I pop off his cock, and he wipes his thumb along my lips, helping to wipe away some of the extra fluids. “Damn,” he says as he drops onto the bed next to me. I rest my head on his chest as we both bask in the aftermath.
Our relaxing only lasts a few minutes before Evie starts squawking over the baby monitor. “I’ll get her,” he says, pushing up from the bed. He quickly tucks his cock back into his boxers and shorts, then flashes me a quick wink before he ducks into the bathroom to wash up quickly. I follow suit, cleaning myself up before I join the two of them in the living room.
“Baseball’s Bad Boy Turned Single Dad Isn’t As Wholesome As He’d Like You To Believe”
I read the headline two more times, looking at the attached pictures. They sure don’t look like the Justin that I’ve gotten to know the past couple of months. I have a hard time believing that he’d do this to me, to Evie. Two chicks are sitting on his lap, in a bar, where drinks litter the table in front of and beside them. One woman has her arm wrapped tightly around his neck, holding his face to her boobs, while the other is kissing his neck. My stomach rolls, and I have to breathe deep to not lose my breakfast.
I close out of the web browser and set my phone down. I don’t need to read any more of that crap article. Not until I can talk to him and find out what the hell is going on while he’s in Cleveland. What would possess him to go out like that? To cheat on me? I talked to him just before I fell asleep last night. He said that he was in his room for the night, planned to go to sleep as soon as we hung up. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this shit show.
“Good morning!” Jillian answers her phone on the first ring.
“Jill.” My shaky voice gets her name out.
“Riley,” she states my name, the tone of her voice changing from cheerful to all business. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay with Evie? Are you okay?” She rapidly fires questions at me.
“There’s an article with pictures,” I say quietly. “From last night.”
“Oh, hell no,” she says. “Motherfluffer!” she whispers under her breath, censoring herself. “I’ll call you back,” she tells me then hangs up.
I don’t really know what to think at this moment. I’m trying to keep myself calm as I pace around the kitchen. Evie is in her highchair, eating some breakfast. I haven’t even touched the cup of coffee I poured just before opening my phone to be assaulted by that article.
“Oh, Evie, girl. What has your daddy done?” I ask her as tears prick my eyes. My mind races as I debate if I should call him. What if the article is right and he’s passed out somewhere with these two women? What am I going to do if he spent the night fucking them? I can’t stop the tears, at this point, and I don’t care to. Big fat tears roll down my cheeks, hitting the countertop as I let all of the emotions out. The one thing that I worried the most about is happening. How am I going to be able to stay here? Continue taking care of Evie, having to live with Justin? I’d fallen in love with him over the last couple of months, put my life in his hands, and now what do I have to show for it? A few thousand dollars in my bank account and a broken heart? It doesn’t appear that I made a sage decision. Once again, I’m going to have to start over.
I wipe the tears from my cheeks, grabbing a tissue from the box and blowing my nose. The sound attracts Evie’s attention and causes her to laugh at me. “You think that’s funny?” I say to her before blowing again. Her belly laughs filling the air and causing me to laugh while I cry some more. What am I going to do without this little girl in my life all the time? I can’t think of what my days will be like, not having her in them.
My phone rings, buzzing against the counter. I don’t look at the screen before sliding my finger across it, bringing it to my ear. “Hello,” I say, my voice still shaky.
“Riley, baby?” Justin's voice fills my ears and my heart drops to the floor, along with fresh new tears that I can’t stop. “Please, baby, just listen,” he pleads.
I clear my throat, straighten my spine, and with as much mirth as I can muster reply to him. “What?” I pause. “What the hell happened last night?”
“Nothing,” he says, blowing out a huge breath. “That article is complete and utter bullshit. Those pictures are from another time, I don’t really know when, but they definitely aren’t from last night. Hell, they aren’t even from this year,” he tells me. “I promise you, Riley. I was not out at a bar last night, and I definitely wasn’t with two women. I got off the phone with you, rolled over, and went to sleep.”
“What?” I ask. I’m so confused. Confused by the article, confused about what to think or believe. He’s never given me a reason to not believe him, so why would he lie now? “But why? Why would they print that? Post that picture?”
“Because they’re trying to get a rise out of me, you, hell—anyone. I knew that bitch was up to no good after the family game last weekend and the article they ran the next day, but I didn’t think she’d stoop this low,” he growls. “The trashier the headline and the more believable they can make it appear, the more clicks they get. Derek is calling Carmen for me, to get them on it, as well as my own personal PR reps. The reporter that posted this will pay, mark my words.”
“I…” I stammer, pausing to suck in a deep breath. My thoughts are still flying around my head a million miles a minute. One moment I thought that I’d lost the man I love, and the next, he’s telling me everything that I thought I just learned was complete bullshit. “I’m sorry I freaked out and assumed the worst,” I say to him as I shrink into myself. “I should have called you first and asked you about it before freaking out, but I didn’t. I let it get to me. I believed it because of the picture,” I tell him honestly, feeling like a complete bitch that I just jumped to the worst conclusion.
“Fuck!” Justin swears. I can tell that he’s livid pissed right now. “I’m not mad at you, hurt a little that you’d even think I could do this to you… to us. But I get it. I don’t have the best reputation. I lived it up in the past, and it's hard for some people to believe that I’ve changed. That I’m not all about the partying and sleeping around like I once was. I went from being a reporter's dream to a boring person in their eyes.”
“If they only knew how not boring you are,” I try and joke, hoping to lift the somber mood between the two of us.
“I think, once I’m home, we need to sit down and have a serious conversation. Don’t think that this will be a one-time thing. People are vicious. They’ll dig up shit from months or years ago and try and play it off like it was yesterday.”
“That’s now abundantly clear. When do you think that picture was taken?”
“Looking at it, probably last summer, if I had to guess. I recognize the bar, it’s one here in Cleveland, so they at least got that much right. But I definitely haven’t stepped foot into it this trip, so the last time it could have been was when we played here last summer.”
I blow out a huge breath then fill my lungs with a calming one. My eyes close, and I repeat the breathing exercise again, feeling the tension and stress leaving my body. I feel tired and weak after that stressful half hour. So tired that I feel like I could go back to bed and sleep for hours. However, that isn’t possible with a squawking baby that I’m in charge of today. “How’s Evie?” Justin asks, breaking the silence that fell between the two of us as we both digested this morning's events.
“She’s good. Just eating her breakfast and smiling at me,” I tell him as I sit down on a chair in front of her. I grab the bowl of oatmeal I made for her, offering up a bite. She loves this stuff and starts to get excited about the next bite. “Want to see her?” I offer. We’ve gotten into the habit of FaceTiming while Justin is on the road. It’s the only way that they can still bond while he’s gone.
“Sure,” he says. I hit the button to switch over to the video and prop my phone up on the table so that he can see both of us while I continue feeding her. “Ev-ie!” he sing-songs her name, and she looks around for him. She finally looks at
the phone, and her face lights up when she sees him.
“Ddddd!” she stammers, my eyes go huge like saucers, and I look at her and then him.
“Did you just hear that?” he asks, a look of complete bliss filling his face.
“I did! I think she’s trying to say her first word!” I cry out, cheering her on as new tears spring to my eyes. I’m such an emotional mess this morning. I must be about to start my damn period.
“I can’t wait to hear it in person,” he tells me, and I feel bad that he wasn’t here to hear it himself.
“At least you heard it the first time. I won’t have to lie to you when you do hear it and say that it was her first time.”
“What, what other firsts have I really missed that you’ve just passed on and said it was her first time when I was able to catch it?” he asks, a playful yet stern look on his face.
“I plead the fifth,” I tease him, fanning my innocence.
“Ry, don’t be lying to me now.”
“Okay,” I give in. “She’d rolled over a few times while you were gone on a road trip before you saw it when you got back. I didn’t want you to feel bad for missing it, so I just played it off as if that was her first time.”
I give him a sorrowful look, attempting to apologize for doing so.
“I guess I’ll forgive you, since you were doing it for a good reason, just don’t keep doing it. I know I’m going to miss things. Just hazards of the job.”
“Okay,” I agree with him. “I’m sorry,” I reiterate.
“What’s on the agenda for today?” he asks, changing the subject.
“Not much. I think we’re just going to hang around here. Maybe head up to the park this morning for a little bit. A storm is supposed to roll in this afternoon, so I want to be inside by then. Maybe we’ll hunker down in the living room and watch you kick some butt today.” I smile at him through the camera. My reflection looks horrible. I haven’t showered, my eyes are all puffy and my face is all red and splotchy from crying, and my hair is in a rat’s nest on the top of my head. I look like a mess.
“I wish I was there and could kiss you right now,” Justin tells me.
I look down at myself, then back at him, raising my eyebrows at him. “I look like a hot mess.”
“You look like a beautiful hot mess, one I’d still love to kiss right about now.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Yet, you still love me,” he says, stopping me in my tracks. We’ve never said that to one another outright.
I look him in the eyes. Well, as much as I can since we’re seeing each other over a phone's camera. “Are you denying it?” he asks, lifting a brow in question.
“N-no,” I stammer. “It’s true. I do love you.”
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day, and a good thing, since I love you, too, Riley. So damn much,” he tells me, and those damn tears are back. “I’m sorry I said it for the first time over a damn video call. Now I really wish I was there to pull you into my arms and kiss the daylight out of you.”
“I know it wasn’t conventional, but thank you anyway. I think after this morning, I needed to hear those words. I needed that affirmation.”
“I know, baby. But please, please, promise me that if something like this happens again, and I’m sure it will, that you’ll come to me first before you let it get to you or before you believe one single thing the tabloids post about me, you, or us.”
“I promise,” I tell him, and mean it with everything that I am.
“Ddddd!” Evie squawks again, hitting her hand against the highchair. I realize I got caught up in talking to Justin and stopped feeding her, so I give her another bite of the oatmeal.
“You be good, baby girl,” Justin says to her. She looks at the camera again and babbles at him some more. He just soaks up these precious moments, even if they are through the phone. “All right, my two favorite girls, I’ve got to get going. We’ve got a team meeting before a light pre-game workout. I’ll call you once we’re done and on the bus back to the airport. I can’t wait to have you in my arms again tonight,” he tells me, flashing me a devilish grin.
“Only if you’re lucky!”
“Bye, I love you,” he says, laughing at me as the connection ends.
Evie squawks at me once again, telling me how unimpressed she is with my lack of feeding her. “So sorry,” I tell her as I get another spoonful ready for her.
Once she’s finished with breakfast, I take her in for a bath. Now that she’s eating actual food and not just drinking bottles, she’s quite messy after most meals, and it's just easier to wash her down quickly.
With a clean baby, I get her dressed in a cute summer outfit that I pulled from one of the bins that Jillian passed down. It’s got little fruit slices all over it and ruffles on her butt. Ruffles make everything better. “How about some jumperoo time so I can shower?” I ask her as I set her down on the floor of my bedroom with a few toys so that I can go grab it and bring it into my bathroom.
She babbles and laughs the entire time I’m in the shower and getting dressed. I pull on a pair of cutoff shorts, a Lightning tank top that JJ brought home for me not long ago, and my Berk sandals. After brushing my hair out, I pull it up and into a bun on the top of my head. Between the heat and humidity, I hate it being on my neck all day.
“Shall we go to the park, Evie girl?” I ask her as I take her out of the jumper. She kicks her legs in excitement as I place her on my hip. I take her out to the garage, securing her in the stroller before heading out.
“How are you?” Jill asks in lieu of a greeting as I answer her call.
“I’m good, we’re good. It was all just a bunch of nothing. That picture was from last summer sometime, and he wasn’t at the bar last night. Just some trashy reporter was trying to start shit,” I tell her in a quick recap of the morning. “What are you and the girls up to?”
“Just hanging out. They’ve been bugging me to go do something. They want out of the house.”
“Evie and I are on our way to the park if you want to come join us,” I offer.
“You know, we might just do that. Meet you there in ten?”
“Sounds good, see you then,” I tell her before hanging up the call. I set my phone in the cup holder and keep on moving. We arrive at the park a few minutes later, finding it a little busy this morning. I guess we weren’t the only ones with the idea to get in some park time before the storm rolls in later today.
I park the stroller and take Evie out. There’s a baby swing open, and those are her favorite. So, we head over to it while we wait for Jillian and the girls to arrive.
“Hello,” a young woman pushing a baby a little bigger than Evie greets me as I start pushing her. “Your baby is so cute.”
“Oh, thanks! She’s not mine, I’m the nanny,” I tell her.
“Me too!” she tells me, a little excited. “How old is she?”
“Six, almost seven months. How about your little one?” I ask, making polite conversation.
“He just turned eight months old yesterday,” she says, pushing him again. “I’m Brooke, by the way.”
“Riley, and this is Evie,” I introduce both of us.
“This little chunk is Benjamin.”
“He sure is a cutie. How long have you been his nanny?” I ask.
“Since he was about six weeks old. Both of his parents are doctors, so they have some crazy hours. How about you?”
“Since she was about three months old,” I tell her, not divulging anything about who her parents are.
“It's so fun, isn’t it?” Brooke asks.
“It is. Especially since she’s such an easy baby.” We both get distracted by the babies for a few moments. “Is this your only nanny job?” she asks.
“Yep, I live with her family,” I tell her, still being vague. “It was a bit of an urgent situation, and I’d just moved here when the need came up. Her dad and my brother are best friends, so it worked out perfectly for everyo
ne involved.”
“Oh, nice. I found Benjamin’s parents from my prior nanny family. I used to watch his cousins, but they’re now all school age and didn’t need me anymore. About that time, Benjie came along, and I made the transition.”
“Sounds like it was meant to be,” I tell her, smiling at Benjamin. He’s giggling as he swings back and forth, Evie matching his excitement from her swing.
“We finally made it,” Jillian says, stopping next to me.
“Oh, good,” I tell her, looking around for the girls. “Where are my nieces?” I ask when I can’t find them.
“Over on the slide,” she says, pointing at the climbing structure. “Hi, I’m Jillian,” she introduces herself to Brooke.
“Brooke, this is my sister-in-law.” I quickly introduce the two of them.
“Nice to meet you.” They trade pleasantries before we all get distracted once again by the kids.
“Auntie Ry!” Penelope runs up to me a few minutes later.
“Hey, Penny girl.” I greet her as she runs into my outstretched arms as I crouch down to her level. I stand up, her arms wrapped around my neck, and my arms wrapped around her torso in a bear hug. “How are you today?” I ask her, placing a kiss on her cheek before I set her back down.
“I’s good. Can you come over for lunch?” she asks.
“Probably,” I tell her. “Can Evie take a nap in your room if we come over?”
“Yes!” she says before running off to play again.
“I guess we’re coming over for lunch,” I tell Jillian.
“Sounds good. I was going to invite you over anyway.”
The Curve Ball (Indianapolis Lightning Book 2) Page 15