Page 63 of Fake Out Hearts

It’s a good thing I’m seated because I feel faint. The Aces glide across the ice, and the arena spins around me. And when Theo finds me again, he blows me a kiss that makes my overactive heart double its pounding.

Because Theo sees me in his future.

Chapter 19

Theo

After practice, Mom insists on taking Becca out for “girl time.” I wasn’t sure Becca was ready for one-on-one time with my mom, who is well meaning but intense sometimes. But Becca promised me she could handle it, and even seemed excited about spending time with my mom, so I didn’t really have a choice. I did offer to come and bail her out if she needed it though.

I just hope Mom doesn’t share even more of my embarrassing childhood stories with her. God knows there are plenty of them.

“Hey, where’d you go?” Dad asks, stirring me back into the present. We’re down in the workout room installing more full-length wall mirrors and lighting I ordered as a surprise for Becca. I realized after watching her dance in here that it wasn’t exactly the most inviting space for that, and the girls being out of the house for a while gave us the perfect chance to put everything together.

“Sorry, just got a lot on my mind.”

Dad turns from the screw he’s tightening to smile at me, nearly dropping the other screw he holds between his teeth. “Can’t say I’m surprised to hear that.”

“Meaning?”

“Here, come hold this still for me, please,” he says, so I hurry over to hold up the bottom edge of the mirror he’s working on. He finishes screwing it in place, then dusts off his hands on his pants. “I don’t mean anything by it other than I’m sure you have a lot on your mind. I like Becca. She seems smart and sweet.”

“Why do I sense a very big ‘but’ coming?”

Dad laughs. “You always had a way with words. Like I said, Becca seems very sweet, and I really do like her. I just hope you’re being smart with all of this.”

“Again, what does that mean?”

Dad sighs. “There’s no way to say this that won’t piss you off, so I’m just gonna say it. You rushed into your last marriage too.”

I can’t help wincing. He’s right, but that doesn’t mean he has to say it. “Iambeing smart, Dad.” I stop just short of telling him exactly what “being smart” means in this situation, about how all of this isn’t exactly real. The truth will have to come out eventually, but now’s not the right time.

Then again, I’m not sure there will ever actually be a “right” time. Things between Becca and I have been so confusing lately. What’s real, and what’s fake? It’s getting harder and harder to tell the difference, and as Dad and I install all of this stuff for her dance practice, the question bubbles up all over again.

“Okay, okay. I trust you,” Dad says with his hands in the air. “You’re a grown man, you can make your own decisions. I’m just your dad, so it’s normal for me to worry. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I know.”

I don’t blame my parents for worrying, especially after the way things went with my last marriage. Really, I don’t. But Becca is about as different from my ex as anyone could be, and this situation between us is completely different too. It’s just going to take time for them to see it.

Milo barks upstairs, signaling that the girls have come home already, and a few seconds later I hear them walking around. I hear shopping bags crinkling too, which makes me smile. If Mom wants to go shopping with someone, that means they’re already on her good list. But I hope Mom didn’t give Becca the third degree while they were alone.

The two of them appear at the top of the stairs, Becca first. “We’re home!” she calls down to us. Milo charges past her and comes bounding down the stairs, panting and with his tongue lolling. Dad laughs and scratches his head.

“Who’s a good boy?” he says in a baby voice, and Milo barks. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that Milo’s most bonded with Dad already. My dad has always been a dog kind of guy, but Mom would never let him get another one after my childhood dog passed away. She didn’t want to go through the pain of losing a pet again.

“So how’d it go?” I ask Becca and give her a hug when she reaches me, but she’s already looking at the mirrors Dad and I installed.

“Is this for me?” she asks, looking around the room.

“It is. We aren’t quite finished yet—still have some overhead lighting to install—but that’s probably a project for another day,” Dad answers, and Becca starts to tear up.

“Yes. We’ve taken up enough of your time today, so we should probably get going and let you two have some time alone,” Mom says.

“Wait, going where?” I ask.

“We got a hotel room downtown,” Dad answers. “And before you ask, don’t worry about us getting there. We’ll call a cab.” He smiles and gives me a hug.

“Are you sure? I really don’t mind driving you over.”

---