Page 11 of A Game Plan for Love

My chest flares with warmth from the compliment, and the smile aimed at me.

God, he’s handsome. Broad shoulders and toned muscles. Deep, wavy hair and mesmerizing blue eyes. A sharp jaw paired with soft lips.

He’s the muse the Greek sculptors would chisel into marble to eternalize his beauty.

The elevator dings, and he steps inside, pulling his wagon. It’s nearly closed when he calls out, “You have a sticker on your hip.”

The doors slam shut and my eyes fly to the side of my ass, just below the hem of my polo, where a glittery rainbow sticker is plastered to my work pants. I peel it off, silently promising myself that Nora will never get another sticker book ever again, when I pause.

He only could have noticed the sticker if he was staring directly at my ass.

It’s unhealthy how quickly my heart beats in my chest at the thought he waslookingat me.

This is not good.

I’m halfway home when I notice a superstore and pull into the parking lot before I can change my mind.

Declan deserves to feel special, too.

CHAPTER 4

More Than A Woman – The Bee Gees

Declan

Sweatdripsdownmybrow as I jog back to the line of scrimmage, focus split between the uncomfortable itch behind my ear and the sideline.

I noticed.

It’s jarring how two simple words can have a resounding impact, but they’ve rattled through my mind since the elevator doors closed yesterday.

And now I’ve noticed her in every room. At team dinner, and after the position meeting this morning in the hallway. Addie runs rampant in my mind.

A blur of auburn hair darts on the sidelines, passing out water and Gatorade to players. She’s gorgeous this morning, hair pulled back into a messy bun, though strands have escaped and now frame her face. Her skin is flushed as she darts through huddles and around the coaching staff, and for a single moment, our eyes meet.

My skin lights with electricity.

I shouldn’t spend so much time thinking about Addie, but she creeps into my thoughts when my mind quiets. A few interactions and I’m drawn to her. I want to spend more time with her. Hear her laugh. Learn more about her vinyl records.

“What are you looking at?”

Henry’s voice filters in my ear, and I jump. Jack gives me a quizzical look as I scan the sideline one more time, but Addie is gone.

“Nothing.”

I shake off the urge to search for her and jog off the field.

Ben, the head nutritionist, and the one I have no interest in, hands each of us a squeeze bottle. He’s a nice guy, and great at his job, but he’s not the woman consuming my thoughts—who has managed to clear the fog over my lifetwice.

Jack sprays water over his arm, cleaning the new tattoo on his bicep. A starfish. Another dedication to his wife. Nearly all of his new tattoos are a dedication to her; to the love and life they share.

I have to look away before jealousy consumes me.

Wives and fianceés become the topic of discussion, and I slink to the back of the group. What can I say? There’s nothing I can contribute to the conversation, and the division has become so clear that my chest aches.

When will it be my turn? When will someone decide I’m enough for them? Alan, my high school football coach, was the one person I had, but he’s gone, and I’m alone again. When everyone else saw the lanky, quiet kid struggling in school, he saw me for more. Recognized my potential and need for a stable environment, and treated me like a son. Pulled me out of the group home where I struggled to succeed. Spent weekends on the football field, helping me train. Stayed up late to help with my homework to bring my grades back up.

I’ll never forget the day I walked into his home, all of my belongings stuffed into a garbage bag and nervous energy fluttering through my body. I had never had someonechoose me. But he spent months working to get his foster parent certification, and when I walked into his home with my social worker, Denise, he took one look at me, snatched his keys from the counter, and drove to the store where he bought me every necessity I was lacking. Toiletries. New shoes. Clothes that fit me properly. I’ll never forget the duffel he bought and the words spoken after.No child deserves to tote their things around in a trash bag.

---