“Hey.” I run my fingers gently down her arm.
“Hi.” She rolls her bottom lip between her teeth.
I lace our fingers and the smile that lights up her face makes whatever shit kicking I’ll get from my teammates later worth it. “How was rehearsal?”
“Good.” Her eyes dart to her dad and back to me. “You were great out there tonight.”
“I had a reason to play well.” I wink and her smile widens.
Vander Zee’s eyes volley between us.
“Are you coming to the Watering Hole?” I rub my thumbacross her knuckles, hoping the contact eases some of her nerves the way it does mine.
“I can drop Tally off,” Vander Zee jumps in before she can respond. He’s probably itching for time with her.
Silence has fallen around us, but I stay focused on Tally.
Her cheeks flush. “I won’t be far behind you.”
“Take your time.” I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles. “I won’t go anywhere without you.”
“You’ll make sure she gets home safely. In the same condition she went out in,” Vander Zee barks.
Someone coughs behind me.
I turn to Vander Zee. “Absolutely, sir.”
“Okay, cool. I’ll see you all soon.” Tally threads her arm through his. “Come on, Dad.” She leads him away.
“What in the actual fuck is going on?” Dallas looks at Hemi. “And why don’t you look shocked?”
“Because I’m not.” Hemi pats him on the chest. “And you shouldn’t be either.”
“Well now.” Quinn whistles low. “This explains New Year’s Eve.”
“I knew that vibe was vibing,” Rix says.
“You know you can’t fuck this up, right?” Kellan says.
“Like we will all fuck you up if you fuck it up,” Ashish, who is the most mild-mannered of all the guys, says.
“Hemi’s already threatened me with her brothers.”
“They’ll get the leftovers,” Quinn needles.
“I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t serious about her.” I glance around the group. “I know what’s at stake.”
“He does,” Connor steps in before anyone else takes a shot at me. “He’s been eating up my wife’s free time with his existential crisis.”
That breaks some of the tension and the girls laugh.
Quinn pats me on the shoulder. “Worst case, you get tradedand spend the final years of your career freezing your ass off and never making the playoffs again.”
CHAPTER 21
TALLY
“How long has this been going on?” Dad asks as he collects his things from his office.
