Confrontations & Salutations
Chapter eleven
Grant
Lunch with Marlow is awkward.
I’m a mess trying not to think about Eslin too much and the adorable way she took the news. That I’m Marlow’s father.
Marlow doesn’t notice I’m distracted. I’m playing it off well enough—years of practice will do that. But I can barely focus on a damn thing she’s saying.
I almost laugh to myself at Eslin’s reaction to seeing me. And fuck, it was good to see her. To feel her pressed against me, even if it was by accident. Even if it only lasted a second.
Until today, I’ve been doing so well. So damn well. I’ve kept my distance. Stayed in my lane. Avoided Eslin like my life depended on it.
Hell, maybe it does.
I know her schedule. When she leaves for work each morning. The hours she’s with patients. When she usually comes home. Hits the gym. Every detail.
I made sure I knew.
I’m not a stalker—far from it.
It was the only way to keep my distance. The only way to avoid crossing paths... reaching for something I know I can’t have.
But today she changed her routine.
And she walked right into me.
I didn’t even have time to react.
Well. Other parts of me sure as hell reacted. But she didn’t give me the chance to say anything more than my name. She barreled past me like her shoes were on fire and stomped straight down the hall in the opposite direction.
And now here I am, sitting across from my daughter, trying to pretend I’m not rattled. Trying to pretend like my blood isn’t still pumping too fast.
One brush of her body against mine and every carefully constructed wall I’d built these past two months cracked straight down the middle.
I take a sip of water. It barely touches the heat burning through me.
Fuck.
I’ve missed her. More than I was ever willing to admit.
And now I haven’t got a clue how the hell I’m supposed to stay away from her.
Because one look, one breath in her space, and I already know—I’m fucked.
“Daddy! Did you hear me?”
Marlow’s voice pulls me away from the pointless thoughts swirling in my head.
I blink and clear my throat. “Sorry, honey. There’s an email I just remembered I forgot to send,” I lie.
She rolls her eyes. “Always working.”
“Hey—you and your new partners practically castrated me, making me behave. You had to know a few things about me were going to stay the same.”
“Yeah, but not while we’re out for lunch on such a rare occasion! This is my time with you!”
“Well, it’s kind of hard to turn work off now that you’ve entered this world. Honestly, I’m fascinated by how quickly you’ve picked this up and taken it on.”
She beams, practically glowing. “Aww! Thanks, Daddy! That’s why I’m so proud of what we’re doing in the community to turn the team’s image around.
Working with the PR team has been the best thing for me.
I get to find creative ways to use my passion for making the sport more inclusive for women while helping the team’s public image. ”
“That’s impressive, Low. I’m really proud of you.”
Her mother was the same way. Could champion any cause she believed in and make you fall in love with a porcupine if you talked to her long enough.
Seeing Marlow channel those same gifts—seeing her do exactly what Will and Xavier have been begging for—makes me think this might’ve been one of the best ideas for everyone all around.
Even if it did take weeks of convincing from Marlow.
We wrap up lunch and I walk Marlow back to her office, already knowing exactly what I’m going to do next.
I check my watch—perfect. Eslin doesn’t have another appointment for thirty minutes.
I catch the next elevator down and stalk toward her office, my stride purposeful. Every step, my pulse kicks harder.
Where all these testosterone-filled kids get to see her every damn day.
Get to sit in front of her. Hear her voice. Smell that honey and vanilla on her skin.
It’s a wonder I’ve lasted this long.
My heart’s pounding now—fast, hard—the closer I get to her door.
And then, I’m there.
She’s seated behind her desk, typing. She doesn’t look up right away. But then her fingers still, mid-keystroke. Like she feels me. Senses me standing there.
“Did you know?” she asks, voice even, eyes locked on the screen.
And I know exactly what she means.
“No,” I say, voice rough. “Not at first. I found out the day I left you in Vegas.”
She stays focused on the screen, refusing to meet my gaze.
I step inside, taking in the room. It’s beautiful—soft tones, warm lighting, sleek, modern touches that suit her perfectly. The space feels calm. Grounded. The same way she makes me feel.
But I’m anything but calm right now.
My mind is racing. My body tense.
I want to tell her this wasn’t some game. That I would never set myself or her up like this.
I wouldn’t dare torture myself by hiring the one woman I can’t have. The one I want more than my next breath.
The one I’m dying to lay across that desk and devour until she’s trembling, breathless, begging me not to stop.
But I can’t say any of that.
She stands, unhurried but intentional, rounding the desk. For a beat, I think she’s going to reach for me. My breath catches, hope stupidly flaring in my chest.
“Es—”
“Your daughter,” she cuts in. “Is fucking amazing. She’s brilliant, and funny, and kind. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a friend.”
“I know. She’s—”
“My boss,” Eslin finishes sharply, her gaze finally snapping to mine.
I swallow hard. “Painfully aware,” I murmur.
Her arms fold across her chest, her posture all steel and self-control. “And I would never betray my ethics for some fling with a guy I met once in Vegas.”
The word hits like a punch. Fling.
Ouch.
Because it was never that to me. Not for a second.
I nod slowly, forcing the words out. “I understand. I would never ask you to betray your values or ethics for me, Eslin. I respect you too much.”
She exhales, shoulders sagging slightly. “You’ve been avoiding me, huh?”
A humorless laugh escapes me. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”
“And that was you...on the sidewalk that day?” she asks softly.
I nod again, no point in pretending. “Yes. You were outside of HollyDates. Wearing a burnt orange suit.”
Her lips twitch, something fragile flickering across her face. “Good memory.”
“Impossible to forget.”
She hesitates, fingers fidgeting—tangling and untangling like she’s trying to hold something in or delicately unfold it.
“Do you…do you live in my building, too? Or were you visiting one of your friends?”
I meet her gaze head-on, steady. “I live in the building. It’s just me.”
And even though it’s pointless to say it—dangerous, even—I need her to know.
“There is no one else.”
No one but her.
Her fingers clench again, her chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.
“I... I need to say something.” Her voice cracks.
“Okay.” I step closer, pulse pounding. “Say it.”
She smiles—small, sad—and I catch the faint shimmer of a tear in her eye before she blinks it back.
“That night in Vegas...” her voice wavers but she pushes through, “it was everything I imagined it would be. The way we walked and talked for hours, sharing truths without fear of being judged or rejected. It was magical. And it broke my heart when I couldn’t have more. Couldn’t carry it home with me.”
She draws in a shaky breath. “But now that I’ve met Marlow, I get it. I understand why keeping your word to her is so important.”
“Eslin—”
But she holds up a hand, cutting me off. “So I need you to stay hidden, Grant. Keep avoiding me. Please.”
She’s begging. And fuck—it’s breaking her heart just as much as it’s breaking mine. Again.
I swallow hard, forcing down the knot lodged in my throat. “Okay.”
But it nearly kills me to stop there.
I want to say more. Much more.
I want to ask her to take a walk with me—no expectations, no promises. No words needed.
Just to be near her. To breathe the same air for a little longer.
But then I hear footsteps and a familiar bark. Coach Jones rounds the corner with Rocky—the team’s rambunctious pup—trotting at his side.
The sound pulls me back to earth, softens the ache in my chest just enough to breathe again.
I kneel down, letting Rocky barrel into me, tail wagging. I run a hand through his thick fur, pressing a kiss to his head. “Hey, Coach,” I greet Jones, though my attention stays on Rocky. “Hey, Coach Rocky,” I add with a playful growl, roughing up his ears.
Rocky’s a former Navy SEAL dog who was retired early when they discovered he was too playful for that kind of work. Too friendly. My buddy from the unit called me, said he’d be perfect for a new life with us. I didn’t hesitate. Brought him in for the guys here—and he’s worked miracles for morale.
He’s worked miracles for me, too.
When he’s not with the players, he stays with me. My shadow. My calm.
“You ready to go home, buddy?” I ask softly, and Rocky barks his approval.
I rise, forcing my gaze back to Eslin. Forcing the words out with more control than I feel.
“Goodbye, Dr. Saunders.”
She straightens, chin high even as her eyes shimmer again. “Goodbye, Mister.”