Twist of Fate (Taking Chances #2) - Tia Louise Page 0,25
vacation, some people want to hit the gym.
I’d just run on the shore.
“That’s cool.” I set the canister aside. “How you been doing?”
I’ve never been able to figure out why our dad didn’t remarry. It’s not like he didn’t get over losing our mom. I was a little pissed at him for that as a kid, but now that I’m older, I recognize the signs they weren’t really happy together.
Still, he’s a good-looking guy. Hell, J.R. and I both look like him. I’m the tallest of the three, but we all share the same light brown hair and blue eyes. Mine just gets lighter in the sun.
“Feeling my age.” He exhales a grim chuckle. “They don’t tell you how much changes when you hit fifty.”
My brow furrows. “Anything serious?”
“Only if you call poor vision, thinning hair, and saggy balls serious.”
“Jesus.” Wincing, I go to the fridge and pull out a soft drink. A mental image I do not want in my head is my dad’s saggy balls.
He cackles and hits the button on the blender. After a few ear-splitting seconds, it’s mixed, and he pours it into a tumbler. “With the way they’re developing these supplements, you’ll probably never have to worry about it.”
“Hope so.” I huff, not really believing it.
“So you turned them down.” His eyes narrow, and just like that, we dive into the shit.
“You know I’m no quarterback. They wanted J.R. for that position.”
“You’re right. John was a fool to turn down their offer. He let you down, too. If he’d taken the deal, they’d have offered you starting receiver. You two are a team, dynamite on the field, and you threw it all away.”
“It’s not what he wanted to do. It’s not what I want to do.” He makes a disgusted noise, but I’m not finished. “Do you know how many concussions NFL quarterbacks get? You know what that does to your brain?”
“When you’re that rich, you can afford the doctor bills. Hell, just look at all these retired guys doing commercials, hosting sports shows, making a killing. It’s a good life.”
“Not all of them are that lucky. J.R. wanted to be a dad. I’m going to Hollywood.”
“Hollywood.” He huffs a derisive laugh, and a flash of shame tightens my throat. “I’ll give you five minutes.”
“Thanks,” I mutter.
“Anybody can be a dad.”
“Not anybody can be a good dad.”
He sets down his drink. “Is that supposed to mean something?”
“It means what I said.”
Blue eyes level on mine. I’ve seen him make grown men pee their pants with that glare. I’m not feeling the urge.
He adopts a superior tone. “A good dad teaches you to stand on your own two feet. He prepares you for opportunity and helps you seize it when it appears.”
“Yeah, I get it. I was pretty naïve thinking you’d understand having a dream.” Setting my empty can on the bar, I’m ready to go.
“I had a dream. It was the dream I passed on to my boys. I had all the talent of you two combined, but once I blew out my knee it was over.” He rounds the bar. “This is a once in a lifetime chance. It’s not over for you.”
“This conversation’s over. See you around, Dad.”
His sharp reply follows me to the door. “If you turn your back on this offer and go to L.A., don’t come crawling back here when you fail.”
Don’t worry. I’m never coming back here.
Nine
Daisy
“Do geese see God?” Scout stands in the center of the master suite shirtless, half-used paint supplies scattered all around us.
I, by contrast, am down to my underwear and socks. “Wow.”
His head tilts to the side. “Seriously? Wow?”
“It counts! It’s a palindrome.”
I’m still not sure how he talked me into a game of strip palindrome. Actually, I do know. He could talk me into pretty much anything at this point. Ever since that massive orgasm in the ocean, and the following two, I’ve been in deep smit.
I walked around sore and achy from riding his cock all evening, then I dreamed about riding it all night. He held me in his arms, smiling down at me and smoothing my hair back with his fingers. It was fizzy and romantic, like a scene in a movie.
“Madam, I’m Adam.”
“Mom.”
“You already said Mom. Lose the bra, Sales.”
“I still have a sock left.” Pulling off my last sock, I dangle it like a striptease before tossing it to the side.