Chapter 48

"What are you grinning about?"

I climbed back to my feet. It felt like every Tiger in the stadium had piled on me after I ran back the kickoff to the fifty.

"I was thinking how nice and peaceful it was to just be playing football."

"Peaceful?" Robbie asked, cocking her head. Then she got it and nodded. "Maybe we can do a double or triple overtime so you can stay out here."

"Please."

"I talked to the coach, and he said it was okay."

I looked blankly at Tami. "Coach? Okay?"

"Instead of going with the team, you can have dinner with me."

I grinned, remembering last year when Tami and I had a quiet dinner together while the rest of the team invaded a Sizzler.

"Outback?"

"And Daddy," she added, dropping her eyes to the floor.

For just a second I hated her and remembered last year again, when she'd set up a meeting for me with her Dad. But I also remembered how he'd brought her to Tacoma and how I'd slept in her arms. She wanted her dad to be part of her life. And right now, hopefully forever, I was her life. But even more, she was my life, and if that came with baggage, I just had to deal.

"Cool," I said with a smile.

Tami's head snapped up and she looked at me. "You mean it?"

"Could I lie to you?"

Tami smiled.

"Tami, he's your dad. I may not like some of the things he's done... hell! I hate some of the things he's done, but he's your dad and I need to accept that. He and I probably won't ever be friends, but I guess I can't just ignore my father-in-law." No matter how much I might want to. It helped having a cousin who knew police, who knew other police, who said that he was still in counseling and seemed to be taking it seriously.

Tami threw herself forward into a kiss that knocked me backward onto the bed, which could have been a lot of fun if Traci hadn't been lying on it.

"Punt?"

"Punt," I agreed. We'd just barely managed a first down last time. Now we were fourth down with twelve yards to go on the Tigers' forty-one.

Robbie took the snap she'd started at quarterback and booted the ball deep into Tiger territory while the rest of us raced after it. Our first drive had been shut down by the Tiger defense, but we were only four minutes into the first quarter.

"Tony, thanks for coming."

I grinned. "Thanks for inviting me," I said as the three of us sat down at a table." Tami and I had taken the motel shuttle, and her dad had driven over from his hotel. He'd booked his reservation too late to get into ours. I can't say I was sorry that he wouldn't be in the next room while Tami and I...

"No, I mean it. I know you and I started off bad."

You threatened to shoot my kneecap off, slick.

"I appreciate you giving me another chance."

"Like I told Tami when she asked me, I'm part of her life, you're part of her life, we have to learn to deal."

"You're a pretty sensible young man."

"Tami slaps me upside the head if I get too far out of line."

He smiled. "I have a feeling she doesn't have to do that too often."

"You might be surprised."

"Ever think of becoming a cop?" I must have made a face, 'cause he continued, "You don't like cops?"

"I try to be open-minded. I know there's a lot of good cops out there. Dan Boyd, my neighbor back home is a good cop." I decided not to mention that he'd met Dan, since Dan had been pointing a gun at him at the time. "But unfortunately, there are as many mediocre cops and bad cops."

"Like me."

I hate when I feel like the quicksand is starting to give way beneath my feet. "When I first met you, I didn't think much of you as a cop or anything else." He dropped his eyes down to the table, and I took that as a good sign. "But I've got some friends in Colorado, and they're in pretty good with the police in their town, and of course their cops know other cops. I had you checked out, and you seem to be a pretty good cop. I'm reserving judgement on the anything else."

He lifted his head and looked at me again. "I guess I can't ask for anything more."

I grinned. "You could ask, but that's what I'm prepared to give right now. And I think we should change the subject before Tami throws her neck out." Tami had been doing the ping pong thing as she looked at her father, then me, then back again.

"That was an exciting game last year. I was glad I came. Going to be just as good this year?"

"Most of the sportswriters have picked us to win."

He smiled again. "These the same sportswriters who said you didn't have a prayer last year?"

I shrugged, then brought the conversation around to Tami's column and her nomination. As she became more a part of the conversation, I sat back and listened. When the food came, I just concentrated on my steak.

'Oh shit!' I thought as the Tiger halfback sprinted along the sideline. He'd gotten past our defense, and there was no one between him and the goal. No one but me, and I was too far away. As I tried to pick up speed, I thought about Cinnamon's dog. Ghost seemed to have the ability to stop being in one place and immediately be somewhere else. I wondered if he could teach me.

The gap between us seemed to be getting smaller, but it was taking too long. Way too long. I could hear others chasing us, but no one was in a position to intercept. The space between us got smaller: ten feet, five feet, three feet, but he was too close to the goal line.

Hero or goat time. I launched myself. I'd look like an idiot if I missed. The gun for the first half went off as I was in the air. I landed, my arms around his legs. He was down! There was mud in my eyes. I couldn't see. Had he crossed? Had he crossed?

I let go of his legs, rolled onto my back, and wiped my eyes with my sleeve. The first thing I saw was the referee waving his arms. No touchdown. I'd stopped him.

The first half was over. The Tigers hadn't scored. But neither had we.

Some of us actually learn from our mistakes. This year, I set the alarm.

Traci, Peter, and Kelly had hung out until almost ten, overstaying their welcome by a couple of hours, but we had fun anyway, and at least Peter hadn't asked for a rubber when they left.

I set the alarm, and Tami and I climbed into bed.

Sleeping in Tami's arms was still magical. Waking in them even to the blare of an alarm even more so. We looked at each other and smiled.

"You know, if someone hadn't forced me to rejoin the team, we could stay like this."

Tami leaned forward and bit my nose. "If you hadn't rejoined the team, we'd be at home, each in our own house, and you'd be listening to the pre-pre-pregame show on the radio."

"How'd you get so wise?"

"I used to have a boyfriend who read."

"Whatever happened to him?"

Tami grinned. "He was late meeting his coach in the lobby, and I think he's still running laps."

I looked at the clock. Damn, where did the time go? I jumped up, dressed, and headed for the door as Tami blew me a kiss.

"This is the year!"

I rolled off the Tiger I'd tackled and watched as Robbie, who'd scooped the ball he'd lost, streaked toward the end zone. Just before the line, a Tiger launched himself like I had, but he wasn't as lucky. Robbie jinked to one side, then sailed across the line, holding the ball over her head.

Now this was the way to start the second half. Kickoff to the other team, force a fumble, and score.

"Sims!"

I'd swiped the keycard, the light had turned green. So close. I looked down the hall. Mike was standing there. We'd just gotten back from the same athletic club we'd gone to last year. No Seahawks this time, but half-a-dozen other pro athletes to do the meet-and-greet. Tami and the younger ones had met us in the lobby as we came back, and I'd managed to get rid of Traci, Peter and Kelly for a half-an-hour so that I could have some time alone with Tami. Now...

"Sims!" he repeated.

I looked at Tami, and she nodded without the need for words. I swiped the keycard again and opened the door. "Come in Mike. Let's talk."

Tami kissed my cheek, then headed down the hall. I figured I'd find her in Traci's room.

"Sims..." he said again after I'd closed the door behind him.

"How's the arm Mike?"

He held it up in front of him and turned it a couple of times. It was still in a cast from his elbow to his wrist.