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“It’s up to Ace,” Chloe said as she smiled sweetly at him. “We can go in our own vehicle if you want to have brother bonding.”
Even if Ace had wanted that, he was on the spot with everyone in the room looking at him. It wasn’t a hard decision to make, though. He liked his brothers’ wives.
“I think the view will be a lot better if we go together,” Ace said. The women beamed at him, making him feel like he’d just won an Olympic medal.
“Ah, thanks, sweetie,” Chloe said, coming up to him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Ace didn’t know how to deal with all of this open affection. It wasn’t what he was used to, and it would take him a while before he got the hang of it. Cooper laughed, and Ace looked over at him. He was sure Coop knew just how uncomfortable he was.
“Since the ladies get to join you, I’m insisting on coming,” Sherman said as he stepped into the room. “And since I brought transportation, I don’t think you’ll say no.”
They all turned to see Sherman standing in the doorway wearing a jersey. It was odd to see him in something other than one of his sweaters. Each of them gazed at him in a bit of shock. He sent them a glare.
“I can join the crowd and wear a jersey for my favorite team,” he grumbled. But he plucked at the material as if it was foreign against his skin and he didn’t like it one little bit.
“It wouldn’t be the same without you, Uncle Sherman,” Nick said with a laugh. “And that means you get to join in on the pregaming,” he told Cooper, who immediately grabbed a beer.
“I’m in,” Coop said with a laugh.
Ace looked around at the rowdy group and wondered how he’d managed to survive for so long without them. For years, he’d been an outsider, peeking in the windows as the rest of his family had thrived and grown.
He still wasn’t sure he fit in with any of them. The urge to flee was so intense he felt like he should have his running shoes on standby. But he kept those thoughts to himself. He wasn’t yet sure how long he had until his next mission, and he was determined to enjoy his downtime while it lasted.
They soon piled into the limo, and laughter surrounded Ace like a protective shell as they made their way to CenturyLink Field, where the Seahawks were playing the Raiders. It would be a good game.
“I used to go to the games only to watch the cheerleaders,” Nick said with a grin as he punched Ace’s arm.
“You would, perv,” Ace replied.
“I bet that’s all you’ll be looking at tonight,” Cooper said with a knowing smirk.
Ace was confused as he gazed at the grinning faces looking at him. He had no idea what in the world they were talking about. But he didn’t trust the expressions on their faces, especially when the women laughed in a wicked way.
Not only was he nervous about being in such a large crowd with what he deemed insufficient security, but now there was something wicked going on with his family. This night didn’t seem like it was going to be a hell of a lot of fun anymore.
“I’m not some horndog, only interested in looking at women in short skirts,” Ace said with a scowl.
“I bet there’s one woman you’ll have eyes for . . . all . . . night . . . long,” Coop said, dragging out the words.
The group laughed, and Ace was even more confused. He sipped on his beer and scowled at them. Maybe he’d been gone long enough for his family to have gone nuts. That was very feasible. Besides, the thought of staring at any woman other than Dakota was downright unappealing. He was in more trouble than he was going to admit even to himself.
“Let him be surprised. It’s more fun that way,” Maverick said with an evil glint. Yep, his brother wanted payback.
“Surprised about what?” Ace asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing. We’re just having fun at your expense,” Nick told him.
Ace didn’t trust or believe any one of them. They were showing far too much delight on their faces. But it wouldn’t do him any good to try to extract from them whatever it was they were going on about, so he sat back and let out a relieved breath when they got to the crowded stadium. At least they’d somewhat taken his mind off the dangers of the crowded place.
They entered through a VIP entrance and then moved inside to special field seats. Though Ace hadn’t ever watched a game with this great of a view, he’d been lucky enough to grow up with money and had sat in many of the best seats in the house. But even he was awed by this new experience. Even if he felt too exposed.
“How did you manage this?” he asked as they sat in cushioned chairs while they watched the stands fill up and the teams come out to do warm-ups. Ace tuned into the conversation between his family members, but he also continuously scanned the arena.
“I have connections,” Sherman said with a grin.
Ace sat back and decided to enjoy the show as much as he was capable. A server came to them and presented fresh beers and snacks, and Ace tried to relax. If it weren’t for the stress of being in such a large crowd, he’d actually be enjoying all of this. It certainly was much more fun than sitting in his cramped living room.
The women jumped up when the cheerleaders came running out of the tunnels, shouting and getting the fans on their feet. Ace glanced at them before focusing again on the football players. He was determined to prove his family wrong and not watch the damn cheerleaders—not for a single minute.
