“Please don’t call him that.” Groaning, I drop my head to Preston’s chest.
He and Miller look at us and both say, “Daddy Mike?”
“Don’t listen to her. She does this to annoy Ives.” Gabby assures them it’s a stupid nickname and nothing more.
“He wasn’t happy. He yelled for a bit and then apologized,” I hedge.
“He was out of line,” Preston growls.
“I know a way to calm him down.” Taylor winks, sticking her tongue out.
“TAYLOR, THAT’S MY DAD!”
“Daddy Mike is hot.” Taylor shrugs. Preston and Miller gag.
“As long as he doesn’t hold a grudge,” Miller pipes up. My dad can’t tell me what to do, but he can tell Preston. That part worries me. It would come from a good place but there’s no reason for it.
“Do you think he will hold it against you? Can he keep you from playing?”
“Hey,” he says, bringing his eyes to mine. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about that. You won’t be the reason I can’t play.”
“Is he right?” I ask the group.
Gabby would know as a lawyer for a team. Tay would know as an agent and publicist. Miller might know more as a player on dad’s team.
“I mean, it’s no secret Coach is pissed that Preston took a trip and got stuck in a foreign country,” Miller says.
“Not helping, bro.” Preston glares at him.
“I’m just saying.” Miller raises his palms to the camera in surrender.
“He can’t keep Preston from playing purely because he’s involved with you, Ivory,” Gabby starts.
“But he and the front office could punish Preston for this trip and not being available to play,” Tay picks up where Gabby leaves off.
“But they aren’t even playing right now,” I argue.
“It still could be a breach of contract,” Gabby says. “Luckily, the Players Association stepped in with rules about player’s practicing and the season starting. Had they not, this could have been bad.”
“Good news is you’ll be home in a week.” Tay grins into the camera.
“What?!” Preston and I sit up in unison, shocked with the news.
“Did you know about this?” he asks me. Hurt flashes behind his eyes that I could have kept this from him.
“No, you know what I know.” Clearing my throat, I tune back in for details. “Tay?”
“I got news today. I wanted to tell you in person. You’re on the June 10thflight out of Belize City.” We stare at each other realizing there is officially a countdown. This beautiful country has helped me come alive. I will forever be grateful for thisexperience and everything it has blessed me with. It’s been almost three months, and I’m ready to embark on my own new adventure. The future excites me as much as it terrifies me. Mostly, leaving Preston terrifies me.
“Thanks for coordinating, Taylor. We really appreciate it.” Preston pulls me into his lap, cradling me in his arms.
We.I love the way it sounds. I love even more that Preston refers to us like this to our friends. We are a united front. It reassures me that we are still a team. Miller and Preston exchange a look I can’t decipher. Whatever it is, Miller breaks the silence changing the subject.
“Alright, enough shop talk. Fill us in on what you have been doing.”
Sadness hangs in the air but we share our adventures with our friends for almost an hour before everyone has to get back to their normal lives. I miss this. I miss them. Miller and Preston fit right in with our girl gang.
It’s like we were meant to be a crew and just now found each other.
