Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“A gang? That seems extreme.”
Alex nods. “Sometimes my mom can be over the top, ya know. Like takes everything to the extreme. Once we moved, I started playing football then, thanks to my neighbor, and found out I was actually pretty good at it. In high school, I shot up in height, and started lifting weights. Ended up with a full scholarship to Iowa State, and then after four years there the Pioneers drafted me.”
“Do you like playing?”
“I love it.” Alex takes the ceramic box of sugars between his hands and turns it around absentmindedly. “The team is my family. Some of us are tighter than others, but at the end of the day, I have fifty-one brothers who have my back.”
“Do you have any other siblings?” I ask, needing to know more about him as a person and not a player.
He nods. “I have a sister. She lives near my parents. She’s married and has two kids, one of each. I love my niece and nephew a lot and enjoy spoiling the crap out of them because it irks my sister. What about you?” Alex leans closer to me, which isn’t hard since the table is so small.
“Two brothers, Davy and Dalton. No nieces or nephews and no prospects of having any either. They’re both single, much to my mother’s dismay. I’m the baby of the family. Davy lives in Florida. Dalton travels for work a lot so he stays with our parents when he’s in the area for any extended amount of time.”
“Siblings are fun,” he says as his finger caresses my hand. I like that he’s flirtatious with me. “My sister is two years older than me and when I got to high school, I had all these hotties coming up to me. She put a kibosh on them right off. It wasn’t until she graduated that I finally went on a date. All the girls in school were afraid of her.”
I snort and cover my mouth. “Let me tell you, having older brothers isn’t much different. My high school boyfriend was deathly afraid of Dalton. Still, Tanner was brave enough to ask me out. I think it helped that he was somewhat friends with Davy.”
The waitress comes back with our menus. I look over the offerings and choose apple pie, while Alex goes for the chocolate mousse.
Alex clears his throat and then meets my gaze. “Is this Tanner back home, pining for you? Or anyone else I should know about?” he asks softly.
I shake my head slowly. “Nope. There’s no one waiting and no one coming here.”
Alex nods and leans forward. “I like you a lot, Kelsey. But I want to be honest here. I’m coming off a break-up. It wasn’t something I wanted or even saw coming. I thought we were a solid couple and played with the idea of proposing, but she wanted other things. Things I can’t or won’t provide for her.” Alex leans back and sighs. “I’m telling you this because if you’re going to be with me, in any capacity, you’ll hear about my ex, and I don’t want you to be surprised by any of it.”
Do I tell him I already know?
“Since we’re being honest, I already Googled you and saw you and Maggie together. It seems you have a fanbase where the two of you are—or were—concerned. I have to ask though, are you over her?”
Alex leans forward again and takes my hand in his. “I didn’t think I was, and then I met you yesterday. It’s odd. I’ve spent so much of my time, thinking about Maggie, that I think I forgot how to live without her. And then, I meet you, and it’s like the sun’s shining again, despite it being a cold and dreary fall.
“I’m not going through the motions as if I’m in a rut but embracing my routine. This morning, when I woke, I thought about you and couldn’t wait to call to ask you to dinner. All morning, I paced and wondered when it would be appropriate to call. I didn’t want to wake you up, ya know. Asking you out to dinner has been one of the easiest things I’ve done in a long time. Also, one of the most nerve-racking.”
“How come?” I ask quietly, unable to find my voice after listening to him. His words are true, genuine, and whatever happened between him and Maggie, hurt him.
“I was afraid you had a boyfriend or say no.”
My stomach flutters. The sensation isn’t lost on me. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt butterflies for someone. “Saying no never crossed my mind,” I tell him. “I was so enamored with you that I looked you up this morning. I’ll admit, knowing and reading about Maggie—it scares me.”
Alex adjusts and takes my other hand in his. “I’m not that kind of guy, Kelsey.”