I expected her to freak out. Or at least react like she did when she found out our picture was on ESPN. But she doesn’t. In fact, she’s smiling. “You’re joking about it?” I ask.

“It’s a tabloid, Caden. Nobody takes those seriously.”

“So, you’re not upset?”

“No. I’m not. I’m going to have to get used to people taking my picture when we’re together. No point in fighting it. It is what it is. If we can’t laugh about it, it will eat away at us.”

“Okay then. If it’s going to happen, why not make it happen on our terms?”

“What do you mean?” she asks.

“Tomorrow night. Let’s put on something fancy and go out to a nice place. Announce our relationship to the world when we’re dressed to the nines.”

She starts to smile before catching herself. “Are you sure you want to do that, Caden?”

“Sweetheart, I’m about to take you on our fourth date. You might as well tag me and brand your name on my ass.” I pull her close to my side. “I’m sure.”

She giggles and my dick twitches.

“Then it looks like I have some shopping to do,” she says, laughing. “But first, I need to get back to work. And you need a shower.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven,” I tell her. “And in case you were wondering, my favorite color is blue. Keep that in mind when you’re trying on dresses.”

“Are we talking light blue? Dark blue? Carolina blue?” she asks. “The possibilities are endless. You need to be more specific.”

“Just look in the mirror, Murphy Brown, and you’ll have your answer.”

Her face pinks up before I smile and walk away.

Damn. I can’t wait for it to be tomorrow at seven.

Chapter Forty

Murphy

I look out at the view again. I can’t keep my eyes off it. I’ve never been in a restaurant at the top of a tall building before. It’s incredible looking down on the city I love. It’s like I stepped right into an episode of Sex and the City.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying the view,” Caden says, looking all handsome in his suit. I don’t miss the fact that he wore a tie that’s the exact shade of my eyes—and the dress I’m wearing. We haven’t failed to garner looks from everyone here. Even if he wasn’t recognized for who he is, he’d be noticed for how he looks.

I feel guilty for staring at the view and not him. “I’m sorry. I should be looking at my hot date, not out the window.”

He smiles. “Look all you want. That way you won’t notice the fact that I’m staring at my hot date and all her amazing curves.”

I look down at my cleavage, once again questioning my decision to go more low-cut than I normally would. But Lexi insisted. She helped me pick out the dress. I’ve been nothing but self-conscious tonight with all the photos that have been taken of us. I would venture a guess, however, that that’s precisely why she wanted me to wear this exact one.

“Have I told you how stunning you look, Sweet Caroline?”

“Only about ten times.”

“I just want to make sure you know it,” he says.

“Thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself.”

“We look good together,” he says. “In fact …” He pulls out his phone and leans over as he takes a selfie. “Why should everyone else get all the good pictures?”

He shows me the picture on his phone.

“Will you send it to me?” I ask.

He taps around on his phone for a second. “Done,” he says, putting his phone away and wrapping his arm around the back of my chair. He rubs his thumb on my shoulder. “Things may change tomorrow, Murph. As soon as it gets out who you are, your life will change. Are you ready for that?”

“I spent the better part of this year trying to get my face on the cover of magazines,” I say, jokingly. “This may not be how I planned it, but then again, life doesn’t always go as planned.” I twist Kelly’s ring around my thumb.

Caden watches the rhythmic motion. “Did your dad give you that ring?”

I shake my head. “No. It was Kelly’s. And she didn’t so much give it to me as I stole it.”

He furrows his brow. “You stole a ring from your best friend?”

“I did. Kelly knew I loved the ring. She got it when she went on a mission trip to India several years ago. She always teased me that she would leave me the ring in her will. And then, well … after we got to the hospital and they brought me in to say goodbye …”

He takes my hand in his. “She wanted you to have it, Murphy. It was the right thing to do.”

I nod. “It makes me feel close to her.”

“Excuse me,” a woman says, looking embarrassed to be bothering us. “I don’t want to intrude, but my grandson is a big fan. He’s not here because he’s in the hospital, but I was wondering, when you are done with your dinner, if I could take a picture of you with his grandfather.”

The woman motions across the restaurant to an older gentleman who looks like he wants the floor to swallow him up. He waves awkwardly when we all look over.

“Can I ask why your grandson is in the hospital, ma’am?” Caden asks.

“He’s got cancer. Neuroblastoma.” She shows us a picture of a bald little boy who can’t be more than ten years old.

“Oh, Caden,” I whisper, studying the picture.

“What’s the boy’s name?” he asks. “Is he here in the city?”

“Jonathan, and yes, his parents live here, thank God. I couldn’t imagine not being able to support them through this.”

“Is Jonathan allowed to have visitors?”

“Yes, as long as he hasn’t just had chemo,” she says.

Caden grabs a napkin and writes down a number, handing it to the woman. “This is Melanie’s number, she’s my assistant. Please call her tomorrow and work out with her when I can go see him. I’ll bring him a signed ball and a few other things if that’s okay.”

The woman covers her mouth in a sob. “You would do that?”

“I’d be happy to.”

She reaches out and touches Caden’s hand. “Bless you, Mr. Kessler. You have no idea what this means to me.”

“I’ll see you in a few days, then, Mrs. …”

“Murphy. Donna Murphy. Thank you again. I hope you have a wonderful dinner with your beautiful companion.”

The lady walks away and Caden turns to stare at me. He doesn’t have to say it. All the coincidences. Are they just coincidences? Or is it fate?

The waiter brings our dessert, but I can barely get a bite or two down after the spread we’ve eaten. “I’m stuffed,” I say. “If I eat any more, my dress will split in two.”

Caden laughs, pushing the dessert plate to the other side of the table. “While I wouldn’t mind your dress coming off, I’d rather it be me who removes it.”

I blush under his heated perusal. The sexual tension between us has been off the charts. We’ve been a couple for almost a week, yet we’ve not been able to be alone together because my mother has been around. And I’ve been able to think of nothing else but what will happen when we finally are.

He squeezes my hand. “I love your mom and all, but I have to say I’m glad she’s not crashing at your place anymore.”

“My mom is better in small doses,” I say. “Especially now that she’s got it bad for your father. God, Caden, I never heard the end of it.”

“I’m pretty sure they had lunch together yesterday,” he says.

“And today,” I tell him. “Your dad drove her to the airport.”

He looks surprised. “I thought he and Scott left early this morning.”

“He changed their flight, Caden. Postponed it to coincide with her departure time.”

He laughs, shaking his head.

“What?” I ask. “This is seriously twisted, don’t you think?”

“You want your mom to be happy, don’t you?”

“Absolutely. She deserves to be happy after all these years.”

He caresses my knuckles. “Are you happy, Murphy?”

I glance outside at the view. Then I look at him, remembering the conversation we had under the stars. I trace the angles of his face with my eyes. I think about everything that has happened to me since moving to New York. “Happy isn’t a strong enough word.”

A slow smile turns up the corners of his mouth. Then he bites his lip and groans. “I need to get you home. Right now.”

I smile back at him and lean close to his ear. “Everything under the dress is blue, too. Well, what there is of them.”

“Shit, Murph. Now I won’t be able to stand up.”

He motions for the check as I take the last few sips of my wine. Then while he pays the bill, I pour what’s left of the bottle into my glass and drink that, too. Because I think I’m about to make love with New York’s hottest sports star.

And suddenly I’m scared to death.

Chapter Forty-one

Caden

I can’t get her clothes off fast enough. But this dress—it has about a thousand buttons down the back. “You’re really making me work for this, aren’t you?”

She laughs. “Blame yourself, Kessler. You’re the one who said it had to be this exact color. Well, this is what you get.”

I turn her around and look at the deep V between her breasts. “Oh, I’m not complaining. In fact, I think the anticipation is half the fun.”

I’ve anticipated this moment for days. Hell, months if I’m being honest. And the cab ride home was torture. All I could think about was what she would look like in small scraps of blue beneath the dress that matches her eyes. We both teased each other in the back seat, our hands wandering up arms, down legs and between thighs. We pushed it as far as we could without becoming indecent.