Page 38 of Audra: The Prequel

“I do have a hearty appetite, ma’am, and I love a good home-cooked meal.”

Staff entered and placed plates of watermelon and feta salad in front of each person.

Initially, the conversation centered around the absent family members. Ignacio was filming on location, and Monica was in Europe with friends, living her best life now that she had graduated.

Rose brought the conversation around to Damon. “Do you travel a lot during the season? I admit I don’t know much about baseball.”

Damon dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “We play 162 games, and half of those are away games.”

“My goodness, you’re gone quite a bit. He travels more than you, honey.” She directed the comment at her husband.

Benicio grunted. “Now that you know the situation can be worse, maybe you will not give me such a hard time.”

Rose pursed her lips. “All that traveling must be difficult,” she said to Damon.

“It keeps me busy, that’s for sure, but I make time for what’s important.” He shot a glance at Audra beside him, and she blushed as she placed a piece of watermelon in her mouth.

Rose’s gaze bounced between them, but Damon couldn’t read her expression.

“Do you have any children?” Bruno asked as a member of the staff lifted his empty plate from the table.

“No, I don’t.”

“Siblings?” Benicio asked.

“No. Just me, my mother, and father.” He kept his voice neutral, but tension coursed through his muscles. He’d known they would ask personal questions, but he still became uneasy whenever those questions arose.

“But you date a lot of women,” Thiago said slowly. He had a full beard and dark eyes, and more than once Damon had caught him staring, his gaze unwavering.

Audra’s head snapped up, and an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

“I read about you online,” Thiago said by way of explanation.

“I used to,” Damon admitted.

He wanted to be careful how he spoke because he wanted to impress Audra’s family, but he also wasn’t about to let her brother intimidate him. This one, in particular, seemed to be an ass. At least the others were pretending to be nice.

“Used to?” Ethan, the eldest, latched on to the words. His eyes were cool and penetrating.

“Yes, past tense. Is there something wrong with dating?” Damon asked, laughing to lighten the mood.

“No, as long as all parties know what is going on and no one is playing games.” Thiago again. What was the problem with this guy?

Damon met his gaze directly. “I don’t play games off the field, and I wouldn’t have come here to meet Audra’s family if I didn’t care about her.”

Silence filled the room as both men stared at each other.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Benicio said in a warning tone, shooting a glance at his son. “Let’s keep things civil. Damon is our guest.”

Hopefully, that would be the end of the tension in the room. If Benicio hadn’t interrupted, Damon had a sneaking suspicion the questions were about to become more antagonistic.

Audra squeezed his knee under the table. “Damon used to play for the Twins before he signed with the Braves.”

He was impressed by how much she’d progressed in her baseball knowledge since they first met.

“Did you like it there?” Maxwell asked.

As he replied to the question, Damon relaxed. He told the family about his experience and how much he had appreciated signing with the Braves.

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