Rush (Eligible Receivers #3)

Chapter Five

A shadow fell over Linc as he kept his elbow firmly planted on his thigh and raised the dumbbell in a concentration curl. He looked up after finishing the rep, and seeing Colt, set the weights down.

He stood, grabbing a towel off the workbench to wipe his face, and gave his team’s quarterback a grin. “Hey, stranger.” It’d been a few weeks since Linc had seen him as he’d been holed up with his girlfriend, Ivy.

He got a rare smile in return. Linc was still getting used to the new, happy P. Colton. After his scare with Ivy and then the team winning the Super Bowl, he was a changed man. And by that he meant changed for the better. No more Mr. Serious to a fault.

“How’s things with you? Is Sophie doing okay?”

Linc’s smile faded as he set the towel down and reached for his water bottle. Though nowhere near as close with him as he was with Oz, Colt still knew enough of Sophie’s backstory that he didn’t need to explain when he said, “Yeah, she’s doing good. The therapy is helping and she’s more engaged lately.”

Which Linc could only attribute to Nora. He’d seen Sophie open up and smile more in the past two weeks now that Nora had come onto the scene than she had in the last six months since she’d come to live with him.

Showing Linc he’d actually meant it when he’d said he wanted to work on being a better person as well as a better friend, Colt thoughtfully nodded. “I can’t imagine any of this is easy on either of you. I know I’m not Oz but if Ivy and I can help in any way, we’re here for you. Hope you know that.”

Linc offered his hand and they shared a bro handshake in silent acknowledgement that they had each other’s back.

Colt, obviously sensing a change of topic was needed to lighten the mood and most likely one of the reasons he’d stopped by, mock-groaned, “Man, Ivy and I are going crazy trying to get this year’s fundraiser together.”

“Oh yeah, it is about that time isn’t it?”

Colt nodded. “Ivy suggested a talent show. I’m planning to hit you and the other guys from the team up to participate. A bunch of brawny football players singing and dancing, or trying to at least,” he chuckled. “Ticket sales will be through the roof.”

Linc was always up to help raise funds for Colt’s Kids, the non-profit Colt started a few years ago to help raise awareness and give support to the victims of child abuse. “Just name the time and place and I’ll be there.”

“Thanks, man, I appreciate that.” He gave Linc a clap on the shoulder. “I’ll let you get back to your workout and text you when I have more information.”

“Sounds good.”

After Colt left to talk with another teammate, Linc did a few sets of bench presses and after that moved to a new machine to do leg presses.

He was half-assing his workout, anxious to get home not only to Sophie but also to a certain green-eyed minx that had been driving him crazy since coming to work for him. He should feel guilty about that, for so many reasons, but he didn’t. Nora made him smile more. Made him laugh. Hell, he was even excited to get out of bed every morning, wondering what the day had in store. And that was something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

But he couldn’t forget Nora was not only his employee but most importantly Oz’s baby sister, making her the epitome of off limits. So, no matter how attractive he found her or how much his fingers itched to touch her or how much his lips ached to taste her, he knew he had to keep his distance, physically… But that didn't mean he had to push her away mentally. There was nothing wrong with them being friends.

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, buddy , the devil on his shoulder whispered in his ear.

Linc told that know-it-all fucker to shut the hell up.

Freshly showered after his workout, Linc pushed through a side door and was approached by an older couple as he headed for his car.

“Mr. Scott?”

Linc glanced around the nearly empty parking lot. Reporters and fans were usually barred, but the lot wasn’t a fortress and someone could gain access if they wanted to badly enough. “Yes?”

The man held out a hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Sid Parker and this is my wife, Meg.” When Linc didn’t immediately respond, the man supplied, “We’re Jake’s parents.”

Linc eyed the offered hand not taking it and took a large step back. He could sort of see a resemblance to Jake, but the deep-set wrinkles that lined the man’s face and thinning gray hair that barely covered his head made it hard to tell. Linc knew Jake’s father was in his early fifties but the man looked at least a decade older. His wife hadn’t fared much better, and the thick layer of cosmetics she wore, which had settled into the grooves around her eyes and mouth, didn’t do a thing to hide her sallow skin tone.

Jake hadn’t shared a lot about his estranged relationship with his parents except that they were long-time alcoholics, and unable to deal with the lifestyle, Jake left as soon as he’d turned eighteen. Judging from the tremor Linc noticed when Jake’s father had stuffed his ignored hand into the pocket of his slacks and the stale smell of old booze lingering near them, he didn’t think that situation had changed.

He forced a civil expression. “I’ve gotta admit, I’m surprised to see you here. What’s this about?”

“Well, now, as you can imagine, the news of Jake’s passing hit us real hard.” Right on cue, Mrs. Parker sniffled into a tissue. Mr. Parker glanced at his wife and patted her shoulder. “It took us a while to process it.”

Linc rolled his eyes. Yeah, they both seemed really broken up over it.

“Heard he and his wife had a little girl,” Parker continued, oblivious or stupidly ignoring the dangerous change in the air emanating from Linc at the mention of Nat and Sophie. “Now, I know you’ve been taking care of her but losing our Jake has made us realize how much we missed out on. We looked you up, and I can’t say your lifestyle leaves much room for raising a little girl. Must be cramping your game—if you know what I mean.” He chortled at his own innuendo and winked.

Linc grit his teeth, locking down his muscles to keep himself from lashing out, and stared a hole in the man’s forehead.

Parker finally seemed to buy a clue. He cleared his throat uncomfortably but continued digging himself a deeper hole, “Anywho, we’d be happy to take her off your hands. We’d need a little something every month, of course, to make sure she’s taken care of the way Jake would want. And, you know, to maintain the lifestyle you’ve been giving her.”

Icy-hot fury welled from Linc’s gut. It was clear Sid and Meg Parker didn’t give one flying fuck about Sophie and were only interested in money. He crossed his arms over his chest to keep from punching the dude and give his bulbous nose a few more lumps. “Do you even know her name?” he snarled through clenched teeth.

A line of confusion formed between the man’s brows. “Whose name?”

Linc forced his jaw to relax, worried he’d crack a tooth. “Jake’s daughter. Your granddaughter.”

Parker appeared lost until his wife elbowed him, his expression clearing after she whispered something in his ear. “Oh, right,” he said under his breath before proudly stating, “Sophia,” like it would win him a fucking prize.

Linc hadn’t thought he could get any angrier. With barely contained rage, he gritted, “ Sophie is mine, and I know what game you’re playing. She’s happy, well-cared for, and healing. You two,” he pointed a finger at them, “Stay the fuck away. A rodent deserves better parents than you, let alone a child.”

Dismissing the couple, his long strides took him to his car where he yanked open the door, got in, then slammed it behind him. His hands shook, and he needed a minute to calm down before starting the car. He glanced out the window. The Parkers were about a yard away, engaged in a heated argument. Linc stayed where he was and watched to make damn sure they left, noting the slack padlock and chain on the gate they used, squeezing through it to exit out onto the street. He'd be making sure the facilities manager fixed that shit ASAP.

He didn't want to bring this crap home. The last thing Sophie needed was him in a foul mood. Nora wasn't one to ask probing questions, but the way he was feeling right now wouldn't be hard for her to notice. So, instead of peeling rubber and heading straight to his house like he wanted, he stuck to his usual routine and picked up lunch, stopping at a sub shop near the stadium to grab sandwiches. The hour he sat and shared a meal with Nora every afternoon was the one indulgence he allowed himself, and he wouldn't have it spoiled.

Coming in through the garage, he dropped his workout bag on the washer in the utility room and went in search of Nora and Sophie. He found them in the pool, splashing each other and giggling. Linc wanted to be a part of that. After the ugly encounter from earlier, the beautiful day and the smiles on their faces were exactly what he needed. Going upstairs, he grabbed a quilt from the linen closet before joining them outside.

Sophie noticed him as soon as he walked through the gate, and Nora smiled at him after following the little girl's gaze.

He held up the quilt and the bag with their sandwiches in it. “It’s such a nice day, I thought we could eat out here.”

Linc watched as both made their way to the steps, and the last vestiges of his confrontation with Jake's asshole parents left him. When her little feet hit the grass, Sophie skipped in his direction, leaving him free to watch Nora. Christ. She was a scene from a teen movie. Decked out in a bikini with the water sluicing off her sun-kissed skin, Nora was a fucking vision that had his dick twitching. Time seemed to slow, his eyes refusing to look away as they fixated on the sway of her hips with each step she took.

It was the tiny wet hand tugging at the loose fabric of his shorts that saved him from complete embarrassment. Yanking him from his stupor, it gave him enough time to cover himself with the quilt just as Nora turned to face him after wrapping herself with a towel.

He squatted to Sophie's level—her presence giving him a grip on his control. “Did you have a good swim?

Ignoring his question, she wrapped her hands around his forearm, giving a tug, her little tongue poking out from between her lips as she tried to move him.

"Guess you have something to show me," he commented with a laugh, standing up and sweeping his arm out with a bow. “Lead on, Princess Peanut. I'm at your service.”

Nora caught up with them, giggling along with Sophie at his silliness, and something warm settled in the center of his chest.

He opened the pool gate and followed Sophie out, holding it open with an arm stretched behind him long enough for Nora to slip through. He wasn't going to tempt himself any further today by walking behind her, but he’d been raised a gentleman, damn it.

Down a short path, he saw a blanket spread out under the shade of a large maple tree. A cooler of cold drinks sat off to the side.

“Great minds think alike.” Nora laughed as she plopped cross-legged onto the blanket.

The move stretched the towel over her lap but left her bikini-clad breasts bare. Linc forced his eyes off the creamy swells before he forgot—again—they were supposed to be just friends.

He set the bag of food down for Nora to dish out then went over to the cooler to give himself a minute.

Clearing his throat, he called, “What do you ladies want? Juice or water?”

Sophie pointed to the juice like he knew she would and Nora chose water. He grabbed a bottle for himself too. Then as had become their habit, he and Nora shared their mornings with each other. The only difference was today Linc purposefully left out a big chunk of his. Part way through lunch, his niece laid her head on his thigh, and Linc covered her with the extra quilt as she drifted off.

“How did Sophie's therapy session go yesterday?” Nora asked after they were done eating and the trash was thrown away.

Linc pulled his eyes off Sophie to look at Nora. She was leaned back on her hands with her legs stretched out in front of her. She’d thrown her clothes back on over her now dry bikini, but sadly, the extra layer of tank top and shorts wasn't much of an improvement and didn't help keep his eyes from straying to places he shouldn't be looking.

“Good. The therapist said she's showing marked improvement from when she first started. She's more engaged and interested in the world around her, plus her overall mood has improved. The speech specialist said Sophie had even gotten annoyed with her.” Something that was hard to believe as he gazed down at the angelic-looking little girl who slept peacefully beside him.

Nora smothered a snort, mirth in her eyes, as she asked, "And that's a good thing?"

Linc shrugged. “Yeah, surprised me too. But frustration can bring out vocalization, so they often deliberately misunderstand her. They're careful to keep her frustration level at something she can handle without making things too easy. And since Sophie spoke before the accident, we know there's nothing developmentally wrong. The therapist said we just need to keep doing what we're doing and she'll speak when she's ready. She explained, small children display grief in a lot of different ways. Sometimes, they need to feel in control of specific things. Being in charge of speaking, eating, what they wear, or who they interact with gives them that ordered feeling when the rest of their world has imploded."

“I wish there was more I could do to help.” Nora sat up, swinging around to sit fully facing him.

He reached for her hand, enveloping it with his larger one. Though his fingers itched to do so, he rarely purposely touched her, except as a show of comfort. He would often touch her shoulder, brush their fingers together, or, like now, outright hold her hand. He'd stopped trying to fool himself into thinking it was only to comfort Nora. Somewhere along the way, it had become solace for him as well.

“You've done much more than you could ever know. For both of us, if I'm honest. Before you came into our lives, there was a mile of grief between Sophie and me. She cried a lot, barely smiled, and never laughed, but you bridged that gap and helped us find our way back to each other.” He squeezed her hand to stress his point, “Trust me, you're helping more than you realize.”

He hadn’t meant to embarrass her, but a tell-tale tinge reddened her cheeks as she tried to downplay her importance. “You two would've gotten there with or without me. Anyone can see how much she loves you.”

Linc figured they'd have to agree to disagree. “You're selling yourself short. She likes you, and more importantly, she trusts you. She's never had that with any of the other caregivers.”

Both her eyebrows shot up. “Caregivers plural? How many have there been?”

His jaw locked as he ground his teeth. “Too many.” He didn’t elaborate and thankfully she didn’t press for a reason why.

She did slip her hand from his though, announcing as she stood, “I should probably get going.”

He wanted to pull her back, but Nora never stayed long after lunch, no matter how much he tried to sway her. “Before you do, I want to talk to you about next week.”

She turned back, eyes questioning.

“I've got to be in LA for a few days to shoot a commercial. I can't delay it any longer. I've already pushed it off a couple of times. My agent is running out of excuses and the advertiser’s getting antsy.”

“I'd be happy to watch Sophie if you think she'd be ok with that. But would it be okay if I stayed here with her? It’s a bit cramped at Oz’s with only the one bedroom. I’m fine sleeping on the couch but Sophie needs a bed.”

He was shaking his head before she even finished. “That's not where I was going with that. I'd like you and Sophie to come with me.”

“Go with you?” Her voice rose to a pitch Linc had never heard from her before. “To California? Are you kidding?”

Her enthusiasm was contagious and he found himself grinning like a fool. “And if you’d like, we can stay a few extra days to take Sophie to Disneyland and Universal Studios. I think she’d like that.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m trying very hard to act composed right now when what I really want to do is jump up and down.”

Getting a thrill from her excitement, Linc proudly announced, “I’ll make the reservations.”

Plans settled, he watched Nora leave with a bounce in her step. Forcing his gaze from her swinging hips, he turned his attention to the just-waking-up Sophie. “Hey, Peanut, I have some good news…”