Page 102 of Game On

Blaise and I had talked about what I was going to do when we got home. The first stop was the flower shop, then her mom’s house. Blaise asked Veronica where Lily was working today, but she mentioned she hadn’t been in the shop all week and had been working from home. That had the hair on the back of my neck standing still because Lily preferred to go into the office.

Blaise dropped me off at home, where I took a shower, talked with Liam for a little, and then pinned Mari with an annoyed look. “Where’s your sister?”

She frowned. “Mom’s. I think. Seth took Rosie.”

“Oh. Do you mind staying on for a bit? I need to talk to her.”

She nodded. “Absolutely.”

“I’ll pay you extra.”

She laughed. “You don’t have to. I think you should talk to her. Life kinda kicked her in the pants.”

I rubbed a hand through my beard. “Marigold, I love her.”

She beamed. “Yeah, I know! I think she loves you too. She’s just scared.”

I left soon after, high-tailing it to the flower shop for a bouquet of roses and lilies, perfect for both my girls. I didn’t know what was going on with Lily, and it irked me Mari wouldn’t tell me either, but this was the moment I laid myself bare for her. If she didn’t feel the same way…well, I’d deal with that when it came up.

When I walked up the porch to her mom’s row house in the Northeast, I felt anxiety rush through me, but I pushed through and rang the doorbell.

After a few seconds went by, the door opened and Lily stood there with her mouth hanging open at the flowers in my hand. “Hey, princess.”

She grimaced. “Hi.”

“These are for you. I’m not sure what I did to make you mad, but…”

She took the flowers, and her face lit up. Damn did I love her smile. “Logan, I’m so sorry. It’s nothing you did. I’ve just been so busy.”

“Too busy to text me back?”

She frowned. “I’m sorry. I have a lot of crap going on that I didn’t want to bother you about.”

I ran my hand through my beard, and when I looked at her, really looked at her, I saw the fatigue in her eyes. It bothered me she hadn’t confided in me, and I wanted to take the weight off her shoulders. I wanted to be her shoulder to lean on.

I grabbed her hands. “Lily, whatever’s going on, you can tell me.”

She shook her head and pulled away. “Logan, I…I offered you something casual. That doesn’t mean you have to listen to me constantly complain about my shitty ex-husband.”

“Princess, I don’t want casual. Can’t you see that?”

She put a hand to her mouth and stared back at me. “What? But I thought you said…we both don’t have time for a relationship.”

I grabbed her hand again and kissed the back of her palm. “Since the moment I met you at Blaise and Veronica’s housewarming party, there was something about you that felt so familiar. We eased into conversation like we had known each other for years because we have.”

“Logan,” she interrupted.

“Let me finish.”

She clamped her mouth shut and nodded.

“We’re fooling ourselves. We’re both so busy, but yet we’ve been making the time. I know my schedule isn’t ideal, but I’m willing to make the time for you. For Rosie. Even if it’s just stealing a kiss when I wake up during my pregame nap when you pick Rosie up in between jobs. Or a video call while I’m on the road. Because I don’t care, Lil.”

She put a hand against her heart. “What’re you saying?”

“I want to try. I don’t want you to brush away the thought of us having something real. Because I love the way you smile at me like I’m the only man in the entire galaxy. And how you treat Liam like he’s your own. I love your drive to work yourself harder each day for your daughter. She’s not mine, and I’ll never replace her father, but little miss has me wrapped around her little finger. I want…” I trailed off, realizing I was word-vomiting all my feelings.

I had to get the words out. That she was my world. She was everything I ever wanted and the only person who understood how hard my life was.