“There’s a part of my past I didn’t tell you.”
“You’re adopted.”
She laughed. “No. At least I don’t think so. It’s about you. When Jessica came home after your dad died, I wanted to ask her about you. I wanted to know if you had a girlfriend. I wanted to know your address, your phone number, just… something. But I didn’t ask her because she and Luke were trying to leave the past exactly where it belonged. I stalked you, but I couldn’t come after you. I dreamed of you tracking me down, but you didn’t, so I accepted you didn’t want me the way I wanted you.”
“You didn’t know shit, Miss I Live in New York.”
She rubbed my earlobe between her fingers. God, I loved when she played with my hair, feathered her hands over my face, or touched me in any way.
“My point is, if someone would have told me that we’d be here like this, I never would have believed them because you’ve been this completely out-of-reach dream since the day we met. Today the dream is real, and that’s why I didn’t tell them your name, but I’ve been talking about you for months. I think until this exact moment I didn’t wholly believe you’d be here.”
“Oh, sweet baby girl, please tell me you two didn’t elope.” Lake’s mom held open the screen door.
We looked at pictures of her family on her phone when we stayed at the hotel in L.A. She thought I’d feel more comfortable if I could easily put names with faces. Her mom, Felicity, was easy to recognize with her chin-length black and gray hair,and her tall, slender frame.
“No, Mom, we didn’t get married.”
I eased her back on her feet.
“Oh, baby! What happened to you?”
Yeah, her skin was stillreallyred.
“Minor sunburn. I was in L.A. with a low SPF. No biggie. It happens.”
“Are you sure you’re okay—Oh. Good. Lord! You’re Cage Monaghan. Lake, what’s he doing here?” Felicity smacked her hand against her chest. “Tom!?! Get in here. You’re never going to believe this.”
I grinned. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jones.” I offered my hand.
She just stared at me with a wide-eyed look plastered to her face. “Felicity… please, and… w-what are you doing here?”
Lake took my hand and tugged me past her mom and into the foyer. “He’s with me, Mom, he’s my…” She glanced up at me as if she needed my permission to finish her introduction.
“Boyfriend?” I said to Lake.
She grinned, like my confirmation in front of her mom made her whole day. “Yes.” She continued to smile at me, even though her words were meant for her mom. “Cage Monaghan is my boyfriend. I didn’t tell you at the time, but he flew to Beijing just to kiss me.”
Felicity’s mouth fell agape as she shifted her gaze to me.
With a shrug, I grinned. “True story.”
“What’s the hubbub about? Whoa!” Her dad stopped the moment he saw Lake. “What the hell, baby girl?”
“A little sunburn, Dad. No big deal.”
His gaze lingered on her for a few seconds, like he didn’t know if he should believe her. Of course he should not have,but I valued my life so I kept my mouth shut.
After the brief stare-down, which Lake won, her dad moved his attention to me. “Holy crap! You’re Minnesota’s quarterback… Monaghan. What… why are you here?”
Lake rolled her eyes. “Jeez… thanks, parents, for not making the assumption that Cage is my boyfriend. Heaven forbid the girl with the missing leg find herself a real catch.”
Tom pointed a finger at me while he met Lake’s angry face. “This isn’t a joke?”
I held out my hand. “It’s not a joke, Mr. Jones. I’m dating your daughter. I’m Cage, but I gather you already know that. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you.”
Tom shook my hand. A generous grin formed along his face beneath his short gray beard that matched the gray in his hair mixed with a reddish-blond. “Nice to meet you, Cage. Not gonna lie, we’re not Minnesota fans, but I’ve been a fan of yours since you played in college.”
Nodding, I chuckled. “Thanks. And I appreciate your honesty. I doubt there are many Minnesota fans around here.”
