Girls You Marry

by Tina Gallagher

  I couldn’t stop the warm, fuzzy feeling that stole through me at the knowledge. Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to return home to Dan so I could tell him how much I love and trust him, and how I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  “Daddy’s gonna be so surprised,” Lexi declared.

  We hadn’t spoken to him before deciding to return home, so he doesn’t know we’re on our way. I know he was scheduled to appear on a local talk show in the morning, but that was very early, so he should be home when we arrive.

  “He’s probably going to be pretty tired,” I said. “He had to be at the studio at five o’clock this morning.”

  I thought she had fallen asleep when she didn’t answer, then remained silent for the next several minutes, but I glanced in the rear view mirror and found her watching me.

  “What’s up,” I asked.

  Her cheeks flushed and she dropped her gaze to the hem of her shorts. She played with the edge for a moment before looking up again. “I was just wondering,” she said and then stopped. I glanced back to find her nibbling on her lower lip, looking uneasy.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I mean, I was just wondering.”

  I looked at her through the mirror again and arched a brow, silently urging her to continue.

  “Should I call you Mom once you and Daddy get married?”

  I nearly ran off the road at that question. Why did she have to ask that now? Couldn’t she have asked last night when I brought the subject of Dan’s and my impending nuptials?

  “I, uh, I guess that would depend on you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If you’d feel comfortable calling me Mom.” I studied her through the mirror again. Her brow furrowed. “Do you think you’d want to?”

  The frown deepened. “I think so.”

  “Then, if it’s okay with your dad, it’s okay with me.”

  “Do you think he’ll mind?”

  “I don’t know. But I do think you should talk to him about it first.”

  Surrounded by beautiful women and awestruck little boys, Dan’s table was easy to find. He and four of his teammates took their time signing publicity photos and chatting with everyone. Dan looked up after a particularly buxom redhead had him sign her washboard abs. He spotted Lexi and me and a smile lit his face.

  We watched as he excused himself from the line of adoring fans and make his way toward us.

  “Hey, you’re back early.” He lifted Lexi and wrapped his other arm around my neck, bestowing a kiss on us both.

  “Lexi was such a big help, we got done ahead of schedule,” I said.

  “We wanted to surprise you, Daddy.”

  “Well, you did,” he said and set Lexi on the ground.

  “Are all these people here to see you?” she asked.

  “Me and the other guys.” He smirked and added in a stage whisper. “But mostly me.”

  “We better let you get back,” I said.

  “I invited the guys over for a barbecue,” Dan said. “I’m glad you’re home, it’ll be a good time for you to meet them.”

  “Great. I promised Lexi some ice cream.” I pointed at the stand across the park. “We’ll grab some and meet you home.”

  “Sounds good.” He kissed us both and jogged back to the table.

  Lexi and I walked the short distance to the small ice cream stand.

  “What’ll you have?” I asked.

  “Vanilla with rainbow sprinkles,” she told the girl behind the counter.

  I ordered a single scoop of chocolate marshmallow and ushered Lexi to a picnic table that was painted red, white, and blue. She licked at her ice cream and stared over at Dan, watching intently as he signed autographs.

  “I can’t believe all those people,” she said.

  “Your dad and his friends are pretty popular.”

  She shrugged. “I guess.”

  “You’ve gone to his games, right?”

  “Sure, but the people weren’t like this.”

  Obviously, Dan’s done a great job of sheltering his little girl.

  “Why do those women keep doing that?” she asked.

  I followed her gaze to Dan. A brunette with legs up to her neck had her arms draped around his neck as an equally beautiful woman snapped photos. When the woman finally unwound herself, she leaned forward and he signed her exposed cleavage.

  My last lick of ice cream turned rancid in my mouth. I stood and dropped the rest of the cone in the trash.

  ****

  Cars lined the driveway and I maneuvered my way around them to my usual parking space in front of the house. I stepped from the car and sounds of a party floated from the back of the house.

  Lexi ran to the front door and through the house, while I followed at a more sedate pace. I reached the patio doors just as she jumped into a man’s waiting embrace.

  Dan spotted his daughter almost immediately and his gaze scanned the crowd until it landed on me. He gestured for me to join him at the grill. I made my way across the patio, avoiding getting hit with a beach ball along the way. Just before I reached him, a bleach-blonde draped herself over his shoulders and whispered something in his ear. He smiled and shook his head, extracting himself from her embrace. She sauntered away, putting an exaggerated swing to her walk and plopped onto a lounge chair, but not before I noticed Dan’s sprawling script just below her perfectly-shaped ass.

  “Where did you guys disappear to? I thought you would’ve beaten us here.” He kissed me and flipped a burger.

  “We hung out at the park for a while and then stopped at the mall.”

  Dan chuckled. “I think my daughter is rubbing off on you.”

  “Maybe,” I admitted.

  The woman who had been draped over Dan was staring at me. And if looks could kill, I’d be dead and buried.

  “Who are all these people?” I asked.

  Dan pointed to each person, identifying who belonged to whom. The man holding Lexi’s interest was Jack Reagan, a teammate of Dan’s. If I remember correctly, he’s the man Lexi refers to as “Uncle Jack”. When Dan got done pointing out his friends and their families, there were still five or six unnamed women. Any one of them could be a Playboy centerfold.

  “And who are they?”

  “I’m not sure.” Dan cleared his throat. “Jack invited them.”

  “They’re from the meet-and-greet, aren’t they?”

  He really didn’t need to answer. The women in question all bore autographs on various body parts.

  “I can’t believe you invited groupies to your house.” Dan slammed the grill closed, grabbed my arm and ushered me into the kitchen. “I didn’t invite them. Jack did.” I backed away from him. “What was I supposed to do, kick them out?”

  “Does this happen often?”

  “No,” he said, but didn’t sound convincing.

  “How often does Jack pick up women on the road?”

  He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “But he does it?”

  “What does that have to do with me?”

  “If you can’t figure it out, I’m not gonna tell you.”

  I walked past him and joined the party.

  ****

  The hot water pounded on my neck, draining some of the tension that had collected there. I leaned against the tile and enjoyed the sensation.

  The party finally wrapped up with Jack and his female entourage leaving last. Dan’s friends had all been nice, especially his teammates’ wives. They even sympathized and told their own tales of groupies stalking their husbands as “Jack’s friends” did their best to get the men’s attention.

  I turned the water off and squeezed the excess moisture from my hair. After wrapping myself in my tattered blue robe, I grabbed a bottle of raspberry scented lotion from the vanity and headed to the bed. As I moisturized my still-damp skin, I thought about Dan. You always hear about professional athletes and the
women who make themselves readily available to them, but until you see it first-hand, it’s hard to believe. The wives talked about it so matter-of-factly, it’s obviously part of their everyday lives.

  The problem is, I don’t know if I can live like that. That thought was echoing through my head when I heard a soft knock on the door. “It’s open.”

  Dan entered, looking freshly showered.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I shrugged.

  “Honey, I swear I didn’t invite those women.”

  “I believe you, it’s just…” I gestured vaguely, hoping my hands could say what I didn’t want to.

  “What?”

  “I hate the fact that women like that even exist,” I said. “They knew all the wives were at the party and they still tried to get the guys to leave with them.”

  He shrugged. “It’s just the way it is.” I snorted. “I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s a fact of life.”

  “It’s not a fact of my life,” I said, softly. But Dan heard.

  “It is if you’re with me.”

  I looked directly into at him. “What if I can’t deal with it?” My eyes filled with tears and his image blurred in front of me.

  “I guess that’s something you have to decide.” He squeezed my hand, stood, and left the room.

  I burst into tears after the door shut. The waterworks lasted for nearly an hour and when I was all cried out, I felt drained, but my mind was clear. If I can’t handle Dan’s lifestyle, I have to decide now. It wouldn’t be fair to either one of us, not to mention Lexi, if I can’t.

  I stood and got dressed, then packed a bag. After scribbling notes for both Dan and Lexi, I crept down the stairs and left.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  “Tell me what happened,” Kevin urged.

  After brooding and crying for a week, I finally called my brother and informed him of my whereabouts. He appeared on my doorstep an hour later.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said.

  “I bet it’ll make you feel better.”

  “Bet it won’t,” I said, sounding like a four-year-old.

  “Sabrina, if you don’t tell me what happened, I’m going to Dan’s and pounding the information out of him.”

  “This time it’s not his fault,” I said.

  “What happened?” he asked again.

  I explained, in detail, about my trip home with Lexi, our arrival at the meet-and-greet, and the groupies at the party.

  “What did he say?”

  “That if I’m going to be part of his life, it’s something I have to put up with.”

  Kevin stood and shook his head. Hands on his hips, he said, “I can’t believe you just left.”

  “What should I have done?”

  “Figure out how to deal with it.” He held his arms out, gesturing as if what he was saying should be obvious.

  “Kevin, you didn’t see those women. They did everything in their power —except maybe strip—to get his attention. And I’m sure they would’ve done that if kids weren’t there.”

  “Did he seem interested in them?”

  “No.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  He took my hands in his and squeezed. “It is easy.”

  “Considering our history, it’s not.”

  “Considering your history, do you really think Dan’s gonna screw things up again?”

  I shrugged then shook my head.

  “I just don’t want you living in limbo for another ten years. You deserve to be happy, and I don’t think you can be without getting this settled between the two of you.”

  “I know you’re right, but I just can’t face him yet.”

  “But you do plan on facing him.”

  I nodded. “Eventually.”

  Kevin and I went out to dinner and thankfully, the subject of Dan had at least been dropped, if not totally forgotten. I returned home and fell into bed. Thoughts of Dan kept running through my head, and I knew I’d have to go face him sooner or later…if not for Dan and me, then definitely for Lexi. I figured I’d just need a few days to get myself together and work up the strength to face him. Unfortunately, I wasn’t awarded that luxury.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  The incessant buzzing was a shock to my system, and no matter how hard I pounded on my alarm clock, it wouldn’t stop. I sat up and studied the object of my discontent, only to find that it wasn’t making a sound. Still, the buzzing continued and was soon followed by a pounding.

  I slipped out of bed and made my way to the front door. Brushing hair out of my face, I flipped the lock and turned the knob. The door flew open and I jumped back to avoid getting hit.

  “Is she here?” The voice registered before the words, and I looked up into Dan’s eyes. I was too shocked to speak. “Is she here?” he repeated, carefully spacing the words.

  “Who?” I managed to ask.

  “Lexi. Is she here?”

  “No, why would she be?”

  “Because she’s not home, and I’ve looked everywhere else.”

  My addled brain started working at that point, and his words finally sank in. My heart pounded double-time. “Where is she?”

  “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be here.” Dan said the words as though he was mad at me, as if he had the right to be.

  “When did she leave?”

  “Sometime last night. I tucked her in, but she wasn’t there this morning.”

  “You don’t think someone took her?” The thought was so horrifying I barely pushed the words out.

  Dan shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “She left a note.”

  “What did it say?”

  He pulled a wadded up paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. “That she’s going to find you.”

  I scanned the note, confirming his words, my eyes stuck on the last sentence.

  I love you, Daddy, but I can’t lose my mother again.

  “You don’t think…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

  “She thinks you’re her mother. I should’ve figured that out before. Some of the comments she made alluded to the fact, but I was too stupid to pick up on it.”

  “I questioned some of the comments she made, but I never imagined this.”

  “I should have known what she was thinking. She is my daughter.” What he left unsaid was that she isn’t mine and never would be. Losing Lexi was hurting as much as losing Dan.

  “Do you have any idea where else she might be?” I ushered him inside and urged him onto the couch.

  “No, this was my last resort. I tried to call, but there was no answer.”

  I turned away from his questioning gaze. “I, uh, shut my phone off.”

  He didn’t ask why, though I could tell he wanted to. He stood. “I have to find her.”

  “Let me help.”

  I saw the war raging within him, but he finally accepted my offer.

  “Give me a few minutes to change,” I said, before disappearing into my bedroom.

  My mind raced as I threw on fresh clothes and pulled my hair into a ponytail. After brushing my teeth, I went to face Dan again.

  “Any idea where we should look?” he asked.

  He seemed angry with me, and I had to remind myself that the man’s daughter was missing. After we find her, I could place blame for my behavior where it belongs, but until then, I’ll have to keep my emotions in check.

  “Here?”

  “Jeff and the rest of my family have the bases covered back home. The parents of all her friends have been alerted, so if they see her, they’ll let me know.”

  “I guess we could check out the mall and the park. They were the only places we went.”

  Dan nodded and headed toward the door.

  My panic increased with each passing minute, so I could only imagine how he must feel. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if we don’t find Lexi. Would she go home? Could
she find home if she wanted to? Did someone find her and take her? I stopped my train of thought right there. Thoughts like that wouldn’t help the situation. We’ll find her. We have to.

  After searching the mall, Dan left a picture of Lexi at the security office along with our cell numbers. Next we headed to the park. It was crowded, so it took us quite some time to determine she wasn’t there either. Dejected, we headed back to the car.

  “Where to?” he asked, clearly nearing the end of his rope.

  “Let me think,” I said, racking my brain for ideas.

  “You do that,” he said. “I’m calling Jeff to see if there’s been any word.”

  I nodded and leaned against the sun-warmed car. Closing my eyes, I tried to recall everything Lexi and I had done the previous week. My cell phone chirped, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Sabrina, thank God I got hold of you.”

  “Jodi?”

  “Lexi McMullen is here,” she said.

  “She’s there?”

  “Uh huh, and she’s pretty distraught.”

  “I’ll be right there.” I launched myself at Dan. “I know where she is.”

  His eyes brightened and he informed Jeff of what I’d said and hung up. “Where?”

  “At the clinic. Jodi just called.”

  “Let’s go.”

  We broke several laws getting there, but we made it to the clinic in record time. Dan and I burst through the back door and Jodi directed us to her office. Lexi sat in the leather chair just behind Jodi’s desk.

  “Oh, thank God,” Dan growled as he grabbed Lexi out of the chair and pulled her into a bear hug. She let out a sob and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” Dan said, his voice thick.

  After nearly squeezing the life out of her, Dan sat Lexi back in the chair. I took the opportunity to pull her into my arms. “You had us so worried, Lex,” I said, the tears I’d managed to hold back since Dan’s arrival streaming down my cheeks.

  “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “But I had to find you.”