Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Are the kids okay? That was safe. Send.
They’re fine. That was it. Three dancing dots and what felt like five minutes, then, How are you?
My fingers worked faster than my brain. Terrible.
Why? What’s wrong?
I’m in the middle of contract BS and it’s stressing me out, I typed.
More dancing dots. I grabbed a water bottle from the mini fridge in my home gym and moved through the labyrinth of rooms to the kitchen. I glanced at my cell, my pulse skyrocketing at the new message.
Can you talk?
I pushed Call first and nearly whimpered at the sound of his deep, husky voice.
“Silas.”
“Yeah, hey.” I gave an awkward laugh. “Have we ever talked on the phone? Feels weird.”
“Yeah. You SOS called me just before you turned into a popsicle. Ring any bells?”
“Ah, yes. One of my finest moments.”
He chuckled, and I swore I could feel the warmth of it through the cell connection. “It was, indeed.”
“So, what’s up? Did you have a rough day?”
Cooper hummed. “Just the usual. I’d rather hear about you. Are you signing a new contract?”
“I…maybe.” And I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather talk to about the decision that had been weighing on me for weeks.
So I did. I didn’t mention Alli or her very influential beau. I stuck to football. Did I choose a new city, stay in LA, or stay retired? And if I stayed retired, what was next?
“Huh. That’s a lot to think about,” Cooper said once I’d run out of steam.
“Geez, you sound kind of hot on the phone.” Okay, shut up, Anderson. It was true that I could’ve listened to him all day, but retaining some level of cool would have been nice.
“Thanks.” He laughed, low and sexy. “What does your gut tell you to do?”
“Play. I want to do it, but I don’t think LA is good for me. I need a new team, a new fan base, a change of scenery on the opposite end of the country.”
“Boston is a great town,” he commented.
“Closer to Wood Hollow. I liked that place.”
“And you saw it at its worst.”
True, but at that moment, the ice-laden branches, wicked wind, and snow up to my knees didn’t seem so terrible. I gazed out the window at the hillside and the blue skies above the city of angels and wished I could trade it for another stormy night in Vermont.
“I was thinking of hibernating there for a while,” I blurted, surprising the hell out of myself.
Truthfully, I hadn’t considered Wood Hollow to be a viable option till this very second, and now that the words were out of my mouth, I realized there was nothing I wanted more.
I held my breath and waited for Cooper to say something.
“Really?” He sounded as shocked as me, but not upset or wary.
“Would it be weird if I stayed next door?”
“Not at all. Come.”
And just like that, the weight of the world fell from my shoulders. I had a purpose and a place to go, and there was someone there who wanted to be with me.
I couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER 10
COOPER
Spring had finally arrived in the Four Forest area.
Trees that had been bare for months were budding, and determined daffodils had pushed their way through the stubborn patches of snow still clinging to the ground. Ice had all but melted on Lake Norman, wildlife had begun to crawl from their winter resting places, and birdsong filled the crisp late March afternoon on an ordinary Wednesday.
I’d come home early to greet Silas and felt a little silly for it. But that might have just been nerves. I was anxious to see him. It had been two months, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew what I wanted, though, and I hoped we were on the same page.
“Look at you in a sensible four-wheel-drive vehicle,” I snarked, my arms folded across my chest.
“I learned my lesson.” Silas beamed as he stepped out of the red Jeep, tilting his stubbled chin to the heavens and sucking in a deep gulp of forest air. “Damn, it’s freaking gorgeous in spring. Who knew?”
“I did. I would have warned you, but sometimes it’s more fun to figure it out on your own.”
“Ha ha.”
I smiled and reached for Silas’s suitcase. “You didn’t bring one of these last time.”
“I’m hibernating, remember? My season might be off from bears and squirrels or—” He wrinkled his nose, hiking his carry-on strap over his shoulder and closing the Jeep’s hatch. “Do squirrels hibernate?”
Fuck, I wanted to kiss him. Right here, right now.
Silas the soon-to-be-un-retired football star looked mighty fine in faded jeans and an unbuttoned gray flannel shirt worn atop a snug black tee. His hair was longer, and his thick scruff could almost qualify as a beard. I drank in the sight of him, lingering on his full lips before meeting his eyes.