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We turned around and saw a chocolate brown woman with her father’s wavy hair, which she wore naturally in a big puff. She had his hair and sparkly eyes, was a little taller than me, and had a figure I’m sure she displayed when she wasn’t around her father. She wore a flowing maxi dress, flat sparkly sandals with a Birkin bag on her arms, and Dolce and Gabbana Shades propped on her head.
Her face brightened when her father opened his arms. “Hey, Daddy.”
“Hey, Pumpkin.” He replied. When he pulled back, he smiled at me. “This is Spirit.”
She opened her arms. “My daddy taught me to give hugs to family.”
I hugged her tightly, already a kinship forming. “Your daddy brags about you all the time.”
“Really... because he can’t seem to stop talking about his childhood crush.”
A blushing Jace grabbed my hand. “Can we sit, please? People are staring at us.”
“That would be you, Daddy. No one cares about us, mere peons. Something I’m used to now.” We started walking toward the back of the restaurant to the private room he reserved for us. “People will walk up to him while he’s with me and not say anything to me. When I was a kid, they thought I was adorable. Now, I’m just the annoying grown daughter or his young plaything.”
“I’ve already encountered that. I prefer the background anyway.”
“Good, because his past women love the spotlight, including my mother.” She wrinkled her nose. “Speaking of one of them. One is headed this way. She’s such a Prima Donna Bitch.”
Jace barked, “Watch your mouth.”
She whined, “Daddy, your mouth is worse than mine.”
“I also have enough common sense not to do it around my parents.”
As we approached the private room, a shapely, bronze-skinned woman walked briskly in our direction. Jace’s hand tightened on mine. He nodded. “Alexis.”
She pulled her shades off. “Can I see you for a moment alone?”
“I’m with my family.” He lifted our clasped hands, and her breathing increased.
“I’ll make a scene.”
His daughter stepped forward, and Jace gently placed his hand on her waist, stopping her. He calmly said, “Give me a moment. I need to make sure my woman and daughter are good.”
Jace led us to a dining table, held the chair out for both of us and waited until we were seated. He bent to kiss me softly on the lips. “Hazard of dating me. I won’t ever do anything that’ll embarrass you or make you regret choosing me. I’ll be back. Order Mimosas for the table.”
I watched as he strode back out of the room, and the woman followed him outside the restaurant with watchful and gossiping eyes. I sighed. Although he didn’t have the type of fame we couldn’t go places freely, he was recognized enough to be stopped for selfies and autographs when we were out on a date or shopping for the restaurant.
“Does that happen a lot?” I asked.
“Not really. At least not as much as when I was younger. My parents argued a lot even after the divorce because of other women.” She looked at me. “I’m not quiet at all and speak my mind. You have to be a strong woman to be with my dad. He loves you and wants to be with you. But he’s afraid you’ll break his heart.”
“Why would I do that when I’ve loved him my whole life, and that won’t ever change.”
She shrugged. “Just telling you what I know.”
“He tells you everything?”
She arched a sculpted brow. “Almost everything. When he first retired, he struggled. I found him passed out in his place, and that scared me. I moved in with him and watched over him until he seemed to accept he was more than a football player. He finally listened and got some medical treatment for the severe pains in his legs and shoulders. We started sharing our lives as he healed and began to see me as an adult and not just his baby. I love my father. He hadn’t always done right by women, but he’s always done right by me, and I stand for him.”
“So, I shouldn’t be concerned with Alexis?”
She picked up one of the complimentary biscuits on the table. “Not at all. He’s only entertaining her because she would make a scene. He dated her a while back and never formally introduced us if that’s what you think.” She opened her biscuit with a knife to add butter. “You’re the first woman he’s intentionally made sure I met. I suggest you don’t question him about her, and you’ll be fine.”
I thought about what he said in Vegas when I asked him about meeting women at MJ’s Club and how he instantly became defensive. He’d been dealing with the opposite sex since we were children. A man with his looks and charm automatically attracted women, not to mention his athleticism. He was bound to be a chick magnet. In the world of mating, women instinctively want the man who can best provide and protect her. And with a name like Jace Legend, he was destined to be the center of attraction and attention. I would heed her advice and not ask him anything. I needed to show him that I trusted him.
The waiter had just brought a glass pitcher of mango mimosas when he returned to the table, taking off his shades, ready to apologize. I simply patted the chair next to me. “Come on, let’s enjoy.”
