“I know. I said it for the first time, the minute my foot touched the ground in Silverrun.” He cleared his throat. “I’m staying a few days. I want to see your place. Meet DaVinci. Meet that Brixxi girl you always talk about. I want to see where you work. I want my daughter back.”
I laughed through the tears. “I want you back, too. And we will do all of that.”
“DaVinci Bryns, huh?”
“Yeah. He’s amazing. I just…”
“I can’t wait to meet him,” he said pointedly. “Any man who loves my daughter enough to hunt down her father—well… he got my attention.”
I snorted. “He’s something else. Special. A good man.”
“He better be,” Dad said, smiling deeper this time. “My Lima wouldn’t settle for anything less than everything.”
We stood there for a few more minutes, just being together. Processing. Healing. It wasn’t going to fix the years of distance overnight, but it was a start. And that was enough.
“He loves you. I respect that more than anything.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“And you love him, too. I can see it all over your face.”
I nodded, unable to speak.
Dad pulled me back into his arms, and this time I let myself sink into it. Let myself be sixteen again, when he was the person who could fix anything. Before the fire. Before the distance. Before the silence.
I wiped my face, took a breath, and squeezed his hand. “Okay. Let’s get back in there. I don’t want to miss it.”
“He retiring tonight?” Dad asked as we walked back toward the suite door.
“Yeah. End of an era.”
“Beginning of a new one,” he said, squeezing my hand back.
When we stepped back into the suite, all eyes turned to us.
Tess and Omni came to hug me. I introduced my dad to everyone before we took our seats, and I pressed my hand to the glass, wishing I could be close to DaVinci at this very moment. After this surprise, I’d be the headhunter he loved so much right here, right now. Forever.
Dad settled into the seat next to mine, and for a minute we just sat there, shoulder to shoulder, watching my man run the court.
“Bryns the House Down, is going to be my son-in-law. Missy gon tell the whole town.” He laughed, and I leaned in.
“I’m sure they already know. Aunt Missy doesn’t miss a thing. I’m surprised she didn’t try to come with you.”
“I wanted to do this alone for the first time. You know my sister works my nerves sometimes.”
We shared another laugh and caught up on things like work, my plans for the future, and my hospital scare. He said that’s why DaVinci reached out. He couldn’t even be mad at him for stepping in.
The rest of the game flew by. The Pinnacles won by fifteen. DaVinci had twenty-eight points, nine assists, and played like a man who knew exactly what he was leaving behind and why it was worth it.
When the final buzzer sounded, the crowd erupted. The lights dimmed, and a video started playing on the Jumbotron. I recorded the moment and tried not to scream. Highlights from DaVinci’s career, high school to now. There were moments that made the city fall in love with him, clips of him in the community, and then—
His face, live, standing at center court with a microphone.
“Silverrun,” his voice echoed through the arena. “Thank you. For twelve years, for four championships, for making this city feel like home. Tonight was my last regular-season home game. After the playoffs, I’m retiring.”
The crowd gasped, then erupted again—some cheering, some crying, everyone on their feet.
“But I’m not going anywhere,” he continued. “This city gave me everything. And I plan to give back to it for the rest of my life. Through the foundation, through the restaurants, through whatever comes next. Silverrun is home. And home is where my heart is.”
