“Gunner.” Dani. I smile and turn to watch her walking toward me with her father and mother. Here goes nothing. If they hate me, I’m doomed.
They stop in front of me. Dani has her mother’s eyes and her father’s high cheekbones.
“Mom. Dad. This is Gunner.” Dani rotates to me. “Gunner. These are my parents, Daniel and Elise.”
“Nice to meet you.” I shake Daniel’s hand. His grasp is firm.
“My daughter said you had my poster on your wall when you were a kid.”
“Yes, sir. You were my favorite player while growing up. I watched all your games with my dad. I was even lucky enough to go to a couple of your games in person.”
“Shush.” Elise steps forward and hugs me. “He already has a big head. He doesn’t need you gushing over him.”
“Okay.” My heart beats loudly in my ears. Things appear to be going well, but I don’t want to jinx it by saying the wrong thing.
Dani’s mother stands back and grabs my shoulders. Her eyes travel up and down me. “Damn, you’re a handsome man. Dani’s lucky to be – “
“Honey, don’t get graphic.” He glares at her.
“Yes, dear.” She tsks and releases me. “But look at those thighs. It reminds me of you when you were younger. Damn, you could really pound – “
“Mom.”
“Weights, dear. I wasn’t going to say how his thighs felt against my legs when we were having sex.”
“Thank God for that.” Dani rolls her eyes. “You’ve already said enough.”
“Yes, dear.” She grabs her husband’s upper arms. “You’ve still got some decent guns on you.”
He wiggles his eyebrows. “You can play with them later.”
Elise fans herself and blushes. I see exactly where Dani gets her spunk. Her parents are crazy. Dani steps forwar
d and places her hands in my face. “You were fantastic today. Thank you for inviting me to the game.”
“Sweetheart, this is where you’ll be every Sunday. I play better when I know you’re here watching me.”
“Good.” She kisses my lips. Her plump mouth is soft as I relish the closeness.
Her dad slaps my back. “Enough of that. You can do that later. We want to invite you over for dinner sometime and get to know you better before the new wears off.”
I move backward to put some space between us. Her eyes are filled with love as she winks and places her arm around her dad’s waist. “The new is never going to wear off. Your daughter’s perfect. I was worried I’d never find someone who understands the life of a professional player. The hours it takes to be at the top of my game. But she compliments me perfectly.”
“Son, she makes you a better player.” Daniel pats Dani’s back, and then he steps toward me, placing his arm around my shoulders. “I’ll make you a better player. Let’s go over some drills.”
This is a dream come true. Private lessons from my favorite childhood player. Life can’t get any better.
Epilogue
Dani
Two years later
The overwhelming scent of frosting, flour, and sugar surround us as soon as we walk into Chloe’s bakery. My mouth waters while my stomach churns. It’s as if my body can’t decide whether to be excited or revolt.
“Come on over.” Chloe waves and motions us to the counter. “We thought you’d never get here.”
“We got detained,” Gunner mutters as he swoops in and snatches Zack from my hip. His face lights up every time he sees his daddy.