I can’t help but shake my head when Dad pulls up in his beat-up pickup he uses as a work truck around the farm.The man has a brand-new luxury Ford F250 crew cab, but chooses this to drive into town tonight?I can’t believe he won’t let his favorite truck go.
He spots me and grins widely. Before he can put the truck in park, I throw my luggage into the bed of the truck and climb into the passenger side. It smells like I remember—peppermint and his trademark aftershave. “Hey, Pops. Thanks for coming to get me.”
“Anytime, son. You know that,” he says in his Tennessee drawl. His deep laugh lines show as he shakes his head before pulling out into traffic. “So when will we meet this girl of yours? There must be something special about her, to have you bringing her all this way.”
“No sense in denying it, Pops. I really like Danika.”
Pops hums as he switches lanes and gets onto the highway. I’m not sure how to take it, but he’s never been one to mince words. Whatever’s on his mind will come out soon enough. In the meantime, I just lean my head back and relax from the day. Thoughts of today’s plays as well as Dani flicker through my mind as the truck weaves in and out of traffic.
When we’ve made it out to the outskirts of town, Pops finally speaks up.
“Tell me, Luke, is this girl you’re bringing home a flash in the pan, or someone you wanna hitch your ride to, for the long term?” Pops, being a rancher his entire life, has little time to beat around the bush.
I take in a deep breath and wonder how to put words to my thoughts. Pops has always been the one person I can confide my darkest fears with. As I slowly exhale, I go with the truth. “The kind you hitch your ride to and never let go. But if I’m being honest, the timing sucks. I couldn’t be busier with my new job as head coach. With the season barely getting started, I know I won’t have the time needed to put into a relationship she deserves.”
Pops glances in my direction then returns his focus to the road. “Seems to me,” he begins slowly, as if he’s choosing his words carefully, and knowing Pops, he is. “If she’s as special as you claim, you’ll figure it out. As far as the kind of relationship she deserves, don’t ya think any girl you commit to needs to accept the lifestyle you live?
You aren’t changing careers anytime soon, are ya?”
“Uh, I just got this job. Why would I leave?” He knows as well as I do, I’ve worked my ass off my entire career to get where I am. Why would he even ask that?
As we enter the driveway and have to wait for the gate to open, Pops turns to pin me with a smirk. “That’s what I thought. So…” He takes a deep breath, “if she means something to you, figure out a way to make it work. Despite all the hoopla with the media, just seeing the way you looked at her, I knew she’s special.”
Seriously? “You could see that… on TV?” Surely, he’s mistaken.
“Luke, I may be old, but I’m not blind. Why the heck do you think your mama’s so worked up over this? She’s been singing Dani’s praises since the second she saw that interview. We’ve never seen you look at anyone like that.”
“What way did I look at her?”
Pops grunts, as if he’s irritated. Which doesn’t help. I have no fucking clue what I looked like in that interview. Why would Mama get worked up over it?
“Son, answer this instead. Maybe you’ll figure it out for yourself. Since high school, have you ever brought a girl home to meet us? As in… you’ve made a special trip across the country to get her here?”
“Dad, Tennessee’s been on the schedule all year. This isn’t a special trip.”
“Don’t be dense with me, son.”
“Never, sir.”
Pops’ face clearly reads,I told you so, but he’s gracious enough not to say it. “That’s right. Your mother’s plannin’ the day with this bell of yours because she’s special. Don’t let a silly thing like your job get in the way of being with the woman you love.”
Love. Why would he throw out a word like that? He knows we just started dating.
Love. Is that what I feel? Sure, I think about her all the time, when I’m not working, of course. Just being around her makes me feel as if I’ve found something I never knew I’d been missing.
Fuck, I do love her. Just thinking about Danika makes my heart race and my blood flow quicker. I never thought I’d fall so fast, without realizing it. But I have. There’s no other way to describe how I feel toward Danika.
Silently, I revel in my thoughts as Pops steers his truck up the winding driveway. When we pull into the garage, Mama’s waiting at the door with wide arms and a loving smile. As soon as I’m within reach, she hugs me in a way only my mother can. She may be tiny, but her intensity has never weakened in my lifetime. Clearly, it’s been too long since my last visit. Her hug nearly takes my breath away.
She whispers, “So good to see you,” as she releases me.
“Good to see you, too, Mama.”
“Have you eaten? You’re looking so thin.”
I scoff. It’s what we do. I’m six-three and over two-hundred pounds. I look anything but thin. But Mama doesn’t know how to have visitors without stuffing them full of food. She leads us into the kitchen where she has a pot roast with all the fixings dished up on a plate for me.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
