Marrying the Playboy Doctor - By Laura Iding Page 0,52
he avoided planning for the future.
She let out a heavy sigh. Going to Seth’s room right now wasn’t a smart idea, since she suspected Seth didn’t want to spend their time together discussing their relationship and where it was going. And she didn’t want to argue.
She’d come on this trip because she hadn’t wanted to disappoint Ben. A football game was hardly a romantic date.
Best to keep this trip light, since it was for Ben’s benefit after all. Continuing a romantic intimacy when they didn’t have a future wasn’t something she was willing to do.
The next morning they ate Sunday brunch in the hotel restaurant, and Kylie was relieved Seth didn’t seem upset about her decision to stay in her own room all night. At least he treated her no differently than before.
They walked the short distance to the stadium, along with hundreds of other football fans. Once they were seated, Kylie glanced around, awed by the intense energy level pulsing through the crowd. Music blared from loudspeakers and fans leaped to their feet, cheering madly when the players were introduced. The team played to the crowd, waving as they ran out onto the field.
Seth was right. Watching the game from the stands was totally different from seeing it on the television. The players lived for the reactions from the crowd, and the fans didn’t disappoint them. The plays were a little hard to follow, but the hits the players took were loud enough to make her wince.
The Bears were winning, and she found herself rooting for them with Ben, screaming until their voices were hoarse as the Packers tied the game with only two minutes left to play.
“Hey, buddy, you might want to divorce your wife and disown your kid if they’re going to root for the Bears.”
She glanced at the Packers fan who’d addressed Seth, wondering if the guy wearing green and gold from head to toe might have ingested a few too many beers.
“We’re not married,” Kylie replied tartly.
Seth tried to play along. “I’ve been trying to convert them from the dark side,” he joked. “But so far no luck.”
“If you’re not married, then run while you can,” the guy advised, as the Bears took the kickoff and ran a good fifteen yards down the field.
Seth simply shook his head, his gaze locked on the field as the Bears managed to get another first down. Kylie knew the Packers fan was only kidding, but she couldn’t help realizing her differences with Seth were more than just which team they chose to support. They were so different in other ways, too.
Her annoyance faded as the Bears continued to move the ball down the field. When there were only ten seconds left on the play clock, the Bears team set up for a field goal.
“They’re going to choke,” Seth warned Ben.
“No, they’re not.” Ben was practically jumping from one foot to the other with excitement. Seth lifted him up, setting his feet on the back of the seat in front of them so he could see better.
The kick was good. The crowd went wild as the Bears won the game by three points.
“Maybe you should start rooting for the Bears,” Kylie told Seth as they waited for the crowd to thin before heading back over to the hotel, where they’d left their luggage.
“Never,” Seth said, although his tone lacked emphasis.
They walked back to the hotel to fetch their luggage, and then took a cab back to the train station. Once they arrived in Milwaukee, they picked up some fast food to eat on the ride home to Cedar Bluff.
Ben was half asleep in the backseat, dozing off, and then blinking to wake up. Kylie knew the excitement of the game had worn him out.
“Thanks for taking us to the game,” she said quietly. “I know Ben will remember this day for a long time.”
Seth grinned. “Yeah, especially since his team won.”
The day had been special, but not because Ben’s team had won. There was a part of her that had liked them being together, as if they were a family. Ben had reveled in Seth’s attention, and she knew her son secretly longed for a father.
If things didn’t work out with Seth, Ben would be hurt. Badly.
Seth had never once mentioned raising Ben as his own son, the same way Gregory Taylor had raised him. That was a lot to ask of any man.
“Kylie?” Seth reached over to take her hand, and kept his voice low so as not