Page 54 of Penalty Kick

“Mrs. Gracin.”

“I do like the sound of that,” Felicity cooed. “Dash, you don’t mind if I steal her for some pictures, do you?”

“Not at all.”

“Hi, sorry to interrupt,” a small blonde Talia didn’t recognize said. “You’re Dash Lazaro, right?”

“I am.”

Talia looked at the woman, confused, wondering where she came from. Petite and tan, she looked like she was fresh off the beach, with bright blue eyes that a man could drown in. A surge of defensiveness rose within Talia, pushing the butterflies that had just been there out of the way. Who was this woman and where had she come from? And just what did she want with Dash?

“Do you two know Leona?” Felicity asked. “She is Cullen’s fiancée. You probably didn’t get a chance to meet at the funeral.”

Cullen’s fiancée. Relief washed over Talia, thankful that she hadn’t actually said anything out loud. She really needed to figure out a way to stop that from being her reaction every time another woman approached him.

“Nice to meet you guys. Talia, I’d like to say I’ve heard a lot about you, but…men…” Leona said, gesturing toward Gunnar, Cullen, and Cowboy. “Dash, you on the other hand, my younger brother is a huge fan, and wouldn’t shut up about how I might meet you while I was here. So, could I steal you while they take pictures to video chat with him?”

“Sure.”

Dash nodded at Talia, giving her another wink, melting her insides all over again as he stepped to the side with Leona. Felicity looped her arms around Talia’s, leading her over to the archway she had just been under.

“Don’t think I didn’t see that flash of jealousy,” she teased, her voice low so only Talia could hear.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Talia lied, bursting into laughter when she looked at Felicity. Her new stepmother joined her, the two of them giggling like tweens who had just seen their first naked boy.

“What is so funny, you two?” Gunnar asked, walking over to join them.

“Just girl stuff,” Felicity said.

“You two and your secrets might be the death of me.” Gunnar shook his head, his smile betraying his words.

“You like it,” Talia quipped.

“I do,” he answered, placing a kiss on the top of her head. It was a weird gesture given their ages and having only known each other a short time, but it still made Talia feel loved. “Where’s Axel?”

Talia whipped around to look at her dad, confusion taking over. Axel? What kind of question was that? Looking around, she saw that guests were starting to trickle into the ballroom, finding their seats. So far, no one she recognized, other than “the family,” making her wonder what prompted such a question.

“At Bunz? Manning the bar.”

“Why didn’t you bring him?”

“Well, someone has to hold down the fort with Heather, Sax, and me here tonight. He’s a trained bartender so…I guess he drew the short straw?”

Really, where was he going with this?

“You could have invited him.”

“Why do you care where Axel is?” Felicity asked, taking the words right out of Talia’s mouth.

“I’m just saying, she could have invited him.”

“He’s working,” Talia repeated.

“I’m sure Heather would have given him the night off. She’d understand.”

Talia started to respond, but she stopped herself, letting the photographer cut in and give them instructions on how to stand. She had no idea why Gunnar cared so much about Axel—hell, she hadn’t realized he even knew who Axel was. But it wasn’t the first time she hadn’t followed his logic, and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last. At least Felicity seemed just as confused as she did.

A few moments later all she could see were bright spots thanks to the flash, as the photographer let them know they were done. Blinking hard, she looked past the camera, finding Dash standing there, that shit-eating grin on his face as he watched. She ached to feel his arms around her, wondering how long until she could make her escape from the family obligations.