He coughs again and then changes the subject. “I looked at your schedule for Thanksgiving next week. All home games so I know there’s no chance you’ll be able to sneak a trip home for the holiday. I know your mom would love to see you too.”
“Mom and James are going to Florida to have Thanksgiving with his folks,” I reply to my dad as I look across the table at Blue. “And I haven’t had a chance to really talk about it with you, Blue, but I was wondering if you’d maybe help me host a Thanksgiving meal at my house.”
She blinks at me in surprise. “Um…sure.”
“I thought we could invite all the single players since there’s no time for trips home to their families. I mean, a lot of the married couples do that anyway, so they all have a place to go, but I figure why not do the same.”
“That’s a really nice idea,” Blue says with a soft smile at me.
“We obviously will get Billy that morning and he can spend the entire day with us, and possibly the night if that’s okay,” I add on. I’d given this some thought, and turn to my dad. “Why don’t you fly in and celebrate with us?”
“Maybe you should ask your mother to come visit you rather than go to Florida,” my dad replies hesitantly. “You and I did Thanksgiving together last year.”
I internally snort over his idea of spending a Thanksgiving holiday together in a “family” way with me. He flew out to LA and we ate prime rib at a ridiculously expensive restaurant, then we went bar hopping and hooked up with some hotties we’d met out that night.
“She can’t. James’s dad isn’t doing well so they’re committed to going.”
“Sorry to hear that,” my dad says with a nod of his head. He and my mom remain cordial friends and I know he still cares about her as the mother of his son. He smiles and holds his arms out. “Then…count me in.”
“Awesome,” Blue says brightly.
“Yeah,” I say with fondness for my dad who is now entering a new and different type of relationship with me, it seems. “Awesome.”Chapter 21ErikBlue’s hand feels right in mine. In fact, I don’t remember anything feeling quite this right. About the closest I can compare is perhaps the first time I put on skates and stepped out onto the ice for the first time when I was five, but even that doesn’t really measure up.
The only thing I know is that while I might not stop being in awe over this feeling, I’ve stopped questioning it. I just accept that it is.
As we walk through the lobby of the Desert Sun Country Club, I give a sidelong glance at Blue.
Fucking stunning.
“I totally underestimated how that dress would affect me,” I tell her offhandedly. The low-cut, black dress with a side slit to mid-thigh was made for her. Or rather, made for me.
She shoots me a brief glance accompanied by a smirk. “How so?”
“Well…when you tried it on, I thought it was elegant and sexy and really just perfect on you. But couple it with the hair, the makeup, the jewelry, and those fuck-me-all-night-long heels with that strap around the ankle, I’m not sure I’ll be able to contain myself around you.”
Blue stops dead in her tracks and I do the same. Her eyes sparkle with mischief and she starts to tug me back in the direction from where we just came. “Then let’s go back to your place. You can strip me out of this dress and I’ll leave the shoes on—”
“No way.” Laughing, I turn our direction back toward the reunion party. The Grand Ballroom A. “Nice try, Blue. But we’re going to this high school get-together and you’re going to enjoy yourself.”
“Fat chance,” she mutters.
Blue’s been trying to back out of this event all week but I won’t let her. I want her to go back and confront her past. I want her to shine tonight because I want others to know how brilliantly awesome she is. I already know that shit.
We reach the ballroom with its big double wooden doors and strains of music filtering through. A bad rendition of “Misery” by Maroon 5.
Turning to her, I bring my hands to her shoulders. “Okay…I need you to be mentally prepared.”
Blue tilts her head to the side. “For what?”
“For people in there to stare at you. It’s going to happen because they have never seen a creature like you before. They’ll be in awe. Possibly green with jealousy. It could cause problems.”
Blue snorts and purses her lips. “These people have all seen me before.”
“Not the Blue Gardner you are tonight,” I say as I pull my chin in to look down her body. “They’ve never seen a dress like that on a body like yours. Or hair as beautiful, or skin as soft. Those shoes are going to cause a few hard-ons, and baby…those diamonds are going to make some women drool.”