Page 76 of Need You To Choose Me

There wouldn’t even be a peewee team if I hadn’t agreed to coach it in the first place because when I asked parents if they’d like to help after the old coach retired, none of them wanted to do it. They all said they didn’t have the time. You’d think I was asking them to help me and not to do something nice for their kids.

“You know, I played in college, so?—”

“That’s cool, dude.” Blake slaps him on the shoulder, effectively dismissing him. “But Miss Parker and I have it covered. Practice will start soon so you better get to your seats.”

Without waiting for an answer, his hand falls to the small of my back, and he pushes me toward the coach’s bench. “I swear if I hear one more word…”

I glance at his annoyed face and can’t help but chuckle. “Oh, you just wait for it. People here love to meddle; then again, I guess you know all about that.”

Blake’s eyes narrow. “It was just one time, and I corrected you because you were doing it wrong.”

“Mm-hmm…” I pat him on the chest. “You just think that. Although seriously, you should take one of them up on the offer and?—”

“Hell to the no.” Blake’s fingers curl around my wrist as he turns to face me. “You’re stuck with me.”

“Wh-what?” I stutter, my lips parting as the words register in my mind.

“You heard me.” Blake smirks, his fingers brushing a strand of my hair behind my ear, the corner of his mouth tipping upward in satisfaction as he leans closer, his voice dropping so only I can hear him. “You’re not getting rid of me so easily, Blondie. It’s you and me.”

He lifts his ball cap and places it on my head.

What the?—

“There, perfect.” He winks at me and turns around, calling out loudly, “Guys, time to hustle.”

Stunned, it takes me a second to process what just happened and gather my wits about me, and by the time I do, Blake’s already leading the kids in a series of exercises and stretches.

I look around, lost. “What the hell should I do?”

For a moment, I just stand there as Blake joins the kids in running a few laps around the field. Deciding he doesn’t really need me, I let out a sigh and go toward the bleachers where the dads are sitting at the edge of their seats, cheering and tossingsuggestions at Blake, while the moms were busy giggling and flipping their hair.

Lucy Donovan spots me, her eyes narrowing as she gives me a once over, snorts, and shifts her attention to the field, her mouth moving as she whispers something to her companion.

What is her problem?

I’m about to turn around when I spot the lone figure sitting a few rows behind.

Rose O’Neil.

I’ve met the woman a few times since she moved back to Bluebonnet Creek. She was Becky’s age and moved out of Bluebonnet for college, only to come back once her husband didn’t make it to the NFL. She usually brought her son Kyle to the reading group for kids in the Reading Nook, and she even joined our reading club a handful of times, but for the most part, she kept to herself.

Her shoulders are tense, hands folded in her lap as she stares out at the field.

On impulse, I decide to join her. “Hey, do you mind some company?”

Rose startles at my question but shakes her head. “No, go ahead.”

I sit next to her, my attention going to the field just as Blake has the kids line up so they can run some drills. From the corner of my eye, I can see Rose nibble at her lip.

“You okay?”

She tucks an invisible strand behind her ear and forces out a smile. “Am I that obvious?”

“Not too much.”

“I know it’s silly, it’s just peewee football, but… He’s different than the rest of the kids. I don’t want his deafness to define him or stand in his way, but at the same time, I can’t help but worry about him.”

I nod, my hand falling to my bump. “I understand that, but he’s doing really well.”

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