Then again, it’s not like Fortune had any say in the timing of Vince’s arrival. I wouldn’t put it past Vince if he chose this game for a reason. Knowing how much was at stake. The pressure riding on his son’s shoulders.
“I’ll be around all day if you need me. If they’ve already taken your phone away, ask my dad and he’ll come find me.”
“Oh, I’m getting special treatment now, huh?” His mood is lighter, and I swear there’s a faint smile on his lips when he finally looks up at me.
“Consider me your good luck charm.”
“Always,” he says before walking around to my side of the bed and planting the most mind-numbing kiss of my life against my lips.
* * *
I don’t haveto see Vince Bradford’s face to know it’s him standing on the sideline chatting it up with a few other former athletes who have field passes. He’s got twenty-five-years on Fortune, but from behind the resemblance is uncanny. Same height. Same build. Their hair color is identical. Even their mannerisms are similar—the way they both pull back their shoulders when they speak, and shift their weight from foot to foot.
Molten heat sludges through my veins when he breaks out into a chuckle. One that sounds like he’s rehearsed it a thousand times to ensure it comes out genuine. Fans of his might not be able to see through the bullshit, but I can.
I walk back through the tunnel and make my way toward the locker room while trying to maintain my composure. I stand outside the doorway, hoping to catch my dad before the game and wish him good luck, but a tall, dark-haired man rounds the corner and my blood instantly boils.
“Get out of my way,” Vince spits out a disgusted scoff when I step in front of the door. He speaks to me like I’m too beneath him to be sharing the same air. “You social media girls think you’re all hot shit. Thank god, we didn’t have to worry about you…” He pauses, giving me a once over that makes my skin crawl “Leeches back when I was playing.”
He’s so ridiculous that I find it hard not to break out into a laugh.
This “social media girl” has the power to ruin his image at the drop of a hat, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that.
My dad rounds the corner, and his face drops to a scowl the second he lays eyes on Vince.
“Phil! Man, how are you? Long time no see.”
“Talk to my daughter like that again and you’ll be banned from all Matrix events, facilities, and games for life.” My dad comes barreling down the hallway with smoke coming out of his ears. “You’ve already tarnished your name by being a shitty father. Would be a shame for people to find out you’re a piece of shit in general, wouldn’t it?”
“I didn’t know she—”
“She’s a spitting image of me, you dipshit.”
I clamp my lips together to hold back a laugh.
“Well, tell her not to stand around in front of the locker room door. I want to go in and give a speech to the players. Give them some encouragement from one of the greats.”
The delusion this man has is alarming.
“That’s not how that works, and you know that.” Venom seeps through my dad’s tone. If there’s one thing he hates, it’s being undermined at his own game. “You don’t get to walk up into my facility and talk to my players. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but you haven’t been hot shit in this league since before most of them were born. Doubt they’d know who you are.”
Vince barks out a maniacal laugh. One that’s so in denial of the reality he’s living in. “I’m one of the best wide receivers in this league. Everyone knows who I am.”
“Were,” I pipe up. “You were a wide receiver… twenty-five years ago.”
“What would you know? You weren’t even alive then.”
My dad and I share a look, and smiles break out over our faces. “He’s just made himself the punchline, didn’t he?” Dad can hardly contain the laughter that rumbling in his chest.
When we look up, Vince rolls his eyes while trying to dip his shoulder and slide past my dad.
“Security!” he bellows down the hall and two giant men who look like they could be first strings on the offensive line appear within seconds. “Escort this man out of the locker room and don’t let him try to sneak in. In fact, why don’t you have someone show him to the skybox where all the other guests with sideline passes will be watching tonight’s game?”
Vince scoffs. “I deserve to be on the sidelines.”
“The only thing you deserve is a big fat ego hit, you piece of scum.”
I rear my head back, shocked that such hostile words would spill past my dad’s lips. I’m equally terrified and impressed all the same.
