Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(6)
“If you’re sure it will be okay,” Jared answered coyly. He almost felt bad for manipulating his way into Rick’s home and life. If he didn’t mean any harm, it couldn’t be that bad, could it?
“Absolutely.” Rick pulled into Jared’s driveway and turned to face him. “I’ll let my wife know to expect another person, but I will let you surprise her. She actually is a big fan of yours.”
Jared panicked for a moment but Rick chuckled. “She’ll be discreet, Jay. They all will. We will keep your secret.”
“I trust you, Rick.” Jared confirmed, as much for himself as for Rick. “See you on Friday?”
“Do you need help?” Rick moved to get out but Jared waved him off.
“I’ve got this, Rick.” Jared opened the door and slid out. “I have to learn to do some of this on my own, right?”
“Fair enough,” Rick clearly approved. “I’ll see you on Friday.”
**
“I hope you like burgers and brats.”
Rick’s wife, Marie, looked much as Jared expected. A modern-era June Cleaver with an edge, Marie was clearly born to be a force of nature and Rick remained smitten with her after years of marriage. She rocked a stylish but age appropriate hair style and opted for simple jeans and, not surprisingly, an L.A. Panthers tee. She didn’t try to hide her age with makeup or hair dye but youthfulness twinkled in her eyes, much like her husband’s.
“Love them,” Jared smiled warmly. “Thank you for having me over.”
“Of course! We can’t have you holed up in that house by yourself for the rest of your rehab!” Marie beamed. “Just consider us your family away from home. We’ve got you covered if you need anything at all.”
“Thanks, really,” Jared meant it.
He was practically climbing the walls yesterday and the thought of spending the next several months leaving the house only for rehab nearly drove him mad. Jared realized that he needed to have people around and that meant making new friends. Since A.J. seemed off limits for the time being, Rick and his family were the only alternatives and Jared felt they were safe.
“Well, come on in and meet the whole family,” Marie opened the door to give Jared enough room to navigate through the doorway. Rick followed him in and gave his wife a chaste kiss. Marie led the way to the kitchen and began introductions. “The tall one picking meatballs out of the crock pot is our oldest son, Paul. His wife, Monica, is somewhere around here. She’s the tiny one with the head of hair.” Marie walked around the table to playfully smack her eldest son on the rear. “The two playing cards are Micah and Max, our twins. Don’t let them try to confuse you, Micah has the shorter hair and his husband is milling around here somewhere, the dashing Puerto Rican fellow, you can’t miss him.” Marie continued introducing as she worked, picking and moving dishes in a flurry as her children offered Jared nervous smiles or waves. “Max’s wife is nursing our newest addition, Ashlynn, so you’ll meet her soon enough. Let’s see, Andie is our oldest daughter but she must be out back supervising her husband, Colin, on the grill. Ally and her fiancé are late, as usual, so you’ll have to meet them later.”
“Everybody, this is Jay,” Rick cut in. “Stop overwhelming the boy, Marie. He’ll get to know everybody soon enough.”
“Yeah, Mom, give the all-star a break.” Max chimed in from the end of the table, “it’s not like he memorizes playbooks for a living.” The sandy-haired guy looked about Jared’s age.
“Now, don’t go talking like that, Max. We are keeping Jay’s secret in this house and if I hear anybody does otherwise there will be hell to pay.”
Jared got a glimpse into Rick’s other side as his kids nodded their assent.
“It’s okay, Rick. We can talk football,” Jared blurted. He realized how much he missed the game and even if he couldn’t play there were other things he could do.
“Great!” Paul’s eyes lit up and he handed Jared a beer. “I’ve been watching your films and I think there are a few tweaks you can make to pick up an extra step on Glover when you play Dallas next season. It should make all the difference.”
“Excuse my brother,” Micah chimed in. “He’s a sports analyst and he’s been dying to share his theory with you.”
“Hey, anything that will help me is worth hearing.” Jared took a swig of cold beer. “And, right now, the only thing I can do to prepare is watch videos and practice theory.”
“Exactly!” Paul gestured for Jared to follow him down another hallway. “I’ve got video set up in the den.”
“And it can wait until after we eat,” Marie scolded.
“You weren’t going to eat without us, were you, Mom?”
A young woman bounded into the kitchen dragging an attractive but wiry guy behind her.
“Ah, Ally!” Rick beamed at his daughter and wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her softly on the crown of her head and then introduced Jared. “Ally, this is Jay. He’s joining us today. And this young man,” Rick reached out to shake the guy’s hand, “is Ally’s fiancé, Dustin.”
“Now we can eat.” Marie ushered everybody out to the back patio where Jared finally met Ashlynn, a younger version of Marie in almost every way, and Colin.