Page 15 of Mr. Swoony

He sits beside me. “We should.”

As I stare at the water, a tear slips down my cheek, but I try to brush it away discreetly. How did I get myself into this situation? Did I rush into my engagement with Tristan?

He stands from the bench and holds out his hand. “Come on. I’m taking you back to the hotel.”

I glance at his hand then up at his eyes. “What about the sunrise?”

“The sunrise is the start of a new day. I’m going to claim tonight as ours. Our secret that only we understand.”

I slide my hand into his and get up.

We walk to the road, and Conor flags down a cab. Both of us climb in. On the way to the hotel, neither of us says anything. There’s nothing really left to say, is there?

Once the cab parks along the curb, we step out, but Conor asks the guy to wait.

“Can I hug you?” he asks, and I nod.

His arms wrap around me, and I greedily suck in his scent.

“I had a great time tonight. You might not believe me, but I do wish you nothing but happiness in your marriage.”

I snuggle into his chest. This was a bad idea, but I couldn’t say no. His strong arms squeeze me tightly, and I inhale the scent of his cologne again, wanting to never forget this moment. He pulls away too quickly, and there are so many things I want to say that I can’t.

He keeps his hands in mine on either side of my hips and stares into my eyes. “Go watch the sunrise with Tristan. Fight for the relationship you want, Eloise. Expect more from him and leave him if he can’t put you first. I’m not saying leave him for me but find someone who will love you how you deserve.”

I nod as a tear slips down my cheek, and he releases my hand, brushing away the tear. “Okay.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” I nod again.

“Thanks for a great night. I’ll never forget it.” The corners of his lips rise, and I commit his cocky smile to memory.

“Thank you.”

“Hey, maybe I’ll see you at a baby shower for Jade and Henry one day.”

“Maybe.”

He releases my hands, and I step away. The hotel doorman opens the door for me. I walk through the doors and look over my shoulder right before turning to the elevators.

Conor stands by the taxi with his hands in his pockets, and I can’t help this dreadful feeling that what happened tonight has been an eye-opener for me, but I have no idea what to do.

Seven

Conor

It’s been three days since the night with Eloise, and I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s as if she’s become an obsession, constantly on my mind.

Unable to sit in my condo any longer with thoughts of the woman I can’t have rolling through my brain, I head to the workout facility my agent rents for his Chicago clients, my three closest teammates on the Falcons included.

“Look who finally decided to work out in the offseason?” Tweetie, our left wing, flexes his biceps as if I should be jealous he hasn’t stopped his workout regimen since the season ended.

“Well, some of us still have youth on our side.” I drop my bag and sit on the mat to change my shoes.

Tweetie is the oldest player on the Falcons, but he’s still on the first line, and his game is on point. I’ve never asked, and he’s never mentioned retiring, but we both know he’s on borrowed time. I never want to stop playing, so I understand why he’s been at the gym every day so far this offseason to make sure his playing days don’t come to an end.

“I can still kick your ass.” He picks up some dumbbells, sits on the bench, and starts his curls.

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