Page 58 of Over Time Advantage

We’ve had the best month together. It’s already so comfortable and easy. We’re compatible in every single way imaginable. Where has this woman been my whole life?

“…lighten a man’s mustache,” I hear Beau say.

“Huh?” I ask. “What are you talking about?”

His head snaps toward me as if not realizing I was listening. “Oh…umm… I was saying that the chemistry of a woman’s…juices can lighten a man’s mustache.”

Daylen nods as he rubs his unruly blond facial hair. “Why do you think my hair is this color?”

I exhale a long breath in annoyance. Vance gives me a crooked smile as he pats my back. “It’s all talk with him.” He scrunches his face. “Actually, it’s not. Women flock to him. He’s so smooth.”

“And you?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I’m not really a sleep with random women kind of guy. It’s not my thing.”

I nod. “I need my daughter to meet a man like you.” Vance and Kennedy together would be a dream come true for me.

He chuckles. “No offense, Coach, but Kennedy isn’t ready to settle down with one guy.”

My face falls. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing.” He bites back a smile. “I heard about your…visit to Nastya. Is a lady the reason you’re looking especially groomed today?”

I shake my head. “I’m having dinner with Pierce.” I pull up an app on my phone that tracks his location and show it to Vance. “It looks like he’s pulling into the stadium lot now.”

Daylen appears out of nowhere and peeks over my shoulder. “Oh my god, you track your kid? He’s seventeen. Why?”

“When I was a kid, I’d be facedown drunk in a field when my parents thought I was staying at a friend’s house. That’s why I track my kid.”

He chuckles and asks, “Where are you going to dinner?”

When I tell him which fancy steakhouse, he lets out a whistle. “Wow. Expensive.”

I nod. “No shit. When I was seventeen, my dad still made me order chicken nuggets off the kids’ menu. Pierce orders oysters as an appetizer, then a ribeye steak for dinner, and a chocolate soufflé for dessert. And he’s been doing that since he was nine.”

Vance and Daylen smile in amusement as Pierce walks in. They all high-five him and mess his hair while busting his balls about being short. He takes it in stride, basking in their attention.

The guys on the team have always been kind to my son. I very much appreciate it.

Daylen nods at him. “Your dad tracks you. Stay out of trouble.”

Pierce rolls his eyes. “Dad, you’re so unc.”

I look at Vance in question, and he smirks. “It means you’re old. Like an uncle.”

“At what age do they start talking like human beings again? When do they grow up?”

Vance turns to Daylen. “D, how old are you?”

“Thirty-three.”

Vance looks at me and shrugs. “Maybe thirty-four will be his time. I think you’re in this for the long haul.”

Pierce is now digging into his steak as I look at him. “Buddy, it’s been a few years since your mom and I split. How would you feel about me starting to date?” I try to throw it out casually, to test the waters.

His knife and fork dramatically hit the plate. I can see his face turning red. “Dad, can’t you just wait a little longer? I’ll be in college later this year.” He tugs on his hair. “I just don’t want to see it. It makes me uncomfortable to think about you and Mom with other people.”

I can practically see his blood pressure rising. This is so unhealthy. He’s not a baby. We’ve been divorced for years. He should be able to handle this better.