Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
“Okay, so there is one tiny thing.” Bellamy holds up her thumb and her index finger. I don’t know what I expected her to say, but I wasn’t prepared for her announcement. “Six bedrooms, a couple have bunks and double beds. I’ve looked it over, and here’s what I propose.” She pulls up her phone, as if she’s reading off a list. “Knox and Corie will take a king bedroom, with Alexander in the Pack ’N Play. Landry and Rowan will do the same with Ella. Reid and I will take one of the rooms with a king bed and bunk beds. Coral can sleep in the bunk, or with us, or the Pack ’N Play… wherever she ends up.” She laughs. “Baker, Sloane, and Camden will take the other king with the bunk beds for Cam. Foster and Eden, there’s another room with two queen beds and bunk beds, so you can have one of those, and then—” Bellamy bites down on her bottom lip and turns to face me and Will. “The last room also has two queen beds. I was thinking the two of you could share, and I know you have the Pack ’N Play for Mia.”
“I can take the couch,” Will speaks up.
Mia, at that moment, places her hands on his cheeks and kisses him, a wet, sloppy kiss right on the mouth. A chorus of awws breaks out as Will chuckles. “I love you, too, sweetheart,” he tells my daughter, and I’m certain every country in the world can hear my ovaries exploding.
“You’re pushing six foot five,” Reid says. “You’re not going to fit on the couch, Pops.” He grins when Will glares at him. It’s all fake. We all know he loves Reid. Hell, he adores all of the guys.
“I can take the couch,” I say. “Reid’s right. You’ll be uncomfortable. I’ll fit just fine.”
Will parts his lips to argue, but Rowan speaks up. “It’s two queen beds, and you’ll have your own bathroom, which I assume has a door?” She looks to Bellamy, who nods. “Then why not? It’s not like you’re strangers.” Rowan shrugs.
I hesitate, but it’s Will who speaks up. “I don’t want Amanda to be uncomfortable. The couch is fine.”
“Manda?” Bellamy asks. I turn to face my best friend, and there’s a pleading look in her eyes. She has no idea what she’s asking me to do. She doesn’t know what we did. But none of that matters. She mouths, “Please,” and I find myself nodding.
“Sure, it will be fine,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel.
“Perfect!” Bellamy claps.
“We’ll go get the bags,” Knox says, slapping his hand on Landry’s shoulder, and all the guys head out. I move to follow them, but Will’s hand on my arm stops me.
“I’ll grab your stuff, Mandy,” he whispers.
“You don’t have to,” I tell him. He just smiles and says again, louder this time, “I’ll grab your bags,” before he turns and walks out the door.
Bellamy walks up next to us with Coral on her hip. “It’ll keep him young,” she teases.
I nod. “Thank you, Will.”
“You’re welcome,” he replies, before ducking outside to get his bags, and mine and Mia’s.
“Come on. Let’s let these kiddos run out some energy so we can get them to bed,” Corie says, covering a yawn.
We all gather in the living room, drag out toys for each of our kids, and play with them. The guys move the bags to the rooms, working out which bedroom is for which couple or group—because Will and I are not a couple. No matter what the attraction sparking between us suggests.
I was looking forward to a week of relaxing, taking my daughter to the ocean for the first time, and now, well, I don’t know what this week is going to look like. What I do know is that no matter how many times I tell myself he’s off-limits, that wanting him is wrong, my good intentions fly out the window when he’s near.
I have to keep it together, and after this week, I’ll distance myself. I’ll ask questions, like who all is going to be there, before I agree to future outings or events. At least until this—whatever this is—passes.
If it passes.
Fifteen
Will
* * *
I should have declined the invitation. In fact, I almost did. My daughter and my players don’t need me tagging along for their offseason vacation. But when Bellamy rattled off who all was going, I got stuck on one name. Well, two names, actually. Amanda and Mia.
Bellamy had barely finished listing all the names before I was asking when we were leaving. My daughter was thrilled, or she seemed to be, and that made me feel terrible, because while I’m happy to spend time with her, it’s Amanda and her daughter I crave to see.
Until this morning, when I watched her walk out of the house. It had been two weeks since I’d seen her. Two weeks since holding her in my arms, feeling her soft skin, and kissing her like it was the last thing I’ll ever do. Two weeks of thinking of nothing but her and hating the decision we had to make.