“Someone call for a ride home?” A familiar male voice questions, and I’m relieved to see Damon standing on the other side of the railing near Joslyn. “Ah, Liam, I see you got roped into Uber duty as well.” He doesn’t seem to mind because he’s wearing a cheerful grin.
Before I can answer, a third man chimes in.
“That makes three of us.” I do a double take because standing behind Damon is Cam Harbough, quarterback for the Denver Eagles. Yes, I’m a professional athlete myself, but I’ll admit to fangirling over Denver’s newest QB. He’s a bit of a legend.
Apparently not to Damon, who greets him as if they’re old friends.
“Cam, good to see you. I don’t have to ask who you’re here for.” Damon says, ice-blue eyes twinkling with mirth.
“Damon.” He shrugs his shoulders. “I was already heading this way.” Cam responds, as he smiles and nods in my direction.
“Liam Ferguson.” I say as we shake hands. No lie, I can’t get the huge grin off my face.
“Good to meet you, Liam. Looking forward to seeing you play again this year.” Holy shit! Cam Harbough has watched me play.
“You, too, Cam. You’re looking good this year. Played a great game Thursday.” I say.
“Thanks. It was a tough one, but we managed to bring home a win. You guys ever get a chance to catch a game?”
“Haven’t had the chance to go in person for a while, but we try to watch when we can.” I tell him.
“I get it. Hockey’s got a crazy schedule. I don’t envy you, man.” Cam says.
“I wish I could say we’re all used to it but that’d be a lie. No offense, Damon.” I say, shooting Damon a guilty look.
“None taken. I remember. Don’t miss it a bit.” Damon replies.
“I better get my sister home before Mom calls me again.” Cam says with an indulgent smile. “Ready to leave, peanut?”
“Stop calling me that, Cam! Why did Mom send you?” Mel, one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, is scowling at her brother and sounding more than a little annoyed. Sadly, she’s much too tipsy for it to have the desired effect on Cam.
“I volunteered. You’re too cute to pull off a glare like that, peanut.” He tells her with a smirk. I turn away, coughing so I don’t laugh out loud, because he’s not wrong.
“I need to pay for my drinks.” Mel continues to protest, grumbling to herself about irritating siblings.
“Already done.” Damon says. “You’re good, Mel. See ya Monday.”
“Hmmph. Fine. Cam!!!” she yelps as Cam hoists the petite brunette over the railing without a second thought. If Walker tried that, Maddie would punch him before he could even get her off the ground.
“Give me a shout about those tickets, Cam.” Damon says as Cam carries off a loudly protesting Mel.
“You ready to go home, Mad girl?” She’s making herself at home, snuggled up against me, and while I hate to ruin it, it’s time to call it a night. She’s been yawning for the last five minutes, so I know she’s tired. She yawns again and nods her head.
“You and Madison can head out if you want, Liam. I’ll take care of these lovely ladies.” Damon tells me. I try not to notice how close he’s sitting to Joslyn, or that he has a protective armover the back of her chair. Joslyn doesn’t seem to notice as she continues her conversation with her daughter.
“Dad, can we drop Lily off in LoDo? She’s meeting some friends.” The dark-haired girl who introduced herself as Lexi asks Damon. Now I get the familiar features that puzzled me earlier.
“Of course. What are your plans tonight, honey?”
“Not a damn thing. This is the extent of my fun for the night.” She informs him, looking rather irritated at her circumstances for the evening.
“Okay, Jos and I will drop you off at home first. Sound good?”
Damon and Joslyn share a glance before she answers Damon’s daughter. It’s a small gesture, but it confirms what I’ve been suspecting since Damon showed up tonight. There are definite feelings between the two of them. Maybe because of my own predicament, it’s easy for me to see that Damon is head over heels for Joslyn. Until that glance, I wasn’t sure if she felt the same, but now I’m almost positive she does. I school my features because I don’t want to put them on the spot. It’s not my business and I intend to keep it that way.
“We’re gonna head out.” I say as casually as I can, leading Maddie out through the bar to the exit. Followed closely by Damon and his crew. There are drunken hugs all around before we each branch off to our own vehicles.
I’ve got Maddie tucked up against me and she fits perfectly under my arm. She spends the entire car ride home telling me about her night, and I soak up every second of it. There’s nowhere I’d rather be.
