Page 48 of Game Changer

“I’m sure there was some dig intended to bruise my self-esteem, but a woman raised by parents like mine, like Beau, will raise Lily with confidence and awareness of their value, and will never flinch at such childish antics.” I hold the door open. “Now, good day.”

“You’re with him.” She makes a disgusted face as she looks me over, and before I have a chance to reply, she spits, “He will use you up and spit you out when he gets what he wants.”

Straightening my spine, I ask, “And what is it that he wants that I haven’t already given him?”

“Let’s go, Madeline,” the older man finally says, and they exit.

I turn and look at Beau, who’s wearing a shit-ass grin. “They’re horrible people.”

His grin turns into a megawatt smile, and he nods.

Odd.

I look at my father, who’s looking down, shaking his head. “I wasn’t as bad as she was, Dad. I know I could have?—”

“No, you did good, sweetheart.” Dad chuckles. “I’m going to let you two discuss what just went down and go see if your mother needs anything.”

“Okay …?”

As soon as I hear the back hallway door shut, I turn and look at Beau, who’s still smiling like the Cheshire cat.

I gasp. “Did I just make things more difficult for you?” I place my hand over my mouth. “Oh, my good Lord, I am so sorry.”

“Nothing about what just went down made anything harder for me. In fact, I think it did quite the opposite.” He laughs.

“What is that even supposed to mean?”

“You sure you don’t mind if Lily and I stay here for the night?”

“It would be much smarter for you to stay away from her so that you can continue being there for Lindsey and stay healthy for practice, and you do have playoffs coming up.”

“And what aboutyourhealth? You’re not worried about getting sick?”

“I work in an elementary school where kids eat boogers and don’t wash their hands without being told after they pee—or worse. My immune system is like cockroaches. I’ll be fine, and so will Lily. I think this is a three-day thing. And who knows? She could have had it yesterday—she was quiet, but I assumed it was due to her worrying about her mom.”

His grin just grows.

“Why are you smiling so big?”

“Do you even realize what you just did?”

“What I just did?”

“You just claimed us.”

“I did not do any such thing. I may have overstepped when it came to Lily, but I will not apologize for that. Those people, that woman, is maddening.” I head back around the counter to clean up a little bit and also put some distance between the growing intensity of what just went down, because, yeah, I can see how it may appear that I did, in fact, do so.

Wiping some flour and crumbs off the countertop and into my hand, I scowl down at the mess, and he laughs as he moves toward me.

“You claimed her, Cupcake, and she’s mine. So you bet your sweet ass I’m claiming you.”

“That’s not how it works!” I throw my hands in the air, accidentally tossing flour into the air.

“Sure as fuck is.” He grabs a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting from the display case and heads to the door. “Tap those little paws of yours all you want; it’s your goddammed fault.”

I look down and realize I’m doing that anxiety-tapping of the foot thing I thought I outgrew. “I … I … I?—”

He’s already at the door, opening it and causing the bells to jingle. He looks over his shoulder and chuckles. “Throw some sprinkles on it and call it good, Sydney Sparks. You. Are. Now. Mine.” He steps out, stops, then turns back around and … taps a fist to his chest? “Officially.”

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