Page 28 of Sideline Sweetheart
“I should probably, text mine as well,” he says pulling his phone from his back pocket and typing a quick text. Bryce returns his phone to his pocket and then reaches for my hand lacing our fingers together and kissing the back of my hand.
“I’m excited to meet your parents.”
“They’re excited to meet you too. I talked to them last night, once they got back from dinner.”
Before I can comment further, the pilot’s voice comes over the speakers letting us know we will be taking off in the next few minutes and instructing the flight attendants to prepare for take-off.
Bryce leans over and kisses me. “Buckle up, beautiful, time to fly.”
Chapter Seventeen
Bryce
The flightfrom Greenville to Colorado Springs was smooth and uneventful. Of course, having Mackenzie beside me was a great distraction. Usually on flights, I sit next to a teammate, pop in my earbuds and listen to either a podcast or music until we land.
Mackenzie is far too curious about what she needs to know before meeting my parents. She borders somewhere between nervous and excited, and I try my best to ease her mind as I answer her questions. Once we land in Colorado, we exit the plane and board the charter buses waiting to take us to our hotel. When we settle into our seats, Mackenzie reaches over and squeezes my hand, causing me to turn my focus to her.
She smiles softly as my gaze meets hers. “Thank you,” she simply says. “I know I had a lot of questions during the flight, and I appreciate you being patient with me and answering them.” She takes a beat and glances down at our joined hands on the armrest. “It’s been a minute since I’ve met someone’s parents, so I want to be as prepared as possible.”
A warmth creeps into my chest at her confession, and I lift her hand to my lips and place a gentle kiss on the back of her fingers. “I get it, and meeting parents has probably been even longer for me, so I’m sure I’ll be asking you all the questions when I meet your family.”
Mackenzie’s blue eyes sparkle as she smiles up at me. “And I’ll be happy to answer all of them.”
Unable to resist any longer I lean over and give her a chaste kiss before resting my forehead against hers. “Can I tell you something?”
“Of course,” she whispers.
“I’m not going to like sharing you with everyone this weekend.”
Mackenzie doesn’t bother fighting the urge to roll her eyes as she pulls back to see me clearly. “Bryce, you share me every day.”
“I know, but this is different. We’ve done a good job of keeping our relationship on the down low. While the team has several floors reserved, the press is bound to see us together with my parents at dinner or after the game and once they latch on to the story, they will run with it. Are you going to be okay with being front page news?”
Mackenzie looks away as I prepare myself for her answer. “I’ll admit, I haven’t been in a public relationship before.”
“Why do I sense there’s a but coming?”
Mackenzie grins as she continues. “ButI think as long as we handle what they throw at us together, we’ll be fine.”
“I agree.”
“Good,” Mackenzie says as she holds up her pinkie.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re going to make a pinkie promise.”
My eyes narrow skeptically. “A pinkie promise?”
“Yes,” she replies on a laugh. “Hook your pinkie with mine.” I wrap my pinkie around her much more delicate one and shesmiles. “Now, repeat after me. I promise to talk to you first before trying to handle any situation concerning the press on my own.”
I grin and shake my head as I do as she asks. “I promise to talk to you first before trying to handle any situation concerning the press on my own.”
She leans in and kisses me. “See that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
I chuckle and kiss her again. “No, but next time we skip the pinkies and seal the promises with a kiss.”
Mackenzie smiles at my suggestion. “Deal.”
