Page 107 of Fall For Me
Sean leans in whispering in my ear. “Matt does cheat. We make him roll up his sleeves.”
“Go on, son.” Elena ushers him toward the table. “Teach Hannah how to play. I’ll finish up in the kitchen.”
He takes off his apron, handing it over to his mother, then seats me between him and Aiden. Matt says something in Spanish, and Granny reaches over, patting his arm.
“I’ve changed my mind, Hannah. I’ll take Matt instead of Sean.”
Matt jerks his head back, and the look on his face makes Granny laugh. “What’s that look about? If ya keep talkin' in words I don’t understand, I’m just gonna assume yer tellin’ everybody ya wanna take me to bed.”
The entire room erupts in laughter, and that’s how we spend the rest of the evening . . . Laughing our asses off, eating Mexican food, and talking trash to one another. I never had a big family; it’s always been just me and my dad until Kat came along, but as I take in everyone gathered around the table, I see my future flash before my eyes. The same one Sean promised me.
Jade walks in front of me, looking all cute in Aiden’s jersey. She got ready with me tonight, so I twisted her hair into two little space buns and dusted glitter across both our cheeks . . . Okay, maybe the glitterdidn’t exactly stay on our cheeks, but the temporary tattoos of Sean and Aiden’s numbers didn’t slide off, so that’s a win. My hands cover hers as we guide Granny’s wheelchair down the aisle toward the accessible seating near the attacking zone.
“Ya know, I heard the stretches are the best part of this game . . .”
“Oh my god, Granny!” I snort, parking her right behind the glass and taking a seat beside her.
Jade hops onto the chair next to me. “Do you see Daddy?”
My eyes scan the ice, and when they land on his jersey, I point in his direction. “He’s over there, in front of the high slot. See the two circles? He’s?—”
“Oh! I see him. DADDY!” She waves real big. “Why is he swishing his legs back and forth like that?”
“He's warming up his hip joints, so he doesn’t get hurt.”
Speaking of dads, where the hell is mine?
“Oh,nowI get why stretches are the best part. That player over there is humping the ice. Just look at him, rockin’ those hips.”
“Granny!” I whisper yell. “You can’t say stuff like that. Those are called hip flexor stretches.”
“Well, whatever it is, yer gonna need to call a janitor over here to put up a wet floor sign.”
My eyes roll behind closed eyelids. God help me. When they flutter back open again, I glance over at the box, looking for my dad again, but I only see Carter.
“Hannah?”
Someone calls my name, and I turn around. Aspen stands behind me with a nervous expression. That woman is never nervous, so her fidgeting with her hands like she’s in trouble about something makes me a little apprehensive.
“Yes?”
“I hate to ask this, and I know you probably don’t want to, but your dad has been throwing up in the locker room for the past thirty minutes. Can you help Carter?”
“Is he okay?”
“He said he might have the flu.”
Shit!
I glance over at the little girl sitting next to me.
“I can’t leave Jade,” I say, trying to get out of this.
“I’ll sit with her and Granny. We’ll have a good time, won’t we, munchkin?”
“Yep!” Jade says, then turns and looks behind her. “Where’s Tucker?”
“He’s upstairs with Mammaw. I’ll text him to come down here.”
