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Smitty dropped onto the bench beside Ryan. “Nice game. You were on fire tonight.”
“Thanks, the arm felt good.” It was a bit sore now but nothing some ice wouldn’t take care of. He rolled his right shoulder. Okay, maybe a little ibuprofen as well. That’s what he got for trying to show off with his fastball. But damn, that thing had been lit.
“What are you doing now? You want to get a beer or something?” Smitty asked.
“Sorry, man, can’t. My parents are in town, so we’re doing a family dinner.” Ryan grabbed the handle of his bag and stood up. “Next time.”
Gonzo and Pete walked up with their bags slung over their shoulders. “You ready?” Pete asked.
“Big day, introducing Peyton to the parents. I didn’t know you two were there,” Gonzo said.
“Guess I forgot to mention it the last time you were braiding my hair.” Ryan rolled his eyes. “Jesus, you guys are like teenage girls.”
“Now you know how I feel.” Pete laughed.
“I don’t just want to hear the good stuff, I like to hear the bad too,” Gonzo said. “Reminds me why I don’t have a relationship.” He nudged Ryan. “We can chat tomorrow when you’re regretting your decision to do family dinner.”
“You’re an idiot.” Ryan laughed before turning to Pete. “Alright. You ready to be grilled about when you’re going to make an honest woman out of my sister?”
“Nope, because your mom will be too busy fawning all over her star son to even worry about what I’m doing.”
“Fuck off,” Ryan muttered. Unfortunately, he wasn’t wrong. His mom could be a little over the top when it came to bragging about him. God, what was he thinking inviting Peyton over after a game? It was one thing to invite her over, but a whole other thing to have her around his parents after a game.
Pete nudged him with his shoulder. “It’ll be fine, man. I can dive under the bus if I need to. Just give me a sign.”
Ryan laughed. “Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.”
Rounding the corner, he scanned the crowd that filled the hallway. He spotted his dad’s head above the crowd and nodded to Pete. People patted him on the back and called out congratulations to him as he passed. When he caught sight of Peyton leaning against the wall, he pulled up short. It was like his feet weren’t able to move. Shit. He really hadn’t been prepared for how it would feel seeing her standing there with his parents waiting for him after the game. It had been one thing seeing her up in the stands, but this, having her here with his family…
Pete clapped him on the back. “Well, enough said,” Pete muttered.
“What?” he asked, turning to his friend.
“That kind of answered any remaining question I had about how you feel about Peyton.”
Ryan rubbed his hand roughly across his face. “Yeah.”
“Ryan,” his mom called as she pushed toward him, bumping other people out of her way in her haste to grab him.
A smile split across his face. His mom loved all this stuff. “Hey.” He wrapped her up in a warm hug.
His mom squeezed him tightly, then pulled back and patted his cheek affectionately. “You were amazing, sweetheart.”
“Thanks.” He glanced up and his dad smiled and clapped him on the back.
“Nice game, son. You too, Pete.” His dad reached out and shook Pete’s hand.
“Thanks,” Pete replied. “Excuse me.” Pete pushed past Ryan’s parents and wrapped Kendall up in a hug and kiss that had his sister sagging against his best friend. A blushing Kendall peeked over Pete’s shoulder, then dipped her head back against Pete’s chest.
Ryan bit back a laugh at the look his mom was shooting his sister. Debbie Graves was not a fan of PDA. Especially when it involved her daughter.
Making eye contact with Peyton, his chest tightened as a wave of something he couldn’t quite explain raced through him. He reached out his hand and her fingers closed around his and the feeling intensified. He pulled her toward him, cupped the back of her head with his hand, and pressed a kiss against her lips. Damn, this woman affected him.
“Nice game.” She smiled up at him, her blue eyes twinkled mischievously. “You looked hot.”
Momentarily forgetting where he was, he stepped closer to Peyton and tightened his grip in her hair. “Yeah?”
“Ryan,” his mother’s stern voice behind him broke through his haze and dumped a bucket of ice water on him. He shuddered. What guy could feel anything but a little creeped out about lusting after a woman with his mom right there?
