Page 29 of If You Loved Me

The flutter in my heart told me she might be right.

“I don’t understand how you’re so good at this.” I shot Sarah a questioning look as I handed the attendant a five-dollar bill.

“This time I’m going for the big tiger.” She’d already won five medium-sized stuffed animals that she traded in for an extra-large dolphin.

“There’s no way you’re going to win this one. Those clowns are all rigged.” She tossed the red ball into the air in front of my face before catching it again. This was the last game on her list and I knew from experience it was basically impossible to win. The balls weren’t nearly heavy enough to knock down the clowns that were filled with sand. It would take serious speed and hitting them in the exact spot to knock them over.

“Watch and learn, cowboy.” She winked at me before she wound up her arm and threw the ball like a fucking softball star, nailing the first clown pin just above where the neck tapered. It went down with a thud.

“Shit,” I muttered.

Within thirty seconds the other four clowns were toast. The attendant looked irritated, rolling his eyes at Sarah as he reached for the long pole to unhook the huge tiger hanging from the wall.

Sarah jumped up and down, clapping like a fiend as the attendant gave her the stuffed animal.

“See?” She waved the tiger back and forth. “Told you.”

I chuckled as I grabbed her dolphin from the counter and we started walking off. “Who taught you how to throw like that?”

“My older brother, Theo. Do you remember him from high school? I think he was in the grade right below yours.”

“Yeah. Blonde hair. Looks like a Viking giant?”

“Yup, that’s him.”

“I remember him playing almost every sport there was in high school.”

She nodded. “He was good at everything. Still is. When he got into football and baseball, I was his throwing partner. He would get so upset when I couldn’t throw the balls straight to him. He taught me so he wouldn’t have to chase them all over the yard. When I got the direction down, he helped me gain some power behind the throws.”

“You’re full of surprises.” I draped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her into me as we slowly walked toward the exit.

“What’s surprising about a girl throwing a ball well?”

“Not a thing. I think it’s sexy as hell.” She looked to the side with a demure tilt of her lips.

“I’m just surprised that it wasn’t your dad who was helping Theo with his sports training.”

The corners of her lips drew downward and her shoulders sagged under my arm.

I stopped, placing my hands on her shoulders, I turned her so she was facing me. “Hey, if there’s ever a question I ask that you don’t want to answer just give me the word.”

Familiar with the weight of other people’s assumptions and prying, I never wanted to make her feel like she didn’t have to appease me by responding. But I hoped she would trust me.

“No, it’s okay. I want to tell you.” She sighed as she twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers. “It’s just that I didn’t have the easiest relationship with my parents growing up. Actually…nix that. Istilldon’t have the best relationship with them.”

When she reached for my hand and intertwined herfingers with mine, something eased inside of me. And when she started walking toward the exit again, I followed.

“Theo was always an active kid. Like you said, he played every sport available and he was great at everything. But our parents had a plan for him and becoming a pro-athlete was not part of the plan. The only reason they let him play sports was because he made a deal with them. If he didn’t get straight A’s in every class, he was banned from playing altogether.”

“Damn. That’s a pretty intense stipulation to put on a kid.”

She huffed, her tiny nostrils flaring slightly. “You have no idea. I can still remember walking into his room in the morning and his face would be glued to an open textbook. He worked himself into the ground to uphold his end of the bargain.”

“I’m guessing they did the same thing to you?”

“They still do it. If they had their way, I wouldn’t be working as a bakery owner. Instead, I would have letters behind my name or I would be married with three children to someone who did.”

“You wouldn’t be happy living like that.” This was the first night we’d spent together and I already knew my statement was true. Sarah was sweet and kind, but I could see the wild behind those dark eyes—like a stallion wanting to run the plains.

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