Page 35 of Make Your Shot
“The other day,” he says softly, his voice dropping lower. He takes another step closer so we’re standing toe to toe. He lifts his hand, his finger crooking beneath my chin as he tilts it upwards. “You said you have to look out for you.”
“We were talking about my celiac disease...” My voice trails off and I attempt to ignore the tugging feeling inside my chest. He’s digging too deep, searching for answers I don’t want to share with him.
His thumb rests against my chin and he slowlymoves it, stroking my skin in the softest, most tender way. “You’re not alone either, pup.” His lips part, a shallow breath escaping him. “You have people who care about you. People who want to look out for you.”
I draw in my bottom lip, dragging it between my teeth as I stare back at him. His nostrils flare and the intensity of his gaze burns through my body. He drops his eyes down to my mouth and my insides melt.
“Mia...” he practically whispers, his voice strained, as if he’s in pain. His eyes fall shut for a moment as the tension sizzles in the air between us. My stomach flutters and as he opens his eyes again, I’m met with a fire burning brightly inside his irises.
“I don’t know how to act around you.” A sigh escapes him, torment mixing with the lust.
“I don’t know either,” I admit, my voice barely audible.
He searches my eyes with desperation as if he wants me to tell him to stop. Like he wants me to be the one to shake some sense into him. I can’t—not when I need this just as badly as he does.
He tilts his head to the side, his face dropping closer to mine. His warm breath drifts across my face and I catch one last look of the flames of desire burning inside his gaze. Just as my eyelids begin to flutter shut...
“Daddy!” Tella comes bounding down the stairs. She sounds like a herd of elephants and that’s all it takes for reality to come crashing down around us. In a fraction of a second, Caleb’s hand drops away from my face and he takes an exaggerated step backward. “Can I help you with dinner?”
Holy shit. I almost kissed my boss, who my father also coaches.
“Of course, T,” he says, half choking out the words as he forces a smile onto his face.
“Mia! Are you going to have dinner with us too?”
Caleb doesn’t look at me and I see that damn muscle in his jaw tic again. He adjusts his glasses, glancing at the kitchen, as if he’s planning his escape. He’s visibly uncomfortable and I feel like it’s my fault.
I almost let him kiss me...and now I can’t help but wonder if he would have regretted doing it.
“Not tonight, but I’ll see you tomorrow,” I tell Tella, smiling at her before turning to the front door. “Have a good night, guys.”
“Bye, Mia!” Tella calls out to me, skipping past Caleb as she heads into the kitchen.
He slowly turns around, pain etched across his face as he meets my gaze. He clears his throat. “Drive safe.”
I give him a curt nod before slipping through the front door. I don’t bother turning back around to get my bag. Instead, I head out to my car and head home with nothing but regret building in the pit of my stomach.
I should have stopped him before we got to that moment.
Because that moment—it simply isn’t meant for us.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CALEB
My heart pounds erratically and my body is coated in a cold sweat as I sit up in bed. The darkness surrounds me and I blink my eyes, my chest heaving as I reach for my phone on the nightstand. I grab it in a haste, the screen lighting up as I turn it toward my face.
Somehow, without even reading it, I know what the date is.
Amelia’s birthday.
It’s like my body knows, even when I try to block it from my mind. I knew this day was approaching, yet I’ve let myself get distracted. I’ve leaned into those distractions in an effort to keep my mind from wandering, from hyper-fixating. From spiraling.
Every year since I lost Amelia, her birthday has been the hardest day for me. The anniversary of her death sucks, but it’s just a reminder of the day we lost her. Her birthday, however, has now become the start of anotheryear for her, another year we’re without her. Another year taken away that she doesn’t get to grow old, watching our little girl.
And somehow, I neglected to acknowledge it coming on so quickly. I forgot to schedule my normal therapy appointment that I always do a few days before. I knew it was coming, but I chose to not think about it until this very moment.
I close my eyes, locking my phone and letting it fall onto the bed. A deep sigh escapes me, my chest deflating as guilt rolls through me at full force. There’s no sense in trying to go back to sleep, as I know it will never find me now.
