Take a Breath (Take #1) - Jaimie Roberts Page 0,105

did kind of cause a scene, though, didn’t I?”

He becomes silent for a moment. “You’d make a great mother, do you know that?” The shock on my face is evident, and he notices. His eyes go a little wide. “I’m just saying.” He gives me a gentle smile. I can tell he’s probably wondering whether he had made a mistake coming out with something like that.

I don’t dwell on it too much. Instead, I smile back at him. “Thank you.”

The awkwardness pulls us back in to the game as the crowd starts screaming again. Matthew is yet again running the field. He’s getting closer and closer to the end zone, and my heart starts picking up a notch. Another play, Matthew is rushed. He avoids a sack, and the pressure is still in his face. He manages to evade a defender of the other team as he races on. The crowd starts going wild, and Jake and I stand up, cheering him on. The defender chases Matthew, jumping on his back, dragging Matthew down, but not before he crosses the goal line.

TOUCHDOWN!!!

Everyone screams, and Jake and I hug each other. I see the cheerleaders in the distance dancing away, waving their pom-poms. The thought immediately gives me an idea for later. I smile and quickly start planning it out in my head.

The game plays on, and the Waverley Giants are kicking arse. The final score is 28-14, thanks to two touchdowns by Matthew.

The crowd dissipates as we make our way towards Matthew. His face is beaming as we give him a big hug. “See, I told you I’d kick ass,” he says, laughing.

Jake pulls a face, but I pat his shoulder. “So you did, Matthew. So you did.”

Clive comes sprinting over towards us. “Hey, Mr. Bennett. Hey Ana.”

He looks at me with a shy expression as a girl suddenly appears beside him. She reaches up to kiss him on the cheek and glares at me. This little blonde moppet does not like me at all. If looks could kill. I’m assuming this means she knows about me.

Oh, dear.

“Guys, this is Stephanie. Stephanie this is Matthew’s dad, Jake and Matthew’s—” He scratches his head not knowing what to call me. “This is Ana,” he finally manages. We say hi, and she immediately starts drooling over Jake.

A feeling I’ve never had before quickly surfaces, causing me to have this overwhelming desire to claim Jake. Without thinking, I grab his hand and pull him rather forcefully towards me. His head snaps down at me with confusion but takes my hand anyway. Of course, everyone notices this.

Clive scowls, and his friend, Stephanie, looks at me with a smirk on her face. I immediately blush as I realize just how “high-school” I’m behaving. I have never had to deal with this sort of thing before. I’m supposed to be more mature than this, but I find I can’t help myself.

While I’m mentally chastising myself, another girl appears, running towards Matthew, squealing. This girl seems to be a lot nicer than Stephanie. She’s slim with hazelnut-brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. She really is very pretty. I watch as she jumps up and down before giving Matthew a great big hug. Jake and I glance a questioning look at each other, and Matthew catches us.

He clears his throat, looking embarrassed all of a sudden. “Dad, Ana, this is Cindy.”

She gives us both a beaming smile, which I immediately warm to. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Mr. Bennett, Ana. I’ve heard so much about you both.”

And yet, we’ve heard nothing at all about you.

I glance over to Matthew and raise an eyebrow in question. He just smiles and shrugs his shoulders.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Cindy. Did you enjoy the game?” Jake smiles, and Cindy swoons in his direction.

For some reason, I don’t feel intimidated by this girl’s reaction. I think it’s because she’s been looking at Matthew with the same adoration as I believe I express when I look at Jake.

Cindy gives Matthew a look of pride. “It was great. Matthew was fantastic.” Matthew smiles back at her and clasps his hand in hers. Although Matthew seems oblivious to it, Jake’s raised eyebrow doesn’t go unnoticed by me.

An air of awkwardness ensues until Jake decides to speak. “Well, Ana and I must be going home now. Enjoy your night, kids. You deserve it after that game.”

Matthew smiles. “Thanks, Dad.”

Jake gives him a proud pat on the shoulder, and I watch as Stephanie continues