Raoul laughed, which was good. Things had been a little strained between them for the past couple of days. Ever since she’d found out that Brittany was pregnant. As she hadn’t heard a giant primal scream coming from the west, she assumed Hawk didn’t know yet. She wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.

BUCHANAN’S was an elegant steak house near the downtown shopping district. The food was excellent, the portions generous and they were practically revered for their wine list. Not that Nicole was going to get much wine that night. Not only did she have to worry about driving home, but the whole point was to pay attention so Raoul found out as much as possible so he could make a smart decision when it came to his college selection.

She used the valet to park her car, then walked into the restaurant with Raoul. Hawk was already by the reception desk, talking to a middle-aged man in a great suit.

Nicole hadn’t expected to feel anything but the normal tingles when she saw him, so she was left practically gasping when a wave of emotion swept through her. This wasn’t about sex, although she wouldn’t say no to that, but the feelings were so much bigger.

What was wrong with her? Did she have a fever? Had she eaten one too many cupcakes at work? Did she need to start exercising? Well, maybe not that. But what?

Before she could decide, Hawk looked up and saw her. He smiled, a big, wide smile that made her thighs start to tremble.

“Here they are. Walt, this is the star player I was telling you about.”

Hawk introduced everyone, using the title of “friend of the family” to describe her. They all shook hands and were quickly shown to a quiet booth on the side of the restaurant.

Walt launched into a speech about the college. “We take our football very seriously,” he said, smiling at Raoul. “You’re a talented quarterback and that’s the position we’re most focused on this year. Our college is in a small town where everyone supports our team. You won’t be able to walk around at the local Dairy Queen without someone wanting to tell you what a good job you’re doing. You ever lived in a small town, Raoul?”

“I’ve been in Seattle all my life.”

Walt leaned toward him. “There’s nothing like it. We all look out for each other. It’s like one big family. Personal relationships matter and you can’t get that in a big city. Let me tell you a little bit about our football program.”

By the time dinner was over, Nicole found herself wanting to move more than halfway across the country to live in the beautiful campus housing. Walt made it all sound perfect.

His presentation was impressive. In addition to the usual brochures, he had a mini movie he played on a DVD player. He bought everyone the most expensive steak on the menu, kept them laughing with funny jokes and charmed with just enough sincerity to keep Nicole from getting suspicious.

She tuned out the talk on team building. The number of backs or halfbacks or whatever-backs wasn’t her thing. What she did get was that this could be a very difficult decision.

When dinner was finished, Walt shook hands with them all and returned to the hotel. Hawk patted Raoul on the shoulder. “We’ll talk about this more tomorrow. Why don’t you wait in the restaurant so I can say good-night to my girl.”

Raoul smiled and stepped back inside.

“You two seemed to have made up,” Nicole said, figuring that was a safer topic than addressing the “my girl” part of the statement.

“We have an understanding,” Hawk told her, pulling her close to the building, then kissing her.

“Does this mean my curfew got extended?”

“Not exactly.”

That made her laugh. “He’s still willing to take you on, huh?”

“Let’s say I’m not pushing it. You’re right. He’s a good kid. I respect that.”

Nicole was suddenly fighting against a crushing tide of guilt. Brittany hadn’t told Hawk about the baby. When she did, it would change everything, especially Hawk’s relationship with his star player.

Should she tell him now? Give him some kind of warning? Was it her place? Her business?

She was torn. Not only had she promised Raoul and Brittany that she would keep the information quiet, Hawk had made it clear that he was the experienced parent while she was just a pretender. It had pissed her off at the time and it was kind of making her want to keep quiet now.

Was that bad? She was willing to accept immature, but bad was different.

Before she could decide, he said, “Thanks for coming tonight. Having a family member along keeps these things more low-key.”

“I’m not exactly a family member.”

“You’re the closest he has.”

Which was really sad. “I care about him. He has to make a tough decision. It’s going to change his life forever. Whatever he decides, he shouldn’t have to do it alone.”

Hawk tucked her hair behind her ears, then touched her cheek. “You’re amazing. You took him in, you’re looking out for him. How many people would do that?”

She felt embarrassed. “It’s not that big a deal. It just sort of happened.”

“To you. I meant what I said before.”

She had no idea what he was talking about. “When?”

“At your place. I’m done with the deal. I want us to date because we want to date. Not to prove anything. I want to be with you, Nicole.”

Her heart pounded so loudly, she wouldn’t have been able to hear him if he’d kept talking. Hope and need and happiness bubbled up inside of her.

“I’d like that, too,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as eager as she felt.

He smiled, then kissed her. “So we’re dating.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Exclusively.”

That made her laugh. “Yes, which means no dates for you with football moms.”

“Not a problem. You’re the one that I want.”

Magic words, she thought with a sigh. Amazing words.

He kissed her again, his mouth pressing against hers as he claimed her with his tongue. She yielded to him, wanting more, needing him as much as she needed to breathe. Then a car drove by and she was aware of where they were and how late it was.

She pulled back. “I need to get Raoul home.”

“Brittany’s waiting for me. But I’ll see you soon.”

It sounded a whole lot more like a statement than a question, which she liked.

He stuck his head in the restaurant and motioned for Raoul. Together they walked to the valet, who quickly collected their cars. Hawk held her door open.

“I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

“I’d like that.”

She drove home, doing her best not to spontaneously giggle with delight.

NICOLE DUMPED the spaghetti into the serving bowl and Raoul carried it over to the table.

“How many more recruiting dinners do you have lined up?” she asked as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out the salad.

“Three, including UCLA and Ohio.”

“Good schools. I don’t know how you’re going to decide.”

It was like teenage-boy heaven. All these colleges wanting to sign him. They had great organizations, offered an outstanding education and as many perks as the rules would allow. How was he supposed to figure out which one was the best?

“I’m making a chart,” Raoul told her as he poured himself a giant glass of milk. “Coach said that was a good place to start. Make a list of all the things that are important to me and rank the school that way. Like they do with cars in Car and Driver.”

“My favorite magazine,” she teased.

“I’ll show it to you.”

“Promises like that shouldn’t be made lightly.”

He grinned. “I want to be at a school where they’re going to play me. Time on the field is everything.”

Because it was hard to impress anyone from the bench. “Got that. But you also need a team with depth.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“I’ve been doing some reading,” she admitted. “I can see we’re going to be on this topic for a while, so I want to be informed.”

“Impressive.”

“I know.”

“Brittany’s making a chart, too. What she likes about the schools and doesn’t like.”

Nicole’s good mood popped like a punctured balloon. Brittany’s input shouldn’t matter, but there was no point in saying that. Raoul wouldn’t listen.

“When are you going to tell Hawk?” she asked. “He needs to know. I was okay keeping your secret before, but it’s starting to bother me.”

The need for him to know had gotten worse after he’d talked to her about dating for real. Now she felt as if she were keeping secrets from someone she was supposed to be loyal to.

“Soon.”

“According to Brittany, this is all total happiness, so why wait?”

Raoul looked at her. “I know you don’t agree with what we’re doing, but our minds are made up. Brittany and I are going to have a baby. That means we’ll be together.”

“I know. You keep telling me.”

“But you’re mad.”

“I’m not mad. I’m disappointed. Raoul, you’re both so young. I know it seems like everything is going to be fine, but what if it isn’t? You don’t have a backup plan.”

“I love her, Nicole. Love doesn’t come with backup plans or guarantees. You have to take it on faith. I want to be with her. I want to see her smile every day. I want to hear her voice and have her tell me what I’ve done to make her happy. I want to go to sleep, feeling her heart beating against mine. I want her to be the mother of my children. I want to experience everything in life, with her, because being with her is the best part of my day.”

It was an amazing speech, Nicole thought, stunned both by the words and the emotion behind them. At that moment Raoul wasn’t a teenager or some kid who needed a place to stay. He was a man in love with a woman.

“Okay,” she said quietly. “I get it. I’ll stop pushing.”

Probably because what he’d said had made her realize something about herself. She, too, was in love with someone amazing. A caring, sexy man who made her heart beat faster every time he was around. A smart, funny guy who made her want to believe in possibilities and hope and love. A man who might still be in love with his late wife, whose daughter was pregnant and from whom she’d been keeping a really big secret.