“I’m serious when I say you’d better not let Miriam become a distraction.” He had his arms crossed and was frowning. “We did this show and dance last time you played for the Storm. I’m not about to watch you get distracted again.”
“Get distracted again?” Silas took a step toward Coach. “I never let Miriam keep me from doing my best out there. I always kept it professional.”
He pressed his lips together. “Just make sure you keep it that way.”
Silas nodded, but he wasn’t sure that he could follow through.
Keeping things professional and not letting Miriam distract him had been part of the problem when they’d dated two years ago. If Silas had spent a little more time getting distracted by a future with Miriam, instead of worrying about getting the most goals of the season, he might not have made the mistakes he had.
The dancers finished up and waved at the crowd. When they did, the coaches on both teams sent their players out on the field.
Finn jogged to the goalie box as Silas and four other guys found their spots. They’d no sooner got out when the referee blew his whistle, and the ball was in play once more. Coach kept Silas in for most of the third quarter, and somehow he only allowed his eyes to stray to Miriam when he made his first goal of the night about halfway through.
Like before, she smiled back at him, and the thought of thawing the cool exterior she’d had with him for the last couple of weeks warmed him all the way down to his bones. But once the celebrations were over, his focus went back to the game.
Fixing things with Miriam and his teammates was going to force him to find a balance. One that involved showing the guys on the Storm that he was committed to the sport and the team, while simultaneously showing Miriam that he was not the same guy who’d put soccer above relationships.
It’s not going to be easy, he thought, as he drove the ball upfield. He took a shot and made another goal. But he realized, as he looked back at Miriam who was smiling in his direction, it would be worth it.
Miriam
The only person who was able to show up to Silas’ grand idea of reading in schools was Silas—not that Miriam was completely broken up about it.
She’d heard through the grapevine—okay, through Finn—that Silas had been called out in the locker room for flirting with her. Allie had accused Miriam of the same thing. Being solo with Silas would give her an opportunity to clear the air with Silas without an audience.
Miriam would explain that she didn’t mean anything with her comment about the game. As a fan and employee of the Storm, she was allowed to be invested. How many times had she gushed about Finn blocking an onslaught of shots from another team? She cheered loudly with everyone else when Barros made that goal with a bicycle kick. It didn’t mean that she was secretly in love with either of those players.
Of course, she’d never dated any of the other players.
And none of them looked nearly as good making those plays as Silas.
Miriam shook her head. Nope, she was not going to think about the way Silas’ butt looked in his kits, and she wasn’t going to admit that she kept sneaking glances at him while he was sitting in the home bench area, wishing she could find an excuse to touch him again.
She wiped her hands on the front of her Storm-green dress as she waited in the school’s front office for Silas to arrive. He wasn’t technically late, but every minute spent waiting made Miriam more anxious about seeing him again. The more she tried to calm her heart, the more it wanted to burst from her chest.
The bell on the front door chimed, and Miriam turned to see Silas standing in front of her carrying a small stack of picture books. He smiled as his eyes traveled over her dress and back to her face. He took a step forward and leaned in so that his mouth was only inches from her ear. “You look gorgeous.”
Miriam ducked her head to hide her blush. Did he know the effect he still had on her?
“So do you,” she said quietly before they signed in with the administration.
And man, did he look good. Silas was wearing a Storm polo and a pair of khakis. His hair was wet and there wasn’t even a hint of a five o’clock shadow on his face. She forced her mind to ignore the fact that he’d just showered, and instead focused on the fact that he was taking this outreach event seriously by dressing up and bringing his own books.
The two got their passes to be on school grounds, and one of the secretaries walked them to a second grade classroom. Silas held the door open for the two women, and once he followed them into the hall, he took his place next to Miriam.
Walking next to him, she could smell his woodsy aftershave. The scent mixed with his strong form next to her, made the scene feel all too familiar. She had to ball her hands in fists beside her to keep them from reaching out to grab him.
One school trip to read to children didn’t undo the last two years. Silas had left her. He’d broken up with her at his first shot at playing for a winning team. And just because her body wanted to fall back into old routines, didn’t mean that she should.
The young woman led them through the halls, constantly looking back to make sure Miriam and Silas were still following. Eventually, she stopped and peered through the small window on the door. “This is Mrs. Johnson’s room. She’s expecting you, but it looks like she’s in the middle of a lesson.” She looked down at her watch. “I
