Page 22 of Earned Husband

“No.” I felt excitement swell from deep within, though. “I’m not really a sports person, but that feels like an experience I’d like to have.”

“Then we shall have it,” he said easily.

An hour later, we were seated in a stadium filled with thousands of people dressed in matching colors. I didn’t quite understand what was happening on the field, or pitch, orwhatever it was called, but absolutely everyone around me seemed to be intensely emotionally invested in the events unfolding below. It was impossible not to enjoy the atmosphere, though.

Music drifted through the stands and the crowd buzzed with energy. Vendors wound their way up and down the stands, shouting about peanuts and beer while children waved oversized foam fingers. Colin appeared to be entirely at home, tensing when one thing happened on the field and cheering at another.

It was incredible to watch—him, not the game. Baseball was kind of whatever to me. I still didn’t know a thing about it, but Colin was somehow simultaneously enraptured by what was happening on the field and attentive to me. At what I suspected was the half-time mark, or perhaps not, he suddenly stood up.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

As I watched, he disappeared into the crowd, and I appreciated the view from behind as he left. The man truly was well built, with broad shoulders, a tall frame, and slightly trimmer hips.

Today, he wore beige slacks with a pale blue golf shirt, and although the outfit was terribly posh, it was still more casual than the suits he usually wore. It also had the added benefit of providing him with less layers of fabric to hide behind and I’d been genuinely surprised at the lean muscle in his forearms.

For a man who worked in an office behind a computer, he was much fitter than I’d have thought he would be.Perhaps it’s all the golf.

Before I could even begin to work out if golf could provide muscle, he was back—and carrying food. I eyed it suspiciously when he held a little tray out toward me. “What’s all this?”

“It’s your first Chicago dog.”

I took the tray, suspicious of how many ingredients the supposed hotdog had on top of it. “Where’s the hotdog?”

Colin chuckled and shook his head. “Try it. I know it probably doesn’t look particularly appetizing, but it’s a rite of passage.”

I held his gaze for another beat. “Thank you.”

Something in his eyes softened, transforming his features from stern and imposing to warm and open. “You’re welcome.”

My heart fluttered just a little bit as I kept looking at him until I finally realized I was staring. Then I averted my gaze and shifted my focus back to the hotdog. “Alright. I wanted to experience everything. Let’s do this.”

He lifted his own dog in its bun and held it out slightly toward me. With a bit more effort than it had taken him, I finally managed to lift my hotdog off the tray with half the toppings sliding off, and I tapped it lightly against his before I smiled. “Don’t judge me for how messy this is going to be.”

“I’ll only judge you for how messy it’s not,” he said, winking before he brought the food to his lips and took a massive, inelegant bite that immediately prompted me to do the same.

As soon as it hit my tongue, I realized that there was a reason these were so iconic. I chewed my first bite and immediately took another, following it up with yet another. When I’d finally washed that down with a sip of the drink he’d brought me, I pointed at my hotdog. “It’s ridiculous how good this is.”

“I know.”

“Don’t be smug,” I teased. “It’s just really good, and very unexpected.”

He pumped his dark eyebrows at me, those eyes glittering with amusement. “I’m not smug. I’m just saying, I told you so.”

I groaned but turned my attention back to the game when another roar of excitement carried through the crowd. Squinting at the tiny men running around on the lawn below, I finally decided to at least try to understand.

“Why do they keep throwing the ball away from the person holding the bat?” I asked. “Isn’t it his job to hit the ball? Also, why was everyone cheering when no one is moving? Oh, why is that one running now?”

Colin chuckled but then answered every question with remarkable patience. When the game finally ended, I still didn’t fully understand the rules, but I couldn’t deny that I did understand why people seem to love it so much.

“That was fun,” I said as we left our seats. “I really enjoyed it. Thank you for bringing me.”

“You’re very welcome.” He slid his hands into his pockets, leading me back to his car. “I think I have an idea of what we could do next. This might be more your speed, but if you’d rather call it a day, I understand.”

“No,” I said quickly, without giving it so much as a second of thought. “Let’s go do this other thing. I’m curious now.”

“Don’t get too excited. I might’ve misjudged this one a bit.”

We arrived at an art museum a few minutes after finally winding our way through the traffic to get out of the parking lot at the stadium.