“Good,” she says. “Okay, husband, let’s go.”
Then they shuffle off, heading toward the exit.
“I love them,” Hayley says.
I shift my gaze to her. “I want what they have. That kind of relationship that is strong after decades.”
“It’s possible, I know that now. My parents have that. Barbara and Dominik. And now with my husband,” Hayley says. As soon as the word “husband” passes her lips, her entire face lights up with a radiance that I only see when Brody is a part of the conversation. “I have that with Brody. And I know I always will.”
I nod. I know Hayley and Brody do have that kind of love. I also know Katie and AJ have it.
I thought I had that with my high school love, but that was merely first love. I thought I was on the verge of finding it with Ryan, but I wasn’t that person for him, and he broke my heart.
And now Brady has entered my life.
My heart flutters. Our first date was different than anything I have ever known. The flowing conversation. The revealing of ourselves in a bookstore.
And that kiss …
Excitement swirls within me. There is something different about Brady, from the way we flirt to the way we talk to the physical chemistry in that first brush of his lips against mine.
My heart is open to what it might receive here. I feel so alive, so ready to see what can happen between us.
Starting with a second date tonight.
Chapter Eight
I’m practically all thumbs as I text Brady from the main concourse. I’m jittery with excitement. Anxious, knowing I’m going to see him soon. I keep having to retype because my hands are shaking, therefore making it look like I’ve drunk a ton of beer and am drunk texting him. Finally, after several attempts with my stupid, trembling hands, I manage to get my message in a readable format:
I’m on the main concourse with Hayley, but I don’t have a credential to take the elevator down to the clubhouse level. Where should I meet you when you are ready?
Then I hit send.
“Do you want to browse in the team store? You might be needing some Soaring Eagles gear if things keep going well with Brady,” Hayley teases.
“Oh, I’m not going to jinx myself,” I say, putting out my hand as if to stop Hayley from her thoughts. “I got way too ahead of myself with Ryan, remember?”
Hayley appears thoughtful and then lifts an eyebrow at me. “I do, and that’s a fair comment, but I think it’s safe to say that Brady is a different kind of man than Ryan was. When Brady says something, he doesn’t simply mean it in the moment. He means it from his heart.”
My pulse quickens from her words. Hayley is confirming what my heart wanted to believe to be true last night.
“Brady is a romantic,” she continues. “When he gives his heart, he’s all in. He will fight for love; I’ve seen him do it. But perhaps this time, Brady will have someone who will want to fight for him as well.”
I’m about to respond when my phone buzzes in my hand.
“Oh! Is it Brady?” Hayley asks excitedly.
I glace down. It is! My heart leaps, and I read his words:
I’m glad to see you have a chaperone, Lady Addison, or you’d be scandalized further by society. I will ride up the elevator closest to the clubhouse myself to get you. Meet you there in a half-hour? Hayley will know which one it is.
My knees go weak. Brady is continuing to flirt with me in the same way he did last night, and lord, it’s delicious.
“He says he’ll come up the elevator nearest the clubhouse to come get me in a half hour,” I say.
“Ah, plenty of time for you to drool over a Jensen jersey in the fan shop,” Hayley teases.
Whoa. That’s so weird. The guy I’m about to go out on a date with, the guy I kissed last night on a sidewalk in Old Town, has a jersey. One that is replicated and mass-produced for fans to buy and wear.
Surreal.
As we enter the shop, full of excited fans taking advantage of the special this evening—a white Washington Soaring Eagles T-shirt with a retro logo—I stare up at the mass amounts of clothing available in red, blue, and white. The never-ending display of items available for fans, from foam fingers to coffee tumblers. I spend some time browsing. Then I see a row of T-shirts with all the players’ names on the back.
And side-by-side, I see JENSEN, with the only difference being the numbers. Brady is number eight. I move closer to it, staring at it, amazed that I know the man who wears that jersey. I know the ink on his arms and what it means to him. That he doesn’t like the ordinary. He’s free in sharing his beliefs and lifestyle and has no problem being true to himself, and organization is his downfall.
I also know he broke his own rules about kissing because of how he felt about me.
I grow hot from the thought of that. Of Brady having a vow not to kiss any woman on the first date, but he broke that rule for the first time for me. That he felt something special was happening between us, too. Enough to make him kiss me on a street before he said goodbye.
Me! I think with excitement. Brady did that because of me.
“I think I’m going to get this for my brother and sister-in-law,” Hayley says, coming up to me and holding up a Soaring Eagles onesie, jarring me out of my memory of kissing Brady. “The baby needs to be brought up right.”
I nod, remembering that her sister-in-law is due in July. “It’s super cute.”
“I’ll get in line to get this, but after that, we can go meet the boys,” she says, winking at me.
As soon as she steps away, I pick up my phone and text Brady:
We’re finishing up in the fan shop. As soon as Hayley has checked out, we’ll be at the elevator.
Within seconds, he sends me a response:
Your rake is on his way.
Oh, swoon. I need to put a rush on those smelling salts if he’s going to keep sending me texts like these.
Before I can even put my phone back in my purse, I receive another text from him:
And prepare for more rakish behavior from me tonight. I refuse to let Brody chaperone us, no matter what he says.
A bubble of laughter escapes my throat. I love his sense of humor.
Before long, Hayley is back with her purchase, and she leads me to the elevator. We wait for Brady to come up.
“You look excited,” Hayley says, her eyes dancing.
“I won’t deny that I am,” I say. I let a dreamy sigh escape my lips. “Brady is so different from any first date I’ve ever had; it’s hard not to be excited about spending time with him.”
“I felt that way about Brody,” Hayley says. “There was something about him that my heart knew was different. And it was right.”
“I’m not ready to say that by the second date,” I tell her, laughing. “But I will say I’m very excited to see him again.”
The elevator chimes. I hold my breath. The doors open, and sure enough, next to the elevator attendant is Brady.
Now I can’t breathe as I take him in. He’s changed out of his uniform, of course, and looking devilishly handsome in jeans, nice gym shoes, and a navy crew neck sweater. A white wool overcoat is thrown over the top, and the look is so stylish and posh, I swear it’s like he walked out of the pages of an Esquire photo shoot.