Page 67 of Wanting the Winger

“Here we go,” I mutter, narrowing my eyes at Darius.

He holds his hands up in a gesture of helplessness. “It’s not my fault my dog is so awesome.” He gets out the driver’s side and takes care of helping Tillie from her booster seat. When he lifts her in his arms and places her on the pavement, I fall for him a little more. So far they’re getting along fabulously.

I let Brutus out of the truck while Darius collects our things and loads up his arms.

“What can I carry?” I ask.

“If you hold on to Brutus’s leash and take this beach bag, that would be great.” He passes me the canvas bag with our towels and extra sunscreen and I sling the straps over my shoulder. We already applied a layer of a waterproof brand at my house, but if we’re here for a while, we’ll need more.

Tillie and I are fair and blonde. Unlike Darius with his Greek genes, we don’t tan well. I envy his olive skin tone and lack of freckles.

Tillie hurries along beside Brutus as we head toward the beach. She’s carrying a bag made of a netlike material that’s filled with her beach toys. I had to search the basement for them, but I wanted to make sure she has plenty to do while we’re here. She looks adorable in her pink beach coverup and matching visor.

“The beach, Mom,” she yells before running off in front of us. Her long blonde ponytail bounces behind her.

“Stay with us, please,” I say.

She stops and her bag of toys falls onto the sand. “I’m right here, Mommy.”

These days she switches between calling me Mom and Mommy. I don’t know if I’m ready for the day when I’ll just be Mom or Ma. She’s growing up so fast.

“Darius,” a deep voice calls out.

I turn and find a bearded giant of a man walking toward us. He’s so large, he makes Darius look small. He looks more like a biker than a former NFL player, but when he smiles it completely transforms his face.

“I’m glad you came, man.” They share a quick hug with all the requisite back slaps.

“Ace, this is my girlfriend, Evie. Evie, this is Ace.”

He shakes my hand in his massive one. He’s surprisingly gentle. I like him already.

“It’s nice to meet you, Evie.”

I smile. “And you as well, Ace. That’s my daughter, Tillie.” I point her way.

“How old is she?” he asks.

“Seven.”

“My friends are here with their six-year-old son.”

“I’m sure Tillie would love someone to play with, and so would Brutus here.” I’m still holding his leash, so I reach down and stroke my hand over his soft head.

“What a great looking Pittie,” Ace says.

Darius takes the leash from me, leading him closer to Ace. “He’s incredibly mild mannered and behaves well. I didn’t even have to take him to obedience school. He was easy for me to train myself.”

Ace bends over to run his hand down Brutus’s side. “Hey, big guy, how are you?” Brutus licks his face in response.

“He likes you,” I say.

A beautiful Japanese woman walks toward us and Ace’s focus shifts to her. She’s so petite compared to him. With the way he smiles at her, I can tell they’re in love.

“This is Mariko, my fiancée.”

“Hi, I’m Evie and this is Darius.”

Her eyes swing between the two of us and her grin is mischievous. “Oh, I know Darius already, but it’s nice to meet you, Evie.”

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