Chapter 34 Asher Nash

What the Hell is Goat Yoga

The next twenty-four hours getting to our date are brutal.

Practice is intense, and after some locker room drama involving a very focused veteran player and a rookie who was mouthing off combined with one of our linebackers working his ass off to take me down during practice, I know I should spend the night resting and recuperating—at least, that’s what Coach Dixon told me to do during our heart-to-heart.

But I can’t because I have a plan. One that involves the daughter of the very man who told me that, and guilt racks me because of it.

I push that guilt away. I don’t have a choice, not when I’m addicted to her.

As much as I want to take her to a hotel somewhere and spend the night worshiping her body, I also want to take her on a real date. I think the last time I took a girl on what I’d consider an actual date , I was eighteen and showing up to her house with a wrist corsage before I took her to prom.

Is that right? It’s been ten years since I’ve taken a woman on a date?

I’ve been with plenty of women, some more than once or twice, but none that I felt like I needed to date . So what makes this one different?

I guess that’s the million-dollar question that I don’t have the answer to.

When the Lyft carrying her pulls into the parking lot of the grocery store I told her to meet me at, my chest thumps like it always does when I’m around her.

I’m listening to my playlist curated today of songs by all my favorite bands just to see what she says. It’s eclectic, but then, that’s usually a pretty good word to describe my tastes in most things in life.

The car drops her near the store’s entrance, and she glances around the parking lot before she spots my…wait for it… red Ford F-350 parked halfway down one of the rows. She walks toward me wearing a sexy as fuck sundress and a pair of Converse on her feet, a sweater draped over her forearm, and her purse slung across her body. She looks somehow cute and hot all at the same time, and my cock strains against my jeans as I watch her walk toward me.

Why are sundresses my kryptonite?

I’m not going to start this date with sex, but I can’t guarantee it won’t end that way.

She slips into the passenger seat of my truck, and I lean over the console, reach around the back of her neck, and pull her to me for a quick kiss. I lean my forehead to hers and take a deep breath, and for as much as the last twenty-four hours have felt chaotic, everything feels peaceful when she’s beside me.

I pull back and catch her eyes, and she looks as smitten as I feel. Her lips curl into a smile as she turns to look out the windshield as she buckles her seatbelt.

“What’s the plan?” she asks.

I shift the truck into drive. “You’ll see.”

We head out of the parking lot and toward the highway, and soon we’re cruising toward our destination. It’s about a forty-minute drive, and I figured it would be a good time to get to know a little more about each other.

“What’s life like in San Diego?” I ask.

She huffs out a small laugh. “It seems like everything’s in flux since my parents moved here, if I’m being honest. I live near the beach with one of my best friends, and I’ve never lived in a different town than my mom and dad.”

“Even in college?”

“Even in college,” she confirms.

“Do you miss having them close?” I ask.

“Yes and no. I like the freedom, but I miss weekly dinners on Tuesday nights, you know?”

“Yeah. My parents moved to Vegas just before they got divorced, and it was nice having them both around. Truth be told, I miss my mom.” I stare out the windshield as I say words I’ve never actually voiced out loud to another person.

“Where is she?”

“New York. She had this dream of owning a farm with goats on it, and my brothers and I helped make that dream come true. My dad tried to sell it, and I think that was the end of the road for my mom. It’s her pride and joy.”

“Not her four boys?” she teases.

“I guess we’re up there on the list somewhere—behind the goats, maybe.” I laugh when I say it with affection, but it feels similar to what a lot of adults are like when they become empty nesters. They get pets, and those pets become their pride and joy. My mom happens to own a bunch of them, and they’re her babies now that her human babies are all grown up.

“What does one do with a goat farm?” she asks.

“My mom does all sorts of stuff. Soaps, mostly, but also goat yoga.”

“What the hell is goat yoga?”

I glance over at her with a grin. “You really don’t know?”

She shakes her head.

“Well, I’m not spoiling any surprises, but I will definitely take you there someday.” The words slip out before I get the chance to think them through or stop them. I don’t know if we’re there yet. I clear my throat as I weakly amend that previous statement. “I’m sure we can figure out somewhere local we can go and still maintain privacy.”

She snags her bottom lip between her teeth, and she looks like she wants to say something. My chest tightens as nerves climb up my back.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, not bothering to keep the alarm out of my tone.

“I was going to wait until tomorrow to tell you this, but…” She pauses, and her eyes stay focused out the windshield. “Erin McMahon offered me a job planning next year’s Wild Aces ball, and I decided to take it.”

Those nerves climbing up my spine seem to explode through my whole body. “You’re taking a job with the Aces?”

She nods.

“So…you’re moving to Vegas?” I clarify. Why does the thought send me into a panic?

Oh…I can think of a reason or two. Building trust with my teammates. Being there for them even when I don’t have to be. Being a leader in the locker room. Staying true to my word with my coaches.

I’m supposed to be at home resting up ahead of practice tomorrow, and instead, I’m driving across town to take this woman on a date.

How much more will I do that when she lives here ?

“I am,” she says carefully. “Is, uh…is that okay?”

“Of course. It’s incredible news, Des.” I say the words, but the thought pulses a fear in me anyway. How will this change things between us?

“And I’ll be looking for a place because I don’t want to live with my parents—” She freezes for a beat. “Oh. Sorry. I mean, well, you know what I mean. So we won’t have to sneak around at hotels or find unlocked conference rooms or whatever.”

“Right,” I murmur, keeping my focus on the road. “That’s great.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, and she sounds nervous.

“Yes. Of course I’m sure. I can’t wait. And you won’t leave me at one in the morning to get back to your parents’ house. We can spend the entire night together.”

She nods, and an awkward silence falls over the car. I should be excited about this. I should be happy. And I am, but I’m also anxious about what this means and how we’re going to handle it all moving forward.

It’s good news. This is great news. I’m falling in love with this woman, and she just unlocked the way for us to find more time to be together.

So why the hell is it making me want to run?