Page 8 of Play With Me
He looked away as if shy. “I wantyouto be my mom.”
I was so stunned, it wasn’t until I heard him clear his throat that I realized Jude was standing only a few feet away.
CHAPTER3
Nora
Had he heard?
My heart thundered against my ribs.
When Jude’s eyes met mine, I felt a shock of something go through me—something I hadn’t felt since the day Jude and I met, when he’d asked me for my help at the library.
That day, I’d pretended like I’d never seen him before in my life. But the truth was, I’d known exactly who he was. Quince Valley was a small town—I’d passed him on the street. I noticed him. How could I not? Tall, lithe, a smile that made my stomach feel like melted butter. But he never noticed me. That time, though, looking at me—talking to me—he’d given me that wide smile of his, and it had unraveled something deep inside of me.
Jude Kelly, ex tennis pro and ambassador for various colognes and sports brands. Smiling at me. A no one.
His smile was different now. Sadder. But my whole body threatened to melt into a puddle all the same.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi,” I whispered back.
Then I looked at Cap.
That was enough to settle the ridiculous hormones. Cap was the one I needed to focus on. Jude was my best friend, and I was happy with that. More than happy.
This wasn’t about me.
I gave Cap another squeeze, then angled him so he was facing his dad.
Jude came over to us, and I had to close my eyes to will away the scent of him. Shampoo and soap andJude.
He squatted down. “I’m sorry, Cap.” Jude’s voice cracked slightly. “I shouldn’t have gotten so mad like that. I just…I only want people in our life who are going to love the heck out of us, you know?”
Jude glanced up at me. My stupid heart threatened to burst once more. It was fine. It was true, anyway. I loved these boys with my whole heart. They were as much my family now as me and my brother.
Even though I was leaving them.
“We want our friends and our family,” Jude said, brushing his son’s hair from his eyes. “That’s it, right? Just the two of us. That’s what we decided.”
“Yeah,” Cap said, folding his little arms. “That’s what we said. But…I also want a mom.”
Jude blinked, looking at me, slightly confused.
A mix of emotions ran through me all at once: Relief that Jude hadn’t heard what Cap had said a moment ago. Admiration at Cap’s bravery. Mortification that now Cap probably would say what his secret wish was. Because I knew what would happen when he did. Jude would laugh. And I would want to shrink into these bushes and disappear.
But for once in his life, Jude seemed to have run out of words.
So, I stepped in. Even though my voice shook, and it made me sick, I said, “Maybe you could give her a chance, Jude. For Cap.”
Jude looked shocked. I could tell he wanted to say no, hard and fast. And I could tell he was mad at me for stepping in. But he didn’t know this was the right thing for him. For them both. Cap needed a mom—why not his own mom? She was reaching out, sharing an olive branch, right at the time I was planning on snapping the bond between us. But this was my perfect out. Maybe there could be some kind of fairy-tale ending for them—absorbing and wonderful enough to forget about me.
“I’m not interested in a relationship with her.” His voice was harder than I’d ever heard it. He meant it.
But before I could say anything, Cap stood up.
“I want to see her,” he said.
