What If (Willowbrook Book 2) by Ashlyn Mathews

looked up with a questioning expression.
    “I’m going outside for fresh air, okay?”
    He nodded. After she grabbed her cell phone and jacket, she put on her boots and headed out the front door. She closed the door, and leaning against it, she texted Sandy her question. It was early, but the family would be up getting ready for church. Sandy texted right back with a “yes” followed by a smiley face followed by a heart.
    So ready to do a happy dance, she called Jones and hurried a few feet from the house, far from hearing distance.
    “Emma, this better be important. I’ve been asked to do whatever it takes to make you happy and no way in hell should I go off course, or else. Drew’s words.”
    Drew’s words . What Jones revealed broke her heart. Drew went to great lengths to wrangle his teammates in for an overnight event that meant everything to a family who needed their help. And those players—whoever and how many there were—were willing to leave their families and their loved ones to go on a date with a total stranger.
    “I have a huge favor to ask,” she said with her fingers crossed. What she would ask of Jones totally went against his advice to Drew—lay low, avoid the media.
    She told him her plan.
    He cursed. “Fine, I’ll do it. But once the media sees how Drew looks at you, there will be no hiding your relationship any longer.”
    “I know,” she reassured him. “It’s what I want, Jones.”
    “Then let me be the first to congratulate you.”
    “For what?”
    “For owning up to the courage that has always lived inside you, Miss Lombardi.”
    Jones hung up before she could tell him how lucky Drew was to have him as his agent. She tucked her phone into her jacket pocket. There, she’d done it. Soon, her private world and Drew’s public one would collide. And she wasn’t scared but excited.
    As long as she could talk about the unsafe stuff with Drew and he did the same, she was positive she could live in both worlds. Drew had been right.
    You sure this is what you want? We can’t go back to what we had.
    His words from the masquerade ball had her beaming. She didn’t want to go back to what they’d had. She just wanted to go forward with the occasional backward glance when she faltered, the fleeting gesture a reminder of what hadn’t worked. Her steps light, as though she walked on air, she returned to the house and Drew.
     
     

Chapter Fourteen
    She found him in the kitchen. When she walked in, he looked at her with a smile on his face and love in his eyes. He’d called her his love, his babe, his baby doll. Yet all the endearments in the world couldn’t replace the three important words she’d long to hear to complete their second chance at love.
    “Eve and Lucas will be here in fifteen minutes.”
    “They’re back together.” Stating the obvious, she grabbed a seat at the kitchen table across from him, her legs weak from what she was about to tell him.
    “For now.” He slid a bowl of oatmeal toward her. “Have a bite. You look ready to keel over.”
    She took a few bites and swallowed. The cinnamon and brown sugar left a sickeningly sweet taste in her mouth. She scrunched her face in disgust. Drew pushed back his chair, stood and filled a cup with water for her. She grabbed the cup and downed the water.
    “Better?” He sat with his arms crisscrossed on the table.
    “Yes, thank you.” She set the cup down and circled its rim with her fingers. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
    His gaze fixed on her face. She reminded herself that he’d shown he could handle her unsafe and very uncomfortable conversations.
    “I broke up with you not just because I didn’t want to go public with the relationship. The thought of the media’s attention scared me. But I wasn’t scared for only myself. I wanted to protect our baby.”
    “Em—” He started to get up.
    She reached out, and grabbing him by his casts, she uncrossed his arms and tugged him across the table