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Murphy
Two hours later, I’m leaning against a high-top table off to the side of the dance floor, watching Sabrina dance with her father on the ballroom floor. She glides along as if her feet aren’t touching the ground. Her emerald green gown is swooshing around her, and that smile I would protect with my life hasn’t left her face.
Damn.
She’s incredible.
She greeted everyone tonight by name, never missing a beat, always with a kind word or an interest in whatever was going on in their lives or campaigns. She knew something about everyone and enjoyed bringing me into her world, so I wasn’t just a stranger on the outside looking in.
The strategies I heard her discuss...the knowledge she possesses...Seeing her light up when her father used a few of her lines in his speech...It was really something to see.
Some people are born to play football. They’re born with a God-given talent, and I’ve seen that a few times in my life. Brady is one of those people. I know what that looks like.
This is what Sabrina was born to do. This is her football.
I understand why she gave up soccer when she came to college. It makes sense now. You can’t split yourself between two things and expect to be able to give everything to both. Bash has been trying, and I’ve watched it eat at him. This, right here, is what she was meant to do.
I’m not paying attention when I feel an arm link through mine. My mother’s perfume announces her before I see her. She leans her head on my shoulder. “She’s beautiful, Aiden.”
“She really is, Mom. She’s smart, too. She’s funny, and her heart is huge.”
“I don’t need you to list all the reasons you love her, Aiden. I just need you to be happy...and careful.” She lifts her head and fixes my bow tie.
Looking at my mother, something settles in my heart.
“I do love her. How could I not?” Not sure why I fought it for so long.
My mother takes my cheek in her palm. “Oh, my son. Tell her, not me. And no grandbabies. Not yet.”
I kiss my mom on the cheek and walk away. I need to get out of this crowd for a moment. I need to breathe. Shouldn’t I be upset at the idea of being in love? The thought of that would have had me freaking out a few months ago, but now, it puts me at ease.
Finding that person...
The one who gets you.
The one you want to be with.
Jerry Maguire might have been a tool, but he got one thing right. Finding that person who completes you is a powerful thing.
I make my way into what Sabrina told me earlier was the cigar lounge. This room is a smaller, more intimate room with leather armchairs and a velvet couch. The fireplace is lit, and a small bar is set up in the corner, serving absinthe. There are only a few older men in here smoking cigars. The heavy scent clinging to the air reminds me of my grandfather.
The floor-to-ceiling windows are covered by heavy golden drapes and a soft, white, sheer puffy-looking curtain thing. I’m sure Sabrina would know what it’s called. As I stare out at the city below, I wonder if this is what she wants with her life. Does she want to be part of a private club? Does she want to work in politics in DC or locally?
If I get drafted, would she be willing to go with me if her goal is DC? If she wants to be in DC and I get drafted somewhere else, could we make it work? Is it too soon to think like this? I don’t think it is. I think when you know, you just know, and now that I know, there’s no denying it. That girl is my future. I don’t know when it happened, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
I guess Jamie had it right. He’s gonna gloat about this for sure.
A million thoughts run through my head at once when I hear a throat clear.
Mrs. Cabot is standing next to me, having just placed a Manhattan and her purse on the high-top table to my right. The smile she has on her face is as fake now as it’s been all night. So different from her daughter’s. She makes my Spidey senses go on high alert.
Something about her doesn’t sit right with me. But she’s my girlfriend’s mother, so I’m determined to make her like me. Moms like me, and I’ve gotta believe I can charm her too.
For Sabrina’s sake, I’m determined to do this.
“Mr. Murphy, I am glad we finally have a few minutes to speak. Let us speak bluntly. I’m not sure why exactly you think you are good enough for my daughter, but I am here to put an end to that.”
And there go my plans for making her like me.
