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"You're my bro," Hawk said. "I want you to be happy. And Grace is Bec's friend. I'll never hear the end of it if you don't at least clear the air."
"Uh ha, you're worried about yourself here. Good to know." I smiled to let him know I was joking. I wasn't that easily offended. Besides, I got it. Women were stubborn when it came to certain things. Bec would never forget if I broke Grace's heart. Grace would never forgive Hawk if he broke Bec's. Between the two of them, Hawk and I might be better off leaving the state and never looking back.
Not that the big, bad Bam Clinton was scared of women, no way.
"You must have missed the bit where I said I want you to be happy," Hawk said.
"You don't think I'm happy playin' the field?" I asked.
Hawk rubbed the side of his nose. "I've seen you with her. You don't get that silly grin around anyone else. Or anything else, except for pizza."
"It is pizza," I said.
Hawk chuckled. "Yeah, it is. Look, at the end of the day, you've gotta do what you've gotta do, but being honest with Bec was the best thing I ever did. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Grace could tell me to fuck off," I said.
"Which would be better than not knowing, right?"
"I don't know," I said slowly. "Not knowing isn't so bad. Owww."
Hawk punched me on the arm.
I rubbed my hand over it. "What was that for?"
"Because you're only hurting yourself in the long run," Hawk said.
"And you're hurting me in the short run," I said. "Since when did you become Auntie Hawk, the love guru?"
Hawk chuckled. "Since always. I just didn't take my own advice. Until I did. Turns out, I'm wise."
"Wiseass or wisecrack?" I teased. "Maybe a little bit of both. Wise asscrack."
Hawk laughed. "Better a wise asscrack than a dumbass."
"Is that what you think I'm being?" I asked.
Hawk stood. "Only you can answer that question, young grasshopper. My wisdom has its limits."
"Figures," I said. "I guess you can't tell me if we'll make the Down Under Bowl?"
"We can only hope," Hawk said. "We can only hope."
CHAPTER 22
GRACE
I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. The kids wouldn't care that the jumper was a perfect fit, or that my hair and makeup was on point.
I cared.
A small part of me was almost-but-not-quite convinced that Bam cared too.
If he didn't… Who knows, I could meet a hot doctor or nurse here.
I stepped out of the bathroom and almost ran into someone who was carrying a big armful of balloons in the direction of the kid's ward.
"Oops, sorry." I took a step back.
