Chapter 7

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The moment my fingers leave the tiny holes of the bowling ball, I know I have him beat

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The moment my fingers leave the tiny holes of the bowling ball, I know I have him beat.

Noah Buckman may be a Baseball superstar, but it is clear who is a better bowler. The ball slides along the slippery, oiled lane and makes its way towards the pins. It makes contact with a clash, and I watch as all ten pins go down.

I begin to jump up and down and throw my fists in the air. "Yes!"

When I'm done with my celebratory dance, I notice Noah sitting down rubbing his temples. I plop down next to him and nudge him with my shoulder. "Don't be mad."

"I knew I was going to lose, just not this bad."

I release a light chuckle before leaning in and placing a kiss on his stubbled cheek. "Yeah, I thought with you being in the major leagues, your throwing arm would have gotten stronger. You should definitely work on that before the season starts."

Noah playfully pinches my side, and I jump up with a shriek. He points his finger in my direction and says, "You're lucky you're cute."

I look down at my black legging-clad legs and the baggy white shirt covering my bloat. "What can I say? I know how to dress up."

"You look beautiful." I'm surprised when Noah stands up and walks over in my direction. He wraps me up in a hug and kisses my forehead.

When his lips make contact with my skin, I almost forget where in public. It amazes me how his simple touches set my skin on fire.

Who knows how long the two of us stare into each other's eyes. Our lovesick spell is only broken when someone clears their throat. "Excuse me, are you Noah Buckman?"

A group of teenage boys stand before us, and Noah nods his head. "I sure am."

One dark-haired boy steps forward and begins to rock back and forth on his heels. "We were wondering if we could get a picture with you?"

"Annie, would that be okay?" Noah asks.

After his first autograph session of the night, he felt horrible. Even though I often forget how famous he is, I assured him over and over that it was okay. My heart broke when he opened up and admitted that he thought his fame would be a dealbreaker for me.

"Of course." I can't help but grin when I watch each of the kid's faces light up.

The large crew of boys rush over to surround Noah, nearly knocking me off my feet. I'm caught off guard when one of the boys wraps his arm around me to steady my falling body.

My eyes pop wide, and my shoulders stiffen at the sudden contact. When I look over to Noah, he flashes me a wink. I swear my body turns to jello, and I am using this teenager for support.

A middle-aged woman steps forward with her phone out. "I'm sure you made Austin's birthday." Her emerald eyes sparkle as she looks over at the young man to Noah's left.

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