Page 99 of Chasing the Rush
Dad rolls his eyes. “We’re way past that now. But back then, I didn’t know if you had a simple infatuation with our resident class clown or what, so I didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Luca’s not a class clown anymore, Dad. Please, at least give him that.”
“I do, sweetheart. I’m impressed with how far he’s come. He’s a good man.”
I clutch my heart. “Does that mean you approve? Not that it will change anything if you don’t. I love him, Dad. I want to be with him, no matter what.”
“Now see, it’s that last thing that worries me. No matter what. Even if being with him makes you give up on your own dreams?”
Lincoln interjects, “Excuse me. Does anybody give a shit he’s aMaguire? I feel like that’s a pretty big reason to—”
“That doesn’t matter, Linc,” Dad says firmly. “Not if she loves him and he’s going to support her chasing her own dreams as much as he chases his own. That’s all that matters.”
“Luca does support me in that way, Dad. More than anyone.”
“Him being a Maguire doesn’t matter?” Lincoln bellows. “Who the fuck are you and what have you done with my father?”
“Oh, give it a rest, Linc,” I snap. “Football rivalries are meant to be fun, not keep you from being with the great love of your life.”
“The great love of your life?” Linc echoes incredulously. “What the fuck, Chelsea?”
Ignoring Lincoln’s flabbergasted face, I return to my father. “I’m telling Bellamy and Ginny next. Do you think Bellamy will fire me over this? He’s been looking for a reason to get rid of me since the beginning.”
Dad’s blue eyes turn steely. “He’ll fire you over my dead body.”
“He’s your boss, Dad. You might not be able to save me.”
Dad scoffs. “You’re onmystaff, though, and I’m not the only member of the coaching staff who thinks you’re a star. Totally indispensable.”
“I am?”
“Of course, you are! Sweetheart, trust me, you’re not going anywhere on my watch untilyoudecide it’s time to go. Speaking of which, what happened to you jumping ship to another team at your first opportunity?” His eyes narrow. “Has Luca pressured you to stay at the Mastodons to be with him?”
“Dad, like I keep telling you, no. Luca’s totally supportive of me and my big dreams. In fact, he keeps repeatedly pushing me to go, go, go, while I’m the one who wants to stay. For now, at least. Because I’m excited to be part of taking the Mastodons to the playoffs in the very near future. You honestly think I’d want to miss out on doing that with you and Luca?”
His face softens. “I must admit, I’d sure love to have you by my side when we pull that off. Just please, promise me you’ll never give up on your dreams for Luca or any other man. Ever. And I’ll drop it.”
“I promise, Dad. Luca would never let me give up on them, anyway. I promise if I ever feel like I’m stagnating or losing myself, I’ll promptly do something about it, and I know I’ll have Luca’s full support when I do.”
Dad nods, looking satisfied. My mom and dad didn’t raise two sons who both made it all the way to the NFL, along with a daughter who went to graduate school at MIT, out of nowhere. They raised all three of their kids to aim for the stratosphere and never give up on achieving their goals.
“All right, then,” Dad says. “I guess I’ve got nothing to say about you and Mr. Personality except congratulations. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“I’m very, very happy.”
“Well, I’m not,” Lincoln grumbles. “In fact, I’m pissed as hell about this.”
“I don’t care what you think,” I snap.
“Obviously you do, or you wouldn’t have made a point of telling Dad and me together.”
I’ve got no comeback for that, so I simply scowl.
“Tell Luca to come talk to me,” Dad interjects. “I want him to know if he breaks your heart, he’ll have to answer to me. Not as his coach, but as your father.”
“He knows that already, Dad. But I’ll tell him that for you if you want.”
“No, I want to tell him that myself, face-to-face. Man to man.” He turns to Lincoln. “Now, stop being an asshole and tell your sister congratulations.”
