All football player Chris wants is to play football with his best friends in the NFL. But the night before he meets someone who could change his life... if she wasn't the bosses daughter. Can Chris change her mind with a little sideline love?
*~* A...
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The next few weeks were awkward to say the least. Chris kept his promise to little Charlie, not wanting to break the little girl's heart on missed Oreos. And it wasn't like he was avoiding Becca; he just wasn't actively seeking her attention. It's one thing to love the owner's granddaughter like his own niece. It was a completely different thing to try and have a relationship with his daughter.
Practice helped a little to take his mind off things. Seb and Anthony tried to keep him distracted on their off time, playing cards, setting up a poker night with some of the other O-line guys. It was meal times that were the hardest. Becca would only come in for Friday dinners and Charlie would stay with her grandmother. But one Friday, Becca did bring her and it was rough from the start.
Charlie basically had a meltdown when Becca said that Chris couldn't always sit with them when they were in town from Pittsburgh. "But Mama, he's my friend!" She wailed at the entrance of the mess hall.
"I know monkey, but he has to sit with his team mates. You get to sit with me and grandpa. Don't you like that?"
"I wanna sit with Chris!"
Chris watched from the end of the hall. It broke his heart to see Charlie so distraught. He walked up cautious. "Hi Becca. Hi Charlie." Charlie turned her pink eyes towards Chris and ran up to him. He caught her and scooped her up. "What's going on munchkin?"
"I wanna sit with you for dinner and Mama says I can't." She buried her face in his shoulder.
Becca look warily at the man who slowed his texts to her to a trickle. She understood. Her father made it perfectly clear that they should stay away from each other. But she didn't like it. Chris was always a gentleman before, trying to get to know her, even when she kept a huge secret from her. "Chris, I'm sorry, its just..."
"Its fine. Hey Charlie, can I talk to your mama for just a moment?"
"No."
"C'mon Charlie. I promise I'll come talk to you right after, ok?"
"Promise?"
"Promise. Hey I promised you Oreos and I kept it right?"
She nodded. "Ok." Chris put her down and she went to the bench by the door.
Chris pulled Becca away a little. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt. I heard her crying and I thought something was wrong."
"No, its fine. She's just stubborn. When she latches on to someone, she is her mother's daughter." She offered a strained smile.
"Becca, I'm sorry if I have been distant."
"You don't owe me anything Chris. I understand."
"No, it's not right that I stopped talking to you. Its just hard because I wish I could just take you out."
