Page 16

It's over two hours before Harper and I step inside my house. The party is still going on outside, spilling from the garage onto the driveaway and the front lawn, though some people have started to leave. Harper has been chilling with Bella since she met her, and I feel a small sense of relief that despite everything going on with her, she has found someone her own age to talk to.

She needed to use the bathroom, and since she’s never been inside my place before, I decided to take this opportunity to give her the grand tour.

It’s a decent size for a single guy—smaller than the mansions my friends live in, but it suits me just fine. I’ve got three bedrooms that include the big one which I’ve claimed for myself along with a guest room. I use the third as a sort of all-purpose room. It has a desk I never use, a treadmill, a power rack, an area with weights and other exercise equipment, and a huge television that takes up an entire wall with two gaming chairs set in front of it.

I take her through the kitchen and show her the small bathroom on the other side, and when she’s done I show her the family room which features a couch and another television with an absurdly large screen.

I show her the backyard, which is fairly minimalist. I don’t have a pool, but this is just a rental. The time left on my contract when I was traded was two years, and until I sign on the dotted line that says I’m staying here in Vegas longer than the end of next season, I’ll stay right here.

It doesn’t make sense to purchase a home when I’m not sure I’ll be here to live in it.

But now that I have a kid, I don’t love the idea of making her move around with me. We’ll need a home base, but in-season I need to be near the stadium.

I never realized how much more complicated life becomes when you have a kid.

I take her upstairs and show her the multi-purpose room and then my room, and I save her room for last.

“I thought you said the furniture in here was dark,” she says, a little bit of accusation in her cute little tone as she sets her hand on her hip and narrows her eyes at me.

“This is the stuff we ordered,” I say, nodding toward the white dresser.

“What’s all this?” she asks when she sees the packages Tristan brought in for me stacked neatly on the floor.

“Open them and find out,” I say with a smirk.

I cut the tape to help her out, and she opens the first box.

“The fluffy rug!” she says, a little smile playing at her lips. She opens the rest and finds all the other things I ordered, and I take the rugs for my room and the multi-purpose room.

When I return, she’s hugging the stuffed dinocorn I managed to find online.

“Thank you, buddy,” she says softly, and the grief in her tone breaks my heart. She’s grateful for what she has here, but I know she’d rather be back home with them.

It’s just the beginning—an adventure of sorts, with all these new people welcoming her into our new community and her new home. But she doesn’t want this adventure, and I’m reminded how unfair life can be.

There’s a lot about life that’s unfair to everyone. You choose if you want to be the victim or the victor.

More words tattooed on my body spoken over and over by the one and only Coach Barrett. More words that I think about often.

I won’t let her be the victim in this story. I’ll hold her hand as we overcome the unfairness that is life, and we will rise together.

Maybe it’s cheesy, but I don’t care. Someone needs to be strong for her, and it damn well better be her father.

Instead of answering, I walk over and I wrap my arms around Harper and the dinocorn.

“Did you give it a name?” I ask.

She looks at the white stuffed dinosaur with a rainbow horn sticking out the top of its head, and then she glances up at me. “Buddy.”

“Isn’t that what you decided to call me?” I ask, quirking a brow.

She nods. “And when you’re not here, I’ll still feel safe because I’ll have my buddy.”

I blow out a breath as another wave of emotion hits. Man, this dad thing is no joke.

We throw her new sheets and comforter into the wash and head back outside to the party.

Harper beelines for Bella, and that gives me another chance to chat with Evan.

“Where are you sending Bella to school?” I ask.

He glances at his wife as if he has no idea, and it’s in that moment I realize I’m going to be both—the dad and the mom.

“She’s going to Stratford Elementary. The other football wives I talked to said it’s the best, so we bought in the same neighborhood as the Higgins family since it’s zoned for that school,” she says.

Wow, so their entire decision of where to live was based on where their kid would go to school.

Noted.

“They do have open enrollment if that’s something you’re looking for,” she adds.

“I don’t even know what that means,” I admit.

She chuckles. “It just means if you live out of the zone you can submit paperwork to attend anyway.”

I draw in a deep breath and nod. “More things to look into. I guess I need to get her registered.”

“I can help you out with that if you’d like,” she says. “I just went through the process myself so I’m very familiar with it.”

“I’d love that, and it would give the girls a chance to hang out a little while longer.”

She nods.

“I’ve got this out here,” Evan says.

I head over toward Harper. “I’m going to go inside for a bit to fill out some paperwork. Are you okay out here?”

She nods.

“If you need me, just come in, okay?”

She nods again, and I study her for a beat and realize she’s just fine out here with Bella.

I show Trudy into my office, and I offer her the chair.

“Want me to type while I ask you the questions and you gather whatever you need to?” she asks.

“That would be incredibly helpful,” I say.

I have a file folder my dad sent with me, and most of what we need is in there.

It takes nearly an hour, but she’s registered to start school as soon as tomorrow…if she’s ready.

Once everyone leaves, I order a pizza. I have no idea what this kid likes, but I asked her if she likes pizza, and she told me she does. I know it won’t be a nightly solution, but for night one, it works.

I’m not even sure what her bedtime is, so I ask.

“Around nine,” she says.

“And you like to take a shower at night before bed, right?” I ask.

She nods, and we get her all set up in the shower next to her bedroom.

I tuck her into bed in her new room.

“It’s too dark in here,” she says.

I didn’t think to order any nightlights.

“I can leave the light in the hallway on and leave your door cracked if you want,” I offer.

She nods. “Yes please.”

I tuck the sheets and blankets in tightly, and then I have the urge to give her a kiss, so I do. I press my lips gently to her forehead. “I’m right here if you need anything at all, okay? I’ll either be down in the family room or in my own bedroom.”

“Thanks, buddy,” she says.

“Me or the dinocorn?” I ask.

She giggles. “You know I mean you.”

My heart squeezes. “I know. Night, kid.”

“Night,” she murmurs, and I think she’s drifting to sleep, so I head toward the door.

But then her little voice stops me in my tracks.

“Travis?”

I turn back around.

“Will you lay on my floor until I fall asleep?”

“Of course I will,” I say softly, and then I get comfortable on the brand new fluffy rug.

I must fall asleep because I wake with a jolt and a stiff neck. I check my watch and see it’s after eleven, and she’s sleeping soundly in her bed.

I head toward my room and take a quick shower. My closet is through my bathroom on the opposite side of my bedroom, and I usually sleep naked, but now that I have a little girl in the house, I decide to grab shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in.

And when I make my way over to my bed after I’m dressed and ready to collapse into it, I find a lump on one side of my bed.

A sleeping little girl clutching her dinocorn.