Page 94 of Blinding Lights

“Yep.” He nods, the shadow of a smile touching his face.

“At Mommy’s bookshop?” Ava chimes in from the backseat.

“That’s right.” He jumps out of the car and opens Ava’s door, letting her out and holding her hand as he meets me on the road.

“Are you ready?”

“I’m intrigued.”

“Close enough.” He chuckles softly and the sound ripples through me. “Come on, let’s cross while there’s a break in the traffic.”

“Beckett Myers,” someone calls out from behind us, and Beckett jolts to stillness, his happiness disappearing in an instant. After a second, he steps closer to the car, away from the road, and moves Ava behind him as he turns around.

Before I get the chance to follow his movement, a guy with a camera appears on the road, boxing us in, and I startle at the sudden intrusion, quickly recovering to place Ava between Beckett and me.

“Can you confirm the reason you’ve been spending more time in New Orleans?” The man on the sidewalk speaks and Beckett glances over his shoulder toward me. He appears calm, and I’ll admit, his stoic expression would be incredibly convincing if it wasn’t for the slight flare of his nostrils and the way his throat bobs. Instead, he has my hackles rising.

A flash goes off and he cringes, mouthing for me to walk away.

But I don’t. I can’t. This is what happened with his mom, and I won’t let him go through it again. Especially not alone.

“It’s okay.” I reach out for him but think better of it as our fingers brush and another flash goes off.

I’m about to pull away when Beckett’s fingers lock with mine and his gaze drops to the connection.

He squeezes my hand, and in a split second something changes in him. He stands tall and confident as he releases my hand before stalking toward the man I assume had originally called his name.

My stomach hollows as I watch him while curling my arm around Ava’s shoulder.

I can’t see Beckett’s expression as he pauses on the sidewalk, and my panic rises as I finally take in the stranger. He’s holding a smart phone up, directed at Beckett, looking so cocky I want to punch the smug grin right off his face. And I’ve never been a violent person.

“Who’s asking?” Beckett questions and there’s a lightness to his tone that I wasn’t expecting. “If I’m going to give an exclusive, I want to know who I’m giving it to.” He chuckles and I have to consciously shut my mouth from my jaw falling open.

The man laughs along with him. “I work for Sports Unfiltered.”

“Of course. I think we’ve met before. But apologies, I can’t remember your name.”

“Pete.”

“That’s right. Tell me, Pete, are we live?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “I’m recording just in case.”

“Well, it’s your lucky day. To finally put those rumors to rest, I’m not currently, nor have I ever been in talks with the New Orleans Phantoms. I’m a proud Storm man until the end. And I’m honored to be playing one of the best seasons of my career with my Storm teammates, surrounded by friends and family cheering me on. Including—and this is the exclusive—my girlfriend and her daughter, who are the reason I’m here, but who would prefer not to be in the spotlight. This year is the Storm’s year. We’re out to win. And while I’m giving you this moment, I still plan on keeping my personal life personal, same as I always have. We should be talking about the game. The team. The championship in our sights. I’ve never been happier. And I’m excited for what’s to come. Go Storm!”

It’s not until he pauses that I finally look toward the man filming him, finding his cocky smile gone, replaced with a shocked expression that I’m sure is similar to my own.

“Thanks for your time. Now excuse us, we’re off to ring in the new year.”

“Of course.” The man nods a few times. “Thank you.”

Beckett turns slightly and I can finally see the warm smile on his face. His media-trained expression. “Happy New Year.” He pats the reporter, or whoever he is, on the shoulder and waves to the camera as he walks away. When our eyes lock, his smile widens and I can’t decipher what it means.

The man recording him whistles and the guy taking photos disappears from behind us. I hold my breath, waiting to see what comes next, and I’m shocked again when they bid us a good night and walk away. No further questions.

Beckett waits until they’re out of sight before he drops to one knee to check on Ava.

“Are you okay?” he asks, unable to hide the concern in his tone despite the smile.