Page 30 of Playboy

Gabby felt her heart squeeze hearing him say that. Kids could be so cruel. She could see how much it bothered him.

“I told him not to pay attention to them,” Jocelyn stated. Gabby could tell how the situation upset Jocelyn as well.

She gently nudged Max’s shoulder. “I agree with your mom. Don’t ever let other people make you feel bad for liking something. You’re your own person, and that’s what makes you awesome. If those friends of yours can't accept your interests,then you need to ask yourself if they are really your friends. Because friends should support one another, not put them down.”

“Did your friends make fun of you?”

“Some, and it hurt my feelings.”

“What did you do?”

“I made new friends. You have to remember. Just because someone doesn’t share the same interest as you doesn’t mean they can’t be your friend. What matters most is what is in here,” she told him, reaching out and tapping her finger against his chest where his heart was. “It is what is inside here that demonstrates who you are as a person. Don’t let anybody change who you are. And, you know what? You and I can be space nerds together.”

Max laughed, which made Gabby laugh, which is what she was aiming for.

Jocelyn gave her a soft, grateful smile from across the table. She mouthed, “Thank you.” Gabby smiled back and nodded her head. She noticed Playboy watching her with that mischievous glint in his eye. He winked, giving her a silent thumbs-up for what she did with Max.

Dinner was served soon after, and everyone ate and enjoyed casual conversations.

Nails started talking about the last time he babysat Max and Amira and how he took them mini-golfing.

“I’m thinking of taking them again soon. They had a blast last time.”

Suddenly, little Amira looked down the table at Nails and shouted, “Do you think that nice lady, Vanessa, will wash your balls for you again?”

The entire table went dead silent. Gabby’s eyes shot wide open as she bit her lip, trying desperately not to burst out laughing. Playboy choked on his drink next to her while Jocelynquickly covered her mouth with her hand as if not believing what her seven-year-old just said. Bear, on the other hand, sat up straight with his eyes narrowed at Nails.

“What the hell kind of place did you take my kids to where they wash your…balls?” Bear asked, visibly upset.

Nails froze, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. “Whoa, whoa, hang on a second!” he said, waving his hands frantically. “She means golf balls—golf balls!” His guilty expression faded as he started to laugh. “I can explain. There was this woman, Vanessa, who works at the mini golf place, and I may have, uh, purposely gotten mygolfball dirty a few times so she could clean it for me, which gave me more opportunities to talk to her. It’s not what you’re thinking!”

The whole table erupted into laughter, the tension breaking instantly. Even Bear was laughing now, though he gave Nails a playful glare as he joked about Nails needing to be supervised while he babysat the kids.

As the night went on, Gabby found herself content with the company of Playboy, his team, and their families.

???

Playboy paid the bill for his and Gabby’s dinner and drinks.

“Thank you,” Gabby said to him as she leaned close.

He smiled and kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome. Thank you for saying yes to dinner.”

She grinned. “You kind of made it hard to say no.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Playboy teased.

Gabby covered her mouth as she yawned, and Playboy laughed. “Tired?” he asked, brushing her hair back from her face.

She nodded. “A little. And my hip is starting to hurt a bit.”

Playboy frowned. He didn’t like seeing her hurt. He stood up and held his hand out to her. “Let’s get you home. Come on. I’ll walk you to your car.”

Everyone else got to their feet, and they all said goodnight to each other. Jocelyn, Clover, and Hannah exchanged phone numbers with Gabby and promised to give her a call so they could hang out.

Playboy walked beside Gabby, his hand brushing against hers as they left Bayside and headed across the street to the lot where she was parked.

The night had gone better than he ever could’ve imagined. Nine months he had waited to claim Gabby. And now that he finally had her, he had no plans to let her go.

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