Page 52 of Stick Move

“I won’t be here to train a pup and I can’t put that kind of responsibility on you.”

“What if I want it put on me? You know, I’ve always wanted a pup. My whole life. Dad never allowed it, and to be honest, I didn’t have the time back then. Like I do now.”

She seems happy about that. When I first asked her to take on the nanny position, I thought she was going to castrate me. Now, however, I think she’s really been enjoying the time off to recharge and regroup. There’s one thing left she needs to do, though, and I want to make sure she does it before I head to Chicago with my team for our first preseason exhibition game at the end of the week.

“Look at them. Five weeks old. They look like little stuffed toys. A couple of them aren’t spoken for yet.”

She holds the phone out for me to see, and I steal a glance. “They are pretty adorable.”

She grins like she knows she’s got me in the palm of her hands. God, it’s so hard to say no to her. I want to give both her and my daughter the moon.

“Tiny little teddy bears,” she whispers.

“Who are going to grow up to be big teddy bears.”

“The female Bernese Mountain dog is smaller, and besides, you have a big house now. You can handle a big dog.”

“I can’t handle drool.”

“Ah, these guys don’t drool.”

“Why do I get the sense that you’ve put a lot of thought into this particular breed?”

She wags her brow. “They are the cuddliest, kindest dogs, and they are so good with kids.”

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly as I consider it. “Are they nearby?”

What the hell am I doing?

She wiggles and practically squeals, and I put my finger to my lips to quiet her. I don’t want Camryn knowing anything just yet, just in case it doesn’t work out.

“Not too far,” she says quietly. “Should I message to see if we can visit, maybe pick one out?”

“Let’s just go see them, and leave it at that.” I shake my head, because I know the minute I hold one of the pups in my arms it’s going to be love at first sight—and that is not even something I believe in.

We pull up in front of my parents’ house and Camryn starts jumping in the back seat. We haven’t done Sunday dinners in a while, but Mom insisted on a get together before the pre-season begins and I head off to Chicago for our first exhibition game.

“Hold still until I park, Bean.”

I love how much she loves her grandparents, and it guts me to think what is going to happen soon. Slowing, I ease in behind Dad’s car in the driveway and when I come to a full stop, I let her know she can unbuckle.

We exit the car and I note the apprehension on Brighton’s face. “You okay?” I lean in, and lightly kiss her as Camryn runs to the front door.

“You know, I’ve never really been to a sit-down Sunday dinner before.”

Okay, that breaks my fucking heart. “Growing up, I assumed you had the best life, Sunshine, but now I know the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”

“No, it’s not. I think it’s green on this side.”

“I have a great family. I had rules, and chores and expectations of me, of course, but I could always count on my parents being there for me.” Her smile is soft for me, but it’s also filled with loss and longing. “Why are you apprehensive?”

“I’m not sure I’d say apprehensive.” She turns and looks at the front door as Camryn opens it and rushes inside. “I guess I wonder if I’ll ever have this. Maybe if I don’t go in there, I’ll never know what I was really missing.”

“You want this, Sunshine?”

She glances down. “I was a career-focused woman, ambitious, determined.” Another beat of silence as she kicks at some imaginary rock. “I’m not sure what I want anymore.”

“You don’t have to make any decisions today. Why don’t we just go have a nice meal? You have a lifetime ahead of you, Brighton. There’s no reason you can’t have everything you want.”

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