by Taylor Hart
“He’s so good with the kids,” said Sheila, Billy’s mom, as she came to stand next to Aspen.
“Yeah, he is. How did the whole team come out?”
“Travis Group Me’d them from the app.” Shelia nudged her. “I didn’t realize Travis had a famous uncle.”
“Yep.”
“He’s cute, too. And I just Googled him. It appears he’s single.”
It was silly to get upset about what she was implying, but Aspen wanted to squelch all possibilities. “He’s the brother of my dead husband.”
Shelia gave her an apologetic look. “You’re right. I’m sorry; I wasn’t thinking.”
“The trouble is, a lot of people don’t think about that.” And Aspen needed to quit thinking about how attractive DJ was. Like right now, as he slung a kid over his shoulder and raced down the field while the rest of the kids cheered.
Her mind flashed to Harrison. He would never play with Travis this way. Dang it, why was she comparing them?
Shelia sighed. “Wow, so I guess you don’t have a thing for DJ?” She laughed. “I mean, you have Harrison, anyway.”
“Of course I don’t have a thing for him.”
“Well, if you’re not going to go for him, I am.” Sheila grinned and took off, calling out, “I think we should all take down Mr. Madden. Attack!”
All the moms started playfully circling DJ with the kids. By the end of it, DJ was on the ground with a bunch of kids on top of him, with Sheila hovering over them.
Aspen pressed her lips together to prevent herself from scowling. Sheila was laying it on pretty thick with DJ.
“If you get time,” Sheila told him, “I’d love to have you over, and you can show Billy some more moves or just let us pay you back for today’s training by making you dinner tonight.”
DJ frowned. “Sorry, I can’t.”
Sheila didn’t miss a beat. “We could do a different night. How many days are you here?”
Shifting uncomfortably, he gave Aspen a raised eyebrow. It was the same “save me” look he’d given her in high school when he wanted her to save him from girls who liked him. Without thinking about it, Aspen rushed over and grabbed his forearm, giving Sheila a warning look. “DJ is spending time with his nephew this week, sorry.” Then she tugged at DJ. “Let’s get cleaned up and get on the boat, shall we?”
Chapter 13
They walked back from the park together with Travis jabbering away. DJ grinned. He was glad Aspen had just saved him, but her protectiveness was pretty funny too.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing. I just didn’t realize how much you wanted to spend the rest of the day with me.”
“Oh, shut it.” She pushed at his shoulder.
He laughed and tugged at a piece of her hair.
She paused, staring at him in astonishment.
He grinned, trying to look innocent. “What?”
“Nothing. I just had a flashback to all the times you used to have girls hit on you, and you would give me the eyebrow raise.”
He laughed again. He liked having Aspen Roads a bit off balance. It felt strangely natural to walk back to her house from the park where he’d just played with his nephew and his nephew’s friends. “You always saved me from those types of situations.”
So much history passed between them in a moment, mixing with the present.
“And Uncle DJ,” Travis was saying, oblivious to the chemistry, “I think if we did a zone instead of a one-on-one defense, we could be stronger, too.”
DJ turned to the boy. “I agree. I think Billy and Donald and Cade have real potential on that right side. So if you just keep the other side covered, you’ll be good to go.”
Travis nodded, looking very serious.
DJ thought about how Travis had asked him to coach his team. What would it be like, living in Southport again? Coaching. Renovating his father’s beach house with Aspen. He shook his head, trying to get Travis’s vision out of his mind.
They got to the house and went up the stairs. Aspen started like she’d just remembered something. “And what the heck, Madden? How did you get all those projects done in, like, a couple of hours?” She threw up her hands. “The backsplash?”
With a smirk, he moved into the kitchen. “Did you see the cupboard?”
“Yes.” She walked straight to the kitchen cabinet in question, and she tested it by opening and closing it. “I wouldn’t have thought to use that kind of swivel.”
“I restored my cupboards last year, and I found that this hinge makes it so you—” He pointed to Travis, who was right next to him. “—can’t slam the door shut. So when he and his friends come over, they won’t take the cupboards off.” He looked back at Aspen, loving that she appreciated what he’d done. “Do you remember when Travis ripped that cupboard clean off?”
She laughed. “Oh yeah. What were we, like, fourteen? You had a whole bunch of your team over, and there were some crazy goings-on.”
He nodded, and the memory of his brother didn’t sting quite so much. “Listen,” he said, moving out of the kitchen and picking up his toolbox. He wondered what she was thinking. “How about I stop and get Dad and meet you guys out on the boat?”
She nodded but looked hesitant. “It’s only sixty degrees out there. It’s not really boating weather.”
“Mama!” Travis called out. “We have to! Man rule number four.”
DJ pounded his chest and grinned. “Man rule four: it’s always boating weather for men.”
“Yeah.” Travis giggled.
She cocked an eyebrow. “Man rules?”
DJ began grunting. “Of course.”
Travis grunted, too, and both of them laughed.
“Oh dear,” she said. She couldn’t believe how much she liked this scene.
DJ lifted his brows. “If you’re cold, you can wear a windbreaker.”
She conceded defeat. “Okay.”
He pointed at Travis. “If we go to dinner after, he doesn’t get to pick the place.”
Travis laughed a crazy laugh and ran for his uncle, pushing him in the gut. DJ pushed him back, knocking him to the couch. Travis giggled even harder.
“Travis,” Aspen said, a bit flabbergasted. “Remember, you’re not supposed to run at people like that.”
Travis shot up from the couch. “Mama, Harrison doesn’t like it, but DJ does. It’s…”
“Man speak.” DJ filled in for him, putting the kid over his shoulder and turning in a circle. “Because I have to prepare him for crashing.” He swooped Travis down, and then pulled him back up.
The boy just giggled harder. “Yeah, man speak.” He pounded his chest. “Us men got to play football and fix stuff.”
Unable to stop herself, she laughed.
DJ winked at her. Travis spoke his kind of language.
Walking into the care center, DJ found it wasn’t so bad now. The first day had been hard, but now, he was more comfortable. He waved at the nurse as he went to his father’s room, knocking gently before he walked inside.
The television was on, and his father turned from it when DJ came in. “Hello.”
“Hey, I’m DJ. Do you remember me?”
“Oh.” His father looked confused. “I think so.”
DJ’s heart warmed. “That’s cool.”
His father smiled at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m visiting my father.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Is he here?”
DJ swallowed hard. Sure, there might be flashes, but would he be around to have his father remember him? “I guess you could say that. Can I visit with you for a bit?”
“That would be nice.” His father pointed to the couch. “Should we sit?”
“Sure.” DJ sat, and his father joined him.
“Are you doing okay?”
The question took DJ off guard. “I am. I got to hang out with a kid I really like, got to take him through some football drills.”
“Ah, I love football. Do you
know who John Elway is?”
DJ grinned, thinking about how much his father had loved that quarterback. “I do.”
“Sheesh, he’s good. I see the way he scans the field, and I can’t believe what a strategist he is.”
DJ was simultaneously happy and sad. It was nice to get to know the younger version of his father. “So good.” He pointed at the album he’d noticed the other day. “Can I look through it?”
“Sure, but I’m not sure what’s in there.”
DJ picked it up and began thumbing through pages. At first, there were pictures of his parents. DJ had forgotten how young they’d been and what a handsome couple they’d made. He studied one of them on their wedding day. Pain filled the center of his chest. It was in front of the store on the waterfront. “She’s pretty.”
His father stared at the picture. “Wow, she’s a looker.”
There was a picture of his father in his military uniform, standing next to his mother. DJ pointed to them. “Want to hear their story?”
His father nodded.
“Well, he was just getting off leave from his first tour in Iraq and—”
“And she was sitting in this café, reading a book, and she didn’t even look at me until I put my stuff down. But when our eyes met, it was just this zing,” his father finished.
DJ froze. “Dad?”
“DJ?” His father wrapped him in a hug, his face joyful.
DJ couldn’t believe it.
His father pulled back. “How long has it been since I’ve been gone?”
DJ shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, you mean…?”
His father put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “You came home?”
Emotion surged, and DJ felt himself tearing up. “I wanted to come sooner.”
“That’s okay. That’s okay. You’re here.”
He put his hand over his father’s. “I’m here.”
“I’m so sorry, son,” his father said, blinking fast. “I’m so sorry for so many things.”
DJ didn’t want to ruin their time together by dwelling on the past. “It’s okay, Dad. It’s fine.” He stood, feeling nervous and happy, not knowing how to express himself. “Want to go out on the boat?”
His father stood too but shook his head. “I do, but it’s broken.”
DJ grinned. “I fixed it.”
“Then let’s go.” His father grinned back as DJ helped him into his jacket. “How long do I have, DJ?”
DJ hesitated. “I’m not sure, Dad.”
“You’re here right now. That’s what matters.”
Chapter 14
Aspen pulled up to DJ’s house. Well, not his house, per se. Bill’s house? Even thinking that it was Bill’s house felt wrong.
Butterflies rushed through her as she got out and saw DJ already on the boat, coming toward the dock. The foreclosure sign was gone.
DJ wasn’t wearing a windbreaker, but one of those tight athletic shirts. His blond hair was flowing in the wind, and the sunlight reflected off his sunglasses. He looked like a model.
His father was sitting and holding to the rail. He held up his hand and waved.
Aspen’s heart leapt. DJ was surprising her in so many ways.
Travis laughed and rushed to the dock. “Grandpa! Uncle DJ!” he called out.
She walked slower, unable to stop the slow smile creeping onto her face. They were going out on the boat and would probably freeze because the water wasn’t still right now, but watching them warmed her through. DJ wanting to be with Travis was such a contrast to her normal life.
Life with Harrison felt so adult. Harrison never wanted to spend time with Travis. Harrison wanted to have her parents watch Travis while he took her to business dinners and to meet “political people” who would further his career.
Aspen couldn’t think about Harrison and compare their relationship to her and DJ. She and DJ didn’t have a relationship. She was just allowing Travis to hang out with his uncle. His ultra-cool uncle. She gave herself a mental shake, trying to focus.
DJ cut the engine and hopped off the boat, poking Travis in the shoulder.
Travis laughed and pushed DJ.
He laughed too, and then began explaining how to board the boat. “Okay, can you crawl in there? I’ll help your mama in.”
“Okay,” Travis said, happily hauling himself into the boat. “Grandpa!” he called out again as he hugged Tom.
Tom looked bewildered for a moment, then he focused on Travis. “I’ll be, Travis, what are you doing here?”
Travis pulled back. “Are you really here, Grandpa?”
Tom let out a laugh and looked around, then nodded. “I guess I am.”
Aspen leaned toward DJ and whispered, “He’s here.”
For a moment, she could swear she saw emotion on his face. He reached out for her hand. “Yep, he’s here for a boat ride.”
She laughed, feeling so happy his father was back. “Hey, Tom,” she said, almost falling as she got in.
DJ helped her in, and then held her close. “You okay?”
“Yes.” This man was beautiful inside and out.
He grinned and let her go.
She bent to hug his father.
“Hey, tree girl.” His father used the nickname he’d called her for her whole life.
She laughed. “Hey.”
He squeezed her and pulled back, beaming. “DJ’s here,” he whispered conspiratorially.
She nodded like it was their little secret.
“I’m here too, Grandpa,” Travis said, standing next to them.
DJ leaned into her, bumping her shoulder with his. “Are we ready?”
Every part of Aspen went on hyper alert. She remembered how strong he’d felt beneath that T-shirt when he’d comforted her the other night. “Yep.” Focus. This was just an excursion with the uncle. That’s all.
“Okay, everyone, sit,” he called.
“I’ll sit by Grandpa,” Travis said.
DJ grinned at him, and Aspen’s heart swelled at her son’s happiness.
“You look nice,” DJ said to her, his eyes sweeping up and down.
She rolled her eyes. “It’s just jeans and a windbreaker.”
He leaned in, sniffing her. “No, I think it’s a touch of vanilla, too.”
She playfully hit his shoulder. “Stop.”
“Hey, you don’t want to slip.” He pulled her closer to the wheel.
Aspen wondered why she’d worried about Sheila. Earlier that day, she’d snooped on Google to see pics of him, and he didn’t seem to have women hanging on his shoulder at events.
DJ sat, and then pointed to the seat across from them. “You want to sit there? It might have less spray.” DJ fired up the boat and glided easily away from the dock.
She sat down. It felt surreal to be here again, both familiar and not. DJ’s father hadn’t used the boat in a long, long time. Probably over five years, she would guess. Once again, so many boating memories washed over her—of going out with his family when she was young, going with Travis and DJ, or going with just DJ.
DJ’s eyes connected with hers, and she knew. She could deny it all day long, but she still had feelings for this man—and by the way he looked at her, he had feelings for her, too.
Chapter 15
After roughly an hour, DJ headed back, unable to stop smiling and laughing. His father, Travis, and Aspen now stood by the railing, anticipating the spray. It felt so good to be here, doing things with his family.
Guilt surged inside of him. Aspen and Travis weren’t really his family. They were his brother’s. The old resentment threatened to resurface, but he quickly pushed it aside. He’d resolved to not have regrets, and he’d thought that had meant clearing the air with his father, but now he realized it meant so much more. He’d pretty much forgotten he’d had a nephew and that was wrong.
So many things had left DJ feeling like he was alone, and now, being in Southport with all of them, he knew he really did have family. He docked the boat and
Travis and Aspen hopped out, but she waited, turning back.
His father started moving to the side of the boat but turned to put a hand on DJ’s shoulder, his eyes glistening.
“Let’s get you inside, Dad,” DJ said.
His father wrapped DJ in a hug, and his body started shaking with sobs. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for everything, son.”
DJ clung to his father as myriad emotions flooded him. He held him tighter, and before he could stop the words from coming out, he found himself saying, “Me too, Dad. I’m sorry, too.”
His eyes met Aspen’s, and he saw she was crying.
“Are you guys coming?” Travis called out.
Aspen turned to him. “Go inside, son. We’re coming.” She and DJ nodded at each other.
His father pulled away and held to his shoulders, staring into his eyes. “I’ve been a stubborn old fool.”
Hearing this meant so much to DJ. “It’s okay, Dad.”
“No, it’s not. I drove you away. I was a drunken mess, but it was still my fault, and—” His father looked at the house. “I messed up so many things, son. I gambled away all my money.” He broke off, crying again.
DJ patted his back. “I’m home now, Dad. I’m home, and we’re going to figure it all out.” It was true. He was home. And home meant everything to him now.
His father put a hand on his cheek. “I want to tell you this before I’m gone again.”
DJ waited, wondering what it could be.
“I love you, son. I love you, and I’m so proud of you.”
Without warning, DJ found himself trying to keep back another flood of emotion. “Thanks, Dad.”
His father smiled. “Go, Rebels!” He put a fist into the air.
DJ laughed. “Go, Rebels!”
Hours later, after they got warmed up, changed and ordered takeout together, Aspen and Travis headed home while DJ dropped his father back at the care center. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after dinner before his father wasn’t mentally his father anymore.
