What If (Willowbrook Book 2) by Ashlyn Mathews Read Free Book Online Page A

him on the bed. He was up to no good. This was the side of him she hadn’t seen since he’d been drafted. He gave her his full attention, rather than be distracted by the football stats or plays in his head. Or of the places he had to jet off to for either a game or an endorsement shoot. Football, football, football. She’d really wanted to tell Drew to take his football and shove it where the sun didn’t shine.
    Instead, she had stayed silent, letting her annoyance and frustration with everything football fester into resentment. Obviously, keeping quiet hadn’t been healthy for their relationship. But, she’d change that.
    Talking about the hard stuff wasn’t safe, made her uncomfortable. However, for Chance, and for her and Drew’s unborn baby, safe had to be tossed out the window.
    “I’ll skip the auction and give you a check,” he offered.
    The old Emma would’ve said, “Hell yeah, baby, sign it, and I’ll write in the dollar amount.” The new Emma thought differently. What he’d proposed was the easy and safe way out.
    “Do the auction. The town and Chance will love you more for it. And it’ll do your partying reputation some good.”
    He shoved the tray of food away. “Sorry, Em. I can’t have any more run-ins with the media.”
    “Even for a little boy with cancer?”
    He sighed. “Yes. You’re gonna have to find a different guy for the job.”
    This morning, she’d made Chance and his family a premature promise that she’d bring a shining star to the gala. Emma didn’t go back on her word. She opened her mouth. Warning bells rang loud in her head. She ignored them.
    “Fine. I have the perfect guy for the job.”
    “And who, might I ask, is this perfect guy?”
    Warning bells was an understatement. The heat in his words spoke of a four alarm fire.
     
     

Chapter Nine
    Drew waited for Emma’s answer with his jaw clenched. He could’ve accused her of baiting him into feeling an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time—jealousy. However, that dark emotion had already festered in him since he’d seen her in that guy’s truck.
    Seconds stretched into minutes. After six years with her, he understood the reason behind her silence. Uncomfortable topics made Emma feel unsafe. He cared that she felt secure around him. However, he was tired of her avoidance and excuses. And he wanted to find out more about this perfect guy.
    “Someone you don’t know,” she finally said, surprising him. “He’s an old friend from college.”
    “The one you lost your virginity to? The last guy you saw before we became exclusive?” His words came out too rough. He could have been her first. Instead, he’d let some other guy have that privilege.
    “Drew—”
    By the determined tone in her voice, she wasn’t going to confirm or deny his accusation. He could be a jerk and text Eve for the answer, circumventing Emma. But a different tactic came to mind.
    He got off the bed, grabbed the tray with the tips of his fingers, and took their empty plates into the kitchen before returning to the bedroom. He sat alongside her. She cast him a sideways stare with suspicion in her eyes. Yep, he was up to no good.
    He took her hand in his. His cast pressed against her palm. He let go and began to stroke her small fingers, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact. She cleared her throat. In the corner of his eye, her skin flushed a pretty pink. He brought her knuckles to his mouth.
    “I’m sorry, Em.”
    “For what?”
    “For being a jerk. If you have some other guy in mind, that’s none of my business anymore, right?”
    She picked at the covers. “Right.”
    He let go and splayed his open palm on the covers, next to hers, a peace offering of sorts. “I’ve got nowhere I need to be until training starts in July. I can help from behind the scenes. What do you say?”
    She began to trace the lines on his palm. “You’ll leave the guy alone?”
    No . “Sure, sweetheart.” A guy she’d known from college. Possibly the