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Jackie took Dylan’s hand—and then reached for Tiffany’s. The lump in Tiffany’s throat swelled, lodging itself so firmly she could barely breathe.
While Dylan retrieved the box of photos from upstairs, Tiffany and Jackie returned to the living room and sat side by side on the sofa.
“He called you ‘Summers,’” Jackie said. “Did you have that nickname when you met?”
“Oh gosh, no. I’ve always been Tiffany to everyone outside of my family. But Dylan has had nicknames for me since the first night we met.”
“He hasn’t called anyone that I know of a nickname since Lorelei passed away. It was their thing. He called her squirt and she called him Dilly.” She patted Tiffany’s hand with an approving smile. “I think my boy must be quite taken with you.”
Tiffany felt herself blushing, and as Dylan walked into the room, the truth came easily. “I think we’re both equally taken with each other.”
Jackie held her gaze for a long, meaningful moment.
“Did I interrupt?” Dylan asked.
“Oh no,” Jackie said, winking at Tiffany. She patted the coffee table. “Set it here, sweetie. It’s been a long time since we’ve gone through this box.”
Dylan set the box on the table and sat on Tiffany’s other side, looking a little uneasy.
“Are you okay?” she asked him quietly.
“Yeah. I’m okay.”
“This is a good thing you’re doing, sweetheart.” Jackie shifted her gaze to Tiffany. “I’ve waited so long for the other boys to realize Lorelei was still here with us. We all grieved in different ways, but my boys have never been able to let go of her, bless their hearts. For all these years, only Dylan understood that by talking about her, we keep her spirit alive. Micky carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, but Amanda has helped him move past the worst of it. That sweet girl is a godsend. Micky is a lucky man. And poor Brett. He’s so much like his father.”
Dylan didn’t speak of his father often, and Tiffany found it interesting that his mother didn’t sound like she held a grudge after all he’d put their family through.
“Brett,” Jackie said with a sad shake of her head, “stillwants someone to pay for his sister’s death. He might never get rid of that anger, but as I said, we all grieve differently. At least Dylan has finally gotten through to him, and he’s agreed to bring her memory into the fundraiser. And Carson, well, you’ve met him. He came over Friday night after you had dinner with him. Twenty years of repressed feelings came out of that man all at once. Poor thing, but he’ll be a better man for it.”
“Carson came over Friday night?” Dylan asked.
“Oh, yes. Brett called and told me about the decision you all had made, and then Carson burst through the door and threw his giant self into my arms.”
Jackie patted Tiffany’s hand again. “I’d imagine you were instrumental in opening this door for all of them, sweetie. Thank you.” She smiled up at Dylan and said, “Do you realize that by doing this you’re giving Lorelei her life’s dream?”
“What do you mean?” Dylan asked.
“She always wanted to be famous. If not as a trapeze artist or a world-famous baker, then as an actress or a model. She was full of so many dreams.” She blinked several times against damp eyes. “By making her one of the faces of this fundraiser, you’re giving her the life she never had.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
TIFFANY HUNG UP the phone Thursday afternoon and stared out her office window, mulling over the new information she’d just received. A free-agency press conference had been scheduled for the night of the fundraiser. She didn’t technically need to be there, but this would be the first one she’d missed in her career. Her stomach knotted up at the thought of missing it, but disappointing Dylan and being absent from the fundraiser that was so important to him and his family pained her even more. She looked around her beautifully adorned office thinking about how much she had changed since she’d been with Dylan—her wants, her needs, hergoalswere all different.
Earlier in the week she and Miranda had hung up the pictures from her L.A. office, which added splashes of color to the white walls. The mahogany furniture and leather chairs set the perfect tone of professionalism and comfort, and the peace lilies Dylan had sent were in full bloom, which made the office feel inviting and friendly. She’d started reading the books Dylan’s mother had lent her, and she was excited to bring new life into her surroundings. She’d stopped on her way home last night and bought two big, leafy plants for Dylan’s apartment. They sometimes spent the night at her place, but even though she had an office now, she still preferred his. It felt good to see the beauty in plants and flowers instead of seeing certain death. Ever since visiting Jackie, she realized she didn’t share her father’s distaste for things that could die. Lately she wondered if his feelings stemmed from losing his wife to another man.
The metaphorical death of a marriage.
Wow, when did I get so deep?
Her mind turned to her visit with Dylan’s mother. They’d spent hours looking through pictures of Lorelei and the rest of Dylan’s family, and Jackie had shared a number of sweet, funny, and heartrending stories, as well as a few embarrassing ones, for which Dylan had lovingly given her a hard time. They’d chosen three special pictures to use for the fundraiser. Jackson and Cooper were making them into posters, and earlier in the week they’d gone with Dylan to the Ronald McDonald House to take pictures of Bethany and some of the other children. Tiffany had fifteen donations of signed memorabilia for the fundraiser, including signed jerseys from both of her brothers. Perry was flying into town late tonight and leaving Saturday morning, so they’d made plans to have dinner at her father’s tomorrow evening. Rocco had already spilled the beans about her dating Dylan, and Perry had expressed how happy he was for both of them. Though she was nervous about their dinner, she was looking forward to it, too. She knew her brothers would tease and taunt her as they always did. Dylan was likely to get an earful from them, but that was okay. She knew he could handle their banter.
She glanced down at the endorsement contract she was supposed to be reviewing for one of her NBA clients. On her desk were notes on another endorsement pitch she wanted to make for one of her NFL clients who hoped to retire next year. How had this been her life for so long? How had she not realized how much she was missing out on? Her eyes shifted to the paper bouquets Dylan had given her. An added touch of unexpected elegance. Her heart soared every time she looked at them, and her answer became clear. She’d been consumed by work and never realized how much she’d missed out on because she hadn’t yet met Dylan.
People said there was a man for every woman, and Tiffany knew Dylan was the only—and the right—man for her.
She felt his presence all around her lately, even though he was back in the swing of things at NightCaps. Between getting her office up and running and the fundraiser preparations, they’d both been working longer hours. But they never failed to fall into each other’s arms at the end of the day and make love into the wee hours of the morning.
Miranda poked her head into Tiffany’s office. “Got a sec?”
