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“It fucking sucked that our schedules didn’t work out this week.” He pulled out his phone to check on the progress of the rideshare. “And as much as I appreciated Lennox in the past for getting not one but two private planes for the team, I wasn’t a fan of the fact that only the players and coaching staff fly together when it means you’re on the other plane. Bottom line is that I missed the fuck outta you, Rory.”
“I missed you, too.”
He winked at me as we walked across the parking lot to the spot where we would meet the car. “I was banking on it, nerd.”
“Only because I got so used to hearing your voice in my ear just about every day over the summer, geek.”
He swept his free hand down the front of his body with a cocky grin. “Not sure that nickname still works now that you’ve seen all this.”
“All this?” I echoed with a giggle, shaking my head.
The car pulled up, and he helped me inside the back before murmuring, “C’mon, you have to admit that I’m not what you expected from a gamer.”
I snorted. “Um, yeah…I never expected to be playing against a pro football player.”
“Let alone your favorite.”
“Mm-hmm, there’s that too.” I arched a brow. “But I don’t exactly fit the stereotype of a typical gamer either.”
“Thank fuck for that,” he rasped, sliding his arm around my shoulders.
When we were only a few minutes from my parents’ house, I asked, “Are you having the car wait so you can head straight to the airport from here?”
His head jerked back, and he shook his head. “No, I was planning to stay for dinner. As long as it’s not too much of an imposition on your mom.”
“My mom raised two sons who could easily eat her out of house and home when they were teenagers. So she always cooks more than enough to feed an army now,” I assured him. “Trust me, you’ll be more than welcome. I just assumed that you wouldn’t have time for that. Aren’t you supposed to fly back with the team?”
“Nope, I explained to the Coach Beaumont that I needed to stay behind, so they’re not expecting me.” He shot me a smug grin. “So I had him talk to the front office staff to cancel your ticket, and I chartered a jet that’ll take us back whenever you’re ready to go.”
Holy crap, dating a professional football player who made grand gestures like this was going to take some getting used to. I didn’t know if I should be thrilled that he’d gone to such lengths to be able to have dinner with my family…or worried about the interrogation he was about to face from my dad and brothers.
6
GAGE
Ihadn’t become one of the best running backs in the league by being unsure of myself and my abilities. And on the field, I was a force to be reckoned with.
So the fact that I was feeling a little bit nervous as we pulled up in front of Rory’s childhood home shocked me. Still, I wasn’t a coward, and I had enough confidence to trust that I could convince her family that I was what was best for Rory.
“Listen, my brothers are—”
“Relax, nerd,” I interrupted with a wink. “I think I can win them over, but just remember”—I took one of her hands and tenderly kissed the back—“nothing they could say or do will scare me away.”
Rory sighed. “I know you believe that, but I’m going to give you one last out. I won’t think less of you if you want to drop me off and fly back with the team.”
I rolled my eyes and opened the door. “How scary can they be when they’re fans of baseball and hockey?” I joked as I climbed out of the car. I jogged around to the other side and assisted her out onto the sidewalk.
“Get that all out now, geek,” she quipped with a condescending smirk.
The front door was thrown open before we even reached it, and a woman who looked like a slightly older version of Rory stood there with a giant smile.
“Rory!” she exclaimed as she opened her arms, and my girl ran into them.
“Hi, Mom!”
The woman’s eyes shifted to me, and her smile widened. “Well, now, who is this tall drink of water?”
I chuckled while Rory groaned and rolled her eyes.
