The woman was closer now. She was pulling her heels out of the ground like she was doing leg-lifts, and while she was looking down, her head tilted away from him, he couldn’t help noticing that her legs were sexy as hell. Focus.
“Toby,” she said, “I told you to wait. We don’t know if it’s your team or not.”
Her voice sounded familiar too. That stirring feeling inside him turned a bit uneasy. Surely he was just hearing things…
“Mum,” Toby groaned, “Ethan’s on my team! I had to hurry or I was going to miss practice.” His worried gaze met Matt’s. “I don’t know how to play.”
“Don’t worry.” Matt patted Toby’s shoulder as he tried to get a good look at the woman’s face. He smiled at the boy. “We’re all learning the basics right now. Ethan, get Toby a ball and we’ll get star—”
A ball walloped Matt on the back of his head with enough force to make him lose his balance. Before he could right himself, he fell forward. Ethan and Toby backed out of his way as he landed in the damp grass, his hands breaking his fall.
“Coach Matt!” the kids shouted.
“You killed him!” one of the girls cried out.
Another girl screamed.
Matt tried to sit up, but another ball hit the back of his head with enough force to make his teeth rattle.
“Remy! Stop that!” one of the mothers shouted. “Quit kicking balls at your coach!”
“It’s just like Angry Birds!” the boy said as another ball sailed over Matt’s head.
“If you don’t stop,” Becca snarled, “I’m gonna kick your balls.”
Remy screamed.
Matt rolled onto his back, wondering how practice had gotten so out of control. Maybe he should just call it and start again on Thursday night.
The kids huddled around him, looking down with curious glances.
“Uncle Matt?” Ethan asked, sounding worried. “Are you still gonna teach Toby how to play soccer?”
Matt closed his eyes and groaned, and when he opened them, Toby’s mother was leaning over him. Her hair had fallen into her face again, but she tucked it behind her ear. While it promptly fell back, he had seen her uncovered face for a few brief seconds. Sucking in a breath, he told himself again that he was imagining things. But he knew better. He’d been wrong to think these kids didn’t have enough force to do serious damage.
He must have a traumatic head injury that included hallucinations, because he was staring up into the face of the woman who had broken his heart so many years ago.
About the Author
Denise Grover Swank is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four states, and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and a smattering of Spanish and Chinese, which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty (in her own mind) Facebook comments and dancing in her kitchen with her children (quite badly, if you believe her offspring). Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.
You can learn more at:
DeniseGroverSwank.com
Twitter @DeniseMSwank
Facebook.com/DeniseGroverSwank
Sign up for Denise’s newsletter to get information on new releases and free reads!
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Also by Denise Grover Swank
The Bachelor Brotherhood Series
Only You
The Wedding Pact Series
The Substitute
The Player
The Gambler
Acclaim for
Denise Grover Swank
Only You
“Swank’s storytelling proclaims the primacy of love as a force to which everyone should surrender.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Warm and funny, the first book in the Bachelor Brotherhood series reads like a great Hollywood rom-com.”
—iBooks Best Books of June
“Four stars! Right from the beginning, readers will be cheering for this couple to find their happily-ever-after.…The story is well written and paced in a way that readers will have a hard time putting it down.”
—RT Book Reviews
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Until You Page 28