Page 44 of Wicked Love

Her cheeks flush and I wonder if she can tell what I was thinking.

“You don’t have to. It was just a thought. We only do this every other week and I’m not always there, but I agreed to work this weekend. We’d love to have you. It’s nonstop entertainment.” Her eyes twinkle.

“Yes,” Becca says. My girl has already decided we’re going.

“Nonstop entertainment, huh? You make it sound like I’m capable of fun.”

Her grin deepens and it’s an even better look on her. “I didn’t say that…”

My lips twitch. “Hmm. Well, in that case, I guess I should come and prove you wrong.”

She lifts her shoulders. “I mean, I don’t want you to hurt yourself by smiling, but your face probablycoulduse the break from your perma-scowl.”

I bite the inside of my cheek while she laughs.

Becca looks at me. “Dad, smile!” she demands.

I bare my teeth at my daughter and she cackles. That makes me smile. I roll my eyes when Poppy nudges Becca, saying, “You got one out of him! I’m impressed.”

Becca looks at her proudly.

“Should I see if I can round any other players up? Make a day of it?” I ask.

Poppy’s eyes go huge. “You think anyone else would be interested?”

I get a little jealous by how excited that makes her. “Maybe.”

“It’d be amazing, but really, we’ll be happy for even one extra player.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Becca gets distracted cooing at Martha and I walk Poppy to the door.

“Thanks again for your time with Becca today. And here…just now. There’s nothing you could’ve done to excite her any more than taking pictures together.”

“It was fun. She’s so great, Bowie.” She worries her bottom lip and pauses by the door, turning back to look at me. “You don’t have to tell me, but…is her mom involved in her life?”

I shake my head. “No, not at all.”

Her brow furrows and her hand presses against her heart. “That…I’m sorry. That’s really…well, I don’t even know what to say. She doesn’t stay in touch at all?”

“No.”

I’d normally leave it at that, so I don’t know why I keep going now.

“She thought she was up for all of it, a baby, my career, marriage, but everything became more involved than we expected. My career blew up, Becca had to have surgeries right away. She didn’t want it after all. Any of it.”

The expression on her face is exactly why I don’t talk about it, not seriously anyway. The guys know about Adriane, and when I say anything now, it’s flippant comments and jokes. I don’t like seeing the pity on anyone’s face when it comes to me. I saw that enough as a kid when they realized the kid who was an athletic maniac also had a raging alcoholic for a father. Like maybe they suddenly understood why I was so driven to succeed.

What they didn’t know was that it had nothing to do with any drive I had for excellence. Not then anyway. My dad’s family was wealthy and even as a kid, we always had famous people come to the house. He liked to collect celebrities, as if they were trophies. But then I gained notoriety when I beat an Olympic swimmer at a swim meet. He was there to blow up a charity function and I stole the show. And I kept doing it for several years, even after we moved to the US, swimmers from all over the world coming to swim with me, or we’d travel to various competitions. I beat every single one. I became my dad’s trophy and it was both necessary and torturous. I only wanted to keep my dad on the road with me to keep him away from my mom and brother. He couldn’t afford to let any bruises show on me since I was swimming all the time, but when we were home, my mom and brother weren’t safe from his fists.

Eventually, I was sick of being his show pony and turned my focus on the sport I loved most, football.

“That’s such a heavy responsibility you’re carrying alone, Bowie,” she says.

I swallow hard, still stuck in the past. But what she’s said registers, and for some reason, it doesn’t hit me completely wrong like it would coming from most people I don’t know well. Maybe because it’s said with such understanding and compassion.

“Loving Becca is the easiest thing I have ever done,” I say finally.

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