Page 65 of Puck Drop
“They’re calling for the dinner to start soon,” Logan mentions as we stroll around.
At some point, he sees a group of his teammates, so we head their way, having to pass by what seems to be a dancefloor, disco balls and all.
“Oh my gosh, you have to dance with me, Logan,” I squeal in his ear. “I love to dance.”
“Yeah?” He grins at me in approval. “You’re in luck, babe, because I love to dance, too.”
Feeling lighter than I have all day, I smile from ear to ear, ready to have some fun tonight. Things are looking up, that’s for sure. I am in a good place with Logan, and I have some prospects for my art.
We are only feet away from his group of friends when someone steps in front of us, stopping us both in our tracks.
“Daddy,” I gasp in shock.
I knew I wasn’t crazy.
TWENTY-ONE
Logan
Shit,Elizabeth was right. Her father is here after all.
When she first mentioned it, I blew her off. Why would the owner of the New York Sliders be in Texas at a charity party organized by the Austin Aces? It doesn’t make any sense.
Then again, I guess if your daughter is dating one of the players for the Austin Aces, and you’re trying to ruin the relationship for her, you’ll make sure to pull some strings and attend said party.
“Elizabeth,” the man in question now says. He looks imposing as he looms over us, and he sounds even more intimidating than he looks.
I stand up a little straighter when his eyes move to assessing me. He nods at me but doesn’t acknowledge me otherwise. The act is defiant, and it rubs me the wrong way. I take a step closer to Elizabeth, wrapping a protective arm around her waist.
“Daddy,” Elizabeth says again, almost causing me to roll my eyes toward the sky. I’m assuming that wouldn’t go well with her father. “I didn’t expect you to be here…”
“I was invited,” her father replies. “And I thought it would give me an opportunity to talk to you. Ten months is a long time.”
I quickly do the math in my head. Has it really been that long since I was moved to the Aces?
When someone bumps into him from behind, he lets out a noise of annoyance.
“Maybe we can take us somewhere more private.”
He doesn’t ask if we’re good with it. Instead, he turns around and walks away from where we’re standing, leaving us with no choice but to follow.
For a split second, I hold Elizabeth back. She’s been a ball of nerves, and I wonder what this conversation with her father would do to her. I do have to consider that it might help her, too.
“I’m scared,” she whispers to me, like she could read my mind. “Please don’t leave me alone with him.”
I squeeze her hand in support, then we follow her father out of the room. When we reach the lobby, I notice him standing in the doorway of some conference room. As soon as he sees that we’re walking that way, he turns around and disappears inside.
I have mixed emotions about this man. I respect him for the incredible job he’s doing with the Sliders. Over there, he is a force to be reckoned with. I also respect him for being Elizabeth’s father. With that said, I will never understand his decision to get me off the team only because I was seeing his daughter. He never gave us a chance, and I can only imagine how furious he had to have been when he realized that she followed me here. It must’ve been his nightmare come to life.
Walking in, I prepare myself for a good fight. The fact that we find him sitting calmly at the head of the table is a bit of a letdown.
Elizabeth, in her little bubbly and awkward way, walks around the table and stops in front of him before bending downto give him a quick hug, which he does return, albeit not as affectionately as she was probably hoping.
I pull out two of the chairs closer to him and wait for her to walk over to me, then wait until she sits down before taking my own seat. When I glance her father’s way, I notice a weird look on his face that almost resembles approval.
“You should’ve told me that you were coming, daddy,” Elizabeth chuckles awkwardly.
“I would’ve loved to,” he nods. “But it’s a little hard to do so when you haven’t been talking to me in months.”
