“Especially me.” She shook her head. Jace had shared a little about what happened with Damien. He had been in rough shape after his injury, but the psychological damage was almost worse than the physical. “Jace pulled him out of that darkness.” Brianna toyed with her fingers, stealing a glance at her boyfriend across the room. A warmth spread across her features, the look so full of love, it made my heart warm. “I’ll never be able to pay him back for that.”
“He’s different,” Hadley added. “With Anna, but with you too. He keeps looking over here, checking in to make sure you’re okay. He even texted all the guys to make sure they’re on their best behavior so they don’t scare you away.”
“Why?” I asked.
Brianna shrugged. “You’re going to have to ask him.”
TWENTY-SIX
“Got some news from the team doc,” Damien said as we walked to the door. Everyone else had moved to their cars, but he hung back, nodding for Brianna to go on without him.
Damien’s jaw clenched, looking far more nervous than he had in the past. My jaw tightened, unsure if this was good or bad news. Had they benched him for good? While it had always been a possibility, that would be hell for my friend.
When Damien first got injured, he’d become a ghost of himself. For over a decade, he’d been a powerhouse on the field, demanding respect from both his teammates and the fans. There was no doubt that, one day, we’d all be attending his induction in the Hall of Fame. But a nasty fall right before the playoffs stripped that away, leaving him to deal with an uncertain future and dying dreams.
“I’m good to play,” he said, chortling before wiping his hand over his face. “Fu—hell, man, never thought I’d say that again.”
I pulled Damien into a hug, clapping him on the back. He’d waited so long for this—suffered through grueling PT and sat on the sidelines for every game. We needed him back on the field. While a lot of teams didn’t bother with captains, Damien was our leader, the guy you could always count on to get your head right.While we’d done okay in our last few series, the team wouldn’t feel complete without him.
When we broke apart, he ran over his face to hide the sheen in his eyes. “Wanted you to be the first to know—after everything.” I nodded, unable to articulate what that meant to me. “Also, Bri agreed to marry me.”
“No shit,” I barked, clapping him on the shoulder. “About damn time, old man.”
“Tell me about it,” he grumbled, but his tone only held warmth. No matter what Damien said, he would have waited forever to hear yes, as long as he got to spend it at Brianna’s side. “We’re going to elope—keep it small. Only us. But we might have a ceremony and reception when we get back for friends and family, and if we do, I’d like it if you stood with me as my best man.”
Now, it was my turn to duck my head. “You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m fucking sure.” He motioned behind me. “I’ll fill you in on everything later. Right now, get back to your girls.”
With one last goodbye, he joined Brianna in his car, darting off down the block. When the taillights faded into the distance, I headed inside, shutting the door behind me. I should’ve headed home myself. We had back-to-back games this week, and my body was already feeling the effects of the season. I’d splurged on a high-end mattress when I first got signed, needing it to work out all the kinks after long days on the field. But lately, I’d barely slept in it, not wanting to leave Kinsley’s place until the last possible moment.
Moving over to the couch, Anna lay on the cushions, her chubby cheeks smashed against it. I took a seat next to her and pulled her into my arms. Today had been a lot for her—in the best way. No surprise, my girl loved the attention, just like her dad. She’d gone to every single person, pulling them into gamesand demanding their participation. By the end of the afternoon, she’d stolen all their hearts, just as she had mine.
In the past, that would have been enough to scare me off. I’d never liked being bound to someone, never liked the idea of belonging to anyone but myself. I’d spent enough of my life under my father’s legacy, seeing how he used his family as pawns to protect his image. I’d never wanted anyone else to have that kind of control over me.
Until my daughter entered my life.
Anna’s fist rubbed at her eyes, and then they blinked open. She squinted at my face and broke out into a wide smile, her fingers holding onto the edge of my shirt. “Duh, duh, duh, duh.” Her soft voice babbled random sounds, but my heart skipped a beat.
“Daddy,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her soft curls. “I’m your daddy, little one.”
She sighed as her eyes fluttered closed, but her fist remained wrapped around my shirt. Fine by me. Nothing could get me to leave this spot right now.
Kinsley rounded the corner, and her feet suddenly stopped as she spotted us on the couch together. “Do you want me to take her?”
“No.” Not even a little. Having my daughter resting on my chest was the perfect end to an already very good day. With my free hand, I patted the spot next to us. Kinsley sank down at our side, leaning back on the couch with a long sigh. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I just forgot what that was like.”
“What?”
She turned, her dark eyes sparkling as she stared at me. “Having people around. When you first said they were coming over, you called them your family. And I didn’t get it—not at first. And now…you’re more than a team, Jace. I haven’t had that, well, ever. Even growing up, it was always just me and mymom.” She ran a hand over Anna’s back. “She’s going to have so many more people watching over her.”
“Just wait.” I grinned over at her. “When she tries to date, she’s going to have an entire team of over-protective uncles watching her back.”
Kinsley laughed, the sound so light and free, it stole the breath from my lungs. All afternoon, she pulled my attention, making sure my friends took care of her. Not that I should have doubted them. They folded her into the group without a word. Hell, Hadley and Brianna might like her more than me. Not that I could blame them—there was something about Kinsley. Despite her walls, she pulled people close, even without meaning to.
“I can put her in the crib if you need to get going.”
