Page 62 of The Way We Touch
She nods. “They went to the same college. Dad played ball, and she got a business degree.”
“Smart.”
“They got married right after graduation, and he went pro while she stayed home having babies.”
“Was that okay with her?” My brow furrows.
I’ve heard too many stories about women sacrificing their careers for their husbands, and I agree it’s unfair. I wouldn’t ask Dylan to do it.
If I were asking Dylan to do anything… What the hell?
“Yeah.” She looks up at me with a smile. “Mom loved babies. She wanted a big family, and she really, really wanted a little girl. I was her last chance. If I’d been a boy… Well… She probably would’ve tried one more time.”
She starts to laugh, and I smile, squeezing her hand. “I’m glad she got you.” She blinks down, shyly, and I thread our fingers. “How did the restaurant happen?”
“Mm…” she nods, sipping her drink. “After Dad retired, he didn’t know what to do with himself. They were going to open it with some friends, but the friends fell through. Mom said they could do it themselves, so they took a leap of faith and put us all to work, Thomas too.”
“Ready-made crew?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes drift over my shoulder. “I think that place was as much for her as it was for him. Mom put her business degree to work, and it really took off—helped, of course, by Dad’s celebrity status.”
“Of course.”
The waiter returns at that moment with our entreés, which he places in front of us. Cracked pepper for Dylan, none for me. I slice a piece of perfectly cooked steak, and it melts in my mouth. Dylan picks up a crab claw in her fingers and expertly slides the meat off with her teeth.
“This is really good.” Her eyes widen, and she turns the plate. “We should have crab claws at our place. They’re not hard to make.”
“Garrett does want you to go to cooking school, after all.”
She shakes her head. “Garrett.” Then she tilts her head to the side. “What about you? What did your mom do?”
“She was a beauty queen. Miss Texas.”
“Wow.” Her eyes widen. “That’s impressive. Texas is a big state.”
“Then she went into broadcasting. She was the six o’clock news anchor. It’s how she met my dad.” Lifting my glass, I study the light red wine. “From what I’ve heard, he really loved her. Maybe that’s why he acted the way he did.”
I’m starting to feel like I could understand not getting over someone, how their loss could cast a long shadow over everything good in your life.
Only, if I still had a piece of her, a child we shared, I can’t understand not loving that piece as much as the whole.
“I think that’s what happened to our dad, too.” Her brow furrows, and she studies her wine glass as well. “He went downhill really fast after Mom died… Or maybe it was already happening, and we were too young to know? Now that I’m older and I’m at the restaurant all the time, I realize she covered for him a lot. He wasn’t there nearly as much as she was.”
Setting my glass down, I reach out and take her hand again. “I’m sorry for what happened to him. From what I’ve read and seen, your dad sounded like a great guy, and now that I know you, I’m sure your mom was amazing as well.”
“They were.” Her voice is soft as if remembering.
A moment passes, she sips her wine then presses her lips into a smile, looking up at me. “And you’re up for the MVP award this year. That’s exciting.”
“I’ve never been this close, and I owe a lot of it to your brother. If that giant weren’t on the field blocking for me, I wouldn’t be able to make half those plays.”
“I don’t know. He says you’re the fastest receiver he’s ever seen, Lightning.” She gives me a wink. “How fast are you?”
Grinning, I take another bite of steak. I’m usually pretty cocky when it comes to my career and the game and my stats, but Dylan comes from football royalty. She’s surrounded by star players—whom she doesn’t even watch play.
“I’m pretty fast for a tall guy.”
“You’re being humble.” Her eyes narrow. “I’ve never known a league player who didn’t brag about his abilities.”