Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 152064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
I tug on my tie as Coach Forrest-Hammer adds her much more eloquent two cents about teamwork and cohesiveness.
We leave the locker room and head down the hall to where the girls are waiting. Tally is caught in the middle of the group, and my teammates are blocking my path to her. She looks gorgeous in a pair of jeans and a Terror hoodie. Her hair falls in loose waves over her shoulders, and I long to thread my fingers into those soft waves and kiss her pretty, vanilla-lip-balm-flavored lips.
Her ocean-blue eyes meet mine, wide with uncertainty and anticipation, as I nudge Tristan and Dallas out of the way.
Everything is about to change.
Except Vander Zee moves in before I reach her. “Hey, kiddo! I didn’t realize you were coming out tonight.” He pulls Tally in for an enthusiastic, slightly desperate hug.
She gives me an uneasy look over his shoulder while patting his back.
We should have talked through how this would go, instead of winging it. I don’t want to overwhelm her, but I want to make it clear that I’m in this.
Vander Zee steps back, and I respectfully make my move.
“Hey.” I run my fingers gently down her arm.
“Hi.” She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth.
I lace our fingers and the smile that lights up her face makes whatever shit kicking I’ll get from my teammates later worth it. “How was rehearsal?”
“Good.” Her eyes dart to her dad and back to me. “You were great out there tonight.”
“I had a reason to play well.” I wink and her smile widens.
Vander Zee’s eyes volley between us.
“Are you coming to the Watering Hole?” I rub my thumb across her knuckles, hoping the contact eases some of her nerves the way it does mine.
“I can drop Tally off,” Vander Zee jumps in before she can respond. He’s probably itching for time with her.
Silence has fallen around us, but I stay focused on Tally.
Her cheeks flush. “I won’t be far behind you.”
“Take your time.” I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles. “I won’t go anywhere without you.”
“You’ll make sure she gets home safely. In the same condition she went out in,” Vander Zee barks.
Someone coughs behind me.
I turn to Vander Zee. “Absolutely, sir.”
“Okay, cool. I’ll see you all soon.” Tally threads her arm through his. “Come on, Dad.” She leads him away.
“What in the actual fuck is going on?” Dallas looks at Hemi. “And why don’t you look shocked?”
“Because I’m not.” Hemi pats him on the chest. “And you shouldn’t be either.”
“Well now.” Quinn whistles low. “This explains New Year’s Eve.”
“I knew that vibe was vibing,” Rix says.
“You know you can’t fuck this up, right?” Kellan says.
“Like we will all fuck you up if you fuck it up,” Ashish, who is the most mild-mannered of all the guys, says.
“Hemi’s already threatened me with her brothers.”
“They’ll get the leftovers,” Quinn needles.
“I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t serious about her.” I glance around the group. “I know what’s at stake.”
“He does,” Connor steps in before anyone else takes a shot at me. “He’s been eating up my wife’s free time with his existential crisis.”
That breaks some of the tension and the girls laugh.
Quinn pats me on the shoulder. “Worst case, you get traded and spend the final years of your career freezing your ass off and never making the playoffs again.”
CHAPTER 21
TALLY
“How long has this been going on?” Dad asks as he collects his things from his office.
“We haven’t even gone on an official date yet,” I reply.
“He took you out for dinner the other night, though.” He steps into the hall, pulling his office door closed behind him.
“That wasn’t a date. That was my friend stepping up for me when you prioritized work over me.”
“I’m sorry. That meeting was unexpected.”
“Surprise meetings usually are.” I punch the down button on the elevator, frustrated all over again. Flip keeps showing up for me and my dad keeps letting me down.
He circles back to the date. “Has he asked you out?”
“Yes.”
“When did he do that?” he presses.
I side-eye him. “After he talked to you.”
“So this has been building for a while.”
I sigh. “I’ve been friends with Flip for a long time, Dad. I hang out with the Terror regularly, and he’s been part of that friend group. Over the past year, we’ve grown a lot closer. He’s considerate, thoughtful, ambitious and dedicated. I like him and he likes me. I think it says a lot about him as a person that he came to you first, before he asked me out, don’t you?”
“It definitely won him some brownie points,” he agrees, albeit reluctantly. “Dating a player won’t be easy, honey.” The elevator doors slide open, and my dad holds his hand in front of the sensor, waiting for me to exit first.
“Dating anyone as the Terror coach’s daughter is never easy. At least we understand each other’s lives.”