Page 273 of Out of Left Field

Ev squeezed my hand. “I love Willa. With my whole heart. I would never abandon her.”

“Love?” Dad muttered. “Maybe I’m just jaded. It’s hard to believe that two people can love each other without eventually getting hurt.”

“People get hurt all the time, Dad. But when you love them, you apologize, you do better, you make up for it. You and I have had our issues but I still love you and you still love me.”

He shot me a look. “I’m your father. That’s different.”

“Is it? My mother doesn’t love me. She hurt me and never looked back. The kind of love a father and daughter share might be different than other kinds of love, but at their core, love is caring for and respecting that person, wanting the best for them.”

And I knew under all the hurt and fear, Dad just wanted the best for me.

“Stop being smart and well adjusted, peanut. It’s irritating.” Dad smiled. “But you’re right. I don’t want you to be right, but you are.”

So I went in for the kill. “You and Hannah seem to be getting along.” I grinned wider.

Dad glared some more. “Mind your own business.”

I blinked. “Are you going to be taking that same advice?”

He blanched. “Um. Well, yes. I suppose I am.”

“Wonderful!” I jumped to my feet, dragging Ev up with me. “So let me get this all straight. Everett and I are happily dating, something which you are very happy about?” He nodded once. “You’re moving to the Tampa area and we’re going to be one great big family.” Another nod and a hint of a smile. “And finally, you’re hot for Hannah and Ev and I are fully supportive of wherever that may take you.”

“Absolutely.” Everett nodded quickly.

“I don’t recall asking for my daughter’s approval.”

But that just made me grin even wider. “A lot of people have told me recently that you can tell when there’s magic in the air. I saw magic today, Dad.” Now I knew why Seth, Annalise, Jeri, and Charley found it so easy to see what was happening with Everett and me.

It was impossible to miss. Love—real love—is so blinding, so consuming, it overwhelms everything like a tidal wave. My dad smiled the entire time he was with Hannah. And Hannah had this contented glow. Like a peace had settled over her.

Would it last? Only time would tell. But there was something special starting. That much I knew for sure.

“All right, we’ve found the problem.” The disembodied voice rang through the small space. “Hold on. The car is about to move.”

We had all of five seconds to brace before the elevator began to descend. It was a disconcerting feeling to be trapped inside a small cube. Especially when it suddenly started moving. “Maybe we take the stairs next time.”

“I think that’s wise,” Everett laughed. “It’ll be fun explaining why I’m late to practice.”

“Seth will vouch for your bad luck.”

“Good luck,” he corrected with a wink.

I couldn’t argue. Whether it was luck, the Universe, or some other kind of magic, the result was a very special kind of love. One I was very grateful to have found.

Now that Dad was happy for us, we could finally step forward into a new future.

Then the doors slid open and my heart jumped up into my throat. Beside the maintenance team and one of the medics who was always around on game day, stood my mother.

My father’s ex-wife.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he roared.

23

EVERETT

Ikept Willa plastered to my side while Patrick raged at Beth. I wasn’t sure how the hell she got inside, but I had a feeling it had to do with her skill at slipping past unsuspecting men. She had that way about her. I knew people like her. People who used their personality to hypnotize, or when that didn’t work, played victim just enough to draw them into helping.