Page 64 of Stick Play

The softness in her voice, the warmth tone curls around me, and I close my eyes as I envision myself next to her. “I love the late nights.” A beat and then, “Did you girls get my notes?”

My girls.

“Zoe loved it. She can’t wait for you to get home.”

“What about you?”

“I liked the note too.”

I chuckle, because she knows what I was really asking. “Can you wait for me to get home?”

“No, I can’t,” she admits honestly, and it fucks with my heart in a million ways. “Also, you should know, your dad is asleep in the guest room.”

“Really?”

“It was late when I got home, and I figured he might as well stay over. I wouldn’t want him on the roads in the cold and getting sick.” She draws out the word sick.

“We wouldn’t want that. That would mean you and Zoe would have to spend more time at my place.”

A soft sigh escapes her lips, and my heart jumps. Does she like the idea of that?

“We never did play pinball,” she reminds me.

Fuck, I love talking to her like this, my eyes heavy, drifting shut as I lose myself in her soft voice. “You mean I never did beat you at pinball,” I tease. My phone pings and I briefly pull it away from my ear to check to see who’s messaging. Does Coach have more to say to me? I don’t recognize the number. Well, actually I do. Whoever it is calling, has been at it all day and it’s starting to piss me off.

“Everything okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, someone’s calling. I don’t recognize the number.”

“Maybe you should answer.”

“The only one I want to talk to is you. Besides, if I answer now, I’ll probably tell the person off.”

“Maybe it’s a debt collector. They can be relentless.”

I chuckle softly. “It’s not.”

“Does that happen often? Calls you don’t recognize?”

I note the way her voice has changed, maybe a hint of worry, or even jealousy in it. “Random calls? No. I don’t give my number out to just anyone.” She’s quiet again, for so long I’m about to ask if she doesn’t believe me, only to shut my mouth when she speaks.

“Ash.”

“Yeah.” I wake up a little more at the seriousness seeping into her tone.

“You need to know something else.”

I gulp. She saw the social media posts. Before I can apologize, she says, “Zoe has taken to calling Grant grandpa, and over pancakes this morning, she sent out a wish for him.”

I’m not sure how I feel about that. “I guess I’m okay with her calling him that if you are. I’m sure he’s in his glory.” She remains quiet and I continue. “The kids all call me Uncle Ash. We do consider ourselves a big family.”

“I just…you and me. I guess what I’m trying to say is Brighton and Melanie assured me that no matter what happens between us, we’ll all still be a family and Grant can be a faux grandpa.”

“You told Brighton and Melanie.”

A little sound escapes her lips and my heart jumps with a strange kind of joy. She was talking about me. “I’m sorry. It just came out.”

“If we’re being completely honest, Gina. I told Brady, and Noah and Tanner know, too.”

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