Blake marked his time by his progress with Natalie in the coming weeks.
Two days after their first kiss, she kissed him again while they were watching their next Outlander episode. Three days after that, he initiated a kiss after they went for another run in Killer Pass. Four days after that, he cupped her hips to his and kissed her and kissed her after a quiet evening of steaks and baked potatoes and playing Frisbee with Touchdown.
Her cues became his compass. So far, she hadn’t invited much more than kissing and light touching—completely clothed. Certainly nothing south of the waist, which seemed forbidden territory. He stayed in well-traveled areas: her mouth, her jaw, her cheeks, even the lobes of her ears. Sometimes he journeyed east to her right shoulder, rubbing it to ease the tension she carried there. Other times, he journeyed west to the curve of her neck to remind himself of the taste of her skin.
They were dating again, and even though they’d been married, there was a newness to spending time with her. Some of her likes and dislikes had changed. She wasn’t eating as much ice cream, and she was over her reality TV craze. And she was quieter, sometimes so quiet he had to force himself to inhabit her silence with her. At those times, he knew she was floundering, not knowing what to say, not knowing where they were going. Often, he would simply hold her hand until the moment passed.
They didn’t go out in public together, sensing it would put too much pressure on their new bond. And he didn’t amp up the romance by bringing her flowers or other gifts—at least not yet.
Touchdown journeyed back and forth between their separate kingdoms. The bridge was the connection point between them, and more often than not, he and Natalie met in the middle. When he knew she was coming over, he would wait for her in the center of the bridge, listening to the burbling water of the creek underneath. If she’d invited him, he would find her tracing one of the infinity symbols carved onto the rail of the bridge, staring off into the sky, Touchdown at her side. She never mentioned the symbol they’d had engraved on their wedding bands, so he didn’t either.
They spoke less, but connected more. And Blake told himself he was satisfied. Sure, he wanted more, but the simple joy of being with her again was enough.
Or it was enough until they returned to their separate kingdoms.
She was sharing the details of her days with him, and he was keeping her abreast of the preparations for the camp. But that was it.
They didn’t talk about her family, and he made himself be all right with that. He went out for a beer with Andy, who’d done the big brother thing and checked with Natalie before asking him. The crowd had bothered him a bit. Some people had asked for autographs while others had given him the what-for over retiring. They’d finally retreated to a corner and talked about safe topics: the girl Andy had met at Hairy’s with him, Blake’s upcoming camp, and Danny, whose antics were always good for a laugh. The only thing Blake had told him about Natalie was that they were hanging out. He hadn’t used the word dating, even though that’s what they were doing.
When Cormack Daly contacted him on a hazy Wednesday, pushing way too hard for his answer about the high school coaching job, Blake took a deep breath, remembering what Sam had said about not reacting to life. He told Cormack that he wasn’t ready to make that kind of commitment yet and suggested they find someone else. At first, Cormack turned on the charm even more.
This job would launch your new career as a coach, the man had said. Think of all the experience you could pick up. This is the type of position that could take you to the next level. I’m here to work with you every step of the way, Blake.
This was the kind of guy who’d try to insinuate himself into a position of power within the team. Blake had to bite his tongue to refrain from mentioning the offers he’d received from the next level. He’d simply told him he wasn’t interested once again. It had only made the man press harder.
When Cormack finally realized Blake was unmovable, he started sputtering like a prima donna rookie who’d just realized the NFL was a whole heck of a lot harder than college ball. Apparently, the high school’s other finalist—the one they’d put on hold for Blake—had taken another job. They didn’t have anyone else, the man moaned pitifully. The attempted guilt trip didn’t sway Blake. He simply wished the man luck and hung up.
Though he’d essentially just closed the door to a full-time job in Dare Valley, he didn’t feel panicked or worried. Sam was right. He had to go with his gut.