“In the kitchen,” I hear my mom call out. I slip my shoes off and hang my coat up in the closet. I do the same with John’s and he follows me into the kitchen. My mom gasps when she sees us enter. “Oh, my! Those are beautiful!”
“Hello, Mrs. Kennedy, it is nice to finally meet you,” he says, handing over the flowers. “This is also for you,” he says to Mom, handing her the bottle of wine.
“Well, aren’t you just the sweetest?” she asks, setting the flowers and wine on the counter so she can pull him into a hug. He gives me a quizzical look as he wraps an arm around her.
“Sorry, she’s a hugger,” I apologize, realizing I forgot to mention that tidbit. “Mom, this is Johnathan. John, this is my mom, Diane Kennedy.”
“It is so nice to finally meet you, but please just call me Diane. Mrs. Kennedy makes me feel old.” She chuckles.
“Whatever you prefer,” John tells her.
“Where’s Dad?” I ask my mom once introductions are finished and she’s stopped scaring my boyfriend.
“He was working on something in his office. Why don’t you go yell at him to come down and join us?”
“I can do that,” I tell her. “You want to come with me or stay here?” I ask John.
“I’m good with either,” he says sweetly.
“Oh, you’re here.” My dad’s voice fills the kitchen as he steps in.
“Yep, I was just going to come get you,” I tell him as I step into his embrace. I step out of the hug and back to John’s side. I slide my hand into his, giving him a little squeeze of the fingers. “Dad, this is Johnathan Camps, and John, this is my dad, Beau Kennedy.”
“Nice to meet you, sir, your daughter speaks highly of the both of you and it’s my pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.” He offers his hand to John.
“This, here, is for you, sir.” John hands him the bottle of Scotch. Dad looks it over, his bushy eyebrows raising up as he reads the label.
“Thank you, this is quite the bottle,” Dad tells him, setting it down on the counter.
“Only the best. I was introduced to that label by a former teammate. It took me a few times trying it before I really enjoyed it, but now it’s my go-to, even if it is expensive.”
“We can have a glass after dinner,” Dad says. “So, John, tell us about yourself.”
“I’m a pretty open book, what would you like to know?” he asks in return.
“Whatever you’d like to share.” Dad chuckles. “Just the basics to start will be fine.”
“Born and raised in St. Louis. I started playing hockey as a kid and quickly realized I had a natural talent. I let that talent lead the way, first by playing in the juniors, followed by being drafted and then heading off to college. Once I was out of college, I played in the AHL for a portion of my rookie season before being called up to play in the NHL. I just retired this past summer after suffering from a career-ending TBI.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” my mom says softly.
“It was definitely a hard pill to swallow, and I’ve had my moments since the injury, but for the most part, I’m healthy and I haven’t suffered debilitating symptoms like some TBI patients do.”
“I imagine you’ve got the top doctors in the area working on your case?” Dad asks him.
“Yes, the team provides all my medical and they only hire the best. I’ve been working with Dr. Price and he’s been amazing.”
“He’s one of the good ones. I’ve met him at a few functions over the years.”
“That he is,” John agrees.
“Shall we take our seats at the table?” Mom asks. “Dinner is ready,” she adds.
“Can I help with anything?” John asks Mom.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’ve got everything under control,” she tells him.
“All right.” He nods before turning to follow me to the formal dining room. He places his hand on my lower back as we make our way out of the kitchen.
Mom’s got a huge spread on the table already. A large pot roast is on a platter, surrounded by potatoes and carrots. On another plate is freshly made dinner rolls and a salad in a bowl next to that.
“Wow, this looks amazing, Mom,” I tell her as we all take our seats. John pulls my chair out, allowing me to sit before he helps me adjust it.
“Such a gentleman,” Mom whispers to me as John and my dad take their seats.
Once everyone has served themselves, Mom starts back in with the questions. We cover everything from his family—where I interject and tell my parents just how cute his nephew is—to his career and where we each see ourselves five years from now.
“John, would you like to grab that glass of scotch and have a few minutes alone on the back deck?” my dad asks him. It is the fatherly, “What’re your intentions with my daughter” speech that I’m sure every father that has girls prepares.
“He’s not going to grill him too much, is he?” I ask my mom.
“I don’t think so, dear. He can see how much the two of you obviously feel about one another. It’s cute, really, and at the end of the day, your dad and I just want you happy. If Johnathan makes you happy, then so be it. He seems like a good man, so I say go for it, m’dear. You only get one crack at life, so make the most of it.”
“Do you think our age gap is an issue?” I ask her.
“Does it bother you?” she turns the question back on me.
“I’ve never felt like it does, I just didn’t know if you thought Dad would have an issue with it.”
“He doesn’t get to have an issue with it since he’s eight years older than me,” she reminds me.
“I never even really thought about that,” I tell her, laughing at the fact that my parents have the same number of years between them that Johnathan and I have between us.
“Have you guys talked about the future?”
“Nothing specific, just things we’d like to accomplish. Marriage, kids, things like that. We did, however, exchange our first ‘I love you’s’ last weekend and, gah! Mom, it was seriously the most magical moment.”
“Oh, honey,” Mom says, reaching out to grab my hand. “I’m so happy that you’ve found someone that loves you just as much as you love them. Hold on to that tight. Love like that is rare and doesn’t come around all that often.”
“I know. I’m enjoying it,” I tell her, keeping things a little vague. I tell my mom a lot of things, but my sex life is off limits.
“As you should.” She winks at me, the all-knowing mother that she is. I’m sure she isn’t dumb. She knows I’m a grown-ass woman who’s in a healthy relationship, and part of that is sex.
“So, you’ve met his sister, and her wife, and nephew. Any plans to meet his mother?”
“Nothing concrete yet. I’d love to take a long weekend and go to St. Louis. Let him show me around and get to meet his mom. I’ve said hello a few times when he’s talked to her on the phone or FaceTime, but getting that actual in-person introduction is different.”
“I’m sure that it will happen in due time,” Mom tells me.
“I know. Do you think Dad’s out there grilling him? Should I go rescue John?”
“I’m sure they’re just having a little male bonding time. You are your daddy’s little girl, after all. He hasn’t had too many boys to grill, so I’m sure that he’s taking the chance to do so.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” I laugh nervously.
“Give them a few more minutes. I’m sure John is a big boy and can stand up for himself in situations like this.”
“I hope so. He hasn’t had to meet the parents much before. I’m one of his only serious relationships that he’s been in. He was always so focused on hockey that he never made the effort to date.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Mom says. “Sometimes not having a lot of baggage from previous relationships is helpful.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“How are things at work?” she asks,
changing the subject.
“Really good. I want to sit down and look at the numbers to determine if I can afford to hire another technician to help work at the main office. With how busy we’ve been, I think if we had a second technician, we’d be able to double our patient load at the office. If that was the case, then adding a second would more than pay for itself.”
“If it would pay for itself, it sounds like a no-brainer.”
“Yeah, I just need to crunch some numbers and make sure what I’m thinking in my mind is really how it would work out. I don’t want to take on more than I can handle.”
“I’m sure that you’ll figure it out and make the best decision, you haven’t gone in the wrong direction yet.”
“Thanks, Mom. I couldn’t do this without your and Dad’s support and help.”
“You know we’d do anything for you.”
Chapter Fifteen
Johnathan
I take a seat on an Adirondack chair on the back deck. Beau hands me a glass of scotch and I swirl it in the glass around the ice cubes, allowing it to fully cool down. I tip the glass back, taking my first sip of the alcohol. I can feel the burn as it makes its way down my throat. I have to hold back a cough that wants to escape, but I hold it in, not wanting to appear like a kid tasting his first sip of alcohol.
“I’m sure you’re sweating in your boots there, over the grilling you’re excited to receive from me right about now, but that’s not who I am, nor is it what my daughter deserves,” Beau starts to tell me from where he’s leaning against the railing, sipping on his own glass of scotch.
“I don’t understand,” I tell him honestly. I fully expected to be grilled by her parents, her dad in particular, so I don’t really know what to think about his lack of wanting to grill me about my intentions with his daughter. I know that if our places were reversed, I’d be grilling the shit out of him.
“My daughter is a grown woman. One who has made many decisions on her own and I trust her judgment. If she thinks that you are good enough for her, then I love and believe in her enough to make that decision.”
I take another sip of my drink, no longer wincing at the sting from the alcohol. “All I ask is that you don’t lead my daughter on. She loves with her entire being and will put your happiness before her own. If you aren’t in this for the long road, then man up to that now. She deserves the world, so if you aren’t willing to give her that, then there’s the door. But if you are willing to be the man she deserves; my wife and I will be right here to support the two of you.”
I’m still a little shocked at his viewpoint. Here I am, a man he’s only met just an hour or so ago, eight years older than his daughter. I’m currently unemployed with no job prospects in sight, and even I don’t think I’m all that good looking on paper as boyfriend material. “I would never lead her on,” I tell him honestly. “And I want you to know that I love your daughter. I am not the kind of man that uses that word lightly. I’d only ever told two women that I loved them in my life before last week, and I’m blood related to both of them.”
“So, your intentions are…” he leads, holding a hand up for me to continue.
“Marriage. Kids. I never really had those things on my mind or horizons during my playing years, but things change in the blink of an eye. When we first met, it was just as acquaintances because of our friends dating one another. That led to our own friendship forming, morphing over time into a relationship that I don’t think either of us were really looking for at the time—I know I wasn’t,” I explain to him. “But one that I don’t think I can live without now.”
“She’s got a way of befriending those around her. I’ve always been impressed with her drive and determination in life. I knew from a young age that she’d do whatever it was she set out in life to do. Does that intimidate you?” he asks.
“Not at all. That is one of the things I love most about her. I think from the moment I met her about a year ago, that is one of the things I admired most. I think it was also one of the things that attracted me to her. I’m so used to women throwing themselves at me because all they see is dollar signs and what I can provide to them. They see the social status being with me brings. None of that even hits Jill’s radar. She’s more worried about what she can do to help me. She’s already given me more ideas on what I can do now that I’m not playing, as well as offered to help with setting up a foundation or charity. I know she’s busy with her own business, and I’d never step in the way of that, but to know she’d help with whatever it is I decided to do with my life now that it’s been turned completely upside down makes me believe that I can actually accomplish something, no matter what it is. And I know I’ll have her full support.”
“She is reliable, that’s for sure.”
“I only hope that I can give her the same support that she gives to me.”
“Don’t make it a competition. That’s what relationships are all about. One partner can be the backbone during a hard time for the other, and then it can flip as your situations change. I know you’ve already gone through a lot in your adult life, and it sounds like all of that has been done without a partner for you to lean on. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by trying to protect her from things you don’t think she can handle. Talk to her, keep that line of communication open. If something is bothering you, tell her about it. Even if it is the simplest of things. Talk it out. She might be able to see things from a different light and share that with you.”
“I’m working on that. Not easy when you’ve spent the last thirty-five years not having many people you can lean on or want to burden with your problems.”
“We’ve all got problems. Some people’s are just more out there than others.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I agree with Beau.
We both look over at the sliding glass door as it opens. Jill pokes her head out, checking on the two of us. She looks from her dad’s stance leaning against the railing to where I’m sitting in the deck chair. “How’s it going out here?” she asks, obviously worried about it.
“Just getting to know one another,” Beau answers, “but you can join us, if you’d like.”
She doesn’t hesitate, stepping out on the deck, only stopping long enough to slide the door closed behind her. She walks over to where her dad is standing. She leans in and kisses his cheek. “Love you Daddy,” she tells him quietly. She turns and comes over to where I’m sitting and sits on my lap sideways, her legs hanging over the arm of the chair. She wraps an arm around my neck, and smiles at me.
“You good?” I ask, rubbing a hand along her thigh.
“I am,” she replies. “I’m even better now that I know the two of you are getting along out here. I was a little worried the overprotective dad thing would scare you off.”
“What kind of man would I be if I couldn’t take a grilling from my girl’s dad?”
“I guess you have a point there,” she concedes.
“Do you two have any plans coming up?” Beau asks, pulling our attention back to him.
“Nothing really, just normal stuff,” Jill tells him.
“We’ve talked about planning a trip out to St. Louis, so I think I’m going to work on that in the next few days. I’d really like Jill to meet my mom and see where I came from,” I add.
“I can’t wait,” Jill tells me. “Maybe we can go for a long weekend next weekend?” she suggests.
“That might work. We can discuss things later when we can check schedules and such,” I tell her.
“Sounds good,” she agrees.
“How’s Julia coming along with wedding prep?” Beau asks.
“They’ve locked in the venue and date. I think she wanted to really start planning things, going to look at dresses and such, in the next month. Now that they have the date and venue all set, I need to figure out just how much time I need to take off from work and get that on the schedule so that we have lots of time to plan for it. I want to have a few days before the wedding to adjust
to the time difference and to help with last minute things, and then a few days after to have time to explore and enjoy Sweden.”
“Might as well take as much time as you can afford to take,” Beau says. “I think your mom and I are going to go for two weeks. Probably travel Europe after the wedding, hitting up places we’ve always wanted to go.”
“I’m sure that Julia will love knowing that the two of you plan to attend. I think she was a little worried that not many people would be able to afford to travel for the wedding, but she fell in love with Beckett’s hometown and really wants to get married there.”
“Nothing is wrong with a small wedding. They can always have a reception back here in the States at some point, if they feel like that many people didn’t get to make it.”
“I think that is one of the things she’s got on her list to plan,” Jill tells us.
The door slides open again, Diane coming out to join us. “I’ve got dessert ready if anyone is up for it,” she tells all of us.
“Yes, please,” Beau answers his wife. He heads for her and the door. I watch as he pulls her into his arms, kissing her. It really hits me what role models Jill had growing up that I never had. She knows what it’s like to be in a loving family, with parents who’d do anything for one another. I can only hope and pray that I can be that for her. Now that I know what it’s like to love and be loved by this woman, I don’t ever want to let her go.
“Hey, babe,” I call out to Jill as I sit at the table in her condo. I’ve got her laptop open as I look at flights for late next week.
“Yeah?” she calls out from the bedroom.
“Come here for a minute, please?” I ask.
“Just a minute,” she calls back. I open a second screen, pulling up the homepage for one of the hotels that I usually stay at when I go home for a visit.
Mom doesn’t have a very big place, she refused to let me buy her something that was big when I signed my first contract, so I bought her a one-bedroom condo. I didn’t want her to have to worry about outside maintenance, so the condo made the most sense. Cindi and Stephanie live in a pretty suburban middle-class four-bedroom family home with a nice little yard, and on a quiet street that is perfect for kids to be outside playing on. While they’ve always said I was welcome to stay at their place, I’ve always just opted for a hotel so that I can get away and have some time to myself. Coming home is never the easiest thing to do. While I love the city and will always consider it home, there are a lot of negative memories that took place there that I’ve never really overcome.
The Game Changer : Indianapolis Eagles Series Book 8 Page 14
