A Football Player And A Grumpy Billionaire
Fiona
This is so wild. Gabriel Vincenti is walking with me to get cookies out of a stroller.
“So, you have a kid?” Gabe’s big body takes up so much space in the hallway.
I move over slightly. “Sort of. I’m a foster parent. I take kids in on an emergency basis for short periods of time.”
“Wow. You must love kids.”
Is it really about loving kids or doing the right thing? “They need someone to take care of them.” We need to change the topic. “Are you ready for next week’s game?”
He rolls his shoulder with a smile. “Yeah. It’s going to be a semi-sweet game.”
Semi-sweet? How can winning—I stop at the edge of the hallway and foyer. “The rumors are true. You’re retiring after this game.”
Gabriel smiles. “Yeah. This will be my last game.”
Wow. Wow. “The world is going to miss you on the field.” That was so cheesy. He must think I’m the worst fangirl.
“Are you coming to the game?”
“I wish. Tickets are impossible to get, even though it’s a local game.” Daria would have loved to go to the game. We had to be careful not to mention it near Knight because he would have bought tickets at the ridiculous prices to make Daria happy.
“You should come.”
What? Gabríel Vincenti isn’t inviting me to attend his game. What do I do? There’s no way I can take tickets from a total stranger.
Think. Change the topic. Anything. I step forward and peek into the living room. A whole bunch of different people are in there talking now. Um, what? “I thought this was just a family dinner.”
“Huh?”
“There have been at least a dozen different people in here.”
“And? We have a big family. This is just a small family Sunday dinner.”
“Small? What is your definition of small?”
“About fifty, maybe seventy-five. I think Aunt Temperance only invited immediate family.”
Seventy-five. Don’t ask. Don’t ask. “What’s a big family event?”
“I’ve been to some weddings with over a thousand people.”
“A thousand people for a wedding. How?” That’s too big to even fathom. “Where do you find enough space to seat them all?”
“We have an event hall we use for weddings.”
“That’s comforting.” Not at all. Could you imagine being a bride with a thousand people watching you walk down the aisle, wondering if you’re going to trip? Yeah. No, thank you.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”
I roll my eyes as I walk into the closet.
“What kind of cookies did you bring?” Gabe leans over as I reach into the stroller.
“Leftovers.” The plastic container is wedged in there. It was another reason we brought the stroller.
“No, I mean what type of cookies. No one cares if they were leftovers. Cookies are always good on the second or third day.”
“Oops, sorry. I don’t mean they’re leftovers. We named the cookie Leftovers.”
“Seriously cool. Do they taste good?”
Would I bring them to someone’s house if they didn’t? “I guess you’ll have to taste them and see.”
“Cookies aren’t my thing. But Max loves them. I think they’re his favorite.”
“Really?” I should have known that. He never bothers with the fancy pastries at the bakery. But he’s had so many different cookies already.
“Oh yeah. Here, let me carry that.” He takes the cookies from my hands, and we walk back to the library. “Fiona brought cookies. Wanna try one?”
Um, what?
“Sure.” Max walks over and takes one from the container that Gabe opened. “Oh, Leftovers. These are the best.”
“Really?” Gabe snatches one.
“Wait, I thought you didn’t like cookies.”
Gabe shrugs. “I don’t love them, but I’ll make an exception for you.”
Huh?
“Max, Fiona wants to go to the game. Do you have an open spot in your box?”
What? No. Why did Gabe say that? Max doesn’t want me to be there.
“Sure. I have plenty of room for you and Daria to join us.”
That was thoughtful of Max to invite Daria when Gabe just completely ignored her. “I don’t know—”
Daria pokes her head out from behind one of the bookcases and emphatically signs, “YES!”
“I guess we’re going.” That means I’m going to be trapped in a little room with Max for hours.
Hope jumps up, clapping a little. “That means you two are coming. We’ll have so much fun.”
Woohoo…not.
“Why don’t we bring these cookies to the dessert table before there aren’t any left?” Hope, thankfully, gives me an out.
***
“Dash is such a cute baby.” Temperance is bouncing him on her hip. “He looks just like Max when he was a baby. Except his curls are darker.”
Emilia walks up. “Why haven’t I gotten a chance to cuddle this little guy?” She walks up and plucks him out of Temperance’s arms.
It’s a good thing Dash is a people person, or we’d be dealing with a fussy baby the number of times he’s been passed around tonight.
“I’m glad to finally see you at a family dinner. Took you long enough.” Emilia gives me a pointed look. “If all it took was Hope to ask you, I would have sent her over years ago.”
How do I respond to that?
The baby smiles up at Emilia and blows bubbles at her with what’s left of his after-dinner snack.
“Well, aren’t you a smart little boy. Fiona, you should keep this one.” She tickles Dash’s belly.
“That’s not how it works.” Though the little guy is growing on me.
“It could be if you want it to.” She sets the Dash down on the table and helps him wiggle. “Isn’t that right, little man?”
“The Street needs someone to do emergency coverage. If I don’t take these children, they wouldn’t have anywhere to go.”
Emilia takes a hand off the baby and waves it at me. “That’s total nonsense. Paisley has half a dozen people who do exactly the same thing. She would be thrilled for you to adopt this little guy. He reminds me so much of Max as a baby. Wouldn’t he look cute in family photos?”
Um…What?
“That reminds me. I want to introduce you to Gabe. He’s Viola’s grandson. I think he’s in the billiard room talking to Max. Go say hi to him.”
“But—”
“No buts. Hurry along. We’ll take care of this sweet baby.”
It’s just easier to do what she says than to try to explain that I’ve already met him. Now all I need to do is find the billiard room. Is it near the ballroom or the movie room? They need to put maps on the walls around here, like they do at hotels.
After two wrong turns, I find Gabe and Max playing pool and drinking. Max has a cue and an amber glass of something in his hand, while Gabe is lining up a shot.
“Are you as good at pool as you are at football?”
He lifts his head up and gives me a slow smile. “Nope, it’s not even close. Max is killing me, like always.”
“Would you like a drink?” Max nods at the bar.
“Sure, a bourbon neat, please.”
Max walks over to pour me a glass.
“Gabriel, you need to tell Emilia that I came and talked to you. I’m pretty sure she’s going to ask for verification.” I walk over to a stool by the wall and sit down.
“Will do. And call me Gabe. All the family does.” He leans over and lines up the shot, missing by a mile.
“See.” He walks over, picks up what looks like a glass of water, and sits down on the stool next to me.
“Now we’re going to watch Max clear the table.
It’s thoroughly irritating playing with him.
” Gabe’s cheerful smile belies his words.
“I bet.”
“It’s all math and angles.” Max hands me my glass and walks to the table.
Gabe looks at me and rolls his eyes. “So says the genius.”
“A photographic memory doesn’t make me a genius.” Max leans over and lines up his shot.
The two men are vastly different in every way. Max has the kind of bulk that makes a person feel safe around him. He could protect them through any kind of battle. Whereas Gabe has a bodybuilder’s physique. All those perfect muscles that look like they’re only there for show.
Which is totally wrong since he literally fights his way through men trying to smash him for his job, whereas Max sits behind a computer all day.
Max sinks stripe after stripe until there are only solids left on the table.
“See what I have to deal with? It just kills my ego.”
I laugh at his silliness. “I’m sure you’ll survive with your millions of adoring fans.”
Gabe winks at me.
The crack of balls colliding makes me jump a little as Max sinks the eight-ball.
Talon walks in with Dash sleeping on his shoulder.
Emilia’s right. Dash looks like he belongs in their family.
“Good, Mom said you three were in the billiard room. Gabe, would you see that Fiona gets home safely for me.”
“Of course. It would be my pleasure.” Gabe stands up, setting his glass down.
Max walks up and takes the baby from Talon’s arms, transferring him without the baby even stirring. “I can take Fiona.”
“Gabe can do it on his way home.”
We’re hardly on his way home. “Daria and I can take a cab.”
Talon turns to me and raises an eyebrow. “Gabe will take them home.”