Sweet Hill Homecoming (Sweet Hill 1)

She laughed, caught a little off guard by Tate’s playful mood. “Well, maybe I’m not a nice person.”

She felt Tate’s palm rest on the small of her back for a moment. Just long enough for him to lean in and whisper, “I don’t believe that for a second.”

He pulled away enough to put a few inches between them and continued walking beside her.

“But I do really want to talk, Mia.”

“Not much to talk about really,” she tried sounding indifferent, but the way her whole body flushed beneath her coat said a different story. Thank God Tate couldn’t see that. Between him smelling all spicy and manly and that damn smile he was sporting…not good for the “resolve” she built up against him.

“When we kissed—”

“It wasn’t a good idea,” she said in a harsh whisper, making her way up the steps to where Jen was waving at her already in seats. Tate just kept following her. “And it won’t happen again so let’s just forget about it,” she turned to say to him behind her loud enough so only his ears could pick it up.

“I see,” he said, but didn’t sound the least bit disappointed. Not that she was hoping he would be. Okay, maybe a little. “Have you committed to this notion?”

She glanced back at him, only five more steps then she’d reach Jen and sanctuary from this conversation.

“What do you mean?”

“Well…” He gently cupped her hip when she faltered on the step and his touch, even through thick layers, made her warm. “You said that when you make up your mind, that’s it. You commit. So I have to know how serious you are about this ‘never happening again.’” His hand lingered long after she righted her footing and she stopped on the step to look at him fully.

He was so calm. So easy. And that smile gently tugging his lips made her re-think the firm stance she had that being with Tate was a bad idea.

She opened her mouth to tell him how serious she was but Jen called her name. Saving her from a small fib.

“I saved you a seat!” Jen said.

Mia smiled then turned her attention back to Tate. “Well, this has been a fun chat.”

“You never answered my question,” he said.

“Yes, well, I’m just going to watch the game and know that I mean what I say, Deputy.”

“Oh, I know you do.” Again with that charming smile.

“Ok. So…goodbye?” She hadn’t meant that to sound like a question, but he wasn’t leaving.

“Goodbye, Mia.”

She shimmed her way to Jen and when Tate followed her, she turned back to frown at him. “Seriously? You’re following me even to my seat?”

“Hey, Tate!” Luke called, sitting between Annie and Jen. Mia instantly blushed and Tate just smiled wider. She hadn’t seen them, but apparently she wasn’t the only one they were saving a spot for.

She huffed and sat down, Tate sat next to her and with Jen on one side and Tate on the other, she felt like a world class moron. Tate however looked like he just won a prize.

“You okay?” Jen said, nudging her shoulder. “You look a little flustered.”

Mia nodded. “Yeah,” she glanced at Tate, “I’m fine. Just nervous for Kyle.”

“Yeah, they win this game and they’re going to playoffs,” Luke said.

For two hours, Mia clapped, yelled and cheered for her brother so much that her hands got sweaty. But she just shoved her gloves into her coat pocket and kept on clapping. When he caught the last pass of the game and ran it in for a forty-two yard touchdown, she screamed.

Tate glanced her way several times and if she were honest, she glanced his way too. She tried not to remember how his chin felt against hers as he kissed her. Though always clean shaven, the evening seemed to bring out the shadow on his jaw she liked so much and the subtle scratch made her skin tingle just form the recollection.

“Kyle is really good,” Tate said, clapping as the game ended and the players started jogging toward the locker room.

She nodded and watched her brother take off his helmet and look back at the stands. She waved like a crazy person. She couldn’t help it. She was just so proud of him. Watching him excel and enjoy himself was heartwarming and made everything worth it.