Ready or Not (Ready #4)(24)

We found an open spot of grass with a great view of the field. Together, the three of us spread out the large blanket and set up the two chairs for Liv and me while Noah lounged on the ground.

“What do you have in here?” Noah asked, peeking in the basket.

“Fruit and crackers. Some cheese as well as some water is in the cooler.”

His face scrunched together in displeasure, and I laughed. Noah was not a fan of health food.

“Some cookies might also be in there somewhere,” she said in a sweet tone.

That kid’s cookie radar hadn’t lessened with age. In three seconds flat, he found the chocolate chip cookies, and he was stuffing one in his mouth.

“Hmm…not bad,” he mumbled between bites.

“Are they as good as my grandmother’s?” I asked her, taking one to try for myself.

“No, definitely not. She had a way with cookies, if you remember me telling you.”

Oh, yes, I did.

We spent the next hour watching numerous drills and plays being practiced over and over across the field. The coaches worked the men hard, and by the time the whistle called for break, the team was dripping with sweat and gasping for air.

Some chose to make their way into the locker rooms while many others walked across the field to the fence where their eager fans awaited for a moment or two of attention.

Noah watched and nearly vibrated with excitement as several of his favorite players stepped up to the fence. Children and adults alike swarmed them, asking for s and pictures. They were gracious and signed everything and anything shoved in front of them, from pictures to notebooks, and even in their exhausted state, they still posed for pictures.

Liv and I stood with Noah and waited our turn, finally making it up to the front.

I looked over at Noah, who appeared to have temporarily lost the ability to speak.

“Hi, this is my son, Noah. He’s a big fan.”

His head bobbed up and down, but still, no words came.

The guy in the middle smiled, turning his head from me to Noah and then finally stopping on Liv. “Beautiful family you’ve got.”

“Oh, thank you, but I’m just a friend. Noah and Jackson are new to the area, so I’m showing them around. Couldn’t do a tour of Richmond in the summer without stopping here.”

His eyes roamed down her body, and I felt my knuckles tighten.

“No, definitely not. We’re always glad to have fans.” His attention finally focused back on my son. “How about an autograph and a picture with my boy, Noah?” he asked, as Noah’s eyes went wide.

“Okay,” Noah managed to say before stepping in front of the towering giant.

Both Liv and I pulled out our phones and snapped a few pics. Noah didn’t have anything for him to sign, but he had some fancy app that allowed him to sign his phone. He could save it like a picture.

I just shook my head, wondering how long it would be before he knew more than I did.

He probably already did, and I was just in denial.

I turned to thank the guy for being so generous, and I found him leaning over the fence, talking to Liv.

“Since you seem to know the area so well, would you mind showing me around sometime? I don’t get out much and would love some…one-on-one time with a local.”

The way he said it left no room for the imagination, and I rolled my eyes at his very obvious tactics for picking up a date.

Reaching my arm out to aid Liv, I fell short when I heard her utter the one word I’d assumed she never would.

“Sure,” she replied.

“Great. Give me your phone,” he instructed.

She willingly handed her phone to the no-name football player, and I watched as he punched in a series of numbers.

“I just programmed my number into your phone and called myself, so now, I have your number. I’ll be in touch.”

I didn’t talk much to Liv for the remainder of the day. I would say only just enough to get by. She’d obviously picked up on my annoyance. Whether or not she knew the source of it was a mystery.

By the time we packed up and made it back to the car, I was about to explode.

“What will Don Juan think of your date with the football star?” I seethed.

She pulled out of the parking spot. “I guess I will never know since I don’t plan on telling him. We aren’t exclusive, Jackson,” she answered, her voice clipped and short.

My head fell back on the seat, and I closed my eyes in frustration.

Exclusivity—is that what I want with Liv? Can I see myself building something solid and long-lasting with her? Or do I just want to take her away from everyone else?

~Jackson~

My sour mood didn’t abate as the weekend dragged on.

On Monday, thoughts of Liv once again dominated my mind as I rode the elevator at work, but this time, they were anything but pleasant. I imagined her beautiful body wrapped around that hotshot football player after he’d wined and dined her all over the city. I was pining for a woman who was the opposite of everything I needed.

This had to end—now.

The elevator door slid open, and I stepped out on the fifteenth floor. Breezing past the front desk in the direction of my office, I already knew what I was going to do—the one thing I’d sworn I wouldn’t.

But desperate times called for desperate measures.

And I was desperate. I needed to move on from this…infatuation with Liv—and fast.