Page 41 of Perfect Playbook

“No, sir. I’m pretty sure your daughter has plenty good aim for the both of us.”

“That she does.” His gaze lowers. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Do you mean Shay getting married or me being the one to marry her?” I ask, but I’m not sure I want the answer.

He scratches his chin. “Maybe both. She’s allergic to hope, and you… well… you haven’t exactly been searching for a bride from what I’ve heard.”

It stings. Luis knows what I’ve been up to? I hide behind humor. “Are you telling me you read more thanFarmers Weeklynow?”

He chuckles. “Nope. That’s all I read, but this is a small town, and… people talk.”

That they do. There were times I didn’t want to moveback to the Canyon because everyone knows everyone’s business and there are a few somebodies around these parts happy to profit from a snapped pic or a sold story. It happened to Jolie and Ashton not too long ago.

Shay emerges from the hallway, and boy do I welcome back my wife. She saves me from Luis’ interrogation.

“Hey. I’ll stay here tonight with Nino,” she says, hands in those back pockets and her breasts stretched out. She adds, “Like we talked about.”

We didn’t discuss tonight, but I’m on her wavelength.

I stand. “It’s been a long twenty-four hours. I’ll let you get him settled.”

Luis stands, too, and smacks his hands against his jeans. “I’m going to throw a party to celebrate.”

“No, Dad. We don’t need that,” Shay interjects.

“Shh. I won’t have it. I only have one daughter, and the father of the bride is supposed to throw the reception.”

“Dad, that’s old-fashioned. Anyway, we’re already married. We already celebrated.”

Too bad I can’t remember that part.

He won’t be deterred. “We must unite the families.” He laces his fingers together.

Neither of us bargained for this.

“Truly, Luis.” I come up with a halfway point that supports my wife but satisfies my father-in-law, too. “We could all just get together for dinner.”

He slaps me on the arm. “I insist. Give me time to prepare. And I suppose I’ll need your hockey schedule.”

I don’t do meek smiles, but it’s the best kind of one I can conjure. I’m damn exhausted, and I didn’t expect this to feel so good being back in the Mendez house and meeting Antonio. The kid is special, Luis is as warm as ever, and it was all far too comfortable. It seems to me this might be the beginningof an era requiring herculean self-control. The thought of rekindling something with Shay crossed my mind more than once since landing a place at the Scorpions, and yet, she shot down any and every first move I ever made.

Plus, we made rules.

But rules are meant to be broken.

Shay ushers me to the door. “Okay, Dad, Logan and I are tired, so I’m going to say goodbye. We have a lot to do tomorrow.”

She waits for her dad to give us privacy, which he doesn’t do, so she shoves me out the door and into the darkness of the night. Crickets chirp. The mountain air is cold and sharp.

Shay wraps her arms around herself to stay warm. “That went well.”

“Yeah.” I scratch the back of my head.Too well.

She rubs her arms. I take off my blazer and throw it around her shoulders.

Immediately, she starts taking it off. “I’m going inside in a sec.”

“You’re cold.”

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