Page 30 of The Way We Collide

“I had to tell Coach what was going on, and his wife Christina really wanted to help get the house ready for Haddy.” He almost seems apologetic. “I hope that’s okay. She was so excited. Their son just left for college.”

“That’s so sweet. I’ll have to send her a thank-you card. The house is all ready for us.”

He hesitates, as if he’s unsure what to do now. “I hope you’ll both like it here.”

Hendrix is this big, strong athlete with perfectly messy brown hair and bright blue eyes. He’s six-foot-two inches of pure muscle with broad shoulders, a rock-hard chest and abs, and a narrow waist. When he grins, his lips part over straight, white teeth, and that scar… and that dimple. He’s a work of art.

He’s a total player, and when he reveals these moments of pure vulnerability, it does not help that I remember our one night together so vividly.

I have to be very careful during this time to keep my head straight. I won’t lose my heart. It wouldn’t be fair to any of us. We have ground rules.

Football is his life. The weather is mine. We share Haddy, and that’s where it ends.

“I’m sure we will. Your house is so beautiful, and Haddy’s room is so cute. I’ve always been in the same room with her, so that’ll be a switch.”

“You can sleep in the bed in here if you want?”

“We’ll see how it goes. It’s good for her to get used to her own room.”

We walk back through the house, in the direction of the kitchen, and when we enter the large living room, I can’t resist. “This television is incredible. I can’t wait to watch movies on it.”

“You talk about movies like I talk about football.”

Shrugging, I can’t argue. “It’s my favorite hobby.”

“Is watching movies a hobby?”

“It is how I do it.” I gesture to the massive screen. “You can compare camera angles and scenes, contrast the old styles with the new ones to see how they influence each other. You can even compare the way actors walk and their delivery of lines to the way actors did it in the past—especially when they do biopics. It’s so fun.”

He’s ahead of me as we walk, and my eyes drift to his butt. My lips tilt to the side, and I almost sigh over how unfair it is that he’s so attractive. It’s like a test.

“Are you sure you want to be a meteorologist?” He stops,turning fast, and I jump, letting out a little yelp which makes his eyes narrow. “Were you just checking out my ass?”

“No!” I say it too loudly, and my ears grow hot, which I know means they’re turning pink.

“You were checking out my ass.”

“I was not!”

He looks at Haddy. “She was checking out Daddy’s ass.”

Haddy smiles and pats his cheeks, letting out a little gurgling noise.

“See that?” His blue eyes meet mine. “She said you were.”

“Nice try.” I step forward, holding back a swoon at how cute they are. “You’ll have to watch your language. Her first word can’t be a swear.”

“Isassa swear?” he teases.

“She can’t say it at school.”

“Still, we know what you did.” He resumes walking, leaning into our daughter. “She was checking out Daddy’s butt, Hads.”

“I was not checking out your butt!” I cry, even though it’s a total lie. I was totally checking out his butt. “I was thinking about what you said, and yes, I want to be a meteorologist.”

“You should be a movie critic. You’re in the perfect city for it.”

“I also want to tour Warner Brothers studios.”

---