Chapter 24
Jordan
When Victoria brought up having me over for dinner, I figured it would take a while.
Instead, it’s scheduled for the Saturday after I get back from the road trip.
We play on Friday night, so other than practice Saturday morning, I’m free.
And Victoria told me to be there at six.
I asked if her father was pissed, and she said he was but her mother somehow talked him off the ledge.
Whatever that means.
I’m a nervous wreck, but I’ve got flowers for her mom, a Knights baseball cap for her dad, white chocolate for Victoria and Ivy, and a little Knights jersey for Charlie.
I don’t know if they’re good gifts, but Jude and Chloe said they were thoughtful without being over the top, and Victoria told me her father collects ball caps.
By the time I pull up to the house my palms are sweating.
I hate being insecure but this is a big deal.
If Victoria and I are going to be together, it has to go well.
She could leave and move in with me, but I know she doesn’t want to cut her family off completely.
And I get that. I would hate not having my parents in my life.
They can be nosy and annoying sometimes, but they’re my parents and I love them.
I grab everything off the passenger seat and walk to the front door, practically holding my breath as I wait for someone to open it. Luckily, it’s her mother, not her father.
“Mrs. Denali,” I say politely. “Hi.”
She eyes me warily. “Come in.”
“Thank you for having me.” I hand her the bouquet of tulips. “These are for you.”
She takes them. “Thank you.”
“Hey.” Victoria looks beautiful in white capris and a pretty green blouse, her feet bare and makeup subtle.
“Hi.” I hand her a small bag of chocolates.
“My favorite,” she whispers. “Thank you.”
“There’s one for Ivy too.”
“I love presents.” Ivy comes around the corner with a grin, taking the proffered bag. “Thank you.”
“This is for Charlie,” I say, holding out the jersey.
“He’ll be so excited.” Ivy calls to him, and the tow-headed little boy comes into the room shyly. “Look what Jordan brought you.”
“Knights!” he says proudly.
“Can you say thank you?” she prompts him.
To my surprise, he grins, says, “thank you!” and promptly wraps chubby little arms around my leg. I chuckle, reaching down to pat his head.
“You’re welcome, buddy.”
I feel Mr. Denali’s presence before I see him, and it’s ironic because I somehow remember him as much bigger. Now, I’m probably an inch or so taller than he is, but I’m still a bit intimidated.
Holding out my hand, I nod politely. “Good to see you, Mr. Denali.”
He stares down at my hand like it’s covered in dog shit or something.
Great.
“Rodney.” His wife murmurs under her breath, and Mr. Denali grudgingly puts his hand in mine.
Neither of us says anything and I return his steady gaze. I can’t let him continue to intimidate me. Not when I love his daughter and want to make her happy.
“This, uh, is for you,” I say, handing him the cap. “It’s one of the limited-edition hats from our inaugural season. Victoria said you’re a collector.”
He hesitates and then looks down, slowly taking the cap. He turns it around a few times, as if inspecting it. And then nods. “Thanks.”
“Let’s go sit down,” Mrs. Denali says in an overly chirpy voice. “Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes.”
I follow everyone into the small but pleasant family room. Victoria sits on the couch and pats the spot beside her, so I sink down at her side, careful not to sit too close.
“So, why are you here?” Mr. Denali asks, looking at me directly.
“Dad.” Victoria’s voice is laced with frustration.
“What?” he asks. “Obviously, you two have been sneaking around again. Why are you here now?”
“We were just friends,” Victoria says smoothly. “We needed to talk about the past, get some closure. There was no reason to tell anyone.”
“And now?” He doesn’t seem impressed.
“Now I realize I still have feelings for her,” I say in as firm of a voice as I can muster up. “And we don’t want to sneak around, so that’s why I’m here today.”
“If you really cared about her, you would have asked my permission before you got involved.”
“Dad, this isn’t the 1800s,” Victoria says softly. “And we didn’t know we were going to have feelings again. We just wanted to talk.”
Mr. Denali scoffs. “Yeah, I’ll bet. Now I understand all the sleepovers at Merrill’s.”
Victoria’s cheeks flush pink.
“I’m here now,” I interject. “I’m willing to do whatever you ask to prove that I’m serious about your daughter.”
He eyes me. “Men like you don’t get serious. You have to get married because it’s expected. Then once you lock down a wife and family, you go back to doing whatever the hell you want. And don’t deny that most pro athletes cheat.”
“Not most,” I say defensively. “Some, sure. But some of all men cheat. That’s not just a pro athlete thing. That’s not the man I am.”
Her father laughs. “No? How about that bar fight you got into not two weeks ago?”
I sigh. “A bunch of guys attacked my teammate. Was I supposed to sit there and not do anything?”
“You shouldn’t have been out in the first place.”
“We weren’t at a bar,” I protest. “We were at a restaurant having pizza! It wasn’t like we were drunk or looking for trouble.”
“Yet it always seems to find you.”
I scowl in irritation.
I don’t know how to respond because, in a way, he’s right. What happened in Chicago was a fluke, but it’s not the first time I’ve gotten caught up in something like that.
“Are you going to tell me if you were out to dinner with one of your buddies from the marines and someone attacked them, you’d just sit back and let it happen?”
He hesitates, narrowing his eyes as he looks at me. “I guess it would depend on the situation.”
“Milo’s young,” I say quietly. “And he’s my friend. I wasn’t going to just sit there. I wouldn’t do nothing if someone attacked you or your family either. I protect the people close to me, in whatever way I can.”
“If that was true, why did you get your eighteen-year-old girlfriend pregnant and then turn tail and run when things got complicated?”
“Because you threatened me!” I snap in frustration. “Because there was talk of statutory rape and all kinds of nonsense that could have destroyed not just my career, but my life.”
“If it was my girl that was alone and pregnant, I would have burned down the city to make things right.”
This time I meet his gaze directly. “But she wasn’t pregnant anymore.
She lost our baby, and when I tried to reach her, she’d blocked my number.
My attorney advised me to keep my distance because you said you were getting a restraining order.
And then, even though none of what happened was my fault, I still got sent down to the minors.
At that point, I couldn’t even take care of her.
I went from making a million dollars to fifty-five thousand. ”
He arches his brows. “I guess that was a life lesson.”
“Rod, that’s enough.” Mrs. Denali shakes her head. “That’s ancient history.”
“And I’m trying to keep history from repeating itself. Neither of our daughters have any sense when it comes to men.”
I feel Victoria tense but she doesn’t say anything and I don’t want to make it worse by defending myself even though he basically just insulted me.
“I’d just like a chance to prove myself,” I say instead.
He grunts. “Well, you’re both adults, so technically I can’t stop you, but there are going to be rules.”
“Yes, sir.”
“No more sleepovers. And you’ll have her home at a respectable time.”
“Of course.”
“Then it’s time to eat.” With that, he stands up and heads to the dining room without waiting for the rest of us.
Jesus.
I guess it’s going okay since he didn’t throw me out or try to beat my ass. Victoria seems nervous, though, and her mother is fidgeting, even as she hurries into the kitchen.
“You okay?” I whisper to Victoria.
“I think I’m going to puke,” she whispers back.
“It’s okay. We don’t have to lie about seeing each other anymore. That’s a win at this stage.”
She looks like she wants to protest but Charlie is tugging her leg, asking her to pick him up.
“Come on, big guy—are you hungry?” she asks, lifting him onto her hip like she’s done it a million times.
He nods happily and I follow them into the dining room. She puts Charlie in a highchair and then sits on her mother’s right, motioning for me to sit on her other side. Ivy sinks down next to Charlie and Mr. Denali, of course, sits at the head of the table.
“You have a family, Jordan?” he asks abruptly.
“Yes. My parents are still together, and I have an older sister and a younger brother.”
“Does he play hockey too?”
I nod. “Yes, but he’s in college and I don’t think he wants to go pro.”
“And what does your father do?”
“Dad.” Victoria sighs in frustration.
“What?” he asks blandly. “If you’re going to be involved with him, shouldn’t we know about his family?”
“It’s fine,” I say quietly. “My parents are both teachers. Dad teaches high school math and mom is a middle school music director.”
The conversation is interrupted as Mrs. Denali and Ivy bring out all the food.
“This is delicious,” I say politely.
Mrs. Denali beams. “Thank you, Jordan.”
“Do you like baseball?” Mr. Denali asks.
“I’m more of a football fan,” I say.
“Baseball is a more intellectual game than football or hockey,” he says. “It can teach you a lot about life.”
“Yes, sir,” I say.
I have a feeling it’s going to be a very long evening.