I never wanted her to find out about that night—the mere idea of her disappointment caused me to fidget. I cleared my throat.
“I like this team better—these teammates more. I hope, now that I’ve signed this five-year contract, I’ll get to stay.”
“I do, too. I can’t imagine moving…but that’s a possibility, right? Naomi and Nicole said it’s pretty common for players to get traded.”
“Some, sure, but not franchise players. That’s Cormac, Cruz, possibly Naese since they picked him so high in the draft. And me.”
“Not Stolly?” she asked.
“No, he’s still a bit of a wild card. Coach likes him and wants him to grow into his position, but Stol will have to earn that.”
“Oh.”
We arrived at her work building, and the security guard I’d hired came to her door. I helped Ida Jane out of the car and then wrestled Blade out. Bending at the waist, I hauled Ida Jane into my arms and kissed her.
“I’m looking forward to tonight,” I said into her ear.
“Meeting my parents?” she asked.
“I’ll survive that. No, I’m looking forward to kissing you more. To fucking you again.”
“Maxim!”
“What? It’s my honeymoon.” I shot her a wink, and she laughed.
I was still on top of the world when I arrived at the arena.
* * *
Ida Jane’sparents rolled into town in a dusty Ford pickup twenty minutes after we arrived home for the evening. Ida Jane hadn’t changed out of her work clothes, but she had started a pork loin surrounded by apples, rosemary, and garlic in the oven.
She ran out to greet them, and her father hung back, letting his wife hug her and fuss—first over her face, then her ring. I liked her for that—putting her daughter’s well-being first. Maybe if my mother had done so for Nadia, she wouldn’t have latched on to the first man who showed her affection.
I couldn’t change the past, but I could ensure a better future for Ida Jane...and myself.
Jacob Barlow stepped forward, engulfing his daughter in his arms. He was big, but not as big as me, with bushy silver-and-brown eyebrows and that squint that told me he spent a lot of time outside.
“My baby girl. It’s been too long,” he said as he rocked her back and forth, her toes just grazing the ground.
Loreen offered me her hand, which I took with care. Her firm grip shouldn’t have surprised me—she’d raised a passel of boys and ran a successful ranch. I gave her a soft squeeze and she nodded.
“Can tell a lot about a man from his handshake,” she said.
“A woman, too,” I replied.
She chuckled as she looked over my shoulder. “I want to see the guard dog you got my girl, then a tour of your house. Well, after a pit stop, please.” She tipped her head toward Jacob. “He gets behind the wheel and the only thing that stops him is an empty gas tank. Even when the kids were little, he seemed to think we could all hold our pee for hours—as if that’s normal.”
“Don’t go talking about my driving habits just yet. That’s personal,” Jacob said with a twinkle in his eye. “And I stopped for you to get that mammoth soda.”
“When you were buying gas—”
“You’re the one who wanted to get here fast,” Jacob said, a triumphant expression on his face.
He shook my hand and slapped my back, and I knew then that Ida Jane was very lucky—and I wanted her parents to adopt me into their family so I could be part of their bantering at every holiday.
* * *
Once everyone was settledand Blade had been properly petted, we washed up for dinner. Ida Jane and I moved around the kitchen well—like we’d been doing it for years instead of a few days.
