Page 128 of Third and Ten

“Hmm. I bet I could persuade you to do all kinds of things right now if you gave me half a chance,” I say, making my voice deeper and running my fingertips up the back of her thigh before stopping to grab a handful of her again.

She shivers, then pushes against my chest as I laugh at her expense. “Or maybe you could just keep your hands to yourself,” she suggests, her voice betraying her attempts to appear collected. I figure it’s difficult enough to bring up the topic of marriage as it is, much less trying to concentrate while I’m groping her like this. But I also don’t care about playing fair.

“Fine. Can I distract you with my lips?”

She pulls a face at me. “I’d rather you didn’t.”

I grin and kiss her jawline anyway. “And you’re absolutely sure you want to wait?” I tease, even though I know she’s right.

She sighs this time. “I promise I’ll make it up to you one day.”

I stop abruptly. Did she just promise to marry me?

“One day?”

“Yes, and then for as many more days as it takes for me to show you that I love you, even though I’ll need to use more than just my lips to get my point across,” she declares, borrowing one of my lines. And then she leans in for a deep, intense, desperate kiss.

This time, I’m the one getting the frissons when she finally pulls away. “Tenley Jean, you can’t say stuff like that right now, and you can’t kiss me like you want me to take the rest of our clothes off, not when we’re supposed to be keeping this classy.”

“Sorry,” she says, giggling again before her tone gets more serious. “It’s just…I thought you were leaving. I didn’t know about the assistant-principal offer, so I assumed you were talking about that college coaching job when you texted me last week. And I panicked, because I don’t think I could stand to be apart from you, but I also don’t want to hold you back.”

I blink at her a few times. “Even if I were interested in that job, I’m always going to choose you and Ethan over work, football, everything. You know that, right?” She nods, her eyes watering. Then I lift her chin and reassure her with a kiss. “I mean it. I’d never leave you, Ten.”

“For the record, I’m not going anywhere, either. Not without you.”

I lean in for another kiss, because I’m sure it wasn’t easy for her to make that declaration. “Besides, I need to help you get our boy back.”

She gives me a sad smile. “As happy as I am to hear you say that, I’m afraid it doesn’t look good.”

“What do you mean?”

“Blake says it’s basically up to Ethan, and either way, I’ll never get full custody. Ryan has the advantage. Besides being Ethan’s biological dad, he’s…established. He’s got his own house and a family, and the courts are always more hesitant to give kids away to single parents.”

Don’t do it. Don’t say it, you idiot. Not yet.

“Well, would it help if you were married, too?” I ask, coughing lightly over the last few words.

She looks at me hesitantly, as if she’s trying to read my intent. “I didn’t think to ask, since it was a moot point.”

I rub a hand over my face, willing myself to think my next few words through before I give in to the urge to get down on one knee like the lovesick dumbass that I am. I can hear my heart thumping loudly.

“Maybe we could beat him at his own game.” I swallow hard before I continue. “A month is plenty of time to plan a wedding, isn’t it?”

Her eyes are wide, but she doesn’t look appalled or even all that shocked. Instead, she bites the corner of her bottom lip, the way she always does when she’s really nervous or scared. “JD, I…” she begins, but then she shuts her eyes tightly. “That’s not what I meant. We can’t—not like this, anyway.”

I shake my head and grab her chin, willing her to open her eyes again. “But marrying you wouldn’t be a sacrifice or a favor. It’s not exactly how I pictured it happening, either, but you have to know by now how much I want this.”

“That’s why it wouldn’t be fair to you. I can’t let you rush into marriage just so you can help me fix things with Ethan. I won’t take all that away from you.”

A tear rolls down one side of her face, and I bring my thumb up to dry her cheek.

“Hmm. You know, you don’t have to punish yourself for changing your mind about what kind of life you want, Tenley.”

She pulls back slightly and angles her face so that her eyes lock onto mine again. I’ve definitely hit a nerve.

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t missed the hints you’ve been dropping all morning. I can tell you want all the same things I do. You’re just afraid to admit you want it now.” She exhales as if I’ve knocked the wind out of her, so I continue. “So what if you used to think you’d never settle down in Camellia? Or that you’d never find someone who could make you want to start a family?”

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