Full Count (Cessna U Wildcats Book 3)

by Kimberly Readnour

  My phone buzzes. As soon as I read the text, I let out a heavy sigh.

  Mom: I’m so sorry. Things got crazy after supper. I’m leaving now.

  “Mom’s on her way, but she just left. It’ll be a bit. I’m so sorry.”

  “Quit apologizing. It’s not a big deal. We’re together. That’s all that matters.”

  I fire back a message to Mom, letting her know it’s fine, but I hate our ruined evening. I pick up the dried plates and walk them to the cabinet.

  “Are Noah and Braxton getting along any better?” Cara had told me the other day that Braxton lost it when he found out Noah and Shannon were dating. She’s working on him, but he won’t let it go.

  “Not yet. The atmosphere in the house is pretty toxic right now. Braxton is so freaking pissed.”

  “Do you think he’ll come to terms with it soon?”

  “Eventually. Noah’s been his best friend since forever. They played little league together for fuck’s sake. He’ll have to accept it sooner or later.”

  “I can’t believe he never suspected anything between them. It was pretty obvious when we were together.”

  “Yeah, he just thought Noah’s protectiveness was due to them being siblings.” Garret shrugs. “I’ve been playing peacekeeper. Surprisingly, Dalton has been a huge help consoling Noah.”

  “I haven’t gotten to know him too well, but he seems chill when we go out. Shannon’s pretty close to him.”

  “Yeah, he’s all right. I’m afraid his cocky attitude during practice will carry into the season. He hasn’t grasped the whole ‘team’ concept.”

  “He seems loyal to you guys.”

  “That he is. He just has this chip on his shoulder.”

  My phone rings. I glance at the screen and wince.

  “It’s my dad, but don’t worry. Our conversations aren’t long.” I answer the phone.

  “It’s Jillian’s birthday the Friday after Thanksgiving. She wants you to meet us at Tantalizing,” he says in lieu of a greeting.

  “I’m not sure what I have going on then. I’ll have to get back with you.”

  “Lexie, I never ask for much, but you need to go. Jillian feels like none of my kids like her. That’s not fair to her. You’re the oldest. You need to set an example.”

  “Oh, you want us all to go?” I’m a bit surprised. Tantalizing caters to vegans and vegetarians. It’s not the menu young boys would enjoy, but maybe he’s changing.

  “Tantalizing isn’t the type of establishment rambunctious children would want to visit. I just meant you. Besides, if they see you make an effort, then perhaps they’d follow.”

  Of course, he wouldn’t want them to go. I must have been crazy to think otherwise.

  “I’ll have to get back with you.” The coldness in my voice causes Garret’s eyebrow to quirk. I get the impression Garret doesn’t like my father. Honestly, he needs to take a number. The line is rather extensive.

  “Don’t let me down. They have a very healthy menu, and part of your gift to her could be to listen to her nutrition speech. She wants to help.”

  Jesus, is this all I’m going to hear every time I talk to him? Do they sit around and discuss me all day long? Perhaps they need to get a life. And what does he mean by part of her gift? I wasn’t planning on getting her any gift. This man is too much.

  “Thanks, Dad.” My voice comes out sharper than I intended. “I’ll heed her nutritional advice with caution.”

  “I’m counting on you to be there.”

  He hangs up, and I stare at the phone in my hand. “Unbelievable.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  I glance at Garret. He stands next to me, face pinched as if he’s trying to control his anger. He must have overheard Dad’s health spiel. Garret’s protectiveness gets triggered every time Dad belittles me. I should’ve gone to my bedroom for privacy. The whole conversation is beyond embarrassing.

  “I’m fine. Dad wants me to have dinner with him and his girlfriend. But I’m not going.”

  “You need to go.”

  “What? No way. She’ll go on about the nutrition class she teaches. I don’t even think she’s certified to teach. It’s not like she’s a dietician.”

  “If you go, it proves to them they didn’t get to you.”

  “I’m strong-willed, but even I couldn’t endure an evening with the two of them by myself.” That would be disastrous.

  “When is it?”

  “Next Friday.”

  Confliction flickers in his eyes before they harden with determination. “I’ll go with you.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I appreciate your offering, but you’re busy on the weekends.” Doing God knows what.

  “You’re going to go and show him and his girlfriend who the better person is, but I won’t let you face them alone. I can swing a Friday night. We’re going.”

  “Okay, then. I hope you like meatless meals.”

  “Christ.”

  I chuckle but pull out my phone to let Dad know I’ll be there with a plus one. That will make him wonder.

  Chapter Twenty

  Garret

  Current Day

  Lexie: Fun Fact. My grandma used to say, “Good things come to those who wait.” I doubt she meant what I have in mind.

  “Your mom seems sweet,” I say to Lexie as we stroll down the sidewalk of Venice Beach. It’s one of my favorite beaches to hang out on. There are so much activities and diversity.

  “She is. I got lucky when it comes to moms. My friends from school had some real doozies. But having a great mom comes with downfalls like having our evening ruined. I’m sure you’ve watched Olivia for your parents, but do you have to break plans all of the time because of her?”

  You have no idea what I’ve given up for the sake of her, but I don’t hold it against my girl. It’s not her fault I made horrible decisions in the beginning.

  “You babysit a lot, don’t you?” I dodge her question, but I don’t think she realizes. I can’t tell any more lies. The guilt is suffocating. I should’ve never had sex without telling her the entire truth about Olivia. I don’t want to take it back, though. The sex was incredible. Admittedly, I want to have a repeat, but that won’t happen until I come clean about my little girl.

  “Yeah. When Dad left, Mom was forced to go back to work full-time. He’s supposed to have the boys every other weekend, but he always has some excuse for not taking them. His latest girlfriend can’t tolerate them. I get that they’re hyper, but it still pisses me off.”

  “I love that even though you constantly complain about them, you stick up for them with ferocity. It shows your true character.” This is what always drew me to her in the first place. I wasn’t used to a girl being so forward and going after what she wanted.

  “Yeah, even though they make me want to go get my tubes tied, I love them to pieces.”

  I bite my tongue. What the hell am I doing? She’s never going to want kids. This isn’t supposed to be more than a friends-with-benefits between us, but having sex with her the other night felt like a whole lot more than friendship. It’s been over three years since I last had sex, but despite the hiatus, sex has never been like that. Maybe because I was so young. I don’t know, but our connection ran deep.

  “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for your parents. My parents have been married for twenty-eight years.”

  “Wow! That’s incredible. I don’t have much faith in the institution of marriage. Maybe I don’t have faith in a guy keeping his dick out of trouble.”

  I give her a side-eyed glance. We usually don’t discuss families. Or get too deep into conversations about them. I have my reasons for avoiding the subject, but as much vile Lexie holds against her father, I’m wondering if she needs to vent. “Is that what happened?”

  “Yeah.” She puffs out a breath. “He cheated on her with a younger woman. He tried playing the victim.”

  “How the hell does that work?”

  “He claims the woma
n was too young and fit. He couldn’t resist. You know, since Mom is on the fluffy side. Insert eye roll.”

  My teeth clench. Despite never meeting Lexie’s dad, I can’t stand the guy. But who uses that as an excuse? “That’s really crappy.”

  “Yeah, I had a hard time being around him to begin with. He’s been harping on me about my weight since I hit puberty. But after he cheated, I lost all respect. I can’t stand a fucking cheater.”

  My chest tightens. “I’m sorry that happened.”

  “He’s been going through new girls left and right. I’m surprised he’s still with this one.”

  I should let it drop, but I need to know. “Do you think he’ll change? Like if he cheated once, he can change?”

  “No. There is something fundamentally wrong with them to do that in the first place. Don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve always believed in monogamy, but what if the person had a solid reason?”

  “There’s no reason ever good enough.”

  And that boys and girls is strike two and another reason Lexie and I will never be together for more than friendship. Having a kid and being a fucking cheater aren’t great odds.

  I nod, even though I feel the crushing weight of my actions, my one lapse of judgment defining me for life.

  I’m nothing but a fucking asshole who doesn’t deserve her. Fuck. Not only did I screw her without disclosing that I have a daughter, but I’m someone who she deems a piece of trash. Just like her dad.

  I know what needs to happen. I’ll get through the upcoming dinner date and then fess up to having a daughter. Sex will be off the table, and I can live with that. What I can’t live without is our friendship. If I tell her about my daughter and leave out the rest, then Olivia will still be protected, and I won’t feel as guilty.

  Shit, this isn’t how I envisioned this evening would unfold. But I won’t ruin it anymore and upset Lexie about her dad. I’ll wait until after our dinner date to break the news.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Garret

  High School

  Graduation Night

  “Loosen up, dude. We’re at a party. We graduated. Now’s the time to cut loose. Drink!”

  I laughed at my best friend, Jared. “I have to go to Liv.”

  “Why isn’t she here? Just because she had to finish with online courses, she still graduated with us. If she’s feeling up to it, then she needs to be here.”

  Jared didn’t know Liv was pregnant. No one did. There had been some speculation before she left school, but her dad had made sure to concoct a rumor about her being ill. But Jared wasn’t too far off. Liv should’ve texted me an hour ago. She told me to come to this party first, and she would text me a time to meet her. But I didn’t think much about her lack of response. I was at the top of my game. I had graduated. My scholarship was sealed. And the most important one, I’d received the acceptance letter for family housing. I couldn’t wait to spring that on Livia. Our baby was due in two weeks. Nothing was going to knock me off my game. Not tonight.

  “I heard you’re good at swinging your bat.” A slender blonde sidled beside me. Her hair was in a slick, long ponytail, which she whipped behind her and leaned in closer.

  “You heard correctly.” I took a subtle step back, trying to create distance without seeming rude. Times like this were when I wished Liv could be with me. Girls didn’t hit on me as much when Liv was around. Although, I still got the occasional stare that screamed they would fuck me with or without my girlfriend. I ignored them because I wasn’t that guy.

  “I wouldn’t mind a demonstration sometime.” She inched back into my personal space, clearly not taking my hint.

  “I’m not sure my girlfriend would appreciate that.”

  She fluttered her eyelashes at me as one side of her lip drew into a smirk. “I don’t see her around. Surely if she cared, she’d be here on your big night.”

  “She hasn’t been feeling well. I was about to leave and check on her.”

  She ran her hand along my arm, and I stepped back again. Damn, this woman was forward, which normally would be okay—I happened to like confidence in a woman—but I wasn’t single to appreciate her efforts. “I get it. You’re a good boy. If things don’t work out with Miss Perfect, look me up later. I’ll be around.”

  As much as I tried not to, I watched her ass as she walked away. It was nothing like Liv’s apple bottomed and curvy lines, but I appreciated all shapes and sizes.

  My phone buzzed. Finally.

  Livia: Can you meet by the road?

  What the hell? I still wasn’t good enough to go inside the house, but now I can’t drive up the driveway. What the fuck?

  Me: Why can’t I pick you up at the door?

  I headed to my car, waiting for a response that never came. “Fine,” I muttered to no one. I’d play by Daddy’s rules. I couldn’t wait until we were on campus and away from his scrutiny. I couldn’t wait for the day I made her officially mine and told her dad to fuck off.

  Once I pulled alongside the road outside her house, I fired off a text stating I was there. It was only five minutes later when she came walking down the path. We hadn’t planned on going out in public, but she wasn’t dressed to go anywhere. I got out of the car to help her.

  “You should’ve let me drive closer. You didn’t have to walk all this way.”

  “I’m fine,” she said between labored breaths. Her usual smile was gone. She looked miserable.

  “We don’t have to go anywhere. Get in the car, and I’ll just drive around.” I reached for her, but she backed away. I eyed her, confused. “Liv?”

  Her face remained stoic as she remained quiet.

  “You’re scaring me. Is something wrong with you or the baby?”

  “Other than feeling like the Hindenburg, I’m fine.” She caressed the underside of her belly. He must have been kicking her. He liked to kick her right lower quadrant for some reason. I wanted to hold onto that memory and cherish it forever. When he grew up, I’d tease him about kicking his mom’s side. She drew in a breath and released it slowly. “I don’t know how else to say this, but…”

  I waited as she paused. When she didn’t speak, I asked, “What do you mean? Are you sure everything’s okay?”

  “Garret. We need to break up.”

  I reared back as if slapped. “You don’t mean that. You’re just miserable and have those pregnancy hormones racing through you.”

  “It’s not that.” She closed her eyes as if to summon courage. When she opened them, they were the darkest I’d ever seen in her expression—cold and empty. Not the Liv I knew. This was her dad staring back at me. A shiver skated down my spine. He finally cracked her spirits. I had noticed her pulling away the last few weeks, but we’d always ended on a good note. “We need to break up. This relationship isn’t going anywhere.”

  “You’re serious right now?”

  “I’ve never been more serious.”

  “You can look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t love me?”

  Cold dark eyes, expressionless and unyielding, bored into mine. “I don’t love you. I never did.”

  My heart clenched. My throat grew tight. “How can you say that? We’re going to be a family. We got accepted into family housing.” That admission caused a flicker of emotion, but she shut it down as quickly as it came.

  “You don’t get it. You’ve ruined my life.”

  Ruined her life? “Liv, that’s not you talking. That’s your dad.”

  “My dad has nothing to do with this. You don’t know how it felt to stay at home while you and the rest of my classmates got to walk across the stage and get your diploma. I had to stay at home because of you. Everything got ruined because of you.”

  “Liv, I wouldn’t have gone if I knew you’d be this upset. My parents wanted to see me graduate, but they would’ve understood.”

  “You don’t get it. Before this thing happened, I was never going off to college with you. I had applied
to Harvard. Did you know that?”

  I stumbled backward a few steps as her words gutted me. Did she really refer to our son as a thing? Jesus. One of my worst fears was thinking I ruined her future chances. That she would someday wake up and leave me. But I honestly didn’t think that would happen the day we graduated high school.

  “You applied to Harvard?” I asked.

  “Yeah, and guess what? I got accepted, but after one careless night, you ruined my chances of going.”

  “Forgive me for not quite believing you, but you never told me any of this. I find it rather convenient that now you say you were accepted.”

  She scoffed. “Are you calling me a liar?”

  Shit. Was I? I didn’t mean to. Liv never lied to me before, had she? “When did you apply?”

  She dug a piece of paper out of her pocket and tossed it to me. I caught it mid-air. When I unfolded it, my world crashed around me. The fancy linen paper sported Harvard’s emblem with the standard, Congratulations Miss Livia Fernandez. Holy shit. This was real. I jerked my head back to her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Don’t you get it? I was only using you.”

  “Using me?”

  “I’m the big girl who snagged the star player for Glendale Academy. When someone as popular and hot as you take notice, what do you think will happen? Of course, I was going to go out with you. It wasn’t supposed to be long term.”

  “That’s bullshit, and you know it. What we have is real. I love you.”

  “No. All you did was ruin me. But not for long.”

  Ice flowed through my veins by her cryptic statement. I didn’t like the sureness in her voice. “What do you mean?”

  “Daddy pulled some strings, and I can still go.”

  “What about our son?” I managed to ask through clenched teeth.

  “Once the baby is born, I’ll sign his rights over. Otherwise, I’ll put it up for adoption.”

  “No! No, no, no. We were supposed to be a family. Me, you, and our son.”