“Hi, Ollie.” I lift my head and wave at him.

“Where is she?”

“In her room.” He nods and heads that way.

“What are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t go all season and not watch one of your games. We decided late last night. We rented a car, and here we are.”

“But I fly out today,” I remind him.

“I know. I got ahold of your sisters, and they helped move your flight so that we could fly back together. Our flight leaves at nine now, and we’re having dinner with your family after the game.”

Hot tears prick my eyes. “I can’t believe you’re here.” I lean in and press my lips to his.

“What’s better is now we get more time together.”

“More than you think,” I confess.

“How so?” He steps into our apartment, shuts the door, and carries me to the couch, sitting down with me straddling his lap.

“I’m staying for your game on Monday. My flight leaves late Tuesday.”

“What?” he asks. His face lights up. “Fuck, Peyton. I feel like it’s Christmas,” he says, placing his hands on my cheeks and kissing me soundly.

“I want to see you play in person. You only have a few weeks left of your season, so it makes sense to make it happen this trip,” I confess.

“Great minds and all that.” He smiles.

“Ollie?” I ask.

“He’s staying here. His flight is early Sunday morning. He’s making his move.”

“Wow.”

“Yep.”

“I need to get going.”

“Come on. I need to watch my girl kick ass on the field.” Another quick kiss to my lips, and we stand just as Oliver and Karina come out of her room. They’re holding hands, and she’s biting down on her bottom lip, trying not to smile.

“Ready?” I ask her.

“Yes.”

The drive to the field is short. When we get there, Oliver and Griffin insist on carrying our bags even though we can manage on our own. Who says chivalry is dead? As we’re walking into the stadium, Griffin freezes.

“Coach?”

“Griff, Ollie.” He nods. “I thought I might run into you here.”

“Sir, you gave us the time off,” Oliver says, making him laugh.

“I did. I also figured this one,” he points at Griffin, “would be coming to see his girl. Our softball coach was coming and asked me if I wanted to tag along.”

“Coach, this is my girlfriend, Peyton Monroe,” Griffin introduces. He looks down at me. “Babe, this is Coach Hopkins.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” I offer him my hand.

“You as well. This one tells me you’re a beast on the field. His words, not mine,” Coach says, pointing at Griffin.

“I think he’s a little biased,” I reply nervously.

“And this is my girl, Karina. Karina, this is Coach Hopkins,” Oliver introduces.

I look over at my best friend, and her face is bloodred. “It’s nice to meet you,” she says politely, offering him her hand.

“I hate to be rude, but we really need to go,” I tell them.

Griffin ignores everyone around us and bends his head to kiss me. “Good luck, babe.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you after the game. Coach Hopkins, it was nice to meet you,” I say, remembering my manners as Karina and I take our bags from the guys and jog off to the locker room.

CHAPTER 18

Griffin

By the time our flight lands, it’s late, and we’re both exhausted. We both dozed on the plane, but I’m more than ready to curl up next to her and fall asleep with her in my arms. I can’t stop my smile when I think about the fact that I get to do that very thing for the next four nights.

“Peyton, it’s so good to see you,” Mom gushes as she steps forward and pulls her into a hug.

“You too, Mrs. Anthony.”

“Anna,” Mom corrects her.

“How was your flight?” Dad asks, pulling Peyton into a hug as soon as Mom releases her.

“It was good,” we both say at the same time.

“Thank you for picking us up,” Peyton tells them.

“Of course, let’s get you home. I’m sure you’re both exhausted. Griff said you won your game today,” Mom says. She and Peyton walk ahead of us and chat about her game.

“This the only bag?” Dad asks.

“Yeah, I didn’t take one. I knew we were coming back tonight, and she’s only here for a few days.”

“That’s tough,” he says, taking Peyton’s bag and placing a hand on my shoulder. “We better get moving before we lose sight of them.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” I say as my feet start to move. “She’s here until Tuesday late afternoon, and I don’t plan on letting her out of my sight until then.”

“Oh, so I guess this is a bad time to tell you that your mother and I talked about it, and we think Peyton should stay in the spare bedroom.”

“What?” I stop walking to look at him.

“We think it’s best.”

I can’t believe this. They know what she means to me, and I’m an adult. We both are. If I want her in my bed next to me, that shouldn’t be an issue. Fuck that. No way is she sleeping across the hall from me. If I saw her every day, maybe I might let that go, but my time with her is sacred and limited, and I’m not wasting a fucking second. Instead of arguing with him, I pull my phone from my pocket and begin to look for a room for us for the next four nights.

Tags: Kaylee Ryan Out of Reach Romance
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