Page 57 of Stick Play

“No, you need to go out with the guys and WAGs for drinks. The roads are good. I can get home by myself.”

“Yeah, well, maybe I’m tired of you doing things yourself.” Her eyes go wide. Shit, I didn’t mean to sound so aggressive. “Gina.” I soften my voice. “Where’s your car, babe?”

Before she can answer, Dad steps up to us. “There you are.” He looks so proud of himself when he shakes out the clothing in his hands. “Look what I got for you, Gina.” He hands her a jersey that actually fits her. “I also got this for you, Zoe.” Her head lifts as he holds out a children’s jersey. “Now you can move around a little better when you cheer.”

“I love it,” she says and holds her arms out, and Dad leans in for a hug. “Can you be my grandfather?” she asks, and the noise of the crowd closes in on me. “Camryn and Tate have a grandfather. They call him grandpa. They have a grandma too. Wait, do you have a grandma?”

“No, Zoe. I don’t,” Dad responds, knowing she’s really asking if he has a wife who could be her grandma.

“If you put a ring on a girl’s finger, and sleep in the same bed, you could have a grandma.” She yawns. “Oh, you have to kiss her too. Tate said he doesn’t want to kiss a girl.”

Even though Dad is cocking his head in confusion, he grins. “Is that all I have to do?”

“If you want a grandma. I could give you one of my lump wishes.”

On that note—and while I think that’s the sweetest fucking gesture ever for a little girl who is saving her wishes for a daddy—I say, “Let’s get out of here.” We head toward the parking lot, where Gina parked, and I get Zoe buckled into her booster seat. I fish my keys from my pocket and hand them to Dad. “Can you follow us to Gina’s?”

“Sure thing. You go ahead. I’ll catch up.” He winks at me. “I know the way.”

He begins to whistle as he walks away. “You can find my car okay?” I ask. He turns back and glares at me. I hold my hands up, palms out, and bite back a grin. “Right, I get it. Sorry.”

I catch Gina’s smirk. “He loves to prove his independence, doesn’t he?”

“Until he’s sick.” I pause to do air quotes around that one word. “And then needs my girlfriend to take care of him.”

As soon as the word girlfriend slips from my mouth, I realize what I’d said. Gina’s wide eyed gaze locks on mine, and I quickly backtrack. “You know what I mean.” She might, but that doesn’t mean little miss Zoe does. I quickly glance into the car and exhale a relieved breath when I find her head tilted, her eyes close.

I note the jersey in Gina’s hand. “You don’t have to wear that or anything.” I laugh. “I don’t think Dad has given up.”

She slides into the passenger seat and I drop into the driver’s seat, adjusting the seat back, because I’m practically sitting on the steering wheel. She laughs.

“My mountain man. Too big for my car.”

“When the seat is this close, I am.” Her grin fades, and I’m not sure what’s going through her mind. I adjust the seat, and try for casual. “You know I didn’t mean that about girlfriend.” My eyes are on her as I adjust the rearview mirror.

“Of course.” A soft groan rumbles in her throat. “I just hope no one heard it.” She glances out the window and bites her lip, and I note the tightness in her shoulders.

I reach across the seat and take her hand in mind, giving it a little squeeze. “Are you okay?”

“I’m not used to being in the spotlight like that.”

“I love my fans, I really do, but it can be overwhelming, for sure.”

“Callie sure was all over you.”

“I pray to fucking God that’s not splashed all over the news tomorrow. I can see the headlines now.”

“Better her than us,” she murmurs quietly.

My heart drops into my stomach, and churns. “I’m really sorry, Gina.” Fuck, I had no idea that being seen with me like that would upset her so much. I guess she really is serious about keeping this a secret and I’m obviously finding it harder and harder to keep things under wraps. A few of the guys already know and I wasn’t able to throw them off or convince them otherwise.

Why is that?

Oh, because I didn’t fucking want to.

I want to talk about Gina. I like talking about Gina.

I ease her car out of the busy parking lot and she falls quiet as I take her home. I glance in my rearview mirror, looking for signs of Dad, but he must be stuck back in traffic. We finally reach her place, and I park.

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