Page 59 of Hello Quarterback

I returned the look. It was so easy to smile around her. “Hey.”

She nodded toward the table where a silver room service tray sat. “Your breakfast arrived.”

“Ours,” I countered, going behind her and hugging her. I loved the way we looked together in the mirror. She was just tall enough for me to rest my chin atop her head. Her arms settled lightly on mine, and she looked just as contented as I felt.

“Shall we?” she said.

I nodded, going to the table. Between the two of us, we picked through the food, eating and talking about the day to come. She asked questions about being a professional football player and how I felt before games. Then she told me she had to get some work in before the game, which was perfect because I had my meditation session.

“I just need to work out first,” she said.

“Me too—what are you doing?”

“I was thinking a bike ride,” she said. “It’s so beautiful here, and I saw rentals in front of the hotel on my way in.”

Grinning, I said, “I’m going for a quick run. Maybe we can go together?”

“That sounds like fun.” She finished a bite of toast and set it down before brushing crumbs from her lips. “Should we go now? I don’t want to eat too much and be uncomfortable.”

“Definitely.” I got up, walking with her to the door and thinking it was crazy how easy it felt to be around her.

I didn’t have to worry about entertaining her or her being bored while I went through my routine. I was actually a little excited to have someone come with me for my pregame jog. I always found it helped loosen me up, especially when traveling to an out-of-town game.

The lobby of the hotel was pretty quiet this early in the morning, so no one really talked to us as we went outside. It helped that I wore a baseball cap low, sunglasses, and nondescript clothing.

Mia quickly rented her bike and said, “I’ll follow you.”

“Great,” I replied. I’d mapped a park nearby, Emerson Trails, so I started heading in the directions I’d memorized while she easily biked alongside me on the sidewalk.

“So, do you talk on these runs?” she asked. “Or is mum the word?”

I chuckled. “We can talk. It’s meant to be an easy pace.”

“Great. Did I snore last night?”

I laughed. “Like an angel.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Is that a yes?”

“Did I?” I countered.

“I didn’t notice if you did. That song put me out like a light. It’s really pretty, by the way,” she said.

“I’m glad you liked it.” I felt like I was bounding on the moon rather than jogging here on planet Earth. Especially because it was so pretty here with golden morning sunlight filtering through leafy trees. The trails were nice and wide and well-maintained, so we both had plenty of room.

We were quiet for a moment, just the gravel crunching beneath us before she said, “Do you get nervous before games?”

“Not anymore,” I said. “At first, I was sick as a dog before every single one. It’s part of why I worked so hard on my pregame routine.”

She nodded. “I get nervous before press conferences.”

I stared at her, stunned, before looking at the trail in front of me. “You do? You work a room so well.”

“Yeah.” She steered around a small rock on the path. “Why do you think I have Tallie in my back pocket all the time?”

“Because she’s brilliant?” I offered.

“Well, that too.” She chuckled. Then she looked around the tree-lined trail. “It’s so pretty out here.”

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