Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 79(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 79(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
"Book a flight?"
"Yeah, pretty baby. We need to go see your dad."
Chapter Eleven
Emelia
The photo of us kissing at dinner leaks. So does one of him carrying me through the restaurant. And another of us, stumbling out of his truck, looking like we were up to no good.
I don't mind. Maybe I should, but I don't.
The headlines aren't salacious. They don't paint me as a fling or Royce as a player. I'm not his publicist in them. He isn't my client. We're just two people in love.
I can live with that.
I'm not so sure about my dad, however.
By the time we land in Nashville three days later, he's seen the photos, and he is not thrilled. I think it was one thing for him to know about Royce. It's something else for him to have seen the evidence plastered all over the paper.
He's currently dealing with one of his worst nightmares: His daughters growing up and falling in love.
He and my mom are waiting for us on the tarmac at the airport.
"Mom!" I cry, rushing straight into her arms.
"Hey, baby girl." She flings them around me, wrapping me up in a tight hug. "You look so happy," she whispers in my ear.
"I am," I whisper back, peering over her shoulder at my dad, who is looking everywhere except at Royce. "Is he mad?"
"No, honey. He's just worried about you. He knows how much sacrifice comes with loving men like him and Royce."
"Love isn't a sacrifice."
My mom smiles at me, her expression soft. "I know that. You just need to remind him."
I pull away from her, take a breath, and then step forward to hug him. "Hi, Dad."
"Hey, baby girl." He scoops me into a fierce hug, his lips planted against my forehead. "How was the flight?"
"It was good." I don't mention that Royce and I tried to have sex in the bathroom of the small plane. Turns out, trying to climb a goalie in an airplane bathroom—even if the airplane is private—is damn near impossible. Who knew?
"You fly back out tomorrow?" he asks.
"Yeah. Royce has a game, so we have to get back."
My dad sighs, his gaze drifting to Royce. "So, he's the one, huh?"
"Yes," I whisper. "Please be nice."
"Plan on it, baby girl."
I narrow my eyes on him, which just makes him chuckle.
"Relax, Em. I'm not going to give the man grief," he mutters, tapping me on the nose with an amused smirk, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I know better than that. You're too much like your mom to need me to kick ass for you. You can do that all by yourself. I just want to meet him, make sure he knows what's at stake if he fucks up with you."
"Fine," I grumble, "but if you're mean, I'm not talking to you."
He chuckles, shaking his head at me. "Just fucking like your mom."
"Royce." I hold out my hand for him.
He steps forward, lacing his fingers with mine.
"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Royce Elliot. Royce, this is my mom, Kelsey, and my dad, Kris," I murmur, introducing them.
"I've heard a lot about you, Mrs. Jónsson," Royce murmurs to my mom. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"It's so good to meet you, Royce," she says, pulling him into a fierce hug.
When she releases him, he turns, shaking my dad's hand. "It's nice to meet you, sir."
"Likewise." Dad looks him up and down. "Gotta say, I would have preferred to meet you before my daughter ended up all over the news with you."
"Dad!" I cry.
"What? I'm just saying."
"Behave, Kris," Mom says, patting him on the chest. "I seem to recall the two of us ending up in the news more than a few times over the years."
Dad narrows his eyes at her, but it's not like he can deny history or anything. She passed out at a game when she was pregnant with me, and my dad walked off the ice to be with her. For a while, they were all over the news.
"I love your daughter, sir," Royce says, his voice firm and clear. "I can't promise that she won't end up in the press, but I can promise that I'll do everything in my power to ensure that she's happy, healthy, and safe."
"Yeah? And how are you going to do that when you spend half the season flying around the country?"
"The same way I always have with my family," Royce says, not missing a beat. "I don't know how much you know about me, but I know how important family is, sir. I went pro to help ensure my parents had the help they needed caring for my brother. Family has always come first for me. Now, your daughter does."
"Your brother is sick?"
"Heart defect," Royce confirms. "He requires around-the-clock care."
My dad's expression softens. "I'm sorry."
"He has a full life. He's happy and as healthy as can be. That's what we focus on." He eyes my dad for a moment. "I'm thinking you can relate."