Page 71 of Out of Bounds

“You loved your father,” he told her, placing his hand on her bicep. Her skin was warm and soft underneath his touch, as if her body were calling to him. “Just because you had a tense relationship doesn’t change that.”

“I guess. I just keep thinking about all the things I’ve done, and everything I had planned, trying to earn his approval. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, and I have no plans on giving any of that up. I just wish he’d been proud of me too.”

“He might not have ever told you, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t proud of you in his own way,” he told her, saying a little prayer that he was right. “And, Effie, if he wasn’t, then he was an arsehole.”

Felicity let out a laugh at his statement, and his heart squeezed at the sound. If he accomplished nothing else today, at least maybe he’d cheered her up slightly in the moment. Looking up, he saw Cullen Cruz approaching them, giving him a look to ask if he was okay.

“Speaking of arseholes,” Gunnar joked, nodding at Cullen.

“Talking about yourself again?” Cullen responded. “Felicity, I’m sorry for your loss. Your father was a hell of a guy.”

“You’re close enough with my brother that I know you know the truth. But thank you anyway,” she said, her normal snark shining through a bit.

“Touché. Anyway, I came to see if I could steal Gunnar. I’d like to introduce you to Kyle and Drea since everyone is here,” Cullen said, pointing over to a tall dark-haired guy and a shorter brunette with corkscrew curls that were talking to Leona and Zara. “Unless you’re the buffer.”

“The buffer?” Felicity asked.

“It’s what he and Cowboy called themselves at Anya’s funeral. They acted as a buffer so that I wasn’t overwhelmed with people, or so that there was a third person there if conversation got awkward.”

“Oh,” she replied, swallowing hard. Gunnar could see a flash of panic in her eyes, and he knew that she thought that he must have told Cullen about them. He searched his mind for a discreet way to correct her, but she continued faster than he could think. “It’s fine. I’ve got to run to the ladies’ room anyway. If you’ll excuse me.”

She stepped around him and Cullen quickly, dashing off toward the restrooms. Gunnar let out a breath, wanting to smack his buddy, but knew that would only cause more of a scene. Instead, he let him lead the way over to the group of friends he’d made since retiring. He kept one eye on the door, waiting for her return, and after a couple of moments when he still hadn’t seen her, he pulled his phone out and shot off another text.

And this time it wasn’t just a sweet nothing.

* * *

“You look like you’re running away,” Talia said, catching Felicity off guard as she turned the corner out of the ballroom.

“Don’t tell anyone, but I kinda am,” Felicity said, pausing to take a breath. She’d spent the majority of the day worrying about just putting one foot in front of the other, and she hadn’t really taken a moment to let it all hit her. This was it. Big D was gone, and this was the final farewell to him. “The whole thing is a bit overwhelming.”

“No kidding. You guys apparently know some really famous people. Did you know Cullen Cruz was here?”

“You know who Cullen Cruz is?” Felicity asked. She knew Cruz was a big deal, but did people who didn’t follow the sport really know him?

“Umm, not really. But Link and Devlin acted like Leonardo DiCaprio walked through the door when they saw him. Apparently, he and Rodondo are, like, the two most famous soccer players ever? Or something?”

“Ronaldo is the name you’re looking for there. And yes, Cruz is a megastar in that world. He and my brother are buddies from when Tripp worked at the Indigo Royal Resort in St. Thomas. He’s also really good friends with your dad, actually.”

“Seriously? Oh God, don’t tell the boys.”

“I won’t,” Felicity laughed, enjoying the feel of it. She pointed toward the spiral staircase that led down to the bathrooms, indicating that’s where she was headed, extending the silent invite to join that only another woman would understand. Talia nodded and the two fell in step as they turned into the steps.

“Thank you for coming,” Felicity said as the door swung shut behind them. “It means a lot that y’all are here.”

“Of course! You’re the reason I’m not living out of some skeezy motel and still trying to find a job,” Talia told her. “The least I could do is come and support you through this.”

“You would have found a job on your own just fine. But I was more than happy to speed up the process,” she commented. It was the truth too. Talia was smart and outgoing. She would have had no problem finding a job anywhere in town. But Felicity had also been more than happy to help her out, not to mention ease the worry she knew Gunnar had felt about his newly discovered child. Holding out her phone, she asked, “Mind holding this while I pee?”

Talia grabbed her phone, leaning against the sinks as Felicity popped into one of the open stalls. Her legs ached slightly as she sat down, realizing that it had been hours since she’d done so. Her feet were used to spending all day in heels, but usually by this point in the day she’d had some kind of a break. A glance at her watch told her that she only had another couple of hours of all this and then she could head home and crash. The idea of a bubble bath sounded so good she could cry. Or better yet, her building had an indoor hot tub as part of the gym facilities. She and Gunnar could climb in there together.

Her mind wandered to thoughts of his hard body pressed against hers as the hot water swarmed around them. The comfort of his arms had been a saving grace these last few nights, and she was starting to wonder if she’d ever be able to sleep again without the feel of them holding her. She quickly snapped herself back into reality, not wanting Talia to wonder what was taking her so long in here. Finishing up, she flushed the toilet and opened the stall door to find Talia staring at her phone.

No, she corrected herself. That’s my phone she’s staring at…

Talia looked up at her, a confused and almost angry expression on her face. Felicity’s heart sank, wondering what on earth could have changed in the few moments that she was in the stall.

“Cullen doesn’t know anything about what?” Talia asked, her voice accusatory.