Page 185 of Just for the Cameras
The insecurity in his voice, the uncertainty in his eyes, as if I would say no.
“I would love to,” I answer. “I don’t think I could miss it. Maybe I can even suit up for you.” I wiggle my eyebrows, and he chuckles.
“Not happening, but if you happen to wear my name on your back, I wouldn’t mind that.”
“Like a jersey?”
“Yeah, a jersey. I can grab one for you. One that actually fits.”
“I would love that. Should I put your number on my cheeks too? Paint it on there? Oh wait, is that what the other girlfriends do?” I wince. “Oh God, I’m not going to fit in with them, am I? Aren’t they all fancy with how they dress?” I glance down at my simple outfit and think about how Gretchen had to find me a dress for one of the fundraising events. “I might need to style—”
“You don’t need to do anything.”
“Graydon. Not that I’m full of myself, but you know people will be looking at me and taking pictures. I don’t want to embarrass you.”
His brow creases. “You’re not going to embarrass me.”
“Maybe I should at least get my nails done or something. I don’t really like fake nails, though, because of what I have to do for work—”
“Hey.” He grips my jaw, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “Don’t change a goddamn thing. I like you the way you are. I don’t want you to be like the other wives and girlfriends. If I wanted you to be like them, I would have dated the girls who flung themselves at me a while ago. I like you because you’re different, because you don’t care about things like nails and makeup. I like you for your heart, for your smile, for the way you can so easily understand me without judgment. So I want that woman at my games. Got it?”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. If she doesn’t show up, I’m going to be pissed.”
“Well, won’t you being pissed only help you in the long run because then you’re more likely to plow through more men?”
“Making me angry will get me in trouble.”
“How so?”
“I’ve been known to lose my temper. And as much as it might seem so, we’re not allowed to punch in football.”
“Ah, I see. Well, we can’t have you losing your temper because then I wouldn’t be able to see you play.”
“Exactly. So just show up as you, and I’ll be sure to have Hutton introduce you to his wife, Scarlett. You can hang with her. She’s cool.”
“You’d do that?” I ask, leaning in closer and lightly pressing my lips across his.
He sighs and nods as his arm loops around me, his hand landing on my backside. “Yeah, beautiful, I’d do pretty much anything to make sure you’re taken care of.”
“Oh yeah?” I smirk. “Would you…become friends with Big Hermy and sit and let him come close to you?”
“How would that take care of you?” he asks.
“It would take care of my heart. My best guy…being friends with my other newly best guy.”
“Not sure you can have two best guys.”
“If you think for a second that I’ll be giving up Big Hermy, then you are sorely mistaken. Never going to happen, so I think it’d be best if you come to grips with it now and understand that he will always be one of my best guys whether you like it or not.”
“And if I don’t like it?”
“Then it looks like me and that flamingo will be walking off into the sunset, hand in feathers.”
His brows rise. “Wow, just going to ditch me like that?”
“Don’t mess with my one true love.”
