Page 48 of Her Goal
Tipping her head from side to side, Mrs. Smith frowns. “We miss children. They’re fun.”
“Daniella, Valentina, Charles, and I are your children. Your adult children. Are we not fun?”
Sadness fills Mr. Smith’s eyes. “You grew up. Moved away. Got serious.”
“Speak for yourself,” Chuck hollers as he bounces by on a pogo stick and then splashes into the pool.
“Of course, he’s listening. Is everyone at this party eavesdropping?” Leah presses her hands to her head.
A round of answers from those nearby vary from “Yes” to “No” to “It’s our duty.”
There’s nothing for me to do other than chuckle.
“I’ll move back home,” Leah says.
“Please do. At your earliest convenience. Tonight. Grant told me about your apartment inelbarrio,” Mrs. Smith says like it’s a dirty word.
“My apartment isn’t … well, it is.”
“Valentina said you started taking a self-defense class,” Mr. Smith says.
My eyes widen in horror. “Where do you live?” I ask, trying to recall sketchy neighborhoods in Omaha, of which I can only come up with one … where I once found Hunter skulking when I was driving back from a late game when the Knights arena was still in Omaha.
“So you want more kids and think I’m going to produce some with him? Four of us spanning nine years wasn’t enough? Plus Tinker. You literally own a toy store in town. Let’s not forget about your grandchildren Diego, Alexa, Theo, and Joaquin. Plus, Valentina.”
“What?” Mrs. Smith’s eyes go wide.
After Leah accidentally reveals Valentina is expecting, Mr. Smith streaks across the lawn and wraps his daughter in a hug. Mrs. Smith hurriedly follows after him. Tinker frolics among the guests as if realizing the party is really heating up.
Leah calls, “I’m not marrying him.”
Hearing her voice, the dog bounds over to us.
“I guess they’ve already moved on,” I say, somewhat relieved, but also feeling like the party balloons lost some air.
She shakes her head. “I’m not marrying you.”
Right then, the dog lets out a loud and stinky toot. It cannot be helped; we both double over with laughter.
I don’t expect Leah to marry me. However, like the welcome party from the team, things worked out well enough. Though I still haven’t located the results of whatever Mikey was doing with that permanent marker. That’s all to say that I’m well aware circumstances can change … fast.
15
LEAH
After the anniversary party,Hudson tries to stay and help clean up. There is tons of food left because everyone brought enough to feed an entire ship of pirates stranded on a deserted island for an indefinite amount of time. He probably wants more cookies.
His abs rival Liam’s—yes, I’ve scrolled #MrDarcysAbs—so I’m doing the public a favor by withholding more dessert from him.
I clear Hudson out of here like a witch with a broom. Not because I don’t want his help, but because I need to have a word with my mother and father.
When I finally get them alone, they’re gazing all lovey-dovey-eyed at each other … like it’s their honeymoon all over again and I don’t have the heart to give them an earful.
Instead, I retreat to my bunk bed in the basement with an assortment of cousins and tell myself not to think about Hudson. Or marriage. Or marryinghim.
I promise myself not to give it a thought. Pretend it never happened. Mom and Dad will get caught up in Valentina’s pregnancy and forget about arranging my marriage as if welive in the eighteen hundreds, or whenever that custom was commonplace.
A few days later, I park in the lot at the Ice Palace and march up to the facility with an agenda.
