Once Upon A Half-Time: A Sports Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,19

husband, and I’d like to know.” I crossed my arms behind my head and kicked my heels onto her coffee table. “I’m all ears…or should I get popcorn first?”

“More like the whiskey.”

I grinned. “Can’t have that. Who knows what sort of mistakes we’ll make then.”

“Yeah. Maybe we’ll get divorced.”

“You’re right,” I said. “I’m staying sober. I want my marriage to last a little longer.”

“Better savor the hours, Lachlan. That’s all you’re getting.”

“All the more reason to learn what I can now.” I grinned. “Unless you’d rather skip right to the newlywed sex?”

“Sex is preferable to talking about my family,” she said. “Then again, so is a rusty nail through my foot or swimming in linebacker puke.”

“Can’t be that bad.”

Elle snorted. “Mine is pretty damn bad, but I guess every family is dysfunctional.”

“That’s not true. Mine’s great.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

I fished around for my phone, pulling out a photo of the rug-rat currently chasing all the girls on the kindergarten playground. “Hand to God. I love my family. You got sisters? This is Sebastian.”

I showed her the picture of the grinning kid, suited up in my college jersey and pads. She nodded.

“Your little brother, right? I think you mentioned him before.”

Didn’t surprise me. “What exactly did I say?”

“That you had a kid brother much younger than you, and you wanted to take care of him and your mom.”

“Anything else?”

“If I knew I’d drink so much, I’d have hired a stenographer.” She smirked. “He’s cute. Looks happy.”

“Should be. I just got him and my mom a house in Ironfield. They’re coming out this week.”

“And you’re…glad to see them?”

“Yep.”

Elle shook her head. “Great. My husband is a crazy person who loves his family.”

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without my mom. She’s the most amazing person I know, and Bast is a fantastic kid. I want to spoil them. I got her a huge house, and she’ll never have to work another day in her life. Plus there’s a whole arcade in the basement for Bast. And a swimming pool.” I grinned. “Also an X-box in every room, but that’s still a surprise for him.”

“You’re very sweet to them.”

“I told my mom it was my turn to take care of them. And I plan to do it.”

“I can’t imagine living that close to my family. The rules and discipline and Daddy constantly…” Elle caught my bewildered glance. “Let’s just say, my father is a bit overbearing. After my mom died, he lost it. Became someone different. Domineering. Unrepentantly strict. You know how dads can get.”

“Not really,” I said. “My dad split a long time ago.”

“Lucky.”

I wouldn’t say that. “Yours that bad?”

“Picked out our clothes every day. Wouldn’t let us have friends outside the family. Destroyed any contraband like secular music or books or magazines. Curfew was six o’clock every night, and we couldn’t participate in any extracurricular activities that distracted from our academics. Plus…” She hesitated. “He wouldn’t approve of us.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m…and your…”

“A football player?”

Her eyebrow rose. “A very pale football player.”

Oh.

“He’s very…old-fashioned. Has a lot of views of the world that…well, I don’t see things the way he does, and I knew the world wasn’t as terrible as he said. So…I left when I was sixteen and found out for myself.”

Damn. “And?”

She pointed to her knick-knacks and collections. “I wanted to see everything in the world. Oceans and deserts and prairies and forests and busy streets. I didn’t have the money when I was young, but I took enough pictures of my travels to get a decent eye for photography. I had enough skill to impress Peter, and he hired me as his assistant. I get to travel the country with the Rivets, and it’s a great chance to see a lot of America.”

“And the junk?” I pointed to her mass of snow globes, touristy ornaments, and memorabilia.

“They’re trinkets.”

“Sure, they are.”

“I’ve been collecting things. Everywhere I go. Little memories.”

“What’d you bring back from Vegas?”

Elle snorted. “A lot of trouble.”

“Did you pick a shelf for me yet…or did you want to tuck me into your bed?”

She rose from the couch. “Nice try, Charming.”

“I’m good for a cuddle.”

She ignored me, covering her eyes. “I can’t believe we did something so…stupid.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” I followed her, but she was smart enough to stay out of arm’s reach. “We were just drunk. Trying to have some fun. I wanted to do something exciting, but you’re the one who refused to bungee jump off the Stratosphere.”

“A prudent decision with that much alcohol in our