Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Five
Danny POV
I stood there frozen, staring at the impossible scene unfolding in front of me.
My parents. Bean and Marco. And Vanessa, looking like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
How did my mom know Vanessa? When had they met? And why was my father looking at her like she'd personally insulted him?
"Mom?" I said, confusion flooding my voice.
"How do you know Vanessa—when did you two—"
"Oh!" Mom's face lit up with recognition and delight.
“ Is that your name sweetheart” Mom asked curiously and she nodded
“ Vanessa Williams, ma'am” she muttered and it was like the room turned colder.
“ What a lovely name” she mumbled
"She's the lovely girl who helped me earlier! I got completely turned around trying to find the concession stand before the game started, and she was kind enough to give me directions back to my seat." She beamed at Vanessa.
"I had no idea you were Danny's girlfriend! What a small world!"
Vanessa looked pale, her eyes darting between my parents and me like she was calculating escape routes.
"It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Glover," she said quietly, her voice strained.
"Please, call me Alice," Mom said warmly. Then she turned to me, her smile widening.
"Danny, she's absolutely lovely. Why didn't you tell us you were bringing someone special to the game?"
Because I hadn't known if she'd actually come. Because our relationship was technically fake but explaining all of this to my parents felt weird in all the ways.
"It was kind of last minute," I said weakly.
Dad hadn't said a word since that initial cold exchange about Vanessa's last name. He just stood there, his arms crossed, his expression like carved stone.
Mom, oblivious to the tension or choosing to ignore it, clapped her hands together.
"Well, this is perfect timing! We have dinner reservations at Romano's to celebrate Danny's victory. You should all join us!" She looked around at everyone—Vanessa, Bean, Marco—her enthusiasm infectious.
"The more the merrier! I'm sure they can accommodate a larger party."
My heart leapt, if Vanessa came to dinner, we could talk.
"That's very kind of you, Mrs. Glover," Bean said carefully, glancing at Marco.
"But we wouldn't want to intrude on a family celebration—"
"Nonsense!" Mom waved away the concern.
"Any friends of Danny's are welcome. And you are...?" She looked at Marco expectantly.
"Marco Island, ma'am," he said, offering his hand.
"I play on the team with Danny. Left wing."
"Marco Island," Dad repeated, his expression shifting slightly.
"You're the left wing. Number seventeen."
Marco straightened a bit, clearly pleased to be recognized.
"Yes, sir."
"Good footwork," Dad said grudgingly.
"Could work on your defensive positioning, but solid offense.”
“Thank you sir”
It was probably the closest thing to a compliment my father had ever given one of my teammates under any circumstances.
“ And you darling?” mom said, looking at Bean.
"And I'm Benedicta Darlington," Bean added.
"Everyone calls me Bean. I'm Marco's girlfriend and Vanessa's roommate."
"How wonderful!" Mom shook both their hands warmly.
"So you all know each other. That makes it even better. Please say you'll join us."
I could see Marco and Bean exchanging uncomfortable looks, they could feel the tension rolling off my father in waves, even if Mom seemed determined to ignore it.
"We really appreciate the offer," Bean said diplomatically,
"but we actually have plans already—"
"Mom," I interrupted, my eyes on Vanessa. She hadn't said a word, just stood there looking like she might shatter at any moment.
"Maybe we should ask Vanessa first."
All eyes turned to her.
"Vanessa, dear," Mom said kindly,
"Would you like to join us for dinner? I'd love to get to know you better. Any girl who can help a lost woman find her way deserves a proper thank you."
Vanessa's eyes met mine for just a second, and I tried to communicate everything I was feeling.
Please stay. Please don't run. Please give us a chance.
But I could see the answer in her face before she even spoke.
"I'm so sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I really appreciate the invitation, Mrs. Glover, but I have somewhere I need to be. I can't—I have to—" She was backing away now, her movements jerky and panicked.
"Please forgive me. Congratulations again on the win, Danny."
"Vanessa, wait—" I started forward, but she was already turning.
"I'm sorry," she said again, and then she was running across the parking lot, her coat billowing behind her.
I moved to follow her, but my father's voice stopped me cold.
"Let her go."
I turned to glare at him.
"Dad—"
"I said let her go," he repeated, his voice hard as iron.
"Well," Marco said into the painful silence.
"That was intense."
I turned to glare at him, but he held up his hands in surrender.
"Not helping. Got it."
Mom looked between us, confusion and concern warring on her face.
"Jonathan, what—"
"We'll discuss this later," Dad said curtly. Then he turned to Marco and Bean, his expression softening slightly.
"It was nice to meet you both. Thank you for supporting Danny tonight."
It was a clear dismissal and Marco and Bean took the hint immediately.
"Congratulations again, Cap," Marco said, giving me an apologetic look.
"Hell of a game."
"I'll check on her," Bean murmured to me as she passed.
"Make sure she gets home okay."
"Thank you," I managed.
I watched them walk away, then turned to see Vanessa's figure disappearing into the darkness at the far end of the parking lot.
Gone. Again.
"Well," Mom said brightly, though I could hear the strain in her voice.
"It was lovely to meet them. Such nice young people." She looked at me, her smile warm but her eyes concerned.
"And your girlfriend is absolutely darling, Danny. Those eyes! Like emeralds. You should have told us you were seeing someone so beautiful."
"Alice," Dad said, his voice low and warning.
"She is a cute girl," Mom continued, deliberately ignoring him.
"A bit shy, perhaps, but that's understandable. Meeting the parents can be nerve-wracking." She linked her arm through mine.
"We'll have to invite her to dinner another time. Properly. With advance notice so she can't use the excuse of having somewhere to be."
"She wasn't making an excuse," I said quietly.
“ I think she was uncomfortable”
"Of us?" Mom looked genuinely distressed.
"Oh, I hope we didn't—"
"Not of you," I said, glancing at my father.
"Of the situation."
Dad's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
"Well," Mom said, attempting to lighten the mood,
"you still need to change out of that gear before you freeze to death. And then we have a celebration dinner to get to! My son, the championship winner!" She beamed at me.
"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."
"Thanks, Mom," I said automatically, Dad grunted—the closest thing to agreement or acknowledgment I was going to get—and gestured toward the rink.
"Go change. We'll wait here."
It wasn't a request.
I wanted to argue or run after Vanessa instead, at the very least to hell with dinner and my parents and all of it. But the look on my father's face told me this wasn't a battle I could win right now.
"Fine," I said through gritted teeth.
"I'll be quick."
I stalked back toward the locker room, my mind racing. How had my mother met Vanessa before the game? What were the odds that she'd helped my mom find her seat without either of them knowing who the other was?
And more importantly—why had my father reacted to her last name like she'd slapped him?