His pained eyes eventually meet mine. “I don’t want her to suffer the same fate as me. It’s like a damn family curse,” he mumbles.
“What does that mean?” I ask, not understanding what he’s referencing.
He visibly swallows. “This stays between us.”
I nod.
“Ginny and I fudged the dates and the story of how we met for our kids’ sake.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “She was one of the faceless many when I was in college. You know how it is when you’re the big man on campus.”
I nod again. “I do.” When you’re a football star on the rise, with the certainty of millions of dollars waiting for you whenyou’re done with college, every woman wants to hitch themselves to you. They practically throw themselves at you. It’s overwhelming at times.
“I barely remembered sleeping with her, let alone her name, when she told me she was pregnant with my child. We waited until paternity was confirmed, and then we got married. I didn’t love her. I thought I would grow to over time because she was the mother of my child, but it never happened for me. The same damn thing happened with my parents, but they didn’t even make it through me being in diapers before they got divorced. I was determined to give my daughter a different life, but when you don’t marry for love, it gets ugly. I was miserable for so many years.” His voice cracks, “And now the same thing is happening to my baby girl.”
At least now I understand his rage a bit more. “Coach, I know this isn’t how you imagined things going for her, but I do love her. I can be honest enough to tell you I didn’t when we got married, but I love her now. Very much.”
He shakes his head. “You think you do because of the baby. You love the baby, not her. Trust me, I would know.”
“No. It’s her. Even if there were no baby right now, I’d still want her. I’d still love her. Even with the bizarre circumstances of our union, I haven’t broken our vows and never will.”
He nods in understanding. I don’t need to spell out that part of things further for him.
I need to convey just how serious I am. “Coach, I know I’m the team goofball, but I take your daughter very seriously. I’ve never been with anyone like her. Honestly, if you asked me a year ago, I would never have imagined I’d want someone like her. She’s different. A complete pain in the ass sometimes. She challenges me in a way no other woman ever has, but I think that’s what makes her so special. It’s one of the reasons I love her. I also love her independence, her strength, and the way she takes care of everyone around her. She’s such a loyal friend and teammate. I love her honesty. It’s brutal at times, but youalways know where you stand with her because she’s incapable of being anything other than authentically her. I love that she’s shared things with me and has allowed herself to be vulnerable with me. I love her personality. She’s the funniest person I know. I love that she takes care of me without realizing it because it’s become second nature for her to do so.” I risk a quick glance at him when I turn on my blinker. “She told you I take care of her, which I do at times, but she equally takes care of me. I love that she’s the first person I want to see in the morning. I love that I miss her like crazy when we’re on the road. I love that one hug from her can make a bad day turn good.” I shrug. “And if I’m being honest, she’s also pretty easy on the eyes.”
“Watch it, Humblecut,” he growls.
I chuckle. “She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life, but that’s not why I’m proud to call her my wife. It’s all the other things I mentioned. I bought a real ring for her and wanted to do this the right way. I planned to talk to you first to get your blessing.”
“Blessing for what? You’re already married,” he spits back.
“I want us to have a real wedding. We barely remember the first, and it doesn’t reflect where we are now. I want to tell her I love her and want to spend my life with her in front of all our family and friends. She’s been hesitant about us going public, preferring to wait until her season was over. Now she wants to wait even longer.”
“What about you?” he asks. “What do you want?”
“I want to tell the world. I have for months, but you know Kennedy. It’s her way or the highway, and while I don’t let her get away with everything—she likes being called out on her shit sometimes—I’ve given her this because it’s her body carrying that baby and her career is the one that will be affected. She loves playing basketball, and the impact of having a baby weighs heavily on her. I don’t want to do anything to upset her. My job is to support her.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Who are you right now?”
A small smile finds my lips. “I’m the man who loves your daughter. I’m the man who’s going to take care of her for the rest of her life. Honestly, I regret nothing about the past year other than not being forthcoming.”
He’s silent for a few beats. “Don’t let her walk all over you. She needs a man who will challenge her.”
My smile grows. “I know, Coach. Challenging her is one of my favorite pastimes.” It’s kind of our foreplay, but he doesn’t need that detail. “But the timing of telling people about the baby impacts her career, not mine. This decision is hers, even if I don’t like it.”
We pull into his driveway. When I stop the car, I hold out my hand for him to shake.
He stares at it for a long while before eventually taking it and squeezing it hard. “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you. That’s not an empty threat. I will literally murder you and not think twice about it.”
I nod. “Deal. I’d like to give her the ring and do this the right way. I want you to walk her down the aisle to me. Do I have your blessing?”
His lip twitches. “One of my best friends owns a cement company. I know where to put you so that you’ll never be found. Don’t fuck with my baby girl, Humblecut. She’s the most important thing in the world to me.”
“To me too, Coach. I’ll take that as a yes.”
THIRTY-TWO
DAYLEN
The past two weeks have been crazy. Vance had a family emergency and disappeared to Montana for a few days. Kennedy has been giving interview after interview. I’ve secretly hoped she’d talk about us, but she hasn’t.
