Free Full Court Devotion by Cami Checketts

changed the
subject.
    Ty’s
eyes widened. He wasn’t sure it was a good change.
    “Luke,”
Rebecca and Kazlyn exclaimed together.
    “No,
it’s okay.” Ty leaned back and stared at Luke. “My mom is an amazing lady and
she told me years ago that she would approve of anyone I brought home, as long
as they were a believer and treated me well.”
    Luke
grunted.
    Kazlyn
swallowed and smiled. “So, I guess I’ll need to stop calling you names?”
    Ty
chuckled. “At least around my mom.”
    “I
hope I get to meet her someday.”
    “Me,
too.”
    They
sat there smiling at each other until Luke jumped to his feet. “Clean up time.”
    Ty
didn’t love the interruption of their moment, but he had fun teasing with
Porter and Kazlyn as everyone pitched in to do dishes.
    “Before
dessert do you want to shoot some hoops?” Luke asked.
    Ty
glanced down at his white dress shirt and dark grey slacks.
    “Don’t
worry,” Luke said with a smirk. “I won’t mess you up.”
    Ty
grinned. “I’ll get over it if you do.” He took his tie off, rolled up his
sleeves, and unbuttoned his top button. Kazlyn and Rebecca wrapped in quilts,
and watched the action in the driveway from the porch swing.
    They
started shooting and rebounding, nothing too serious or competitive until Luke
sprang in front of Ty to grab a rebound then elbowed him in the gut. “How about
some one on one?”
    Porter
stood off to the side of the cleared concrete. “I might have to be ref.”
    Luke
laughed. “Yeah, keep the professional in line.”
    Ty
tried to go easy on him. Besides Luke pushing and fouling him, the game stayed
pretty light and fun. Ty won 20-14. Luke didn’t seem to like it, but he acted
all right.
    They
went back inside, enjoyed pumpkin pie, and watched A Christmas Story . Ty
was just about to say he should go, though he had no desire to leave Kazlyn’s
side, when she asked, “Do you want to watch the fireworks with me or is Jamison
expecting you?”
    “Jamison
won’t care. I didn’t know they did fireworks, but I’d love to watch them with
you.”
    Rebecca
helped them put together a picnic dinner of roast beef sandwiches, sliced
apples, cookies, and a thermos of hot cocoa. They piled blankets in the back of
Ty’s truck and drove to a good spot by the hospital to watch the fireworks.
    Settled
into the back of his truck, with Kazlyn cuddled against his side, Ty thought
this was as close to heaven as he’d ever been. “It’s been a great day.”
    “It
has.” She smiled up at him. It was dark enough he could barely make out the
sparkle in her emerald eyes. “Thanks for putting up with Luke.”
    He
chuckled. “He’s fine. I actually can’t wait to give my little sisters’
boyfriends a hard time.”
    She
pushed against him. “I can’t believe you would do that.”
    “Hey,
you go after someone’s little sister and you’re fair game.”
    She
arched her eyebrows. “Are you ‘going after me’?”
    “You’d
better believe I am.” He wrapped one arm around her waist and entangled the
other in her soft hair.
    The
fireworks started exploding above them, but neither of them even turned to
look. Ty bent his head and showed her exactly how he was going after her.
     

Chapter Twelve
    Kazlyn woke early
the next morning, even though she’d stayed up late with Ty. She sighed
dreamily, remembering the feel of his lips on hers, his arms surrounding her.
He was so big, but she didn’t feel like a child with him. She felt like a woman
desired by an unreal and captivating man.
    She
donned a leotard and descended the stairs to the main level and then to the
basement.
    She
was ten when her dad, Luke, and Porter had built this house. She’d been certain
she would perform on Broadway someday. Her dad had built a dance studio in the
basement for her. He’d always done anything to make her happy. She couldn’t
believe she’d been so stressed the past year and a half that she’d let dancing
go.
    She
turned on the lights and the music,