a little more. Looks good on you.” She cracked eggs into a mixing bowl.
I glanced toward Savannah, and my breath caught. She was whispering something to Hunter, her fingers tracing a lazy pattern on his back, her expression so serene that I couldn’t help but take out my phone and snap a picture.
She looked so good, so happy with a baby that my mind tripped into another dimension where I imagined what she’d look like holding my baby. What it would be like to see that contentment on her face every day, to focus my life on making her completely, deliriously happy because her joy was mine.
You can’t fall for her. The thought slammed into me at the same exact moment she lifted her eyes to mine, flashing me a brilliant smile before turning her attention back to Hunter.
A relationship between us was impossible. She wasn’t ready for anything that would tie her down, and I’d never had a relationship last longer than the produce in my refrigerator. I wasn’t good for her—except in bed, and she wasn’t just out of my league, she was in a whole different sport. Smart, driven women recognized me for the trouble I was and stayed far away, yet this one had put herself firmly in my path. And even all those things couldn’t compare to the biggest obstacle to anything real developing.
“What is it?” Mom asked quietly. “What aren’t you telling me, Hendrix?”
“Her dad is my coach.” My chest ached as I whispered the truth to the only person I knew wouldn’t judge me for it. “He’ll kill me if he finds out. Or worse, trade me. It can’t last. It shouldn’t even have lasted this long.”
“Hmmm.” She cracked another egg. “You love this girl?”
I blinked, ripping my eyes from Savannah’s profile to look at Mom, who peered up at me with raised eyebrows. “It’s a little early for that.”
“Not if that’s Savannah Goodman, it’s not.” She went back to cracking the eggs. “I might be getting a little forgetful, but I listen when you talk, Hendrix, and that girl has been in your stories for years. People grow up, change, grow apart…or grow together. I’d guess this is a case of the latter. Seems a shame to waste something rare because you’re afraid of what people will think.” She finished the eighteen-pack and reached for the whisk.
“Not people, Mom. My coach. It’s his number one rule—hands off Savannah.” And my hands had most definitely been on her. They’d been all over her, and just the thought of touching her again had my palms itching for the chance.
She picked up the bowl and headed for the sink.
“What are you doing?”
She lifted her brows, tilting the bowl so the eggs raced for the edge. “We can’t very well enjoy breakfast knowing that I broke all those eggs.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I took the bowl and set it back on the counter, checking to make sure Savannah’s attention was anywhere but on us. She was still firmly engrossed in Hunter.
“You don’t be ridiculous,” Mom shook her finger at me. “The eggs are already broken. Happiness isn’t something that comes along for everyone, Hendrix, and you and I both know just how fast it can be taken away. I have no regrets about the twenty years I had with your father before that drunk driver took the rest away.” She shook her head.
“I know.” They’d had the fairytale right up until the very end.
“The eggs are already broken, Hendrix. You already crossed that line, let the horse out of the barn—”
“I get it,” I said with a laugh.
“Be a shame not to see where it takes you. That’s all I’m saying. Girl looks good with a baby.” She whipped the eggs.
“Yeah. She looks good with a career in sports management too.” There wasn’t much that didn’t look good on Savannah.
“Oh, I’m sorry, was there some rule that says you can’t have both?” She tilted her head and stared me down despite the fact that she was twelve inches shorter than me. “Honestly, you raise a boy to chase a football, and he forgets how to chase anything else. And you can tell Weston I said the same about him. He needs a good woman, too.” She shot me a hard side-eye. “Best thing that boy’s father ever did for him was put him in public school. Lord only knows how he would have turned out if he hadn’t had a little perspective. Not that you two ever