Page 64 of Run the Play
“What? You want me to read your messages? On your phone?” There’s no hiding the disbelief in my tone.
“Yeah, if you want to know what I told them.” He rattles off his passcode, and I sit here frozen. “Roe, I have nothing to hide from you. If you need my phone, it’s there, and you know the code. Anytime you need to go through it to make yourself understand that you’re it for me, you can do it. I won’t be mad or upset.”
“Are you real?” I ask him. This man is opening his heart and his entire life to me without reservation. It’s staggering in the best way.
He chuckles. “I know how he treated you. I know he cheated on you, and I want to give you back everything he took and then some. I want to give you the world. I want to give you me, and if having access to my phone helps you see that we’re the real deal, you have it.” He adds bacon to our plates, grabs toast out of thetoaster, slathers butter on it, and pushes my plate toward me. “Coffee, milk, water, something else? I’m out of orange juice.”
“Water is fine,” I tell him. My head is spinning as I process what he’s giving me without a second thought. It means more to me than he will ever know.
He grabs a glass of water and a glass of milk before sitting next to me. With his long arms, he reaches across the island and drags his plate forward. Before he picks up his fork, he grabs his phone and hands it to me, rattling off his passcode for a second time. When I make no move to take it, he unlocks the phone and pulls up his messages before handing it to me.
They say curiosity killed the cat, and I want to know what he said, so I allow myself to scan through his message with the guys from last night. I choke on a sob when I get to the part where he says he might be falling in love with me. Then he says he’s pretty sure he is, and it feels as though my heart might tumble right out of my chest and into his.
“Landry,” I breathe his name with reverence.
“What? It’s not bad, right?” He takes the phone from me and skims the messages. His face goes pale. “Yeah, forgot about that part,” he says, placing his phone back on the counter and turning to face me. “Please don’t freak out. Don’t run.”
I can’t help it. I laugh. My entire body shakes with my laughter. He looks confused, his brow scrunched as he watches me. “You think I’m going to run? From a man who has shown me what it’s like to be wanted. Not my body, but me. From a man who has shown me what it feels like to be valued? I’m not running, Landry.”
He exhales loudly. “Good.”
“It’s scary, though, right? To feel this strongly so soon?”
He shrugs. “A little, I guess, but not really. I’ve always been one to follow my gut. It’s something my dad used to say to me after football practice. I’d be beating myself up over a play, andhe would tell me that I had good instincts and to always follow my gut, and I’d do the best that I could do.” He pauses as if he’s stuck in his head in that moment with his father. “That’s what it feels like with you. My gut tells me that we're meant to be together. You were supposed to come back to Tennessee. You were supposed to work for the Rampage. Your pain and your past led you here, and it’s exactly where you’re supposed to be. With me.”
A rush of emotion that feels a lot like love washes over me. “Please don’t break my heart,” I say, fighting back tears.
He shakes his head. “You hold all the power, Roe. If anyone gets hurt in this, it’s going to be me.”
Unable to stop myself, I lean forward and kiss him. “I really like you, Landry Reynolds.” Every moment with him feels natural, as if it were meant to be.
“Good. Now, eat your breakfast.” He winks, and just like that, playful Landry is back.
There are so many sides to him. The jokester, the brother, the friend, the uncle, the football player, and then the man who’s snuck inside my chest and made a home. I can’t tell him yet. This feels like a Tilt-A-Whirl of a ride, but I meant what I said. I’m not running. I want to ride this one until the very end.
“Come on, Rowan, we need some tunes.” Corie taps Knox’s thigh for him to slide out of the booth.
I look at Landry, and he puckers his lips. “Pay the price.”
I feel my face flush. “Someone might see,” I say, just loud enough for him to hear.
“Good. Let them see me kissing my girl. That way, they know you’re mine.” He leans in, and I give him a quick peck, and he finally moves to let me out.
Corie links her arm through mine, and we make our way to the jukebox in the back corner of the pizza place.
“I’ve never seen him like this, Rowan,” she tells me. “He’s never been public with anyone, never been affectionate outside of being playful. He really likes you.”
“I like him too.” I smile at my friend. “Are we okay, Corie? I know I should have talked to you first, but things just sort of progressed.”
“What? Of course I’m okay. Two of my favorite people are happy together. Did you forget I secretly dated my brother's best friend and teammate? Then, I married him.” She holds up her hand and wiggles her ring finger, showing off her diamond engagement ring and wedding band. “As long as the two of you are happy, that’s what matters.”
“If this doesn’t work out, I don’t want to lose you or Sloane as a friend.”
“You won’t. Sure, if tensions are high, we might have to take a break from hanging out with the guys, but what if things do work out? You’ll be my sister. Our kids will be cousins.”
Tears prick my eyes. “I’ve never had a family,” I whisper.
“Rowan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
