the team. That’s cool.”
Honor blinked.
“Did you really think I’d give up that easily?”
“Most guys would,” she said with a shrug.
Yeah well, I wasn’t most guys.
“Honestly, it might make things easier.”
“In what way?” I asked.
Honor tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked up at me. “Well, I have a proposition for you. If you’re up for it.”
I knew I’d agree to anything she asked at that point. “Okay, what did you have in mind?”
“Maybe we can start over and try being just friends.”
Friends. I actually was okay with that. It was the “just” I didn’t like. My mind balked at the word, but for the first time tonight, Honor looked sure. She was smiling up at me hopefully, and though I wanted more from her than friendship—so much more—I didn’t have the heart to tell her right then.
“Hm, sounds interesting,” I said.
Not exactly a lie, right? But not an agreement that we should be “just friends” either. I knew she wanted more from me, too. We couldn’t just start over, forget about what happened at the party where we met and everything since. I had to figure out what was holding her back and how to convince her to give us a go.
“Awesome,” Honor said. “I’ve thought about it a lot. I’m actually going to need to profile you at some point, Archer, and this will make it so much less complicated.”
I nodded. “I heard about that. Speaking of, I brought you the game schedule. My mom asked me to drop it off.”
“She did?” Honor took the paper with a frown. “I thought she was just going to send it through email.”
“Well, technically, I volunteered,” I said and saw her eyes flare. Ah, that was not the look of someone who wanted to be just friends. I could work with that.
“You seem to do a lot of volunteering,” she said suspiciously. I couldn’t be sure, but I hoped she remembered the way I’d volunteered to be her one-night stand before.
I took a step forward. “What can I say? I’m a giver.”
“Oh great.” She cleared her throat. “Well, I’m glad you stopped by so we could have this chat.”
“Me, too,” I said, stepping into her space.
Honor’s eyes widened.
“What?” I asked innocently. “Friends hug each other, right?”
I thought I heard a chuckle from the other side of the living room but ignored it.
Honor shook her head with a smile. “I guess so.”
Yes, I thought, as she stepped into my arms. It was brief, but I milked that hug for all it was worth. Feeling her breath speed up as I turned my head into her neck, I grinned before pulling back.
“I guess I’ll see you at the game next week,” I said. “It’s at home, should be a lot of fun.”
“Yeah, my first game ever,” Honor said. “I’m excited.”
“Your first baseball game?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice. “You’re serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, that’s special. We should do something.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Oh, it definitely is,” I said. “As your new friend, I insist. If we win, you come out to celebrate with us.”
Honor raised a brow. “But that’s only if you win, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, “but we’ll definitely get that W. So, you better be ready to go out after.”
“So sure of yourself,” she said.
I shook my head. “I’m sure of my team. They’d never let me down—especially when I tell them it’s your first game. So, you’ll come?”
“Just as friends, right?”
I shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
She shook her head, but I knew I had her even before she said, “You’re on.”
In my mind, I was still trying to figure out why Honor insisted on the whole just friends thing. Maybe she wanted to see how we’d get along first? Maybe she really wasn’t attracted to me like I was to her? But no, I’d seen the look in her eyes, felt her reaction whenever we were close. Regardless, I was excited about next week. She’d agreed to come out to the game, and she’d be rooting for our team.
One thing I knew for sure: My boys better be ready to play their hearts out because I was not letting this one get away.
Not the win or the girl.
Every surface in my room was covered in clothes, the closet empty.
And still, I couldn’t figure out what to wear.
“I just can’t believe it,” Charlie was saying. “I mean, he basically ignored me the whole time. I know you were over there talking it up with your boy toy. But Chase didn’t