Page 107 of Mr. Swoony

I shift my attention to Eloise, and she curls into my arms, kissing my jaw. “What do they call it when you blocked all the goals?”

My dad chuckles.

“A shutout.”

Her arms tighten around my stomach. “Congratulations on your shutout then.”

I kiss the top of her head. “Don’t expect to see them often.”

“You must be his lucky charm,” my dad says to Eloise.

She tips her head, beaming up at me.

I bend down and kiss her again. “We have a theory about it.”

Her forehead creases. “What?”

Tweetie comes into the room. “Man, I’m gonna have to get a girl. First Landry, then Hensley, and now Nilsen. All of you have the games of your fucking life the first time your girl comes to watch you play.” He shakes his head.

“That’s the theory,” I say to Eloise. “I think it’s more that we want to impress you guys, so we go all out.”

“You don’t have to impress me,” she says, still not letting me go. Not that I want her to.

Kyleigh and Rowan come over and my dad turns to talk to them, congratulating Rowan on a great game. It’s crazy that Rowan, Henry, and Tweetie all scored our goals, which means our foursome is flying high.

“I do have to impress you.” I kiss her again, wishing we had some privacy so I could show her just how much I missed her today. It was the first day since we became a couple that we didn’t see one another for the majority of the day, and while she seems okay, I’m not a fan.

“Are you hungry?” she asks. “The girls talked about going to eat.”

“I’d like to pick up food and go home honestly.”

“Okay,” she says without argument.

We say goodbye to everyone, especially to my dad who declined the invitation to grab a meal with everyone too.

On our way out of the arena, Eloise’s phone dings. She pulls it out, and her footsteps stop.

My hand tightens around the strap of my bag. “What is it?”

Fucking hell, if Tristan is calling her because he was watching the game and saw her and wants to give her grief, I’m gonna be pissed. The camera operators always shoot to the family members at some point.

“It’s my grandma. My dad’s mom. She wants to have dinner.” She turns her phone screen to me, and there’s a text message with a picture of her in my jersey, pounding on the plexiglass.

“How do you feel about that?” I put my arm around her shoulders.

“I think she wants to lecture me, but it’s probably something I need to deal with. I’ve avoided it long enough.”

I don’t have any suggestions or ways to help her through this besides being there with her. “Can I come with you?”

Her eyebrows raise toward her hairline. “You would?”

I hate that a piece of her still doubts how far I’m willing to go to make sure she’s supported and happy, but I hope she’ll realize in time that I’ll always be there for her. The longer I stand next to her, supporting her, the more those doubts will disappear.

“I want to. If you want me there.”

A soft smile creases her lips, and I lower my head, kissing her.

“Just tell me the day and time.”

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