“He does. So I don’t say anything. But it’s just…” The silence after she trailed off said plenty. He knew all about their strained relationship.

  “It’s good he’s trying,” Mark offered.

  “Yeah. I guess I’ll just leave it there.” She shrugged. “What about your parents and your sister?”

  “Happy as ever. A little happier since I signed and got my first paycheck,” he said with a laugh. “I bought my mom a car.”

  Tessa gasped, and Mark loved watching the delight ripple across her face. “She always had that horrible beater growing up,” Tessa gushed. “Oh my god, I bet she cried.”

  “She so did,” Mark confirmed. “My sister recorded the entire thing. We set up a surprise. It was awesome. She’s gonna freak when I buy her her dream house, though.”

  Tessa clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes shining. “Oh my god. You’re too sweet.”

  “Just trying to give back to the people who mean the most, you know?”

  A comfortable silence settled between them as Tessa watched him, smiling. They chatted easily for a while longer, catching up on the various aspects of their lives. Mark was dying to catch her ankle each and every time she nudged him with her foot, but he couldn’t read her. This felt wholly and intentionally platonic. And he was too scared to push things over an edge he couldn’t climb back up.

  Because one thing was certain: Mark could already see all the various ways he’d like to pin her to this couch and start getting to know her in plenty of other ways. He could imagine unzipping that sunflower dress and smoothing his big hands up those creamy thighs. As the night wore on, he had to remind himself more and more to be good. Be friends again. Keep your hands off her.

  Around eight, she started to yawn, and Mark knew he needed to get home and into bed. He woke up at five most days, and tomorrow would be no different. Tuesdays were the official “off” days for the league but that didn’t mean he planned on skipping his workout routine.

  “I should get going…” he said, meaning it, but still ready to comply if she protested.

  “You an early bird now too?”

  “Five a.m. every day without fail.”

  She smirked. “Same here. Life of the professional, right? Sports and otherwise.”

  They shared a long, heavy look, one that Mark felt was pulsating with possibility. There were so many unspoken sentiments between them. So many different ways to pull her into his arms and start catching up on all the time they’d missed since high school graduation.

  “Okay. Definitely bedtime,” Tessa said, clapping her hands and standing. “I put you on the list for lunch tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll see you there.”

  “You will definitely see me there,” Mark corrected her, stretching as he stood up. She followed him to the front door, and as he stared out at the warm dusk of a Georgia sunset, he realized he didn’t want to go back to his place. Not when all this warmth and familiarity lived here.

  “Thanks for having me over.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, as if maybe controlling his hands would help restrain his thoughts about getting to know the sweet terrain of her body once more. She’d filled out in the best ways since school, and even though she was dressed perfectly work appropriate, it lit him up all the same. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

  Mark ripped himself away from the place that was already starting to feel like home to him, feet dragging as he headed for his car in the driveway. By the time he’d tucked himself into the driver’s seat, the front door was shut and Tessa was nowhere to be seen.

  If she was still the Tessa he’d always known, she’d be hanging out her front window and waving at him until he rounded the last corner of her neighborhood. But no extended goodbye saw him off. And something inside him ached because of it.

  Give it time. He couldn’t rush this shit. Even though he desperately wanted to.

  He was halfway home before her text arrived. I was waving to you from upstairs FYI.

  At a stoplight, he typed out his response. So you could tell I was upset you didn’t hang out your window waving goodbye for a full mile like you used to?

  He saw the three dots on the screen that signaled her typing out a response, but then they disappeared. She didn’t respond until he pulled into the driveway.

  I can tell way more than I should after so many years of not seeing each other.

  Her words warmed him, because finally, it was a small nod that maybe she was feeling the same as him. He typed out a response without thinking: Same, babe.

  As he reread the text, his immediate urge was to correct the slip. The unwitting slide into their ancient history where they still belonged to each other and had a whole fascinating future sprawled out before them.

  Sorry, he typed out. Force of habit.

  Even 5 years later?

  He worked his jaw back and forth as he mulled over his response. And then he made his decision. Even though he shouldn’t go there. Even though he had plenty of things to focus on that weren’t romance and a relationship. Even though adding fatherhood into his schedule was going to be difficult enough.

  You’ve always been my only babe. You think that’s gonna change somehow?

  Honesty was the best policy, even if it made things awkward in the meantime.

  7

  Tessa floated in the clouds the next morning. Mark’s text had rattled her to her core, and it didn’t matter how many times she tried to respond—she couldn’t.

  Because it wasn’t a matter of not finding the words. It was that she had too many words.

  Too many conflicting thoughts and feelings. Too many different ways to say I want you more than I’ve wanted anything in life, and We need to make sure we don’t rush because if Angus gets hurt then I’ll die.

  She was barely an hour into her workday when an admin assistant, Melissa, stopped by her third-grade classroom and pulled her aside.

  “Angus is in the school nurse’s office with a fever and runny nose,” she said with a grimace.

  “Oh no.” Panic gripped her, and she looked at her packed classroom of children quietly looking at their assignments. “Should I go there?”

  “He’s fine for now. The nurse said he can stay there and nap until lunch if that’s what you need.”

  Tessa pressed a hand to her cheek. “He was fine this morning. This must have hit him fast.”

  “I see it every year,” Melissa said. “New school, new germs.”

  “Let me call his dad,” Tessa blurted, the idea blooming hot and fast inside her. She hadn’t had to deal with this situation yet, since this was Angus’s first year in a regular school. She’d always imagined that she’d rush home and just have to take the day off. But with Mark in the picture? She had another option. “He’d been planning on coming to have lunch with Angus today anyway, so I’m sure…” She trailed off, not wanting to add more. Her colleagues didn’t know much about her private life—yet. She hadn’t really mentioned her home life when she was first hired earlier that summer.

  “Whatever works. The nurse is with him until you’re ready,” Melissa said.

  “Can you stay in here while I call him real quick?”

  Melissa nodded, and Tessa stepped into the hallway to call Mark. Her heart started racing when the phone rang.

  “H’lo?” His sexy rumble sent heat shooting through her. She pinched her eyes shut, feeling suddenly stupid for never finding a way to respond to him last night.

  “Hey. Mark. I need your help.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Angus came down with something this morning. We’re at school right now, but he’s with the nurse, so I think lunch is off. It looks like he needs to go home.” She nibbled on her lip, surprised at how nervous she was to ask this of him. Mark was Angus’s father—it shouldn’t be a big ask. But this was all so new, and Tessa still wasn’t entirely sure Mark wanted to be involved at this level of daily operation.

  “Okay,” Mark said slowly. “Do you need me to take him?”

  “If you can?” she squeaked out. Why was this so hard for her? “I’m sorry, it doesn’t have to be for long, just until I can find a babysitter.”

  “Tessa, I’m off all day. It’s fine. Want me to come now?”

  Relief flooded through her. “That would be great.”

  “No problem. I’ll head there now.”

  She tried to relax as she headed back into the classroom—the kids would be able to pick up on her anxiety—and let Melissa know that Angus’s dad was on the way. “Just let me know when he gets here,” she said, “so I can go see him off.”

  “Of course,” Melissa assured her. “I’ll come watch the kids for you.”

  Tessa thanked her no fewer than three times and couldn’t stop thinking about how grateful she was for the unexpected support as she continued her lessons. This was her first big job, and her first experience in a school outside of the practicums she’d done for her master’s degree. Part of her worried that taking time off might look bad to the principal, but with support from Mark, she didn’t have to scrub her entire workday like she might otherwise.

  It was a nice feeling. Maybe a little too nice.

  Melissa came back about a half hour later with a private smile on her face. “Angus’s dad is here,” she said, waggling her eyebrows.

  Tessa didn’t catch the meaning behind the look. “What?”

  Melissa swatted her arm. “You didn’t tell us his father is the highest paid rookie in the NFL this year!”

  Something uncomfortable slid through her, but Tessa chose to ignore it. “Well…why would I?” She forced a small laugh. “To Angus, he’s just Daddy.”

  Even though that wasn’t entirely true. To Angus, he was a new dad. He was Daddy Mark, someone he’d been waiting for without fully understanding why for five years. And Tessa didn’t want that history attached to her teaching position at the school. Didn’t want the questions, the speculation. None of it.

  Tessa let herself out of her classroom, hurrying toward the head of school’s office. She caught the deep undertones of Mark’s voice before she rounded the corner, and found him sitting on a chair, Angus nestled against his chest. A small group of staff hung around in addition to the school nurse, and Tessa got the feeling there was more going on here than just overseeing a sick child.

  “Hey, guys,” she said hesitantly.

  “Tessa.” Mark nodded his greeting, lightly stroking Angus’s back. “I got him. We’re all good.”

  “I’m so relieved you could come,” she said, touching the top of Angus’s head. He sniffled, looking up at her with bleary eyes.

  “I want my bed,” he murmured.

  “Daddy Mark’s gonna take you home right now,” she said, pressing a kiss to his warm forehead. “Then I’ll be home later to take care of you.”

  “Let’s head out, big guy,” Mark said, effortlessly coming to his feet with Angus in his arms. The entire office shrank back. There was something jaw-dropping about elite athletes exercising their strength, and Mark filled the room in a way that nobody could ignore.

  “It was so nice to meet you,” one of the administrative assistants, Freddy, suddenly gushed.

  “Thank you soooo much for the autograph,” the school nurse blurted. A chorus of gratitude erupted, and Mark’s shy smile almost sent Tessa to her knees.

  “No problem. Catch y’all later.” Mark and Tessa left the office, pausing near the front doors. She handed over her house keys and looked up at him, stroking Angus’s back.

  “I really appreciate this.”

  “It’s no big deal,” Mark said. “Swear on it. I’ll go tuck him in, and you finish out your day, okay?”

  Tessa was about to protest, but she stopped herself. She needed to let Mark step up like this if he wanted to. Besides, she was curious what would come of it. Even though a significant percentage of her worried about what Mark might do left to his own devices, especially when he’d openly admitted he didn’t know much about kids, she wanted to see it through.

  “I’ll text later,” she whispered, getting lost in his deep brown eyes. She found herself pushing up onto her tiptoes. Mark swooped down, as natural as ever, allowing her to plant the chaste kiss against his lips that she hadn’t even planned on, much less authorized.

  But there it was. That very force of habit she’d questioned from Mark the night before.

  She blinked rapidly, taking a few steps backward. Mark’s jaw clenched and unclenched, so she waved quickly and hurried down the hall back to her classroom.

  What the actual hell was that?

  The question repeated in her head no fewer than a hundred times as she resumed her post in her classroom. It took a full two hours before she finally realized she could stop tensing her shoulders. At lunchtime, while the kids were eating in the cafeteria and she was enjoying her packed lunch at her desk, she forced herself to swallow her embarrassment and continue like nothing had happened. She texted Mark.

  How’s it going? I can come home now if you want.

  All good. I’m making chicken noodle soup—hope that’s okay?

  More than okay. You sure you’re good?

  Stay at work. I got this. See you when you get off.

  Tessa expelled a cleansing burst of air. She’d have to face Mark no matter what, and now she had the rest of the day to figure out how to brush off the accidental kiss while she was at work. Apparently, she wanted Mark so badly she couldn’t even control it.

  He’d been showing up in her dreams for years, but since finding out he’d been drafted with the Sharks, the sexy dreams had become a regular thing. She had an iron grip on her waking life, but her dream space was unregulated. A complete free-for-all. And she was hesitant to admit, even to herself, how many kisses she and Mark had shared in her subconscious over the past couple of months. Kisses and plenty more.

  She squeezed her legs together, images of his sculpted shoulders straining his simple T-shirt filling her mind’s eye. It didn’t help that he’d gotten exponentially hotter since high school, while she had…what? Basically looked exactly the same as her awkward eighteen-year-old self, except with more hips now.

  She’d seen how everyone in the school office had practically fallen over themselves around him. Mark could have anyone. Supermodels were within his reach, and several of them danced for the Sharks’ cheerleaders. She was an idiot to think their paths wouldn’t cross at some point in the season. And if Mark proved himself to be the wunderkind everyone thought he was…then she was in for a rude awakening sooner rather than later. Because any woman with eyes would want Mark, and with money and talent at his disposal, Mark could have his pick of the litter.

  And what would he want with her, the forgotten little street cat from his past?

  Tessa powered through the rest of her school day, forcing her mind off Mark and all these new insecurities. By the time she was heading home around three thirty, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Mark hadn’t texted again, and she’d forced herself to not henpeck.

  At home, she pushed open the front door hesitantly. The rich scent of chicken noodle soup greeted her, followed by laughter. Angus’s laugh. Some of the tension left her shoulders, and she dropped her things by the door, drifting toward the kitchen.

  Angus sat on the kitchen counter near the sink, where Mark was washing dishes.

  “Mom!” Angus still sounded nasally, but he was all smiles as she came over to him and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

  “How are you feeling, honey?” she asked, squeezing his arms. When Angus shrugged, she turned to Mark expectantly.

  “He’s been resting, but he ate a lot of soup, and we’ve been having fun. But I think it might be naptime again,” Mark said with a wink.

  “Only because I had enough soup that’s gonna make me strong,” Angus said.

  “Super strong. Strong enough to pick me up,” Mark promised.

  Angus giggled. “What do you think, Mom? I’m gonna pick up Mark someday.”

  “I have no doubt you will,” Tessa said, patting her son’s knee. “Want me to take you up?”

  “Daddy Mark will,” Angus said.

  “I promised,” Mark said. “He was just waiting for me to clean up.”

  “Oh.” Tessa crossed her arms, fighting a grin. “Well, by all means.”

  Mark dried off the countertop near the sink before turning to Angus and hoisting him in his arms again.

  “Be back down a little later,” he called out as he clomped up the staircase. Alone in the kitchen, Tessa buried her face in her hands. The sight of the two of them together was almost too much to bear. Just like her own attraction to Mark was becoming too much to bear.

  And what if something like this became normal? Her new reality? She nibbled on her upper lip as she headed back to her things to unpack that day’s lunchbox and get a head start on cleaning up. But as she came back to the kitchen, she realized there wasn’t much for her to do. Mark had completely cleaned up after himself, save the giant pot of chicken noodle soup cooling on the stove. Everything was spotless.

  She couldn’t help herself—she had to try the soup. She grabbed a recently washed bowl and served herself a small portion. Sitting at the table, she blew on it a few times before testing a spoonful. Nostalgia immediately washed over her. This wasn’t just any old homemade soup. This was Mark’s mom’s recipe, with that hint of dill at the end that changed everything.

  Tessa inhaled the bowl of soup. Mark’s parents weren’t just some shadows that edged their friendship. Mark’s parents had been her parents for a while too. After Tessa’s mom walked out, she and her father had struggled to find a new rhythm for a few years. Even so, by the time Tessa hit age thirteen, she was too young and sensitive to be relied upon, yet her father did exactly that—leaving her alone to fend for herself for weeks on end while he went on business trips.

  One day in particular, Tessa had gotten locked out of the house after school and had nowhere to turn. Her father was a thousand miles away, and her grandmother wasn’t scheduled to stop in that day. She’d cried outside her front door until Mark found her, and she’d spent the rest of the week at his house. His parents had taken her in like one of their own, despite the cramped trailer and house full of siblings. Tessa’s own grandmother hadn’t seemed too concerned about the fact that her granddaughter was staying at a trailer down the street, maybe even was relieved that she didn’t have to make the trip into town every other day to check in on her.