I whirled around, having forgotten he and Naomi stood nearby.
“You shouldn’t have—”
“Or we could stay,” Lachlan suggested.
I turned toward him, eyes wide. “We could?” I questioned. “As in you and me attend a high school football game?”
“A distraction might be good for us.” He gave me a knowing look.
It was Friday. The night Agent Curran planned to stage Christine Griffin’s memorial in the hopes of catching Nick.
“Please, Mama.” Imogene clasped her hands in front of her, expression imploring. “It’s the Homecoming game.”
“Are you sure about this?” I asked Lachlan. “You have a big game tomorrow.”
“I’m not pitching until Tuesday. It’ll be fun. I haven’t been to a high school football game since, well…high school.” He chuckled. “I think we all deserve a normal Friday night.”
I looked into his eyes, unable to believe the brooding man who barely uttered two words to me after I was stung by that jellyfish all those months ago was the same man suggesting we attend a high school football game so my teenage daughter could hang out with her boyfriend.
Sighing, I returned my gaze to Imogene’s dark eyes. “Fine. You can stay.”
Unable to contain her excitement, she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly, not caring who saw. Then again, what could her friends possibly say, considering her close connection to the one and only Lachlan Hale?
I pulled her toward me, savoring in my little girl’s embrace. With everything going on, her hugs were even more meaningful.
Even more necessary.
As I breathed her in, I scrunched up my nose. “But you definitely need a shower.”
Imogene laughed, pulling away. “Going now.” She glanced at Roman. “I’ll be out in twenty minutes.”
“I’ll save you a seat.”
She smiled, then turned, her ponytail bouncing as she jogged off the field and toward the athletic building.
“Straight to the locker room,” I called after her, my anxiety waning slightly when her assigned escort followed close behind. “And straight back. No detours.”
Glancing my way, she saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”