Page 78 of Need You To Choose Me

Before the words even leave his mouth, parents are jumping from their seats and rushing down to the field, some of the women tripping in their high heels. Why somebody would wear heels to a peewee practice, I’ll never understand.

Of course, Lucy is the first one to reach Blake and all but throws herself at him. My fingers curl into a fist as I watch her flirt with him.

There was this stupid part of me that wanted to go down there, pull her back, and tell her to get her hands off my man.

Only Blake wasn’t mine.

Not really.

Just because I was pregnant with his baby didn’t mean I had any claim on him. That I wanted to have any claim on him.

Not at all.

Rose descends the bleachers, so I follow after her.

Blake might have stolen my coaching position, but there were some traditions he couldn’t steal from me.

“Guys, I brought cookies.”

Kids cheer as I pull out a container with chocolate chip cookies I baked last night based on my Grams’ recipe. They didn’t taste exactly the same, but they were similar enough to bring back the memories of after-school snacks and baking with Grams.

Rose glances at me. “Cookies?”

“It’s a tradition I started when I took over the coaching position,” I explain as I open the container and offer it to kids so they can take a snack.

“Miss Parker, did you see how I caught that ball?” Levi flashes me a smile as he comes to a stop next to me. His cheeks are red, hair plastered to his forehead from sweat, making my fingers itch to brush it away.

“I did. You were pretty amazing out there today. You all were; good job.”

Levi’s little chest puffs out. “I did it just like Dad.”

“What did you do just like your dad?” The low voice sends a shiver running down my spine. I can feel the heat of his body radiating off of him as Blake stops behind me and looks over my shoulder. “Whatcha got here?”

“Miss Parker made cookies, Coach!” one of the kids explains.

“I can see that. The better question is, why haven’t I been invited?”

Blake grabs one of the cookies and pops it into his mouth, his eyes falling shut as he chews and lets out a soft groan.

My stomach clenches as I watch him, and I bite the inside of my cheek. There was just something about seeing a man enjoy your cooking that did it for me.

His eyes open, and he stares straight at me. “Damn, that’s so good.”

His praise fills my chest with warmth, but I try to brush it off. “It’s just a cookie.”

“One damn good cookie,” he says, his voice coming out low, almost like a caress. I suck in a breath, the air between us sizzling with pent-up tension. A soft rumbling sound comes from Blake’s chest. “I actually had a destination in mind before you distracted me with your cookies.” Blake’s fingers skim over my back. “Wait a second.”

“Wh-what?” I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear and look up, noticing all eyes are on me. Rose is smiling at me, while Lucy is downright glaring.

Shit.

This was the last thing I wanted. If he didn’t stop with all the touching, people would notice something was going on.

“Guys, I have a surprise for you!” Blake calls out as he goes to the bleachers and grabs bags that are lying on the side. I saw them earlier and thought it was extra balls or something, but apparently, I was wrong. Kids gather around him, theirexcitement matching his as he slowly opens the bag. “Wanna know what’s inside?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, so, I’ve reached out to a few people I know, and they’ve agreed to make us team jerseys!”

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