Page 111 of Three Pucking Words
My heart swells in my chest. “I didn’t know you were such a…romantic.”
His snort is light. “I don’t know about that, kid.”
Sylvia walks over to him, swatting his chest before giving him a hug. “Oh hush, you big softy. You’re not fooling anyone.”
He smiles at her before pecking her cheek as she pulls back. “I’m glad you asked me out. I sure as hell was too chicken to do it myself again.”
I’ve never truly let myself look at them together, partially in solidarity for Mom, but it’s obvious they’re in love. “You guys are disgustingly cute. Do you know that?”
They both turn to me.
Sylvia with a smile.
Dad with raised eyebrows.
I add, “That was a compliment.”
He hums. “Got it.”
Sylvia chuckles. “Sometimes, all it takes is a little courage to take control of your life. Mine would have been very different if I didn’t take a chance on your father.”
Her advice soaks in as I finish dinner and go to the guest house, letting my hand hover over Bodhi’s name in my phone. He texted me earlier asking if he could call me once Gemma went to bed. We talk every day now. Sometimes through text. Sometimes over the phone. He’ll leave notes on my office door or desk, and Karina will tell me if he stopped by to drop off coffee and snacks for the two of us.
In the past, I let others control my life.
My mother.
Max.
I don’t want to do that anymore.
Iwant to take control. To get the same ending Sylvia and my father got. The one theyhave.
And I refuse to let anyone get in the way.
*
I stop halfwaydown the hall with a hot coffee in my hand when I see Bodhi and Gemma walking up the opposite side. I know for a fact the Styrofoam cup in his hand is a pumpkin spice chai latte and the little bag contains a chocolate croissant, because this is around the time he usually delivers me sweet treats.
“Hi,” I say, staring down at my name written in marker on the side of the cup. I lift the coffee I’m holding. “I was going to bring you something for a change. Dad said you guys were doing PT today before the game.”
He puts a hand on top of Gemma’s head. “I’m on a mission with this one delivering birthday invitations. She specifically wanted to hand deliver them to a few people here.”
Gemma waves a neon purple envelope in the air with a big smile on her face. “See! This one is for you, and this one is for Puck. It has a paw print on it that Daddy helped me with.”
The smudged paint looks more like a hand turkey than a paw print, but I know better than to insult a child’s artwork. “It’s amazing. Puck and I would love to come to your birthday, Gemma.”
She giggles and looks up at her father. “Did you hear that? They’re coming!”
His smile warms his face. “I did.” He ruffles her hair and turns to me. “All the information is in the card. It won’t be a large get together. Mostly people from the team and Gemma’s grandparents.”
This time, I’m not as nervous about being around new people. I’ve seen Helen and Joe twice now, and they’ve always been as warm to me as they are to Gemma. “Did Helen ever finda photographer for her niece’s wedding? I made a list of people she could ask if the few she knew weren’t available.”
Bodhi smiles as we exchange drinks. “Funny you mention it, because she wanted to talk to you about it at the party. She was hoping to convinceyouto be their photographer. She and her niece have seen all the action shots you get at our games, and the behind-the-scenes content you and Karina post on the team’s social media and they like everything you’ve done.”
It’s been a long time since I’ve done paid photography gigs. I did small photoshoots in Chicago back in the day, but that was years ago.
“I don’t have much experience with weddings. The most I’ve done is senior pictures for picky parents of eighteen-year-olds.”
