Blitzed(54)

"I can agree with that," Troy says, looking over at me. "I'm thankful every day for what has been brought into my life."

I blink, smiling and reaching out to take his hand, while Laurie takes her first bite. "Mmm, this is good!"

"Try it with the ketchup and mustard on it. Some people think it makes it even better," I say, dipping mine in. "So, Laurie, can Troy and I talk to you about something?"

"You are dating, right?" Laurie asks, and I'm taken aback at how smart she is. "I saw some of the old photos Grandma keeps at home."

"Yeah, Whitney and I dated back in high school, and we've decided that we'd like to start seeing each other again. Is that okay with you?"

"Uh-huh," Laurie says. “You're fun—I like you."

Relief washes over me. "Laurie, you know that Troy and I saw each other in high school. But I had you in Italy. Do you know why?"

"Not really."

"Well, at the time, I was doing it because I thought it would be good for your father," I say, and Laurie's head perks up. I rarely use the word father around her—I've wanted to prevent her developing any problems. "The reasons aren't important right now, but just let me say that I made a mistake, not letting you get to know your father."

She’s silent for a moment, not sure what to say, then innocently picks up her corn dog. "I know when I meet my Daddy, he's gonna love me like you do.”

"He does," I say, and Laurie turns her head to look at me inquisitively. "I left Silver Lake Falls after you were already in my belly. Laurie. Troy is your daddy."

Laurie drops her corn dog, looking at me, then at Troy. “He . . . is Daddy?"

"Yes, baby girl. And you're right, I love you very much," Troy says. He opens his arms, and Laurie's in his arms, the two of them laughing together, and I can't help but join in, all three of us having a family hug for the very first time.

Maybe there is a chance for happily ever after, after all.





Chapter 20





Troy





Nearly the whole way back to Silver Lake Falls, Laurie is almost worshiping me as she rides in her car seat, and I feel slightly embarrassed. Twice after telling her, she stopped patrons at the zoo to tell them that Troy Wood of the Hawks is her daddy. I ended up signing more autographs than I'd done on a trip out in my entire pro career, and in the end, I had to beg off, explaining that I was having a day out with my family.

"No wonder you enjoy living in Silver Lake Falls," Whitney says as we glance back to see that Laurie has fallen asleep in her car seat. "That has to drive you nuts."

"It's not that bad, usually,” I reply, setting the cruise control on my car. "I'm not one of the big superstars . . . yet."

"So next year you're going to get mobbed?" Whitney teases, and I look over, smiling.

"Maybe. Now that I have you two in my life, I've got enough emotional content to power me to the Pro Bowl and more."

"Don't forget the looks that'll make you a poster boy, too," Whitney says. "And the best part is, they're all mine."

"Hmmm, maybe we can do Sports Illustrated then?" I tease back. "You know, they did a swimsuit edition of famous athletes with their significant others."

"You want me in a bikini for a photo shoot?" Whitney asks, and I grin. "You are crazy."

"No, just confident that I have the most beautiful woman in the world next to me," I say. "I guess we should talk about that a little now that Laurie's out too. Whitney, I'm not sure if there's a word to describe our relationship."

"I know," she says quietly. “Everything inside me is telling me conflicting things. When I look at you, when we danced at the party, or at the wedding . . . but if you had dropped to your knees and asked me to marry you last night, I'd have been hard pressed not to say yes.”

"I know," I say, glancing over. “It crossed my mind. Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt."

"It's just that . . . Laurie's been through so much in the past year or so. Lorenzo and me splitting, the plans to move to America, coming here, meeting you, Lorenzo leaving her totally . . . it's a lot for a kid her age to deal with."

"You can say that again. So I guess this means that at least formally, you'd like to take things slow?”

Whitney nods, her eyes full of worry. "Is that okay? I know how we're feeling, and I know that I denied you five years with Laurie, but can you wait a while on this? On me?"

I nod and look over at her. "I don't care if you want to call me your boyfriend, your man, your baby's daddy, or your fiancée. Or maybe even husband, if it comes to that. It's not going to change how I feel. Five years of you in Europe, not even knowing a thing about you, couldn't change my heart. Telling me let's wait until the offseason or next year is small potatoes."

"Off season? Why the off season?" Whitney asks, and I smile.

"If you want to have a honeymoon, the best idea is to do that during the off season. The Hawks may have given me this pre-season game off since it was, as the GM called it, a garbage game, but the regular season . . . well, I can't exactly take a week off to go to the Bahamas."