Page 57 of Empty Net

When he first suggested we go on a date, I thought it might be a terrible idea. We’re already walking a thin line, so throwing dating into the mix? It’s not exactly ideal. But now that I’m here in his apartment and he’s cooking dinner for me and grinning at me like that…well, there’s nowhere I’d rather be.

“I’d love to try it.”

“If you hate it, it’s okay.” He reaches into the cabinet and pulls out some cups while I’m busy watching how his back muscles stretch against his shirt. “But if you love it, I might just do a jig.”

“A jig? Even if I hate it, I’ll say I like it just to see that.”

He shakes his head as he turns toward me, holding our drinks. “Gotta be honest.”

But I’m not paying any attention to his words. How could I when I see what he’s holding toward me?

A mug.He noticed.

“What?” he asks when I don’t take it immediately. “Having second thoughts?”

“I…” But no words come out. They can’t. They’re stuck behind the lump that’s firmly wedged in my throat.

I have no idea why I’m getting so emotional over something as silly as a mug that readsWorld’s Best Goalie, but here I am.

You can kiss me if you want to.

That’s what Fox told me when standing outside my door, and though there have been several moments when I’ve wanted to since then, none of them have been as persistent as this one. I want to kiss him so badly right now that it physically hurts. He noticed. Fox noticed, and it’s the sweetest, simplest thing in the world.

“Lilah?” he asks softly.

I give myself a shake, finally accepting the lemonade.

“Sorry,” I say, curling my hands around the mug. “I just…” I blow out a breath, then finally look up at him, his brows still pinched together in concern. “You gave me a mug.”

He lifts a shoulder. “I noticed you like mugs.”

“Yeah, butnobodyever notices. Not even Auden. All she does is complain that I don’t have any other glasses.”

He shrugs again like it’s no big deal, but it feels like a big deal. Fox is just my fake fiancé. He’s just doing me a favor. He’s not supposed to be wooing me, which is definitely what’s happening right now, intentional or not. “Maybe it’s because I’m a hockey player, and we’re sort of known for our quirks, so I didn’t even think twice about it.”

“Everyone thinks twice about it.”

“Then maybe I just didn’t care.” And fuck me if those words don’t hit me right in the chest.

Should I really be surprised, though? Fox has taken all this wackiness, like our engagement and my parents and my pink couch, with a grin on his face. Why would this affect him?

He waits for me to challenge him again, but I have nothing. So he lifts his mug and says, “¡Salud!”

¡Salud!because he remembers we’re still not cheersing.

With a grin, I lift my mug to my lips and take a sip of hishomemadelemonade, and it was well worth the wait. A perfect blend of sweetness and spice explodes over my tongue, and it’s officially the best lemonade I’ve ever had.

“Well?” he asks when I don’t say anything.

“I hope you’re ready to dance because this is damn good, Fox.”

He sets his mug aside, then puts one hand behind his head, holding his other arm out straight ahead of him, and proceeds to do the sprinkler like he’s some dad who finally made it up on the Jumbotron at one of his games. I laugh, shaking my head at his antics, especially with how proud he looks.

“You’re ridiculous,” I tell him, but I still can’t stop smiling, and neither can he. That seems to be a recurring theme when it comes to Fox. It’s something I could get far too used to if I’m not careful.

“Would a ridiculous man agree to be your fake fiancé for an undisclosed amount of time, then ask you on a date to get to know you better?” He winks at me.

I roll my eyes. “That sounds exactly like what a ridiculous man would do. Speaking of that…”

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