Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 84952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“You think?” Larissa threatens to elbow him again. “Behave. Please.”
Coy smirks. “If I behave, can we go get Bells?”
Larissa rolls her eyes. “No. Leave her alone.”
“She isn’t coming?” I ask.
Larissa levels her gaze to me. “When she said she wouldn’t come if Coy was home, she meant it.”
I look at Coy. He’s flashing me a shit-eating grin.
“All right. I gotta go say hi to some more people. Only home for about eighteen hours, so I gotta make the best of it,” Coy says.
“It was nice to meet you,” I say.
“You, too. I’ll catch up with you guys before you leave.” He runs his hand on top of Larissa’s head, much to her dismay. “See ya, Riss.”
I open my mouth to comment on just meeting a rock star when another man comes up to Larissa’s side and plants a kiss on the top of her head.
What the hell? I open my mouth to make some shit clear when the man laughs.
“How are you, baby girl?” he asks.
Larissa laughs at whatever my face does. “Hollis, please meet my father, Howard.”
I make a face like I just made a mistake. Howard laughs right along with me.
“How are you?” he asks, shaking my hand.
“Good, except I think I just made an ass out of myself.”
He smiles widely. “Hell, no. I like it. It shows you know how special this little girl is.”
Larissa beams. I think my cheeks turn red.
“I hear you play football,” he says.
“Yeah,” I say, trying to move past my fuckup. “Tight end.”
“I was a linebacker through my sophomore year at Kent State. Found out I had spinal stenosis, and that ended my football career,” he says. “But, hell—I did just fine in life without football. There could be a worse ending to this story.”
I nod. “That’s true. Absolutely.”
“If I would’ve known you were coming, I would’ve looked you up. I feel a little rude not knowing your stats.”
I laugh. “Trust me—this was a shit year. I’m happy you haven’t seen them.”
“We all have those years.” He takes a drink of his beer. “What brings you to Savannah?”
Larissa steps into our line of sight. She grins at me. She looks … proud.
Of me.
“Hollis won an award for Lincoln Landry’s charity,” she says, standing tall. “Isn’t that amazing?”
Howard looks at me with a raised brow. “Is that right?”
“It’s no big deal,” I tell him, trying to gloss over the whole thing. “I—”
“The hell it isn’t,” Howard says, cutting me off. “I know those Landry boys, and they don’t do anything half-assed. If they say you’re deserving of something, then you are. What’s it for?”
I bite my bottom lip and wish I could just disappear. I don’t want this kind of attention. It feels as though it cheapens it—as though it cheapens me.
“It’s just for some volunteer work. It’s not a big deal. Honest,” I say, reaching for Larissa.
It’s an automatic reaction. Before I can catch myself, she stands next to me and wraps her arm around my waist. Instantly, my nerves calm. I think Howard notices.
He grins. “I’m gonna tell you what—I don’t know where my daughter found you, but she needs to spend more time there, and away from those rats my ex-wife hooks her up with.”
“Daddy!”
Howard blows out a breath. “It’s the truth, Larissa. I love you, and I know your mother is doing what she thinks is best, but she’s out of her damn mind if she thinks you should be with a guy like Sebastian Townsend.”
“Your daughter should definitely listen to her dad,” I tell him, gripping Larissa’s waist.
Howard looks amused. “You’ve met him, I assume?”
“I about knocked his head off yesterday.”
His laugh is loud and boisterous, and now I know where Larissa gets that from. He’s incredibly genuine, which shouldn’t surprise me.
“I mean, I don’t know Sebastian that well,” I say, “but he has no business being around her.” I nod my head to Larissa. “He is not a good guy.”
“He’s a bastard. That’s what he is, and I couldn’t be happier that she’s not with him anymore.” Howard takes a drink. “I like you. You’re the first one I’ve liked in a long time.”
Larissa laughs. “Who else did you like?”
He thinks. “You’re right. Hollis is the first.”
His compliment feels good. He’s complimenting me—not my route or the way I caught a pass or my smile. I can’t wipe the smile off my face.
“I’m going to get another drink,” he says, resting his hand on my shoulder as he walks by. “Nice to meet you, Hollis. Hope to see you around.”
“Likewise, sir,” I say.
As soon as he’s out of earshot, Larissa spins around to face me.
“Oh, my gosh,” she gushes. “You just charmed my dad!”
“So?”
“So? So that’s … impossible.”
I look at him over my shoulder. He stands next to a man who heavily resembles him and I’m guessing that’s her uncle Rodney.