Page 93 of Icebound Hearts
He shakes his head. “I don’t think so. We can make up some excuse. I just want to see you in the stands wearing my name and number cheering me on.”
I can’t lie, I love the idea. We might be just friends with benefits, but I care for Sawyer a lot. And the thought of wearing his jersey as I cheer for him from the crowd, of him looking out into the stands and seeing me with his number on my back? It sends a little rush through me, a giddy sort of feeling that makes me want to throw caution to the wind.
But… that caution is there for a reason.
We’re supposed to be keeping this secret, and more than that, we’re supposed to be keeping certain lines and boundaries still intact, despite the fact that we’ve been sleeping together. And wearing his jersey? It feels like it will blur those lines.
“Violet?” Sawyer prompts, and I realize I’ve gotten quiet.
I look up into his gorgeous gray eyes, biting my lip. “I’m not sure. But… I’ll think about it, okay?”
He smiles and nods. “Good.” He leans in to kiss me again, then glances over at the clock on the dresser. “Shit. You’d better go, I need to get dressed.”
“What, no peep show? Rude.”
He chuckles, giving me a hungry look. “We’ll save that for later.”
Laughing, I leave his room and head back downstairs to check on Jake. He must have heard me coming down, because his chair scrapes against the floor, and I hear him bolting toward me before I reach the bottom.
“Ms. Violet, look!” he says, holding out the picture he’s torn out of the coloring book. It’s all filled in already, even the cape he added. I take it from him and smile at the “Super Dad” he’s written at the top in his chaotic little boy’s handwriting. The S is backward, but it’s cute.
“Wow, this is really good! I can’t wait to see what your dad’s gonna say about it.”
“Me neither! Is he almost ready?”
“Yeah, he’s getting dressed right now. He’ll be right down.”
“I’d better get the list!”
Jake races into the kitchen to grab the checklist Sawyer keeps on the fridge for game nights to make sure he doesn’t leave without anything he needs. I follow Jake and sit down with him at the table to wait for Sawyer to come down, but we don’t have to wait long.
“Alright, you know what time it is,” Sawyer says when he strides into the kitchen a couple minutes later. “And look at that, you’ve already got the list. That’s my man,” he says and winks at Jake, who giggles.
“Look, Daddy! I colored this for you,” Jake says and hops out of his seat to run the picture over to Sawyer. He takes it in one hand and smiles.
“Super Dad, huh? Is this supposed to be me?”
“Yeah!” Jake says and hugs Sawyer’s leg. Sawyer runs a hand over his hair lovingly, then bends down to kiss the top of Jake’s head. He winces slightly in the movement.
“Thank you, buddy. I love it. But let me tell you, I sure wish I had the power to heal like these superheroes do,” he says as he slowly gets back to his feet, one hand on the spot where the worst of his bruises are from the last game.
“I wish I could fly like them!” Jake throws his arms out like they’re wings, running circles around the kitchen table like he’s flying.
“With all that extra energy to burn, I kind of wish he could too,” Sawyer whispers to me, and I hide a grin.
“Daddy, can we hang the picture on the fridge?”
“Sure, buddy. Put it next to the list when we’re done. You ready to run it?”
“Yeah! Keys?”
“By the door,” Sawyer says, pointing at the bowl where his keys are waiting. I’ve watched the two of them do this little departure routine several times now, but I still love watching it. It’s one of the cutest, sweetest things I’ve ever seen, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching it. I hope Jake never gets tired of doing it, for Sawyer’s sake.
“Wallet?” Jake continues.
“Right here.” Sawyer pats his back pocket where his wallet is bulging.
“Phone?”