Page 69 of Resisting the Running Back

“Well, yeah, there’s that. But where’s the fun in that?”

She huffs out an annoyed breath, and then our breakfast is served, effectively ending that part of our conversation. Still, I bring it back up mid-meal.

“Are you okay?” I ask, a little worried about how this sort of thing might affect her long-term.

“I don’t like it, but I can’t change it. I’m just trying to force my eggs down over the nausea I feel.”

“From the vodka?” I guess.

She shakes her head and nods at her phone. “From those pictures of us.”

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah, it is. People do this. They see an athlete or celebrity, and they take advantage of the situation. I thought we were protected in the dark. It was a corner booth. People were occupied with their drinking and dancing. But I’ve been in this field long enough that I should’ve fought the instincts I had to be with you in that moment. I should’ve warned you that something like this could happen.”

She presses her lips together and sets her fork down. “Is this what it’s like being with you?”

“It is,” I admit. “But it’s not all bad.” I lift a shoulder. “We could use it to our advantage, you know.”

Her brows dip together. “How?”

I hold my hands up and look into the distance as I make a sort of rainbow with my hands to indicate the new headline. “San Diego Storm Star Running Back’s Fiancée Has a Secret Identity as Bestselling Romance Author Summer Love.”

Her brows that were already close together seem to pinch a little tighter. “Are you saying we should reveal my identity to the world?”

I shake my head. “Not if you’re not ready for it. But I have a platform, and I’d be more than happy to use it to tell the world about my favorite author.”

“You’d do that for me?”

I reach across the table and grab her hand. I squeeze it gently, and my voice is quiet as I say, “Don’t you know by now that I would do anything for you, Soph?”

She blinks a few times as her eyes shine at me, and then she swipes at her cheek with her thumb. “I do.”

“Good. Don’t forget it.”

CHAPTER 30: Sophie Summers

Creating Birthday Memories

The Friday we get back from Vegas is my thirtieth birthday, and honestly, I haven’t spent much time thinking about it.

I see the pictures on Facebook of my high school friends who are getting married and having babies, and I feel a twinge in my chest that they’re getting that while I’m pushing that life further down the road as I do whatever it is I’m doing with Miller. We’re getting married, sure.

Babies?

No. He’s pretty convinced he doesn’t even want kids, and I was never really all that sure. But the more I see photos of my friends holding their newborns moments after giving birth, the more I think I want that life, too.

I want a baby I can post pictures of. Not just to post pictures of, but to create a legacy with another person out of love, to be a mother who loves another being so selflessly and unconditionally, to give myself a new purpose and meaning as I shift into an entirely new role.

And I want a husband who adores me—who’s marrying me because we’re in love, not because he’s trying to help out an old friend.

More and more, I think we could get there. Thisfeelslike more than friends with benefits, and I already had a deep love for Miller because of the strong foundation we built over the years.

I’m not sure I can go through with a wedding that isn’t real when the feelings I’m starting to feel for him areveryreal.

But I’m also not sure I’m brave enough to have that conversation with him.