“Yeah, you and the rest of the single guys here,” Asher says, pointing to where Ember and Tatum are now standing near the edge of the tent. “Hell, even the ones who aren’t single can’t seem to tear their eyes away from her,” he laughs.
“Asher,” Grace admonishes him.
He kisses her cheek. “Everyone but Dad and I, of course,” he says with a wink.
Grace just chuckles and rolls her eyes. “Leave him alone. Tatum seems like a really sweet girl. She’s just what Blaise needs in his life,” Grace says.
They continue to talk, but I tune them out. My attention is all hers. She’s standing at the edge of the tent talking to Jackson Johnson and Cade Chapman. She and Ember both seem to be enjoying the company.
“Hey, you guys up for some touch football,” my cousin John asks.
I’m up and walking toward the girls as I throw an answer over my shoulder. “I’ll round up the troops,” I say. I walk with purpose to where Ember and Tatum are standing.
“Hey,” Jackson says, reaching out to shake my hand. He’s the one who has been flirting nonstop with Ember. Jackson and I graduated together, and have been friends for years. He’s a good guy; I won’t stand in his way…but if he hurts her, he will have both Asher and me to answer to. I give him the look; he nods his head. Glad to see we’re on the same page.
“Glad you could make it,” I tell him. I turn to face Cade and stretch out my hand to shake his.
Cade smiles and shakes my hand. “Long time, no see, my man,” he says.
“Yeah. How you been, man?” I ask him.
“Good. I just moved back. Dad finally convinced me to come home and practice with him.”
“Good for you,” I say. I try not to snarl my words, but he’s standing really close to Tatum, and well, I don’t f*cking like it.
Cade then turns to Tatum. “I’m an attorney. I’ve been practicing in Chicago since I passed my boards. I missed home and Dad has been pestering me for years to come back home. So here I am.” He smiles coyly at her.
“So, we’re getting a game of touch football together and you know the rules. Male to female ratio and all,” I say to Ember. Of course, there is no need to remind her of the rule. It exists because of her. She used to whine when Asher and I refused to let her play with our friends. So Dad created the equal male to female ration on special occasions for when we play. Fourth of July is such an occasion.
Right now, in this moment, I am so glad I have a baby sister who caused that rule to be in place. It means she will most likely convince Tatum to join the fun; this leads to me spending more time with her. I need to get this attraction worked out of my system. Sure, she’s gorgeous and her eyes captivate me, but shit, I’m acting like the fifteen-year-old version of myself with this girl.
“EEEK!” Ember reaches out and grabs Tatum’s arm. Tatum’s eyes go wide at Ember’s excitement then she smiles and her face lights up. If I thought she was gorgeous before; now well, I can’t even find the words to describe her.
“Tatum, you have to play. It’s so much fun.” Ember then proceeds to tell her about how Asher and I used to refuse to let her play so she whined to Dad and he made the male to female rule on special occasions.
Tatum bites her bottom lip. My eyes watch in fascination and, well, jealously. “I’ve never played,” she says shyly.
My lust-filled brain is slow on the uptake. Once her words register in my brain, I open my mouth to tell her I can teach her anything she needs to know. Anything. But Cade beats me to it.
Cade places his arm around Tatum’s shoulders. “I would be happy to show you the ropes.” He winks.
Not wanting to try to decipher why I feel rage over Cade touching a girl I have only spent a minimal amount of time with, I interrupt him. “Well, let’s get moving,” I say snidely. I turn and walk to the other side of the yard where John and the others are assembling to pick teams.
I don’t bother to look behind me and see if they’re going to follow. I know my little sister, and no way will she pass up this opportunity.
I reach the side yard and John tells me he and I are going to be team captains. I smile because I want Tatum on my team. I contemplate telling John to pick Cade and Tatum is mine, but I stop myself. My mind races with the thought of her being mine. I quickly shake my head and observe my family and friends who have created a huddle to join the fun.
John goes first and chooses Asher. Good choice. I choose Jackson first. I wanted to scream “Tatum,” but I’ve been obvious enough for one day. John then picks Tatum. F*ck me! I scowl at him, and he looks at me like I’ve lost my f*cking mind. Well guess what, I have. Tatum is now controlling my thoughts. I need to shake this girl. I choose Ember as my next pick; she’s just as good as most of the guys. Asher and I taught her well. To my dismay, Cade and Tatum do end up on the same team.
I stalk off to the center of the field while each side lines up. We have already done the coin toss, and John’s team gets the ball first. I’m standing on the imaginary line when I feel a hand on my arm. I look down to see its Ember. She’s smiling at me like I just gave her a million dollars. She motions with her finger for me to come closer. I bend down and she whispers in my ear. “Just think, you get to tackle her,” she says with a laugh. Instantly my mood is a little brighter.
“This is touch,” I tell her.
Ember shrugs her shoulders. “Who says you can’t accidentally fall into her. Accidents happen,” she quips.
Did I mention I adore my little sister?
Mom, who is on the sidelines, blows the whistle to start the game. She has been our referee since we were little. Some things never change.
On the line, I am directly in front of Tatum. Yeah, I did work to make that happen. I stand with a scowl on my face as I watch Cade with his arm around her explaining the basics.
John snaps the ball and I put my arms out to keep Tatum from getting by. She smiles shyly and places her hands on my chest to push me out of the way. I don’t move. She looks up and our eyes lock. I hear Mom blow the whistle. Tatum backs away and takes her spot on the line. The whistle blows and she’s in front of me again. John hikes the ball. Tatum sprints forward and tries to duck under my arm. I reach out and grab her around the waist and swing her body against mine. Her back is pressed against my front and my senses are assaulted with her sweet scent. I can feel her chest rise and fall. The whistle blows and I don’t want to let her go, but I know I have to. I’m starting to have a little issue in the land down under and I’m glad I have on loose fitting cargo shorts. I shift my stance, trying to make myself more comfortable.
The game goes on for another hour, until we are all too hot and too tired to continue. I think I’m really the only one that’s jazzed. This has everything to do with Tatum. I continued to find ways to touch her, and hold her, longer than was legal or necessary for the game. I’m standing at the cooler under a shade tree when Asher joins me.
“What’s with you, bro?” he asks.
I continue to chug my bottle of water, my eyes finding his over the bottle. “What?”
“I’ve never seen you this way. All flirty, and did I hear you growl during the game?” he asks, amused.
“Don’t,” I say, my words clipped.
Asher laughs and walks back to the tent to find Grace. She opted out of the game and instead played rummy with our grandma. Asher is one lucky SOB.