Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“I shouldn’t,” she says, and I can hear it in her voice. She thinks she shouldn’t, but she wants to.
Disappointment washes over me, but I’m not giving up. Shouldn’t is better than no. She needs to see that I’m willing to work for her time, and I am. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to spend more time with her.
“Can you look at your schedule and let me know when we can make plans to have dinner? Or hell, lunch or breakfast, even all three. Whatever you want. Training camp starts soon. I was hoping to see you before that started.”
There’s a silence that hangs between us. I wait, giving her time to come up with another excuse, and when she doesn’t, I speak again. Just one word. “Please.” I try to remember a time when I ever begged a woman for anything, and I’m coming up empty. Only my dream girl could pull that type of need out of me. It’s more than wanting to spend time with her. It’s a need at this point. I know there’s something more between us. I know that she’s scared, and that’s okay. I’ll beg, I’ll say please, I’ll keep showing up, because at the end of the day, that’s what she’s most afraid of. Me not showing up like her father. I’m not him, and I don’t care how long it takes; I’ll prove that to her.
“I usually take a late lunch, and that’s when you hit the gym with the guys,” she says.
Elation washes over me. She’s giving me an inch, and I’m taking every millimeter of that inch. She’s testing me, and that’s okay. I expect her to. “Tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.” More silence, because I’m certain that’s not the answer she was expecting.
“Tomorrow. One o’clock.” She rattles off the name of a small café that’s not far from the stadium.
“I can’t wait to see you,” I tell her. I’m not just blowing smoke up her ass either. I wish I could see her every single day.
“Are you sure you can make the time?” she asks. Something that sounds an awful lot like hope laces her tone.
“Yes.” No bullshit, no sweet lines, just the honest truth. I’ll make the time for her.
“I should go,” she says.
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dream Girl.” I end the call, not giving her time to say her own goodbye or to back out of our lunch date. Part of me is fearful she’s going to try anyway. The other part of me is wondering if she works that close to the stadium. There’s so much I still don’t know about her, but it doesn’t change anything. She’s still, without a doubt, my dream girl.
I know she has reservations, and I need to tread lightly, but I also need to be bold enough to let her know that she’s who I want, and that if it’s time she needs, it’s time I’ll give her. Time for me to show her that I’m not the man she thinks I am, just because I play football for a living. Time for her to adjust her beliefs in what she’s always known, or what she’s always assumed, that she’s known. All I can do is keep trying. I’ll keep asking, keeping showing up, and one day, my dream girl will see that she’s everything I want, and more than that, she’s everything I need. One day, I’ll scale those walls around her heart and knock them down.
The guys and I always meet at the gym at noon, work out for a couple of hours, and get a run in on the treadmill. Today, I show up dressed in cargo shorts and a polo shirt, which has all four of them raising their brow.
“I’m not working out today.”
“Sounds good to me. Let’s go grab some lunch,” Landry says.
“No can do, bro. I have a lunch date with Bellamy.” I don’t have to look in a mirror to know I’m smiling like a damn lovesick fool.
“Fuck yeah!” Landry offers me his fist, and we bump knuckles.
“She finally gave you a shot?” Knox asks.
“Yeah—and I’m not going to screw it up. She knows what time we meet every day to work out. I think her picking this time was a test to see if I would tell her I couldn’t make it.”
“Ah.” Baker nods. “That makes sense.”
“So, do you want us to move the time? We can all come back later,” Foster offers.
“Nah, go ahead. I’ll just hit my home gym when we get back. I don’t know how long she has free to eat lunch, and no way am I rushing this.” Missing a workout with the guys isn’t the end of the world, but ending my lunch early with my dream girl just might be.