Page 49 of The Game Changer

Johnathan

I take a seat on an Adirondack chair on the back deck. Beau hands me a glass of scotch and I swirl it in the glass around the ice cubes, allowing it to fully cool down. I tip the glass back, taking my first sip of the alcohol. I can feel the burn as it makes its way down my throat. I have to hold back a cough that wants to escape, but I hold it in, not wanting to appear like a kid tasting his first sip of alcohol.

“I’m sure you’re sweating in your boots there, over the grilling you’re excited to receive from me right about now, but that’s not who I am, nor is it what my daughter deserves,” Beau starts to tell me from where he’s leaning against the railing, sipping on his own glass of scotch.

“I don’t understand,” I tell him honestly. I fully expected to be grilled by her parents, her dad in particular, so I don’t really know what to think about his lack of wanting to grill me about my intentions with his daughter. I know that if our places were reversed, I’d be grilling the shit out of him.

“My daughter is a grown woman. One who has made many decisions on her own and I trust her judgment. If she thinks that you are good enough for her, then I love and believe in her enough to make that decision.”

I take another sip of my drink, no longer wincing at the sting from the alcohol. “All I ask is that you don’t lead my daughter on. She loves with her entire being and will put your happiness before her own. If you aren’t in this for the long road, then man up to that now. She deserves the world, so if you aren’t willing to give her that, then there’s the door. But if you are willing to be the man she deserves; my wife and I will be right here to support the two of you.”

I’m still a little shocked at his viewpoint. Here I am, a man he’s only met just an hour or so ago, eight years older than his daughter. I’m currently unemployed with no job prospects in sight, and even I don’t think I’m all that good looking on paper as boyfriend material. “I would never lead her on,” I tell him honestly. “And I want you to know that I love your daughter. I am not the kind of man that uses that word lightly. I’d only ever told two women that I loved them in my life before last week, and I’m blood related to both of them.”

“So, your intentions are…” he leads, holding a hand up for me to continue.

“Marriage. Kids. I never really had those things on my mind or horizons during my playing years, but things change in the blink of an eye. When we first met, it was just as acquaintances because of our friends dating one another. That led to our own friendship forming, morphing over time into a relationship that I don’t think either of us were really looking for at the time—I know I wasn’t,” I explain to him. “But one that I don’t think I can live without now.”

“She’s got a way of befriending those around her. I’ve always been impressed with her drive and determination in life. I knew from a young age that she’d do whatever it was she set out in life to do. Does that intimidate you?” he asks.

“Not at all. That is one of the things I love most about her. I think from the moment I met her about a year ago, that is one of the things I admired most. I think it was also one of the things that attracted me to her. I’m so used to women throwing themselves at me because all they see is dollar signs and what I can provide to them. They see the social status being with me brings. None of that even hits Jill’s radar. She’s more worried about what she can do to help me. She’s already given me more ideas on what I can do now that I’m not playing, as well as offered to help with setting up a foundation or charity. I know she’s busy with her own business, and I’d never step in the way of that, but to know she’d help with whatever it is I decided to do with my life now that it’s been turned completely upside down makes me believe that I can actually accomplish something, no matter what it is. And I know I’ll have her full support.”

“She is reliable, that’s for sure.”

“I only hope that I can give her the same support that she gives to me.”

“Don’t make it a competition. That’s what relationships are all about. One partner can be the backbone during a hard time for the other, and then it can flip as your situations change. I know you’ve already gone through a lot in your adult life, and it sounds like all of that has been done without a partner for you to lean on. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by trying to protect her from things you don’t think she can handle. Talk to her, keep that line of communication open. If something is bothering you, tell her about it. Even if it is the simplest of things. Talk it out. She might be able to see things from a different light and share that with you.”

“I’m working on that. Not easy when you’ve spent the last thirty-five years not having many people you can lean on or want to burden with your problems.”

“We’ve all got problems. Some people’s are just more out there than others.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I agree with Beau.

We both look over at the sliding glass door as it opens. Jill pokes her head out, checking on the two of us. She looks from her dad’s stance leaning against the railing to where I’m sitting in the deck chair. “How’s it going out here?” she asks, obviously worried about it.

“Just getting to know one another,” Beau answers, “but you can join us, if you’d like.”

She doesn’t hesitate, stepping out on the deck, only stopping long enough to slide the door closed behind her. She walks over to where her dad is standing. She leans in and kisses his cheek. “Love you Daddy,” she tells him quietly. She turns and comes over to where I’m sitting and sits on my lap sideways, her legs hanging over the arm of the chair. She wraps an arm around my neck, and smiles at me.

“You good?” I ask, rubbing a hand along her thigh.

“I am,” she replies. “I’m even better now that I know the two of you are getting along out here. I was a little worried the overprotective dad thing would scare you off.”

“What kind of man would I be if I couldn’t take a grilling from my girl’s dad?”

“I guess you have a point there,” she concedes.

“Do you two have any plans coming up?” Beau asks, pulling our attention back to him.

“Nothing really, just normal stuff,” Jill tells him.

“We’ve talked about planning a trip out to St. Louis, so I think I’m going to work on that in the next few days. I’d really like Jill to meet my mom and see where I came from,” I add.

“I can’t wait,” Jill tells me. “Maybe we can go for a long weekend next weekend?” she suggests.

“That might work. We can discuss things later when we can check schedules and such,” I tell her.

“Sounds good,” she agrees.

---