Free Coming Apart at the Seams by Jenna Sutton Page A

she just had to have. She quickly completed her purchase and walked outside with ten minutes to spare.
    She looked around the grounds, enjoying the view. Located at the tip of the Columbia Point Peninsula, the museum overlooked the entrance to Boston Harbor and the islands to the east of Dorchester Bay. Pine trees, shrubs, and wild roses dotted the land around it.
    Teagan spotted Nick about fifty yards away, sitting on a bench. His blond hair glinted in the sunlight, beckoning her toward him. When she sat down next to him, he shot her a surprised glance.
    â€œIt didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for,” she said, placing her purse on the ground between their feet.
    He nodded as a strong breeze blew a strand of his hair into her face. Waving it away, she tucked it behind his ear.
    â€œAre you going to cut your hair anytime soon? It’s almost as long as mine.”
    She was exaggerating, but she’d never seen it so long. It was thick and shiny, and she knew women who paid thousands of dollars a year to reproduce the shade he came by naturally.
    He nodded. “Before I leave.”
    â€œIs this some kind of silly superstition?” she asked, cocking her head.
    He laughed softly. “Silly? No.”
    â€œSo you let your hair grow out during the off-season, and then cut it right before training camp?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œDo you cut it throughout the season?”
    He nodded.
    â€œHow long have you had this
tradition
?”
    He smiled at her word choice. “Since my first season in Denver.”
    â€œAre you nervous about playing with a new team?”
    Turning his head, he met her eyes. Something flicked in their depths before he looked away.
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œWhat’s making you the most nervous?”
    He rolled his shoulders, and she waited patiently for him to answer her question. When he didn’t, she nudged his shoulder with hers.
    â€œTell me.”
    â€œNew teammates, new plays, new coaches.”
    â€œI’d be petrified.”
    He jerked his head toward her, a look of astonishment on his face. She didn’t know why he was so surprised, though.
    â€œChange is hard for everyone,” she pointed out. “I definitely don’t handle it well. I had a really hard time adjusting to Boston. Being so far away from home really sucked. And I don’t know what I was thinking, getting an MBA and a law degree at the same time. If not for Bebe, I probably would have flunked out.”
    â€œNo,” he said doubtfully.
    â€œYes,” she countered. “Undergrad was way too easy, and I wasn’t prepared for Harvard. The pressure. The expectations.” She pushed a loose strand of hair from her face. “The Colonials wanted you because they need a star wide receiver to get to the Super Bowl, right?”
    He nodded. “They’ve been losers in the playoffs.”
    â€œAre you worried about not being able to perform?”
    His lips quirked, drawing her attention to his mouth. After a moment, he let loose with a deep chuckle.
    â€œNo,” he answered with a smirk.
    When she realized her question had an obvious sexualovertone, although unintentional, she blushed, and his chuckles turned into full-fledged laughter. Obviously, he enjoyed her embarrassment.
    She leaned over and punched him in the upper arm. “Nick Priest, I am trying to have a serious conversation with you!”
    He caught her hand with his, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to his side. They sat there silently for several minutes with her hand nestled in his and his arm curved around her.
    Teagan fought the urge to lean her head against his chest. She was very much afraid the crush she’d managed to avoid as a teenager had caught up with her. That knowledge compelled her to release his hand and shake off his arm.
    She leaned down to grab her purse and heard a muffled noise from Nick’s vicinity. Glancing