“Are you excited for your away game coming up?” She changes the subject.
“Not really. I don’t mind the traveling, but I’m not a fan of the team. I swear they get dirtier every year we go up against them,” I say, making her frown.
“That doesn’t sound good.” She looks concerned.
“It will be fine,” I reassure her. “We can handle them.”
My phone beeps in my pocket, making me cringe. “Sorry, I forgot to turn off the sound. Give me a second.”
I pull out my phone and see it’s the alert for the Boston Foxes. The game has officially started. I put the phone on “Do Not Disturb” before slipping it back into my pocket.
“Sorry about that. It was a notification for the guys’ team.”
Her eyes light up. “Wait, you have a notification set for game updates for Beckett and Clay?”
“I do. I try to keep up with them as much as possible. It helps that Grace and Peyton give updates via the family chat a lot. I saw they added you to that.”
“Yeah, they did. That’s so sweet that you keep up with them, though.”
“It’s not sweet,” I protest, making her chuckle.
The server comes over and takes our order.
“You know, I really like your friends’ girlfriends. They are so nice. Nicer than I expected, honestly,” she admits softly.
“They are pretty great. I don’t think I could have picked better women for them if I tried. They are the sisters I never had.”
“That’s what I heard. I mean, you went and helped Peyton buy her Bronco and got Grace new tires because you knew she was busy.”
I feel my cheeks heat as I shrug. “It’s not a big deal. They are like my sisters, and their men are gone. Watching out for them is the least I could do.”
Her eyes soften as she rests her chin on her palm, elbow on the table. “They love you, you know.”
“It’s mutual.”
“You know, they told me a rumor.” She smiles wickedly.
“What’s that?”
“That you are a baby hog,” she says, making me laugh.
Out of all the things she could have said, I wasn’t expecting that.
“I’m an Alissa hog. The kid has me wrapped around her finger.” I smile, thinking about my goddaughter.
“That’s adorable. Who knew you could be such a softy?” she teases.
“What can I say? It takes a special type of person to get under my skin.” I shrug.
“I like it. I can’t wait to see you with her. I’ve been told it’s quite the sight.”
Fuck yes!
It shouldn’t make me this happy that she’s thinking about seeing me with my goddaughter, but it does. It’s not very often that she’s the one that talks about the future with us, and it makes me fucking hopeful.
So. Fucking. Hopeful.
The server comes back with our food, and the rest of the date goes off without a hitch. All too soon, I’m paying the bill.
