“Thing is,” he leaned forward again and collected one of her hands between his. Faith didn’t pull it away, but she didn’t engage either. And it excruciatingly difficult. “I don’t see it as inevitable A few days ago, I wanted to ask if you’d think about continuing to see me.”
Faith’s heart tripped, and her mind scanned backward. She hadn’t seen any sign of that.
“But, man, that’s no small thing in my world. And you’ve had so much to deal with, I didn’t want to put another pressure on your shoulders.”
Disbelief narrowed Faith’s eyes. “I’m not your type. I’m not even close to your type.”
He exhaled, long and slow, then thought a minute. “Okay,” he finally said, “I’m going to talk fast, because I know you’re not going to listen for long. You’re right, you’re not my type. Which is exactly why I can’t shake you. Why it felt like I was gone a month when I was only gone a day. Why I fell so damn hard for you. And why I can’t even think about another woman.”
A current travelled through her chest. She didn’t know if it was excitement, fear or anger, but she pushed her chair back. She needed space—to think, to breathe.
“The women I’ve seen over the past few years have all been just like Bridgette,” he went on. “They don’t care about anyone or anything but themselves and what they want. They care about their looks, their image, and their money. I slept with them because neither of us was looking for anything more than sex. They were easy to come by and easy to let go. But you were different from the start.”
Faith’s heart was beating so fast she pressed her hand to her chest. “Grant—“
“When I was in DC after being here for two weeks, I could barely stand it. Everyone felt plastic. Everything felt scripted. And all I wanted to do was come home. Only I didn’t want to come back here for Holly, or even my family. I wanted to come back for you, Faith. I wanted to come back because…” He released a breath, looked away, then looked back, and that vulnerability had returned. The one that twisted her heart. “I came back because you feel like home to me. And I don’t want to let that go. I don’t want to let you go.”
All Faith’s breath rushed out of her chest on a soft sound of shock. “But...you have to go back. Your life is there. Mine is here. I have to figure out the store...” She pressed a hand to her face. Dropped back in the chair. And in her mind’s eye, her life spun like a cyclone. “I… You… How?”
He pressed on elbow to the table and rested his forehead against his fingers. “This is why I didn’t bring it up before I left. I don’t have an easy answer. The regular season doesn’t end until mid-April. If we go into the playoffs, it won’t end until June. We get the summer off—mostly, and training camps start up in September.”
He leaned forward and slid his hands up her thighs until he took hers again. “I haven’t thought through the details yet. I only know that I’ve been with enough women to know when I’ve found someone different, someone special, someone worth holding on to. And I want that with you, Faith. I want to at least try to make this work.”
His pretty eyes were light with hope. So much hope. So much honesty. Her dad had always said she was a good judge of character. If he were here, he would tell her that all she could do was base her decision on what she knew of Grant first hand, not gossip or hearsay. He’d tell Faith to trust her gut and follow her heart.
And Faith’s mind was spinning, trying to find a way to make it feasible. She didn’t realize how long she’d been lost in thought until Grant shrugged one shoulder and dropped his gaze. “If that’s not what you want, or its too soon—“
Faith reached for his face, cupped his jaw, and lifted his gaze to hers. “It’s what I want,” she said breathlessly. “But, I’m not gonna lie, it scares the hell out of me.”
Relief washed over his features and a smile brightened his face. The sight of the clouds clearing from his expression brought joy to Faith’s heart. She leaned in and kissed him. And with her lips against his, she knew—this was right. This was where she belonged now. It was the right time to take this risk.
When she pulled back, he brushed hair off her face. “I was thinking about it a lot on the way home. My lifestyle isn’t great. I travel—a lot. But the owner bought the team a new plane last year, one that’s more efficient and faster and seats almost a hundred people. That means I’m usually home the same night I play. And if we’ve got back-to-back games where we’ll be gone a while, the owner lets the guys bring their girlfriends or wives. The team would cover your expenses on those trips like they cover mine—hotel, food.”
“Wait, what…?” Streaks of heat coursed through Faith’s chest. Panic? Fear? Excitement? God, she wasn’t sure. “I don’t understand...”
He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. His eyes were soft and drenched with affection. He looked at her in a way no one had looked at her since high school.
“I waited too long to tell you how I felt a couple of days ago, and I almost lost you. I’m not going to risk that again. You can always say no, but I won’t always have the opportunity to offer. I’d really like you to consider moving to DC with me.”
“Oh my God.” Her world tipped on its axis. She put a hand over her hammering heart.
He lifted his hands as if that would stop the barrage of thoughts and emotion that poured through her. “I know it’s a lot to ask, and if you’re not sure about us, we can find you your own place. But, man, I really love the idea of coming home to you after a long day on the ice, and that is something I never thought I’d say. My place is way too big for one person, so you’d have plenty of your own space. And yeah, it pretty much looks like a bachelor pad, but I could deal with some changes.” He grinned a little. “You know, small ones.”
That made her laugh, but her lungs felt way too small, and she couldn’t seem to get enough air.
“There’s real possibility in Taylor’s business model for you, and you can blog and tape videos from anywhere. You’ve already been thinking about making Joe manager, which would allow you to concentrate on this new business plan. And, baby, I would set you up one killer studio in the extra bedroom. I’m talkin’ professional grade equipment.”
She laughed. “Sounds like a bribe.”
“Call it what you want. And”—he winced—“don’t get pissed, but I was so excited about the possibilities for this new venture, that on the way home, I called another player who’s dating one of the anchors on a local morning show, and asked him to pitch the idea of a weekly Fix-It segment—”
“What?”
His wince transitioned into a grimace. “You don’t have to do it. It’s just in the idea phase—”
“Oh my God.” She squeezed his hands. “That’s amazing. This is just all so—”
“Overwhelming. I know. I’m sorry. It sounds like I’m going to get called back in the next day or two, and I want you to know everything before I have to leave. You don’t have to make any decisions until you’re ready.” He threaded their fingers. “We’ll just have to have phone sex.”