“All right, well, I guess I better go. See you tomorrow?”
I nodded. “I’ll be here.” She smiled and made her way inside. Evan was still out on the field, but Gavin had packed up his things and was headed my way. He took off his helmet and smiled, his face streaked with dirt.
“Summer, right?”
“That’s me. How long is he going to be out there?”
He glanced over his shoulder at Evan. “He should be coming right along. He asked me to meet him tonight at the tavern for drinks.”
“Ah, that’s nice. I guess I’ll see you there then.”
“Yep. See ya.”
As soon as he turned to leave, I ventured out onto the field, my heart pounding the entire way. “I have to say, you’re a dedicated player,” I called out.
With a surprised grin on his face, he turned around. “What are you doing here? Didn’t I already see you this morning?”
I was almost to him. “You did, but I couldn’t wait any longer to see you.” Once the distance was closed, I wrapped my arms around his neck and he captured me. His arms were dirty and covered in sweat, but I didn’t care.
“I’m going to ruin your dress, sunshine.”
“I don’t care. I just wanted you to know that I’m ready. For whatever it is we’re doing with each other. I’m ready to see where it goes, to take the next step.”
He kissed me hard and held me tight in his arms. “Are you sure? If we do this, there’s no turning back.”
I looked into his soft gray eyes, and every doubt, every fear, just vanished. “I know,” I murmured against his lips. “I don’t plan on ever looking back.”
Chapter 15
Summer
The first step to opening up was joining Evan and the team at their away game. I hadn’t flown in a plane since returning from Vegas after I was released from the hospital. That was one place I’d vowed never to go back to. Now we were headed to Arizona. “Have you ever flown first-class before?” Evan asked as we took our seats on the plane. They were much wider than the ones I was used to and definitely more comfortable.
“No, Austin and I always flew coach. I didn’t mind it. But now I’m starting to think we should have upgraded. Though we didn’t need the space like you and the others do.” Evan was a tall guy, very muscular with long legs. He needed the extra room.
“How tall was Austin?” he asked, perfectly interested. We’d been getting to know each other the past couple of days and it was nice to be able to talk to him without holding back. He was comfortable with hearing stories about my life with Austin. It actually helped me feel better to be able to talk to him about my past.
“He was only about an inch taller than me, so about five foot nine. Definitely not over six feet like you. You’re a beast.”
“A sexy beast,” Derek corrected from across the aisle.
Brianna looked over at me and rolled her eyes. “I swear, by the way they talk you’d think they were gay.”
Everyone chuckled, but then it was time for takeoff. While the stewardess went over the usual flight instructions, Evan took my hand and kissed it. I leaned into him and placed my head on his shoulder. We were on our way to Arizona for the weekend game. Lara and Grayson were managing the restaurant for me so I could get away. I was due for a vacation.
Once we were up in the air, we could finally hear each other over the roaring of the engines. “Who all have you invited to the party on Wednesday?” he asked curiously.
Lifting my head from his shoulder, I sat back in my seat and smiled. “I, personally, have invited some of the guys on the team and told them they could bring dates. Lara and Grayson are inviting some of their friends.”
“What about your family? Are they coming?”
With a wide grin, I nodded. “Usually my mom can’t get off work during the week, but she and my dad are going to come down for the day. I haven’t seen them in so long. They’ll be excited to meet you.”
“I hope so. What about Grayson’s family? Will they be there?”
By the look on his face, I could tell he was worried. I reached for his hand and squeezed. “They already know we’re together, Evan. They’ll be happy for us, I promise. You have nothing to worry about.”
He blew out a sigh. “You sure?”
I giggled and squeezed his hand harder. “I promise. Everything will be perfectly fine. They’ll love you.”
“Okay, I trust you on that. What about your doctor? Are you going to invite him?”
“Well, he’s not exactly my doctor anymore, but I think I should probably invite him. I’ll call him as soon as we get back into town. You haven’t told Luke, have you? Lara gave me strict instructions not to invite him.”
He shook his head. “I figured that. I just wish he’d get his head out of his ass.”
“One day he will, but it’ll be too late. He can only blame himself then. I’m just thankful you’re not like that.”
“That’s because when something perfect is in my reach, I’m going to grasp for it and not let go. He just hasn’t realized that Lara is perfect for him. One day he will.”