Chapter 30
TALLY
Dad pulls me in for a lingering hug when I meet him at the restaurant. “Hey, kiddo. How was the flight?”
“It was smooth.” I wait until his hold on me loosens before I step back. There’s a weird level of guilt attached to spending time with him that I’m trying to parse through. “How was practice this morning?”
Flip messaged that my dad was in a good mood, which took a little of the anxiety out of meeting him for lunch.
“It was great. The boys look good going into tonight’s game.” He holds me at arm’s length for a few more seconds. “Thanks for making time for me.”
“I’m glad nothing came up for either of us.”
He completely misses the barb. “Me, too.”
Flying out to see my boyfriend and not spending time with my dad would put Flip in an awkward position, so here I am.
Dad is all smiles as we check in with the host. We order drinks, then head up to the buffet to fill our plates.
“How are you?” I ask once we’re seated across from each other. He looks like he’s lost weight, and like he’s not sleeping well either.
“Okay. Staying busy, which I guess isn’t new.” He spears a bite of ginger chicken. “How are you?”
“Okay.”
“How’s school? I feel like I don’t know what’s going on in your life.”
“You know the highlights. It’s my last semester. I’m working hard, and I’m dating someone.” All this surface talk is frustrating.
“Madden is serious about you.”
“He flew me out here because he misses me, so yeah, I think we’re pretty serious about each other.”
“Are you being safe?”
“Seriously, Dad. I’m responsible, and so is he. And whether we’re being safe shouldn’t actually be the thing you’re most concerned about. Shouldn't you want to know how he treats me? If he listens? Does he put me first?”
“Does he…put you first?” Dad asks softly.
“He makes time for me before he leaves for an away series. He flew home early from the last one to take me for breakfast with Cammie and Chase, and spent the day with me. I’m here now.” My anger bubbles over. “Maybe you could learn something from him.”
He sighs. “That’s not fair, Tally.”
“Why isn’t it fair? You’ve been dedicated to the Terror my entire life.
You’ve seen them through multiple Cup wins.
You can do anything you set your mind to, but you can’t put the time and energy into being a good partner for Mom?
Why don’t you want that with her? Why don’t you want that with your family? ”
He rubs his bottom lip. “Your mom deserves more than I can give her.”
“Did you even try? Did you even want to?” I shake my head, frustrated with him and myself and fucking life. “If you really wanted to make it work, you would have found a way.”
He nods once. “If this were a decade ago, you would be right. But I have broken this relationship beyond repair, Tally. I didn’t strive for balance, and I didn’t put the time and energy into loving your mom the way I should have.”
“Why can’t you do it now? Why is it impossible to fix?”
“Your mom is tired, Tally. It’s years of me not being there enough, of her being the sole source of emotional support for you and Ties and Fenna.
Nothing I do now will take away the harm I’ve already caused.
Your mom deserves to be happy, and someone else should have that chance with her.
She made her choice and I want to respect that.
I don’t want to hurt her anymore, and trying to keep her tied to me would do that. ”
I brush away a tear, sad all over that this is where our family is. I don’t want to end up like my parents. What if I give my heart to Flip and he stops taking care of it? How broken would I be?
“I’m sorry, Tally. I know that’s not what you want to hear, and it isn’t what I want to tell you.”
I tip my chin up, fighting to keep more tears from falling. “I’d rather have the ugly truth than a pretty lie.”
I’m grateful for Dred, Hemi, and Rix, who have organized mani-pedis after lunch. It’s a helpful distraction and keeps me out of the panic spiral. Especially since I won’t get to see Flip until after the game this evening.
The Terror win 3-2. Flip, Tristan, and Dallas each score a goal, with Connor, Ash and Quinn as the assists. And no one from the media questions my presence at the game since I’m the coach’s daughter.
Afterward, the girls and I return to the hotel to change into club attire. I’m a bag of nerves. I’ve been in Montreal for hours and I haven’t even had a chance to hug him yet.
“You okay?” Hemi asks as I adjust my dress and check my makeup for the hundredth time.
“Yes. No. I don’t know. This is the first time we’ve all been out dancing since Flip and I started dating. The media are going to freak out.”
“It’s okay if you’re also freaking out. It’s a lot to handle,” Dred says gently.
All three of them have been my personal cheer squad since my arrival in Montreal. I vacillate between excitement and excessive nerves.
“How did you handle the pressure? How do you handle the pressure?”
“We have each other.” Rix motions to the girls.
“And we have partners who know it’s a lot to be with them and who take care of us and our needs.
Flip will be the same for you. He wouldn’t have flown you out here if he wasn’t ready for this step.
He also wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t think you were ready. ”
“It’s getting really real,” I whisper.
“It’s a statement that you’re here,” Dred says. “He’s claiming you as his.”
“People will have feelings about it.”
“Fuck the people!” Hemi waves her hand in the air. “You know what I mean. Even when there’s nothing to say, they have something to say about Flip’s love life. We’ve already made a plan to counterbalance the nonsense.”
“He flew you out here because he doesn’t want to be away from you. He made sure you’re surrounded by your friends and the people who will watch out for you,” Rix adds.
“He’s telling the world he’s yours, Tally.” Dred squeezes my hand.
“And I’m his.”
“That’s right.” Hemi’s phone pings. “They’re three minutes out. It’s go time!”
We shrug into winter coats and head down to the lobby.
My stomach somersaults when I see Flip. Neither of us has any chill as we rush across the foyer. He opens his arms, and I launch myself at him.
His lips find the side of my neck as he lifts me off my feet. “God, I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” I feel grounded for the first time in days. It’s terrifying.
He huffs me, lips traveling along my neck as he sets me down, takes my face in his hands, and kisses me deeply. Eventually he pulls back. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he mumbles into my skin.
“Me, too. That was a great game.”
“I played better tonight because of you.” He kisses me again, eyes moving over my face.
“The media followed you back here, eh?” Hemi inclines her head to the group of camera-toters.
“The limo drew them in,” Connor says.
“Or your suit did,” Dred says cheekily.
“My suit is awesome.” Connor runs his hand down his teal velvet jacket, the maroon piping matches Dred’s dress and coat.
“It’s definitely a showstopper.” Dallas pats him on the shoulder.
“How do you want to handle this?” Flip asks me. “We can stay in if you don’t want the attention.”
“We knew this would happen.” I look to Hemi. “We prepared for this.” As much as I want time alone with Flip, I don’t want it because we spent the night hiding. I want him to know I’m in this just like he is.
He laces our fingers and kisses the back of my hand. “You stay right next to me, okay? I’ll take care of you.”
“I know you will.” I exhale a nervous breath. Everything will change in a matter of minutes.
“Okay, Tristan and Rix, Connor and Dred, you lead,” Hemi orders.
“We’ll be your front line.” Connor winks.
“Flip and Tally, you follow. Try to stay centered so we can keep Tally as protected as possible. There will be questions, but I’ll handle that. Dallas and I will be your tail.” Hemi claps. “Okay, team, let’s make a statement.”
“We got you.” Rix squeezes my hand.
“Connor will activate villain mode, if he needs to.” Dred winks.
Flip wraps his arm around me and kisses my temple. “You ready, kitten?”
“Ready.”
We stay tight to Tristan and Connor’s backs, with Hemi and Dallas flanking us. Cameras flash, and there’s a collective murmur as their eyes move to me and Flip, his arm wrapped protectively around me. Reporters shout questions, pushing in.
“Are you dating the coach’s daughter?”
“Tallulah, does your father know you’re involved with one of the players?”
Connor wraps his arm around Dred’s waist and spins them toward the reporters.
He dips her like they’re in the middle of a dance floor and drags his nose along the column of her throat before he slants his mouth over hers.
Tristan and Rix step to the side, and Flip moves me ahead of him, helping me into the waiting limo and diving in after.
Tristan and Rix follow, then Dred and Connor.
“If you have questions, you can email me regarding interviews,” Hemi says. “But I’m off the clock. If you’ll excuse us.”
Dallas extends his hand and helps her into the limo. “The answer is yes, I’m absolutely trying to get my wife pregnant. Thanks for asking.” He ducks in after us.
Hemi slaps him on the chest. “What the hell?”
“I’m manifesting, honey.”
“And I thought you were a problem.” Dred shakes her head at her husband.
“I am, and you love me for it.” Connor kisses her.
“Such a villain.” She snuggles into his side.
“Thanks for the distraction.” Flip gives him a chin tip and stretches his arm across the back of the seat. “You okay?”
“Yeah. That went pretty well, right?”
Flip nods. “They’ve seen us together, now they’ll work themselves into a frenzy about it, and when they calm down, I can give an official interview.” He kisses my cheek. “In the meantime, I’ll do my best to be worth the headache.”
I squeeze his thigh. “The media have no idea how incredible you are.”