re done playing, invite her to a game.”

“She’d never come.”

“Have you ever asked her?” I press gently.

“Well, no.” He frowns, suddenly preoccupied with an invisible spot on the couch.

“Then you can’t know that for sure, can you?”

“I can actually,” he scoffs. “She’s made no secret how much she dislikes the game.”

“The game, not you. Maybe if you tell her that your time on the field is limited, and you want to share this with her before it’s over, she will.” I don’t know enough about his daughter to speculate about this, but I’d like to think that any daughter would do a favor for her dad if it was important to him.

“Still not sure that’ll cut it.” He rubs a hand over his face. “Besides, she’d be by herself while I’m on the field, which wouldn’t be any fun for her.”

“Have her bring a friend. She can do that, right?” I grasp for options.

“Yeah.” He nods his head absently. “Her mom’s new fiancé has a kid that plays. Good kid. They get along well, from what I can see. Maybe that would work. I could even have her stay here the night before, have a nice dinner.” His eyes are distant as he thinks aloud, but they aren’t cold, which I think means he’s starting to like this idea. I just hope it works, because I hate the idea of him not being able to rebuild the relationship with his daughter.

“You’ll be here, right? You’ll come too?” His request is so unexpected I momentarily forget to breathe.

“Uh, I don’t really think that’s a good idea.”

“Why?” he balks. “It was your idea in the first place. I’d like you here. I’d like you to meet Sawyer.”

“Isn’t it too soon for that?” I squeak. I don’t know the etiquette for these things, but I can’t imagine we’ve been seeing each other long enough to warrant an introduction to his daughter.

“Nah,” he dismisses. “I think she’ll really like you. You two have more in common than any of the other women I’ve dated.”

That gives me pause. I know Colt’s dated a lot of women before me, though I wasn’t expecting that his daughter would have met them. If she didn’t like any of them, it’s definitely too soon to talk about meeting her. But Colt’s eyes have their sparkle back, and I don’t want to disappoint him. I try another tactic. “You think having a woman here when you’re trying to change your pattern with her is a good thing?”

His eyes dim a bit, but they don’t lose their shine altogether. “You probably got a point there.” He exhales heavily.

“Look, if you want me to meet her, I’m happy to do that. I’d like to. I just think it’d be best not to do that until you’re at a point where you don’t feel like an outsider with her.”

Colt cups my face in his hands and stares at me intently. “You know that makes me want you to meet her even more, right?”

“Colt, didn’t you hear what I just said?” My heart sinks.

“I heard it, Beautiful. And I know you’re right.” He brushes a thumb over my lip. “It’sbecauseyou’re right that I can’t wait for you to meet her.” He presses a soft kiss to my lips. “I’m so damn lucky you took a chance on me when I couldn’t offer a good reason for you to.”

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