Page 92 of Vegas Heat: The Expansion Team Complete Series

I pop the last bite of the salty, savory stick into my mouth and munch on it as I stand on Troy’s porch. Troy took off to meet up with Joanie, and I think we’re both on the same unspoken page right now that we want to soak up as much time with our women as we can before the chaos next week begins.

Obviously unspoken considering he doesn’t know I even have a woman, much less that it’s his daughter .

The expansion draft will really be the start of a new era for the two of us. It’ll mean later nights and longer days. It’ll mean the real work can begin…but it’s also the fun work.

I’d planned to just run back home once Christine showed up, but Gabby and I texted a bit before, and she said she’d give me a ride.

I think she wants to get away from her mom, and I don’t blame her.

Her mom is sleeping in my old room, but if it were up to her, she’d be shacking up with my girl.

The door opens, and Gabby steps out, a beautiful vision as always. My instinct is to close the gap between us.

“Hey,” I say. I’m about to lean in for a kiss when her eyes widen and she inclines her head toward the house.

“Your dad just left,” I assure her.

She shakes her head. “My mom didn’t.” Her voice is a low whisper.

I nod in understanding. We can make out in my driveway. Or on my couch. Or in my bed.

“And you smell like pepperoni,” she adds.

I can’t help laughing at that as we hop into her truck.

“Did my dad say anything?” she asks.

“He said a lot of things,” I admit.

“What was his side of the story?”

“He told me he’d just finished a game when he got called up from the minors. He’d planned to take your mom out after the game, but he was swept away in the frenzy and had to head straight on the road. He tried to get in touch with her to let her know he wanted to celebrate with her when he got back to town, but she wouldn’t answer his calls. Your mother ran to the media with an exclusive story about how Troy Bodine was a sick, twisted, abusive cheater while he was on the road. His brand-new contract was nearly pulled because of her lies, and he had to work hard to fix his image.”

“Why would she do that?” she asks.

I shrug. “I guess she thought he was cheating on her and she was humiliated, so she wanted to humiliate him back.”

She shakes her head. “Wow. So her ego came between them.”

I nod. “That’s what it sounds like. Troy had a friends with benefits thing going with some woman before he met your mom, and your mom thought it was a current thing. She assumed she was in the right and he was in the wrong. She didn’t take a step back before jumping to a conclusion and acted on it rather than waiting to talk it out with Troy. He should’ve been celebrating his new contract, and instead he was battling your mother to clear his name. And then he found out she was pregnant, and she lied and said it wasn’t his. He’s never forgiven her.”

“Nor should he,” she says, pulling into my driveway. She puts the truck in park. “It’s so messed up.”

“It is, and I’m sorry you have to deal with it all these years later. What story did she tell?”

“The same thing she told us outside. She said he was a cheater and a liar and blah blah blah.” She leans her head back on the headrest and closes her eyes. “She also said she doesn’t trust you, and I don’t trust her. I’m afraid she’s going to make trouble for you.”

“I won’t let her.” I reach over and grab her hand. “If anything, her being here is only going to drive us closer together.”

She opens her eyes and slides her head over to look at me. “I hope you’re right.”

I squeeze her hand. “Do you want to come in?”

“It’s all I want, but knowing my mother, she’s counting the minutes on the clock until I walk back in the door.” She sighs.

“How long is she staying?”

She lifts a shoulder. “No idea. Until I agree to go back with her?”

My brows draw together.

“Don’t worry,” she says. “That will never happen. My life is here. It’s with you, even though we’re hiding it. I don’t want to hide it anymore.”

“I don’t, either. Let’s just tell your dad.”

She sighs heavily. “The expansion draft is a week away, and I know he’s stressing about that. Let’s tell him after the draft.”

I nod, and then I lean across the armrest and press a soft kiss to her lips to seal the promise. She grabs the back of my head and holds on for a beat. We don’t deepen the kiss, don’t intensify it. It’s not urgent and needy like they usually become, but it’s a sweet expression of the love that’s grown between the two of us.

“Are you sure you can’t come in for a little while?” I ask softly, leaning my forehead against hers. I want to deepen it. I want to intensify it. I want to give her everything I’m feeling as we let our bodies speak in the language they’ve perfected over the last two months.

“I wish I could.” She pulls back and brushes a tear away, and my heart breaks for her.

“You can, Gabby. You’re an adult, and she can no longer control what you do.”

She lets out a little snort. “I wish that were true. But if we’re keeping this thing under wraps from my dad, then we need to play her game until she leaves.”

I nod, forcing myself to hold my thoughts about that in. I will support her in whatever way she needs me to. “I love you.”

“I love you.” She leans over for one more kiss, and then I jump out of her truck. She speeds away, and I can’t help but wonder what sort of hell she’s heading back into.