Page 96 of Home Town Advantage
She shakes her head. “No, make us a dinner reservation. Somewhere nice and expensive.” She winks at me. “Sulley’s treating. And pick up my dry cleaning on the way home. Oh, and be sure to grab my costume for my grand return gameday entrance.” She smirks. “It’s a doozy.”
VANCE
I’m sitting at a table by Daylen’s pool with Daylen, Beau, and Champ. We’re meeting the girls later at Club Liberty.They wanted a girls-only dinner to celebrate Kennedy’s return. I think Sulley is taking the team to a fancy restaurant as her thank you to Kennedy. As difficult as that woman can be sometimes, I can’t deny that Kennedy will go to any lengths to protect my girl. The league may have freaked out over her violent actions, but the real world is hailing her a hero.
Daylen, who’s flipping steaks at the grill, shakes his head at Beau. “If her pussy has hair, she’s faithful. It’s the bald ones who cheat. Grass doesn’t grow on busy streets.”
Beau sighs in frustration. “No way. I like them groomed. I manscape, why shouldn’t they womanscape?” He looks at Champ. “Do you prefer men who manscape?”
Champ has gradually started feeling more comfortable discussing his sexuality within our small group. Never around the full team, but around us, he’s begun to talk about his love life. I’m happy he feels comfortable doing so. It says a lot about the trust he has in us.
Champ scrunches his face. “Sorry, D, but I’m with Beau. You got to keep that shit clean and trim. No one wants to floss when they’re giving head.”
Daylen harrumphs. “Agree to disagree.”
I chuckle. “The conversations we have sometimes never cease to amaze me.”
BJ nuzzles her nose into Daylen’s side. In his annoying BJ baby voice, he says, “Is my princess hungry?”
Bark.
“Don’t worry. Daddy made you steak too. Just the way you like it.”
Bark, bark.
Daylen then feeds BJ an entire steak, which she appears to gulp down all at once without bothering to chew it. He uses his BJ voice again, “Don’t listen to them, pretty girl. Men like women who are au naturale, just like you.”
I grit out, “That better not have been my steak.”
He smiles. “No, you have the shitty cut. I save the good stuff for my babydoll.”
I walk over to the grill to make sure he kept the good steaks on the grill, which he did. He smiles. “Chef Benny never buys shitty steaks.” Chef Benny is Daylen’s house manager and BJ’s dogsitter when we’re on the road. “Have I ever given you shitty steak?” he asks.
I shake my head, “Nope. You’re the grill master.”
He nods. “Damn straight. How are we on time?”
I look down at my phone. “Sulley texted that they’ll be done with dinner in about an hour. We can head out right after we eat.”
Yes, I’m anxious to see her.
He raises an eyebrow. “You’re whipped. Is she finally moving the needle for you?”
I stare at my best friend and admit, “She doesn’tmovethe needle. Sheisthe needle.”
His face breaks out into a huge smile. “I’m happy for you. You deserve this.”
“Do I?”
He places his hand on my shoulder and gives me an uncharacteristically serious look. “Yes, Vance, you do. You are, without a single doubt, the best man I know. It’s okay to finally let yourself be happy.”
I swallow down my emotions. “She can’t get past everything that happened.”
“That’s because she doesn’t know what happened. Maybe you should clue her in on everything.”
I exhale a long breath. “Now isn’t the time. She’s in season. I don’t want to ruffle any feathers for her or the team.”
He shakes his head and loudly announces, “Excuses are like assholes. Everyone has them, and they all stink.”
