What is it they say? Gray sweats are the way to a woman’s heart.
Okay, maybeheartis the wrong part of their anatomy.
My cell dings and I grab it from the bed, staring down at the exact reply I expected.
Mom: Sutton is perfect. You don’t need to worry. Enjoy your night.
Kodie: Nice trick with the keycard.
Mom: You’re welcome. Just remember you have a game tomorrow. You need to get some sleep
My loud groan fills the bedroom.
Please tell me that my mom didn’t just winky face emoji me knowing she gave me a hotel keycard that would give me access to the woman I can’t get out of my head.
“Fucking hell,” I mutter, dragging my hand down my face.
“Is Sutton okay?” Casey asks as she steps out of the bathroom with a towel tucked under her arms.
“Yeah, she’s fine.”
“So what’s the moaning about?”
Turning my cell around, I show her the message stream.
She snorts a laugh.
“I like your mom,” Casey says, her cheeks a little pinker than they were a few seconds ago. “I’m not going to be able to look her in the eye in the morning, though.”
“Just wait until your dad knows what we’ve been up to.”
“Oh god,” she groans. “Can you not?”
“Cas—”
“Kodie, I want this. I want you and everything that comes with you. You said earlier that you want everyone to know. But…”
A frown tugs at my brows as I wait for her to continue.
“I do want everyone to know. I want to be able to come to your games and have everyone know that you belong to me. I want to walk down the street holding your hand and do all thethings normal couples do. I just…I’m not sure I’m ready for it yet.”
My lips part to respond, but she beats me to it.
“We’ll never be just a normal couple. Your life, your public image, and your reputation mean that we’re going to have a lot of attention on us at the beginning, and I want us to be solid before we have to deal with that.
“We have Sutton to think of. We have your career. My father.We need to figure all of it out before the rest of the world gets an opinion.”
All I can do as she blurts all of this out is smile. “Okay.”
She stares at me as if I’ve just grown a second head. “Okay?”
“Yeah. Did you expect me to argue?”
“I…uh…I don’t know.”
“Casey,” I say, dropping my cell to the bed and walking around until I’m standing in front of her.
Taking both of her hands in mine, I stare down into her eyes.
