"You look beautiful," Troy says to me as we come closer. "Then again, even in that horrible dress, you looked beautiful."
"Flattery is much appreciated," I say, patting his shoulder and barely holding back the urge to do more. "And you should charge whoever made this suit. A picture of you in it should double their sales with the way you look."
Troy actually blushes slightly and smirks. "Okay, well, let's hold off on the rest until the big reveal. Deal?"
"Deal. Come on."
For the first half of the reception, Troy and I consciously stay on nearly opposite sides of the party, and in some ways, I feel like I'm back not in high school, but junior high school as the girls tend to stick to one side, the boys to the other. Eventually, Cory, who came in town from his new job down in San Francisco, comes over to greet us. He's looking pretty debonair, although there's still that air of being a party boy to him, like he hasn't quite figured out if he wants to settle down yet or if he's still looking for the next club to hit up. "Whitney Nelson. I just had to come over and say it's so good to see you again."
"How're you doing, Cory?" I ask, giving him a quick hug. "My, my, you've gained weight.”
"Hey, hey, it's just five pounds!" Cory laughs, and we both know I'm kidding. He's nowhere near the athlete that Troy is, but Cory's got a slim build now, kind of executive-ish. "You, on the other hand, look absolutely amazing. And can I ask, that little girl with your Mom at the ceremony?"
"Yes, she's my daughter," I confirm. "Laurie."
"I see," Cory says. "You know, she looks a lot like you. She's got the same cute smile."
"Thanks. What about you? Have you found someone yet?"
Cory laughs and sips at his mixed drink, shaking his head. “There's no way I'm ready to settle down yet."
I laugh and shake my head. "So how are you enjoying the party?"
"This is awesome," Cory says, becoming a little more serious. "I just got done talking to Troy. We've kept up a little since high school, email and phone calls and such, and I saw him play once last season when the Hawks played the Dons, but this is the first time since after our freshmen year in college that I got to sit down and talk with him in person—he’s gotten huge."
"You're telling me," I reply, and Cory gives me a knowing look. "Don't go there, Cory."
He nods, then smirks. "Well, no matter what, Troy just made my quarter. He asked me about how work's going, and when I told him that so far I'm doing well, beating the market, at least, he nods and asks for a business card. That crazy SOB tells me he wants to take half . . . half of his salary and have me invest it for him. Now, I know that still leaves him stupid levels of money, but Jesus, Whitney. I just got handed what, a million dollars a year to invest?"
"And how do you feel about it?" I ask. "Because if I remember you right, Cory, when you start talking like this, that's the time you're getting worried."
"Oh, I am," Cory says, smiling. "But a good kind of worried. Trust me, Whitney, even if Troy just plays out his rookie contract and doesn't give me a dime after that, I'm going to make him rich for life by the time he's twenty-seven. One funny thing, though."
"What's that?"
"He told me to give him options about setting up a blind trust fund. Apparently, he has someone he wants to save for. Wonder who that might be?"
"All right, Cory, you never were an idiot. Keep it under your hat for a while at least? Please? It's important to me."
Cory nods, and I give him another hug.
He leaves, and we start the food portion of the reception. The tables are smaller than I thought they'd be, small circles meant for only four or five, so I'm sitting with my old cheer teammate, Colette, and her boyfriend, some guy originally from Portland who honestly is not all that interesting.
What is interesting is when they bring out the big wedding cake, a four-tier monstrosity that towers nearly three feet in the air with all of the decorations, and Dani and Pete get up to speak.
They’re finishing up their little speech, and Dani laughs as her eyes meet mine over the crowd. "Thank you. To my friends, to my family . . . thank you. And I hope that every one of you . . ." her eyes blink and she looks me in the eyes directly. "I hope you find love like ours."
The applause starts again, growing to thunderous levels as Dani and Pete slice open the cake, serving out slices to the front table, where Pete and Dani's parents are sitting. The DJ starts the music, and it's time to dance. Pete takes Dani out to the center of the huge patio that the tables ring and brings her into his arms, dancing beautifully as they sway to the music. The first song is about halfway finished when they split to dance with their parents, and the crowd applauds when the song is finished.
I'm clapping along with everyone else when Troy stands up from his chair, which is on the other side of the patio from where I'm sitting, crossing the dance floor. There is a noticeable hum in the assembled group, about a hundred or so people in total, and even the DJ falters as Troy first stops at Dani and Pete, giving both of them a hug before he whispers in Dani's ear. She nods and goes over to the DJ to say something to him. My eyes are fixed on Troy, though, as he crosses the rest of the patio to stop in front of me, his sapphire blue eyes full of emotion. "Whitney, may I have this dance?"
"I'd love to," I say, taking his hand. The majority of the crowd knows our history, and they are nearly silent as Troy and I walk hand in hand to the center of the patio, his left hand lifting my arm while his right hand rests on my waist. The music starts, and as John Legend sings about love, we move together, closer and closer until I put my arms around his neck and both of his hands rest on my waist. The music fades away, and I'm not caring about the crowd anymore as I pull Troy's head down. Only one thing is important in the world. When our lips meet, I'm temporarily startled when I realize that not only has nobody else joined us for this dance, but now we're getting nearly as much applause as what greeted Dani and Pete.
We're suddenly being swarmed, Dani hugging me closely. "I'm glad," she whispers, smiling. "This was the best gift you could have ever given me. I love you, Whitney."
"I love you too, Sis. So does that mean I get to keep the German food processor I bought you guys?"
"Oh no, I'm still keeping that," Dani says, and the music interrupts us as another song comes on, a faster tune that brings even the parents out of their seats as we shift into full party mode. The music spans generations, as you'd expect a wedding party to do, but Troy and I are inseparable the whole time, dancing and going off to get drinks and some cake before dancing again. When the sun goes all the way down, the DJ slows it down one last time, and as Elvis sings about how he can't help falling in love, Troy and I move slowly on the dance floor together, our foreheads touching and our arms around each other.
"Did you have fun?" he asks, his eyes so bright and happy. I don't ever want those blue eyes to look sad again. Passionate, intense, happy, yes. Never sad.
"This has been one of the best nights of my life," I say honestly. "Tomorrow, though, I have a favor to ask of you. Can you stay in town a while?"
"The team's letting me miss this game. I talked with the GM about it. I have until Monday afternoon off," Troy says, pulling me closer. "I know it's only two days, but I want to spend them with you."
"Actually, I was thinking tomorrow we can take Laurie to the zoo," I say. "I want her to meet her father—for real this time."
Troy nods, and we kiss again, only to be interrupted by a polite cough. "Excuse me, isn't this supposed to be our night?"
I turn to see Pete and Dani, their arms around each other, and we stop dancing, both Troy and me laughing in embarrassment. "Sorry. I know we kind of stole your thunder," Troy says. "I'll make it up to you."
"Damn right, you will. When it's your turn, you two had better make Dani here the maid of honor," Pete says with a smile. "And don't say I don't know what I'm talking about."
"Still, we're not in a rush," Troy says. "We missed five years, and we have a lot of catching up to do.”
"Sounds good. Besides, you need to at least wait until after we get back from our honeymoon," Pete jokes before growing serious. "Troy, Whitney . . . whatever you guys need, we'll be there for you."
"What we need is for you two to go get changed and go on your honeymoon!" I say with a laugh, smacking Dani on the butt. "Now go!"
* * *
"So what did you think of the lions?"
Troy is smiling and holding a box of popcorn as we walk through the Seattle Zoo, handing her a kernel. Laurie is still big-eyed, especially when she realized that Troy really is somewhat famous when someone came up to us in the zoo and asked him for an autograph. Troy happily signed the t-shirt the guy had, and from that moment on, Laurie's been nearly strutting, realizing that she's with the—at least locally—famous Troy Wood. She doesn't quite realize that Troy's famous as much for his good looks as he is for his football abilities, the two working hand in hand to ensure that if his playing ability grows, he could become a poster boy for the team, and a lot of endorsements too.
"They were kind of cool, but a little sad too," Laurie says as we reach the monkey enclosure. "I wish I could really see them, not all this concrete."
I'm amazed again at the intelligence of my daughter, who despite her willful obstinacy is also very mature and perceptive for her age. "Well, honey, there are other parks that have bigger spaces and more natural settings for the animals. I've heard that San Diego has a good wild animal park."
"Really? Can we go?" Laurie asks, and I have to smile at her innocence.
"I'm sorry, honey, but San Diego is pretty far away. We'd have to fly, and well, Mama's money is a little tight right now." Lorenzo contacted me by email yesterday, telling me that he had decided to end our business arrangement. While I do have my half of our business investment funds, I'm going to need to find a job, and Silver Lake Falls isn't exactly a hotbed for art aficionados.
“Later then," Laurie says contentedly, and she's soon entranced by the monkeys, whose play area is a lot more natural looking than what the lions had. As they play, Troy pulls me back and leans in.
"You didn't say anything about being short on money."
"It's okay," I say, patting his chest. "Really. I have enough until I can get a job. I'm talking with Colette's mother this week. She owns a gallery in town that caters to the IT nouveau riche. Besides, I'm an art dealer. It's kind of part of the trade. I'll be getting in contact with some of my clients this week too. I just have to work out the last of how to divide the client list up with Lorenzo. That won't take long."
"Still . . ." Troy says, looking at Laurie. "You know, we play San Diego in week eleven. Maybe a trip is in order?"
"We'll talk about that later. First, let's enjoy today. Remember, after we sit down for lunch, we can talk with her about other things, okay?"
Troy nods, and I nod in reply and take Laurie's hand. "Sweetie, Mama's getting a bit hungry. How about we grab some corn dogs?"
"What are corn dogs?"
"What are corn dogs?" Troy asks in mock horror. “You horribly denied young child from the savage lands!"
Laurie laughs again at Troy's antics and squeezes my hand. "I'm glad you play football, Troy."
Troy stops and squats down so he can look Laurie in the eye. "Why's that?"
"Because you're no good at acting."
Troy laughs and looks up at me, raising his eyebrow. "You are your mother's daughter. Come on, let's teach you what corn dogs are. My treat."
We go to the snack shack area and find a table that isn't too dirty for us to sit down, Troy clearing away the left-behind papers and tray while I bring over the corn dogs and big sodas. The three of us sit down, and Troy pauses when Laurie folds her hands and says grace. "Sorry, I forgot you've lived in Italy most of your life."
"Actually, Grandma taught me," Laurie says. "She says it's good to thank God for what he gives us."
"I can agree with that," Troy says, looking over at me. "I'm thankful every day for what has been brought into my life."
I blink, smiling and reaching out to take his hand, while Laurie takes her first bite. "Mmm, this is good!"
"Try it with the ketchup and mustard on it. Some people think it makes it even better," I say, dipping mine in. "So, Laurie, can Troy and I talk to you about something?"
"You are dating, right?" Laurie asks, and I'm taken aback at how smart she is. "I saw some of the old photos Grandma keeps at home."
"Yeah, Whitney and I dated back in high school, and we've decided that we'd like to start seeing each other again. Is that okay with you?"
"Uh-huh," Laurie says. “You're fun—I like you."
Relief washes over me. "Laurie, you know that Troy and I saw each other in high school. But I had you in Italy. Do you know why?"
"Not really."
"Well, at the time, I was doing it because I thought it would be good for your father," I say, and Laurie's head perks up. I rarely use the word father around her—I've wanted to prevent her developing any problems. "The reasons aren't important right now, but just let me say that I made a mistake, not letting you get to know your father."
She’s silent for a moment, not sure what to say, then innocently picks up her corn dog. "I know when I meet my Daddy, he's gonna love me like you do.”
"He does," I say, and Laurie turns her head to look at me inquisitively. "I left Silver Lake Falls after you were already in my belly. Laurie. Troy is your daddy."
Laurie drops her corn dog, looking at me, then at Troy. “He . . . is Daddy?"
"Yes, baby girl. And you're right, I love you very much," Troy says. He opens his arms, and Laurie's in his arms, the two of them laughing together, and I can't help but join in, all three of us having a family hug for the very first time.
Maybe there is a chance for happily ever after, after all.
Chapter 20
Troy
Nearly the whole way back to Silver Lake Falls, Laurie is almost worshiping me as she rides in her car seat, and I feel slightly embarrassed. Twice after telling her, she stopped patrons at the zoo to tell them that Troy Wood of the Hawks is her daddy. I ended up signing more autographs than I'd done on a trip out in my entire pro career, and in the end, I had to beg off, explaining that I was having a day out with my family.
"No wonder you enjoy living in Silver Lake Falls," Whitney says as we glance back to see that Laurie has fallen asleep in her car seat. "That has to drive you nuts."
"It's not that bad, usually,” I reply, setting the cruise control on my car. "I'm not one of the big superstars . . . yet."
"So next year you're going to get mobbed?" Whitney teases, and I look over, smiling.
"Maybe. Now that I have you two in my life, I've got enough emotional content to power me to the Pro Bowl and more."
"Don't forget the looks that'll make you a poster boy, too," Whitney says. "And the best part is, they're all mine."
"Hmmm, maybe we can do Sports Illustrated then?" I tease back. "You know, they did a swimsuit edition of famous athletes with their significant others."
"You want me in a bikini for a photo shoot?" Whitney asks, and I grin. "You are crazy."
"No, just confident that I have the most beautiful woman in the world next to me," I say. "I guess we should talk about that a little now that Laurie's out too. Whitney, I'm not sure if there's a word to describe our relationship."
"I know," she says quietly. “Everything inside me is telling me conflicting things. When I look at you, when we danced at the party, or at the wedding . . . but if you had dropped to your knees and asked me to marry you last night, I'd have been hard pressed not to say yes.”
"I know," I say, glancing over. “It crossed my mind. Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt."
"It's just that . . . Laurie's been through so much in the past year or so. Lorenzo and me splitting, the plans to move to America, coming here, meeting you, Lorenzo leaving her totally . . . it's a lot for a kid her age to deal with."
"You can say that again.
So I guess this means that at least formally, you'd like to take things slow?”
Whitney nods, her eyes full of worry. "Is that okay? I know how we're feeling, and I know that I denied you five years with Laurie, but can you wait a while on this? On me?"
I nod and look over at her. "I don't care if you want to call me your boyfriend, your man, your baby's daddy, or your fiancée. Or maybe even husband, if it comes to that. It's not going to change how I feel. Five years of you in Europe, not even knowing a thing about you, couldn't change my heart. Telling me let's wait until the offseason or next year is small potatoes."
"Off season? Why the off season?" Whitney asks, and I smile.
"If you want to have a honeymoon, the best idea is to do that during the off season. The Hawks may have given me this pre-season game off since it was, as the GM called it, a garbage game, but the regular season . . . well, I can't exactly take a week off to go to the Bahamas."
"The Bahamas? I like the sound of that," Whitney says. We're quiet for a while before she speaks again. "By the way, Cory told me you asked him about a trust fund? I guess that was for Laurie?"
"Yep. Regardless of what you just told me, or if Laurie accepted me or not, I’m going to take care of my daughter. I won't spoil her. I know you want my help in fixing that, but she's going to have a nice sum when she turns twenty."
"Why twenty?" Whitney asks.
"Just a good, round number," I reply. “You know, I don’t want to rush it, but sometime, maybe in the off season," I add with a laugh, "I'm going to ask you guys to move in with me."
"I know," Whitney says. "And when you do, I will say yes. But until then, Mom loves having us, and Laurie loves her grandmother. Let's give it some time for her to develop that relationship with her father, too."
"Sounds like paradise to me."
* * *
"At least we're a little bit lucky," Coach Claxon, our linebackers coach, says as the six rostered and four practice squad members of the Hawks linebacker corps meets around a conference table for our Monday positional meetings before starting practice at four thirty. "It's the Sunday night TV game, which means that the sun will at least be partially down when we step on the field. Kickoff's at six local time."
Anaconda: A Sexy Romantic Comedy Page 36