Page 41 of Home Town Advantage (Fourth Quarter Fever #1)

NINETEEN

VANCE

I pull my truck up to Sulley’s house more excited about tonight than I’ve been about anything in a long time. I’m trying to temper down the hope that’s filling me. Hope that the black cloud I’ve lived under for six years will be lifted.

Exiting the truck, I’m just ascending her steps when she opens her front door and emerges.

My heart stops beating.

Time stands still.

I can only stare at the goddess in front of me. She takes my breath away. The only words I can find are, “You’re beautiful.” It’s more than beauty. It’s a glow. She’s an angel.

The little girl I once knew has grown into the most exquisite woman I’ve ever seen. I know for a fact that there’s no turning back for me. No woman will ever come close to the one before me.

She’s in a short summer dress with a small, unbuttoned white sweater.

It’s unseasonably warm, still not quite warm enough for what she’s wearing, but she listened to what I asked her to wear.

The dress is white with all kinds of pink, purple, and orange flowers.

It’s got ruffled shoulder straps, and there are little white balls on the ends.

The sides are cut out, showing a bit of her toned abs.

Between that and her mile-long legs, I might not make it to our destination without pulling over and having my wicked way with her.

I quickly move to kiss her, but she swerves away from my advances. “Don’t. You never know if there are cameras around. Nothing out in the open. We agreed to this.”

My jaw tightens as I’m slapped in the face with reality. I give a short nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

Itching to touch her, I ball my hands into fists and turn to walk toward the truck, opening the passenger door for her.

Once we’re both inside the truck, I reach over to take her hand in mine. She starts to pull away, but I tighten my grip. “No one can see. I need to touch you. Give me this.”

She exhales a long breath. “Fine. I’m really nervous about tonight, Vance. We can’t be seen out on a date. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I’ve got it under control. Don’t worry. Thanks for wearing what I asked.”

She lifts an eyebrow. “I’m not sure why a short, casual dress or skirt was necessary, but you’ve certainly piqued my curiosity, Vile Vance.”

I run my hand up her silky-smooth thigh. “I’ve got plans for these legs and the heaven that sits between them. I need easy access.”

She playfully shakes her head, and I laugh as I pull onto the street and head out on our long journey.

We chat about nothing in particular for over an hour as the evening sky begins to turn dark.

She tells me about their team practices and her excitement for their season.

Her heartfelt enthusiasm is a breath of fresh air.

At some point, she announces, “I’ve done all the talking. You need to talk too. That’s how a date works. Is this your first one? ”

I roll my eyes. “No, sassy pants. It’s not. I enjoy listening to you. Your passion for your sport and your new life is refreshing, Sullivan Aisling. I’m happy you’ve found friends. I was thinking about you as a little girl. I don’t remember other girls being around very much.”

She shrugs. “Female friendships have never come easily to me. I either didn’t have much in common with them, or there were issues with me getting so much attention.

This is the first time in my life that I feel the notion of girl power and support.

I know Kennedy has a bad rep, but she’s been the most welcoming and probably the biggest surprise of all.

Underneath that tough exterior is an amazing, compassionate woman who’s gone out of her way to be a good friend to me. ”

I nod. “I see it on the court. She has this protective big sister vibe with you.” I run my fingers through my hair. “Off the court too. She stares daggers at me sometimes. Always has something nasty to say to me. I’m assuming she knows more about our history than anyone else?”

Sulley’s face scrunches. “She does. I’m sorry. That first night I saw you, I was so triggered. I was inconsolable. Kennedy and Palmer got me out of there and held me all night as I cried. I owed them an explanation in the morning.”

I feel a tightness in my chest. “I’m sorry to be the cause of your pain. I hate that.”

She’s silent for a bit. “Do you know how you could help?”

“How?”

“Explain it all to me. I’m convinced that I’m missing part of this story.

What happened? I know I didn’t imagine your disdain for Maddie for all those years.

How did you go from tolerating her for Finn’s sake to sleeping in the same bed?

If you tell me she drugged you, I’ll believe you.

” She whispers, “I want to believe you.”

I shake my head and say, “She didn’t drug me,” but am otherwise quiet.

She exhales a breath in obvious frustration.

“Something, Vance. Give me something. You can open up to me.” She tugs on her hair in frustration.

“It’s like I’m trying to put together a puzzle, but it’s impossible because so many pieces are missing from the box.

Why don’t you have a relationship with Francesca? Tell me that.”

“Maddie dictates who does and doesn’t see her. Francesca thinks Curtis is her father. Maddie doesn’t want her to get confused. I’ve asked for more time, but she won’t give it to me. My hands are tied.”

She shakes her head. “She can’t do that to you. You have rights. You could take her to court.”

I feel my body stiffen. This is not how I saw this evening going. “That would just hurt Francesca. You think Finn would want that? Francesca getting hurt and being confused? Her being dragged into court?”

Her lips twitch in anger. “What does Finn have to do with this? She’s not his daughter. She’s yours .”

I take a deep breath before answering. “He loved Maddie. You and Maddie meant the world to him. He asked two things of me.” I hold up two fingers.

“They were to look after you and to look after Maddie. I take my promise seriously. It’s not conditional.

There’s no expiration date. It was my pledge to him, and I’ll see it through until the day I die,” I mumble, “no matter what it costs me.”

She crosses her arms. “Why did you move her two towns over? I’m sure she would have preferred to live closer to her family. She could have been closer to your parents too.”

I lick my lips. I think I can answer this one honestly.

“Because of your family. I told her I’d buy her whatever house she wanted, just not in our hometown.

Why should your parents have to see her and Francesca every day and be reminded of what was lost?

She’s close enough for easy visits from her family, but not so close that it’s a daily reminder for your parents.

It was my one condition. She was reluctant at first but accepted it when she saw the house I bought her. ”

She sighs. “Does Curtis even have a job, or do they all live off you?”

I shrug. “Don’t know. Curtis Huddle isn’t my business.”

I know that fucking loser doesn’t have a job. They all live off me.

She purposefully bangs her head back on the headrest. “You frustrate me, Vance McCaffrey.”

I reach for her hand again and pull it to my lips for a kiss. “We’re here. Can we please shelve this for a bit and have a little fun?”

Our eyes meet. Her blues and my greens. I try to convey sincerity. “I just want to enjoy our night together. I planned something I think you’ll like. Please. I’ve been looking forward to it all day.” More like all week.

Her shoulders, which were practically in her ears, visibly relax, and she nods. “Okay.”

I pull down a road and see it in her face when she realizes what we’re doing. Her face lights up as she turns to me with excitement in her eyes. “A drive-in movie?”

I can’t help my grin. “Time for you to get the full McCaffed treatment.”

She giggles. “I should never have told you that word. What movie are we seeing?”

“What else? Sixteen Candles .”

Her face softens. “How?”

“I…umm…called the owner. He’s a fan. I offered him some signed items in return for playing the movie I asked for. It took me a minute to find this place. There aren’t exactly a lot of drive-ins still around, at least not near big cities.”

She lifts her shoulders in excitement. “This is amazing. Thank you.”

I park the car backward so we can watch from the bed of my truck.

Even though it’s dark out now, I grab a baseball cap from my center console just in case there are any prying eyes when we walk around the truck.

Once we’re in the truck bed, we’ll mostly be out of sight.

Between my high wheels and the high sides of the truck, no other cars will be able to see us unless they’re standing on their roofs.

I pull down my cap, and she taps the bill. “Nice hat.”

It’s a Beavers hat.

I wink. “I’ve got your jersey too. A few of them. I need you to sign them sometime.”

She leans her head back on the headrest and smiles goofily. “Why the smile?” I ask.

She runs her bottom lip through her teeth. “I wore your jersey to bed every night for years until…Francesca. The thought of you wearing mine does things to me.”

I wiggle my eyebrows. “Glad things are stirring. It will help when I want to McCaff you in a little bit.”

She rolls her eyes and moans in malcontent. “Ugh. You’re really making me regret telling you that.”

I chuckle as I exit the truck and help her into the back bed. Together we lay out all the blankets and pillows I brought and then set up the picnic dinner.

As we sit cross-legged, eating, waiting for the movie to start, she asks, “Do any of your friends know about our history?”