Prince Pucking Charming

He looks away, his eyes fixed on the television, and then he nods. I have to tread lightly with Duke. Both of our careers and lives are at stake.

Chapter Thirteen

Duke

Staring down at my cell phone, a hundred different things run through my head. I want to call Lila. Maybe I should text her. What would I even say? I’ve never put much thought into talking to women. It’s always been as easy for me as breathing.

“Nick,” Marcel says loud enough for me to hear him upstairs. The front door slams, and then I hear my father’s voice, followed by Benji and Lucas, who are probably fanboying all over my dad.

I shove the phone in my pocket and rush downstairs. My dad is surrounded by my roommates, who are discussing their last game with him. I haven’t seen my dad in months. With our schedules and living in different cities, it’s hard to carve out time for each other.

“What are you doing here?”

He shrugs. “I was on my way to Philly. I couldn’t drive through D.C. without seeing you.”

“You should have called.”

Why am I acting like a dick? Because it’s in my nature, I guess. My sessions with Lila are stirring up old feelings I have buried for a long time. And I hate it. I hate being mad at my dad for abandoning us. I don’t want to create intentional distance between us, but I have a hard time letting go.

“Give your old man a hug.” Dad holds out his arms, and I step inside his warm embrace. For his age, he’s still in good shape. His arms constrict around me like a snake. “Duke,” he says, holding the back of my head. “I missed you, son.”

My dad never shows up unannounced. So, his visit must have a purpose. My teammates are too busy clamoring over him to realize Nick Baldwin doesn’t just show up to say hello.

“You want a beer, Nick?” Marcel asks.

My dad waves him off. “No, I can’t stay long. I have to talk to Duke for a second before I get back on the road.”

“We can talk in my room,” I say, and he follows behind me.

Once we’re inside my bedroom with the door shut, he sits on the bed next to me. “So, what’s up, Dad?”

“It’s your sister,” he says with a sigh. “She’s moving to Philly to live with Dean.”

“I know. Kat told me. I said I’d come home to help her move.”

“She’s not ready for this.”

“I think you’re the one who’s not ready,” I challenge. “The last time I talked to Kat, she sounded like she had everything under control.”

“You never apologized to Dean. She’s still mad at you.”

“I called him. I left him a voicemail.”

Dad groans. “Duke, you know that’s not good enough. Dean will be part of this family someday.”

“If he makes it that long,” I say to annoy him.

“I can see your anger management sessions aren’t working.”

“Yes, they are,” I spit back. “Kat isn’t the real reason you’re here.”

He shakes his head. “I wanted to see how you’re doing. Is that okay? You haven’t returned any of my calls for the past two weeks.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“You can’t be that busy,” he shouts. “You’re not even playing!”

“You’re here now,” I point out. “So, we can either fight until you leave, or you can get out now and leave me alone.”