Her eyes followed him as he walked into the kitchen and picked up the bag he’d dropped. He emptied their cups and put them in the dishwasher then grabbed his phone and wallet from the bag. Running a hand through his hair, he finally made his way down the few steps to the family room and her. He stood behind the chair facing her, gripping and ungripping the back. He seemed as nervous as she felt. It didn’t suit him. She liked his confidence. What did suit him was the couple days of growth on his jaw. He looked hot.
“So, I’ll be out of town for a few days next week,” he spoke and she heard the hesitancy in his beautiful voice.
“Where are you going?”
“Down to South Carolina to visit with Reid.”
“Okay,” she said, curious as to why he was going to visit with the owner of the team during the off-season.
“When are you going to California?” he asked.
“On the twenty-fourth until the twenty-eighth. I’ll have Bree send you the info later this week.”
“When would you prefer I see the boys—before or after you return?”
She grabbed her phone from the coffee table and checked her calendar. She would have to be in Indy the week after she was in L.A. for her twelve week visit. Whoa. Almost out of the first trimester.
“Uh, well, I have to be in Indianapolis the week after I return so if you want, you can see them whenever that week. We are flying into Indy on the twenty-ninth, early morning.”
“Red-eye?”
“Yes. Should be fun with two three-year-olds.”
He chuckled and his laughter sounded beautiful, but at the same time, it hurt. She had missed his laugh, his face, his presence for so long now. “I would like to see them that week. I’ll be starting training camp a couple weeks after the Fourth.”
“Okay. That shouldn’t be a problem.”
He sighed which drew her attention to his face. His normally expressive face looked exhausted.
“Looks like the boys tired you out.”
Ethan lit up with the mention of the boys, his smile wide. “They did. I had such a great time with them today.”
When she saw his exhaustion, her first instinct was to go to him and kiss the tired away. Maybe bring him to the sofa and put his head in her lap and watch TV together, her fingers absently running through his hair. He wasn’t supposed to leave. It surprised her that she wanted him to stay, at least for a little bit.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
After a moment of indecision, he smiled gratefully. “That would be great actually.”
Lifting herself off the sofa, she walked past him to the kitchen, breathing in his scent along the way, a scent she’d never forget—strong, clean with just a hint of sweat. If she’d lick him right now, she’d taste that sweat. She’d always liked the saltiness of his skin.
She closed her eyes and swallowed. Down, girl. She quickened her steps as she walked up the few stairs to the kitchen and set about preparing the coffee. He followed her, sitting at the island like he always did when she was in the kitchen, observing, keeping out of her way, but being there with her.
After she was done, she hopped up on the counter by the coffee pot while they waited. His eyes didn’t leave her. A change from earlier when he wouldn’t look at her. She leaned forward a little, relaxing her elbows on her knees, her shirt billowing at the top. When she glanced up, she saw that his expression looked troubled.
Rising from his chair, he walked over to her and didn’t stop until his stomach touched her knees. She closed her eyes as his fingers lightly touched her chest, hovering over the fading bruises.
“Do they hurt?” he asked quietly. She opened her eyes and found his eyes on her face. She could only shake her head because her voice had gone missing. They stared into each other’s eyes and she saw up close how his eyes spoke volumes about how he felt—tired, miserable, defeated … regret.
“I’m so sorry, Mia,” he said, his eyes falling from her and closing. His voice strong yet low. Her eyes didn’t leave his face and she felt a mixture of longing and anger at him. She wanted to share the news of her pregnancy—tell him he was going to be a father again. See his joy—a joy she had tried to give him for years. She was mad