Page 64 of Second-Rate Superstar

I froze.Iknew the type of books Dakota was writing, but I couldn’t imagine she would allow my closest friends and family to read them. Not when they’d just met. It wouldn’t matter that Natalie was practically the queen of romance reading; I could only imagine how awkward it would feel to have people you knew read sex scenes you wrote. I had to admit the brief passage I stumbled upon was eye-opening. Was that the kind of thing she was into?

To my utter surprise, Dakota didn’t hesitate in her response. “It’s Danielson.”

She placed her hand atop mine under the table and gave it a pat.

Before I could figure out what that meant, Benji’s voice called from directly across the table. “Wait. Danielson?”

My head snapped up. What was his deal?

Benji didn’t wait for an answer before he asked, “You’re not by chance related to Hank Danielson, edge rusher for the Hartford Hawks, are you?”

I scoffed, rolling my eyes at my linemate. “No.”

At the exact same time, Dakota’s soft voice said, “Yes.”

Stunned, I turned to her. Not that it mattered, but how had this never come up? She said when her mom passed, that had left her all alone, so how could she be admitting to having a very prominent sports figure as a dad? One who lived in this very city?

As I struggled to put the pieces together, Benji remained oblivious, gushing, “Oh man! Hank the Tank is a legend! Broke every record in the league for sacks. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame for sure! I was so lucky to make it here before he retired. Watching him play in person was unreal! The Hawks’ defense was on lock! Hasn’t been the same since.”

Before my very eyes, Dakota shrank into herself. Her shoulders slumped, eyes cast downward, and I could have sworn I heard the softest sniffle.

It struck me like lightning. Dakota’s strong aversion to professional athletes. This whole time, I’d been convinced it was because of Levi, even though she’d protested, but it wasn’t. No, it was a lot closer to home. Her dad was the one who’d hurt her, hurt her mom—a mom she missed every day. Everything made so much sense.

Ignorant to her distress, Benji pressed, “What in the world are you doing here with us? Shouldn’t you be spending the holiday with him? Or better yet, bring him next year!”

Shoving her chair back suddenly, Dakota mumbled, “Excuse me,” before rushing off, a hand over her mouth doing nothing to muffle the sobs.

Silence descended over the table, and every head turned in the direction that Dakota had fled.

I recovered first, whipping around to yell at Benji. “What the hell?”

Eyes wide, he stared back at me. Liv elbowed him in the side when he didn’t respond immediately, which seemed to jolt him back to his senses. “What? I don’t even know what I did!”

Seeing the woman I cared about upset, something inside me snapped, and I shoved my chair back, standing suddenly before slamming both hands down on the table. Dishes rattled, and Nate whimpered in Amy’s arms, but I didn’t care.

Leaning forward threateningly, I snarled, “Don’t you have eyes? You couldn’t see how she shut down as you went on and on and on, hero-worshiping a man who has hurt her?”

Dakota might be new to the group, having met most of them today, but we all went to war for each other, no questions asked. Benji’s jaw tightened at the implication that her own father might have harmed her—something he’d experienced firsthand.

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough,” I shot back, and Benji nodded his agreement.

Closing my eyes, I took a cleansing breath. It wouldn’t do well to chase after her still angry at both Benji and the man who’d hurt her in the past—a man who was supposed to protect and care for her.

Regaining my composure, I caught the eye of Natalie’s former mother-in-law, seated on the other side of Dakota’s empty chair. Ashamed by my outburst, I apologized. “Sorry, ma’am. Didn’t mean to ruin dinner.”

Kind brown eyes met mine, and a knowing smile curved her lips. “No trouble at all. We have been known to have the occasional outburst at family dinners. Isn’t that right, Lucy, dear?”

Lucy buried her face in her wine glass. “No comment.”

Addy reached out a hand, clasping mine. “We all have our burdens to carry. Makes a world of difference when you have someone to share the load.”

Nodding, I turned to Natalie. “Don’t hold dessert for us.”

Without another word, I took off in search of Dakota. I wasn’t sure if I could make this right, but I was sure as hell going to try.

Soft sniffles and hiccups reached my ears, and I traced them to the game room in the basement. Stepping inside, my heart shattered into a thousand tiny shards, each flaying me open as I found Dakota slumped in a corner, face buried in her knees, shaking.

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