“We’ll take our leave now, but I would welcome the opportunity to meet Roxy when she’s ready,” she said. “I’m sure she’s a lovely woman.”
“She is. Thanks.”
She nodded and stepped forward to place a kiss on his cheek. “We’re both proud of you. You played a wonderful game tonight.”
Callan once again thanked her. His father didn’t say another word as they headed for the door. He supposed that was another sort of victory in this day.
He followed his parents out into the corridor. When they headed right, he headed left to return to the family room. He needed to explain himself to Roxy in hopes he could repair the damage he’d done.
Vivian caught up with him before he reached the family room. “Mr. Murphy, may I have a quick word?”
“Sure.”
Guiding him a few feet from the door to a quiet corner, she said, “I wanted to let you know that Ms. Wagner needed to leave.”
His heart thudded uncomfortably. “She left?”
“Yes. She asked me to ask you to see that the boys get home safely.”
“Of course I will. But…she really left?”
Vivian nodded.
He had been right, he realized with a dull ache in his chest. Roxy hadn’t wanted to meet his parents. She had left without a word rather than returning to face them. Had he just scared her off for good?
“I’ll let you get back to your P.A.L.,” Vivian said. “I’m happy to see that you invited him and his friend to the game. Between that and the positive PR you and Mr. Reinhardt are getting from that viral video, you’ve done very well demonstrating your commitment to your role on this team.”
“Thanks,” was all Callan could manage.
He finally returned to the family room and approached the boys where they stood in front of the Galaga machine. “Hey, guys. It looks like I’ll be driving you home tonight.”
“Why? Where’s Roxy?” Rashied asked.
“She left.”
The boys exchanged glances.
“Guess we’re not goin’ to any party,” Duane said.
Rashied made a sucking noise with his teeth as though the comment disappointed him.
“What party?” Callan asked.
After the boys exchanged another look, Rashied shrugged and replied, “Guess it ain’t no secret now since it ain’t happening. Roxy was gonna surprise you by takin’ you over to her folks’ place. Her family is all there waitin’ to meet you. She called our mamas earlier to get their permission for us to go, too.”
Callan’s mouth went dry. “Roxy wanted to introduce me to her family tonight?”
The boys nodded.
“Shit,” he whispered.
He hadn’t just messed up a little when he botched the introduction between Roxy and his parents. He had well and truly fucked up.
Roxy hadn’t left because she didn’t want to meet his parents. She left because he had acted as though he didn’t want her to meet them.
“Maybe we can go meet her at the party,” Rashied suggested.
“I don’t know where her parents live.”
“I do,” Duane said before rattling off an address. “Roxy told our mamas where the party was gonna be so they didn’t worry.”
“D’s got a crazy good memory,” Rashied said.
In the span of minutes, Callan had gone from thinking Roxy had fled the arena rather than meeting his parents to the idea of driving over to meet hers. It seemed like the most ludicrous plan ever.
Well, their relationship had been anything but traditional.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Roxy used the time it took to drive to her parents’ house to grapple with everything she was feeling after the disastrous interlude with Callan’s parents.
It had been shocking to have them show up so unexpectedly, of course. She had gone from nearly greeting Callan with the words of love in her heart to seeing absolute panic in his gaze. He was clearly as surprised by their visit as she was, though the panic was a little excessive.
She tried to recover as gracefully as possible considering she had frozen with her arms raised in an obvious move to put them around Callan. When his mother turned her cool blue eyes to her, Roxy dropped her arms and stepped back, figuring it would be best to wait for a proper introduction before his parents witnessed her doing anything physical with their son.
But that proper introduction never came.
Instead, Callan identified her as his real estate agent.
He hadn’t even given his parents her name, as though it was of no importance. It had taken her a couple of breaths to process that. The sound of feminine laughter in the background eventually got through her numb senses, generating a hot flush of mortification. She had just spent the better part of an hour with these people introducing herself as Callan’s girlfriend. Now everyone knew the truth.
Including her.
Vivian Price’s interruption came at the perfect time. Roxy had grasped the opportunity to get away from the horrible conversation that had made everyone around them uncomfortable.
As they stepped into the corridor outside the room, Vivian fell into step beside her. “I’m afraid that was actually a lie,” she said once they were alone. “I don’t have anything to discuss with you. The owners wanted to get through the preseason opener before making their decision on your proposal. I just thought you might want to get away for a few minutes.”
The kind gesture had loosened the tight band around Roxy’s emotions. “Thanks,” she managed.
Vivian gave her an empathetic look. “Hey, I realize that nothing I say is going to help right now, as that was without question the most brain-dead thing I have ever seen a male do, but I know Murph thinks of you as more than his real estate agent. He said as much to me at the party.”
“You mean the party he didn’t tell me about or invite me to?” Roxy asked as she blinked away tears. “Gee, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.”
“Well…”
“That awful, awkward mess in there said everything, didn’t it? He didn’t introduce me to anyone on the team. He didn’t introduce me to his parents. Our ‘relationship’ isn’t the kind he wants to share with anyone important to him.” And that admission had produced a hot ball of agony in her chest. “It’s my fault for assuming otherwise and allowing myself to fall in love with him.”
Vivian stopped walking. “Roxy—”
“I’m sorry,” she interrupted, seconds away from breaking down. “I appreciate this more than you will ever know. But I have to get out of here. Could you make sure Callan gets the boys home?”
“I…sure.”
“Thanks.”
It had been a close call, but Roxy made it to her car before the tears came. She just sat there for a couple minutes to allow the first flood to run its course.
After she got herself under some control, she debated returning to the arena. She felt awful for leaving Rashied and Duane, even though Callan would take care of them and the boys would probably have more fun with him anyway.
Then she pictured Callan’s parents looking at her like yesterday’s trash. She remembered Callan calling her his real estate agent. She pictured facing the people in that room who had laughed at her. And she ultimately pulled out of the nearly empty parking lot and headed towards her parents’ house.