ADDY, one of the nurses on duty, pops her head into my office.
“Lacey? There’s someone here to see you,” she says.
I frown and check my calendar. My afternoon is light, and I have thirty minutes until my next appointment. I even had time to sit down and eat lunch at my desk today, a small miracle for an office that’s suffering from a staffing shortage during the holiday season.
“There is? Who?” I ask.
She breaks into a grin. “I think it’s better if you come out here and see for yourself,” she says.
I pull on my white coat and push the sleeves halfway up my arms. I move down the hall, anxiously wondering who could be waiting for me. Maybe it’s Director Hannaford popping in to see what I’m bringing as my silent auction item. When I turn the corner into the waiting room, I stop in my tracks.
Shawn is near the reception desk talking with a group of kids. He’s down on their level and nodding along to whatever they’re saying. When he tilts his head back and laughs at something funny, my insides turn to mush.
“He’s been here for ten minutes and hasn’t looked bored once. Not even when Benny Tyler sneezed on him,” she says, and she gives me a knowing grin. “You’re so lucky.”
Shawn glances our way from across the room. He smiles when he spots me and stands up, towering over the boys and girls vying for his attention. I walk toward him, and I feel like I’m missing the hint to a riddle.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Hi, baby,” he says, and he winks. “I brought you a coffee and a muffin. Do you have a minute?”
“Do I—what? Yes. Uh, yeah.” I pat his shoulder awkwardly, and it probably looks like I’m trying to dust off a piece of lint instead of showing him affection. “Thanks… babe.”
Shawn rolls his lips together, and I can tell he’s trying not to burst out laughing. “Can we go to your office?”
“Sure. Yeah.” I look at the girls behind the reception desk. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready for my two o’clock.”
“I have some things to talk over with Ms. Lacey,” Shawn tells the group of kids. “I’ll see you all again soon, okay? Everyone has the invitation to the Titans’ mini-camp I gave them? Good. It’s almost time for the holidays. You all are going to be on your best behavior for your moms and dads and guardians, right?”
“Yes,” the group says, and they hang on to his every word.
I can barely get them to look at me when I’m handing them a lollipop.
“That’s what I thought.” He ruffles their hair and steps toward me. He rests his hand on my lower back and holds the hallway door open. “Lead the way, Lacey girl,” he murmurs low in my ear, and my feet forget how to move for a minute.
It takes a gentle nudge from Shawn for me to step forward, and I swear the asshole chuckles under his breath. We weave past nurses and patients and parents who stare at the giant man walking behind me as if they’ve seen a ghost.
He looks wildly out of place here, with his backwards hat and the tattoos down to his hands, but he doesn’t act out of place. He acts like this is exactly where he belongs.
He says hello. He stops to give a little girl a high five. A mother pulls a dirty napkin from her purse and he signs it with a flourish, not batting an eye at the ketchup stain his signature covers. When we make it to my office, it feels like I’m floating on air.
“Baby?” I ask as I shut the door behind us. “That’s a new one.”
“What?” He tilts his head to the side and grins. “Not a fan of pet names?”
“I don’t have a lot of experience with them, I guess.” I shrug and sit on the couch, patting the spot next to me. “It’ll take some getting used to.”
“How do you feel about sweet cheeks? Probably a no, right?” Shawn asks, and he sits down beside me. “Muffin?”
“Please stop.” I giggle. “Both horrific.”
“Fine. If you say so.” He hands over a paper bag and the cup of coffee. “Here you go, bumblebee.”
I swat at his arm and pull out a muffin. “Careful, Shawn. I might rely on you to make sure I’m caffeinated and fed.” I grin and take a bite of the pastry. “Why are you really here?”
“It’s been a few days, and you’ve survived your first game as a WAG. I wanted to check on you and make sure everything is okay,” he says.
“WAG?” I wrinkle my eyebrows and brush some crumbs away from my mouth. “What does that mean?”
“Wife and girlfriend. Sports world slang.”
“Does that imply athletes have wives and girlfriends?”
“Some do, but those are the shady assholes.”
“And you’re the good guy who’s never cheated on his girlfriend, right?”
“No, I haven’t. I never understood the point of cheating. Why be with someone if you don’t want to be with just them?” Shawn asks.
“Ah. There’s a modern-day Romeo. A Casanova.”
He waves off my teasing and leans back, his long arms stretching over the back of the couch. “Seriously. Everything’s good?”
“We were with each other until midnight on Thanksgiving. I texted you on Friday and Saturday. We watched football with Maggie and Aiden on Sunday. Why are you stopping by today?”
Shawn shrugs. “Guess I just wanted an excuse to see you, daffodil.”
I roll my eyes, but I smile. “You don’t need an excuse to see me, but I’ll take it. Everything is fine. I’m glad you confirmed our relationship to the press. My social media comments have turned quiet the last couple of days. No complaints from me.”
“I’m glad. Making sure you’re okay is my number one priority, but I’ll admit I’m also here under somewhat false pretenses. I’m taking a page out of your book. Cornering you like you cornered me at my place and suggested we pretend to date.”
“I did not corner you.” I set down the drink and food on the small glass table in front of us. I wipe my hands on my scrubs. ‘What’s going on?”
“Nothing bad,” he says. “It’s my mom. I’ve been dodging calls from her since all of this,” he gestures between us, “started. We have a weekly family video call scheduled for tonight, and I was hoping you could be there, too, to make it a little easier?”
His voice hitches at the end, and he doesn’t have his usual confidence. He seems hesitant and unsure. Nervous, almost, like he’s afraid to hear my answer. His broad shoulders curl in and his smile wavers. His eyes flick to mine then look away, suddenly interested in the stack of medical books I have on the floor against the far wall, and his leg bounces up and down.
I reach out and put my hand on his arm. I run my thumb up his forearm and over the intricate artwork on his body. I wonder if the tattoos span across his chest. Over the curve of his shoulder and onto his back, too. I wonder what kind of designs he has over his heart, and I wonder if I’ll ever get to see them.
The tattoo on his hand might be my favorite. It covers the whole back of his palm, and it’s unfairly hot.
“Of course I’ll be there,” I say gently. “What time were you thinking?”
“Seven? I can make dinner or we could order in. I’d invite Maggie and Aiden, too, but it’s their date night,” Shawn says. “Are you okay with it being just the two of us?”
“Totally fine. We’ve hung out alone together before. It’s not like I’m going to jump your bones just because you put a plate of meatloaf in front of me,” I say, and Shawn laughs.
“Is that your way of telling me you want meatloaf for dinner?” he asks, and I shrug, nonchalant, as my lips curl into a smile.
“I wouldn’t hate it. Wouldn’t hate mashed potatoes, either.”
“Deal. We can eat then tackle the Holmes clan,” he says. He adjusts his hat and sighs. “There’s going to be an interrogation.”
“I’m good with parents,” I say, and I motion toward the door. “It’s kind of my job. Want me to bring wine? Dessert? For the record, this isn’t a date.”
His smile matches mine. “It’s not, huh?”
“No.” I shake my head and swipe the coffee off the table. “Definitely not. It’s a required event we’re obligated to take part in. Just like you joining me at the hospital gala.”
“Right. And the team’s holiday party you’re going to come to,” Shawn adds.
“Exactly. All of those things are not dates. They’re pieces of our plan we have to do to get through the holiday season happy and with a promotion.”
“And with a happy family,” he says, and I nod.
“Bingo.”
Shawn checks his watch. “I need to head to the stadium for a team meeting. Arthur will let you up when you get to my place.”
“What’s it like to have a doorman?”
“About the same as not having a doorman.” He knocks his knee against mine and points at the muffin. “Finish your food, rose petal.”
“Thank you, by the way. That was nice of you to bring me caffeine and a snack, and I really appreciate it.” I stand up. I offer him my hand and make a spectacle of pretending to pull him off the couch. “Please don’t break too many hearts on your way out. This is a pediatrician’s office, not the emergency room.”
“If you insist.” He grins and heads toward the door. “See ya, Lace Face.”
“Bye, Shawn Yawn. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.”
“Sounds good. Miss you already, angel butt.”
“Oh, my god. I’m going to hurl a stapler at you if you don’t stop,” I say.
He laughs and blows me a kiss on his way out, a gesture that makes my belly swoop low and a smile split across my lips.
