Page 51 of Beach B!tch
18
Brinley
It was early Thursday morning, and I was on the sand, stretching out with Autumn. The beach was transformed as the IVP had set up courts, stands, concession tents, and the big tent for the athletes. No one was expecting a big crowd today as this was just the Qualifiers. The atmosphere was laid back, but I focused on doing my thing and moving on to the main draw.
We had a game that morning against a team we'd beaten multiple times before. I was certain we could pull out a win again today. If we did, we'd be in the brackets for the main draw tomorrow morning. If we wonthatone, I'd officially have enough points to be a Pro. You know, pretty much my lifelong dream. No biggie.
I went through my normal warm-up routine, making sure I was limber and ready to go. Dean had taped my ankle early that morning, stopping by my place before he headed off to work. He would be by to watch my game later, having switched shifts so he'd be by the pier, and therefore the sand courts, the whole day. He'd been so focused all week on preparing me for this tournament.
If I didn't know I loved him before, I was certain of it now.
He'd made sure I was sticking to my eating schedule, stretching, rolling out, using the cryo chamber to ease my sore muscles, and getting to bed on time every night. He'd even taken to pep talks in the morning to keep me focused and wouldn't sleep over at my apartment, no matter how I tried to tempt him. I'd have to work on my seduction skills, clearly.
I took deep, calming breaths and tried to center my thoughts. This was it. At last, I was in a position to win that Pro title, and my personal life was the most "exciting" it had ever been. I'd been lonely just a few short weeks ago, and now I had so much going on I kind of wished for it to settle down again.
Jack had called on Monday, saying he'd spoken to this woman who might be my mother. Her story lined up with my own life details. She'd agreed to the DNA test and had even paid for it to be rushed by the lab. She'd been looking for her daughter for years, living in multiple states trying to find her. She had old pictures of her and my father together, even pictures with her round, pregnant belly on display, which implied that he was the father of her baby. She was excited to meet me, and Jack had used all his "bad cop" persuasion to keep her from trying to go around him and contacting me directly.
I made a heroic effort not to, but of course, all that information had gotten my hopes up and I had started to zone out at odd times every day picturing what my mom would look like. What her voice would sound like. What she'd say to me. How her presence in my life would change everything going forward.
Dean was bipolar in his support, at once super happy for me, and at other times, overly protective and cautioning me not to get my hopes up. I couldn't blame him. I knew he didn't want me to be let down again, like I'd experience the loss of my mother a second time. He was exquisite in his care of me. So unselfish and just wanting the best for me in whatever form that came in.
I wanted to tell him I loved him, but was waiting until this whole tournament and mother/father thing were resolved. I wanted to be able to just focus on him. And us. So he knew I didn't love him out of a sense of obligation while he supported me during this crazy time. Yes, I wanted to win a Pro title, and yes, I wanted to find I had a mother again, but what I really wanted, was simply him.
I wanted to cook with his mom, and cheer on Stefan at his basketball games. I wanted to have double dates with Esa and Ivan. I wanted to make healthy, boring meals at home and share them with Dean. Take more salsa lessons and hear him giggle at my two left feet. I wanted to tease him relentlessly and have him tease me.
I wanted to experience life. With him.
"BB! You all right?" Autumn peered down at me where I was sitting on the sand. She held out her hand to help me up. "The court's open. Let's go start our drills."
See? Zoning out again. I took a deep breath to clear out all my thoughts and turned my focus to Autumn and what we needed to accomplish today. "So, I'm having a small party at my place on Sunday night. You wanna come?"
Autumn whipped her head my way, her brows drawn together in disbelief. "A party? Your place?"
When I nodded to confirm, she broke out into a grin and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I'd love to come! 'Specially since we'll be celebrating our wins and your official Pro title...amiright??"
"Hell yeah, woman!" We did our new signature fist bumping, hand slapping handshake, laughing the whole way over to the nets.
"Yo, Brinley!"
I popped my head up and found Esa, Bailey, & Shasta waiting for me. They were wearing bright purple tanks with "Beach Squad" in silver glitter on the front. Big smiles lit their faces, and they were practically jumping up and down with excitement.
"Oh my God, you guys! Those shirts are so great! Thank you for coming out to watch us play." I gave them all hugs and introduced them to Autumn. They seemed to get along right away. I'd have to talk to the girls privately about making Autumn an official member of the Beach Squad. We took our membership seriously, but I knew they'd love Autumn. I mean, she'd put up with my crap all year now, so she had to be good peeps, right?
While we chatted, the sun began to peak out from behind the morning fog bank. I could hear the ocean waves hitting the sand, seagulls calling good morning to each other. Damn, it felt good to have friends. I didn't know how I'd survived so many years without them. I had my friends, a hottie lifeguard boyfriend, the best jobs in the world, a Pro title just waiting for me to grab it, and a future of my own making waiting for me. Life was good.
We were just starting our warm-ups on the court, the other team on the other side of the net, eyeballing us the whole time. They were right to worry. Autumn and I were here to win.
We had less than twenty minutes until game time. My Beach Squad was sitting on beach towels along the side of the court lines. Dean had just joined them after coming in for a quick kiss and a slap on the ass. The boy never missed a chance to touch me, especially if that touch would signal to any and all males in the vicinity I was all his. I didn't mind the territorial move...it was nice knowing I had a strong, good man watching out for me.
I had just bumped the ball to Autumn when I heard my name yelled from maybe twenty yards away.
A sense of dread filled my stomach at the sound and familiar buzzing filled my ears as a gut reaction. I forgot all about the ball and the game and turned toward the voice in slow motion. My only thought was wanting to dig a hole in the sand and disappear.Not here, not now.
My father's disheveled appearance was similar to how he looked when I saw him that one night a couple weeks ago. He was stomping across the sand, his eyes laser focused on me, his face a mask of anger and a level of crazy that just wasn't normal. I felt Dean come up behind me and put a hand on my lower back, positioning himself on my right. Autumn, Esa, Bailey, and Shasta stood next to me on my left, creating a united front that meant everything to me in that moment. No questions asked, no hesitation. Just with me on the front lines.
"I'm texting Jack..." Bailey mumbled as her thumbs flew over her phone screen.
Before I was ready, my father was in my face, his finger jabbing at me within an inch of my nose. Dean's hand tightened on my waist and I felt him tense, like he would jump in front of me. I whipped my arm up and placed the back of my hand on Dean's chest, signaling him to stand down. I had this. I felt, more than heard, his growl, but he stayed by my side and let me handle it.
