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She tried to keep her voice calm as she made her case, “Dad, with everything that’s happened I’m sure Lloyd would understand that you can’t—”
“This isn’t up for discussion.” He went to his go-to parental conversation ender.
But this wasn’t whether or not he got out and started dating or wore clothes that didn’t match or any of the other things that she’d nagged him about over the years. This was his life.
“Dad, this is serious—”
He sat up straighter, raising his voice as he cut her off, “You don’t think I know that?”
“Does the offer still stand?” Billy interrupted the quickly escalating conversation.
Whipping her head around, she saw him staring straight at her dad.
“What offer?” her dad asked, even though she could tell from his tone of voice that he knew the answer.
“The offer you made me when I hung up the gloves. The offer to come on as a coach. The offer to work with you.”
This was the first she’d heard about any offer and she turned back to see if her dad did know what he was talking about.
He frowned, wearing a stubborn expression. “You weren’t interested then what makes it different now?”
Good question. She certainly wanted to know the answer to that. She turned back to Billy and found herself holding her breath to hear what he had to say.
“I was pissed that my career was over before I was ready for it to be. I didn’t want to be on the sidelines, I wanted to be in the ring.”
Like she was watching a tennis match her head turned back to her dad.
His eyes narrowed. “And now?”
Following the “ball,” her neck swiveled back to Billy.
“Now…,” he began, but paused. After a beat he continued, “I thought I could walk away and not look back, but now I know that’s impossible. Boxing wasn’t my career, it was my life. It is my life. I miss it and if the offer is still on the table, I’d love to join your team and get back to my life.”
That was quite a serve. Maxi spun to see if her dad was going to hit it.
“I never took it off the table, you know you always have a place on my team,” her dad volleyed back and scored, clearly winning the game in her opinion.
Game, set, match.
Maxi felt tears forming in her eyes. With Billy back at the gym she wouldn’t have to worry about her dad overdoing it. He would watch to make sure he was okay without hovering.
If she hadn’t already been head over heels in love with the man sitting beside her, she would be now.
Just as she feared her emotional reaction would be called into question, she was saved by an angel in the form of the nurse she’d met the night before. The door opened and Stephanie walked in. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail and the style accented her heart shaped face perfectly. Maxi was struck by her emerald green eyes and full lips. She had the kind of natural beauty that people paid big bucks for.
“Hello, Mr. I’m Fine,” she greeted her dad. “I would ask how you’re feeling but I’m pretty sure I know what the answer would be.”
“Did they teach stand-up in Bedside Manor 101?” Her dad grinned, clearly impressed with his joke.
“Yep.” She nodded without missing a beat as she removed an empty bag from the IV pole and replaced it with a full one. “And I was at the top of my class.”
After checking his vitals and making small talk about the fate of the White Sox and, whether or not they’d still be playing in October, she manifested two Tapioca pudding cups from what seemed like thin air, but must’ve been in her scrub’s large pockets.
Her dad’s face lit up.
But instead of handing them to him, Pudding Houdini kept them just out of his reach. “I scored you the last two I could find on this floor. You’re only going to get them if you promise not to give Molly a hard time when she comes by to get your dinner order tomorrow.”
“I didn’t want to eat any of that crap the hospital serves.” He shrugged dismissively.
