“I can try, but no guarantees. I will try my best, man,” he said as he extended his hand. I shook his hand aggressively.
“If you find her, let me know. I need to speak to her as soon as possible,” I told him.
“But does she want to speak to you? She seemed pretty pissed off when she left. She quit her job because of you. She must have seen those photos of you at the bar with that chick.”
Leo had a point.
“But what am I supposed to do? I need her to hear me out,” I growled.
Leo sighed and nodded.
“Maybe I’ll come up with something,” he said.
I didn’t like the sound of that. Leo always had the worst ideas.
Chapter 25
Beth
None of my hard work was paying off. I hadn’t received a single call or inquiry from a potential client since I set up my company website. Now I was sure it was Nathan or some other person from Soletraders who were trying to trample on my efforts.
What was I going to do? I had a baby to think about. It wasn’t just me alone in this mess anymore!
Suzy and Gia begged me to give it a few more days and then I could think about moving to Silicon Valley. That move would be a hard one, and I had no clue how I would manage. But that is what I would have to do if I didn’t get any clients in the next few days.
I had to start taking action quickly. I was panicking because now I could feel the baby growing inside me. The pregnancy was making me emotional too.
So, when I received an email early in the morning one Monday, I was thrilled to see my inbox with at least one communication.
The email was from someone called Oliver Lamport, and he claimed to be an agent to a Hollywood star who had seen the work I had done for Vince Woods and was impressed.
I was doubtful of the intention of this email, but I had to at least check out this lead. We exchanged a few emails back and forth. When I asked who this Hollywood star was, Oliver said he couldn’t reveal it because of confidentiality. But he said he was flying to New York that evening and would like to have the conversation face to face.
I couldn’t imagine any reason why not. I picked a busy cafe for the meeting and started getting ready. If this worked out and this Oliver guy was real, then I wouldn’t have to move to Silicon Valley and go looking for a job after all!
I was excited at the prospect of meeting this man and finding out who the celebrity was.
I dressed professionally, for the job. I wore a pair of black slacks and a yellow floral blouse and a dark trench coat. I kept my hair tied up neatly and put on some neutral makeup. I needed to be presentable if I was to handle the social media accounts of a Hollywood star!
I had to admit I was excited.
I rushed to the cafe, saying small prayers as I went, in the hopes that everything would work out.
I walked in, pasting a smile on my face, carrying my laptop and my presentation files and a skip in my step. Then the first thing I saw, past all the people at the cafe, over the heads, across the long room sitting by the windows, was Vince.
He saw me too, instantly.
I had to do everything in my power to not drop my laptop and camera bags. I was in shock. I was worried I was hallucinating. Was this real?
But then he was walking towards me. Within moments, he was standing right in front of me. His dark brown eyes burned a hole in my soul. It was like his smooth olive skin was glistening. He had a light stubble on his cheeks. His dark hair was as short as always and looking velvety and soft.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said as a broad smile spreading across his face like he could see exactly the effect he had on me. There was no use hiding it from him.
I wanted to kiss him. That was my first instinct. I never thought I would see him in person again, and here he was standing right in front of me, so I could breathe him in.
“I’m sorry we had to do it like this. Leo was convinced you wouldn’t want to speak to me again. He was the one who sent you the emails,” Vince said.
I gulped. My throat had gone dry. I still hadn’t said a single word to him because I couldn’t. I felt lost and like my knees were going to give way any moment now.
“Can we sit down? Please? I just need five minutes, and then I’ll be gone if that is what you want.”
Vince’s brown eyes were earnest. All I could do was nod. I followed him to the table he had selected for us, and he pulled a chair out for me. We sat down, face to face. My heart was racing out of my chest. This still felt so unreal to me.
“Beth…”
“Why are you here?”
Those were my first words, and they came spilling out of me, out of control. Vince shifted in his chair.
“I wanted to see you again.”
“Why?” I snapped. I was mad at myself because I had so little self-control. All I needed was one look from him, and I was putty in his hands again.
“Because that day at the stadium, when you said you needed to leave, I should have asked you to stay,” he replied.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Vince wanted me to stay? Why? I still couldn’t grasp the idea that he would actually want me.
I shook my head in disbelief.
“I know you think I’m a player, and I’m like that other guy, your ex, and I’m going to hurt you…”
I interrupted him before he could continue.
“Aren’t you? All those things?”
Vince breathed in deeply and nodded.
“Yes, I guess I am. I guess I was before I met you, Beth,” he said.
What was I doing here? I needed to go before I made a fool of myself. I stood up from my chair with a jerk.
“Beth!” Vince stood up too and reached for my wrist. He was going to pull me towards him again, the way he kissed me that day at the stadium. I knew I had no defense against that. I would melt in his arms in a moment.
“I’m pregnant, Vince!” I snapped at him, and his hand dropped away from my wrist.
* * *
I sat back down because I could see the shock on Vince’s face. He was staring at me like he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
“You’re…” he stammered with his words.
My hand lifted up to my belly instinctively.
“Yes, I’m pregnant,” I replied. Vince’s gaze drifted to my belly, then slowly, he lifted his eyes up to my face.
“When were you going to tell me?”
He didn’t need clarification from me. He knew that the baby was his.
“I didn’t plan to…”
“You were going to keep my child away from me?”
“I didn’t know if you’d want to know.”
“About my own kid?” Vince roared. Some people at the tables around us turned to see, and he dropped his voice to a whisper and leaned towards me.
“Beth! You didn’t think I deserved a chance to know? You weren’t even going to give me an opportunity?”
My eyes filled with tears.
“I didn’t want you to reject me, or reject the baby…” I tried to gulp back the tears, but it wasn’t helping. All my suppressed anger and emotions and sadness were coming gushing out of me. Vince stood up from his chair and came around to my side. He crouched down, on his knees on the floor.
“People are looking,” I whispered to him. Most people at the cafe had recognized him, and they were turning to us.
“I honestly don’t give a shit right now,” he growled.
He was on his knees in front of me and slowly, he reached for my hands.
“Beth, please tell me that the only reason you didn’t tell me about the baby was that you had a fear of rejection. Please tell me we still have a chance, and that you are willing to give me one.”
None of this was making sense. Why was Vince Woods on his knees in front of me? Why was he asking me to give him a chance? He could have any woman he wanted!
I couldn’t do anything other than stare at him.
“I shouldn’t have l
et you go that day. I should have asked you to stay and tell me about your past. All I need, Beth, is one chance to prove myself to you. I am not that guy. I am not your ex. I am I the guy you think I am.”
Vince was peering into my eyes. He was waiting for me to say something, but I was lost for words.
He held my hands in his. I could sense people’s eyes on us. Were they video recording us in silence? It was highly likely.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else,” I suggested, whispering.
“There is nothing I want to hide. If you’re going to reject me, do it here, in front of everyone. I can take it,” he insisted. I could feel his big warm hands on mine.
Did he seriously think I could reject him?
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you!” I exclaimed.
A look of relief came over Vince’s face.
“Fuck, Beth, I’ve missed you!” he growled, and he reached out to clutch my left cheek. He tenderly tugged at my cheek as he held me like that in position, peering into my eyes.
“I thought you had forgotten me already…”
“I tried to,” he said. “I did everything I could to get over you. Including trying to chat up a brunette I met at a bar. It didn’t work. I ended up running away from her when she tried to kiss me,” Vince explained.
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. Was this really happening? He was actually here? He was on his knees and asking me to give him a chance?
“Do you really want this baby, Vince?” I asked.
He stroked my cheek with his thumb.
“Yes, Beth! If you have doubts about that, ask my friends. I’ve been surrounded by babies for the past five years. I’ve had suppressed longings for fatherhood all this time,” he replied, and I smiled. I remembered the comment he made earlier about how he wanted to raise his own children. So I knew he had been thinking about them, even if he hadn’t admitted it openly.
Vince dragged his hand down from my cheek until he was holding me by my arms. Neither of us cared about the stares anymore. People could be Live tweeting us for all I cared.
“Beth, I have feelings for you, like real, intense feelings. I felt them since we first met. The fact that you landed up in Boston and we met again makes complete sense now. We were meant to be together. We were meant to raise this baby together,” he continued.
I nodded. I couldn’t suppress the smiles anymore.
“I have feelings for you too, Vince. The only reason I ran away from Boston was that I was afraid of falling for someone again. But I know it’s different this time. I’ve never felt like this for any…”
He didn’t let me finish my sentence. Vince leaned in, and our lips met. My breath was caught in my throat. His tongue was in my mouth, and as he kissed me, I could hear the ringing sound of clapping all around us.
People had been listening in. They were happy for us.
Vince kissed me deeply, and I kissed him back. I locked my arms around his neck, and he lifted me off the chair. I finally felt like I was home because I was in his arms.
I had nothing more to worry about. He was going to take care of everything.
When I drew my mouth away from him, Vince knocked his forehead with mine.
“I’m going to be a daddy!” he said with a laugh. I could see the genuine happiness in his eyes.
“And I’m going to be a mommy,” I added. Vince kissed my lips tenderly again.
“I can’t wait for our life to begin, Beth. You make me so happy,” he said, and I knew he meant it. I was feeling it too.
Epilogue
Vince
Five months later
Back to the four of us again, Evie, Oscar, Isabel and I.
The only difference was that Isabel was a little more grown-up than the last time she was alone with me. She was sleeping less and awake more and in need of constant attention.
Evie and Oscar were at that age when they were arguing and having screaming matches all the time especially around uncle Vince who spoiled them and let them have their way.
In the past five months, things hadn’t changed very much in that regard. I still had no idea what I was doing when left alone with these kids.
“Okay, orange juice?” I suggested after I managed to pry Evie and Oscar apart. He had his fingers tightly wound in Evie’s hair, and she was trying to poke his eyes out. In the middle of their fight, while I was trying to put a stop to it, they started laughing for no reason. I had no idea what I had done.
“Your parents are going to kill me this time!” I mumbled while they continued to laugh, rolling around on the floor.
It was way past their bedtime, and it didn’t seem like either of them were any closer to falling asleep. Isabel was in her cot, rattling her toys around to get my attention.
I felt like I had made a mess of everything.
“Babe, smile,” I heard Beth’s voice. Startled, I turned and saw she had her camera trained at me. She clicked a picture of me with my hands on my waist, looking baffled with toys and cots and bowls and porridge strewed all around me.
“You’re late!” I growled and charged at her. She squealed and giggled when I lifted her up in my arms and spun her around.
“Aunty Beth!” Evie shouted, and Oscar joined in, and they came charging towards us. As the newest member of the group, the kids were still most fascinated with Beth. Also, she was now beginning to show, and Evie was full of questions about the baby growing inside Aunty Beth’s belly.
I put Beth down, and she ruffled Oscar’s hair and gave Evie a quick kiss.
“Looks like the two of you have been taking advantage of Uncle Vince’s weaknesses. Shouldn’t you be in bed by now?” Beth scolded light-heartedly. In response to that, Oscar chased Evie around the house.
Beth went over to Isabel and lifted her up in her arms.
“Hello, darling girl. Someone smells fresh and nice. Looks like Uncle Vince finally got the hang of diapers, didn’t he?” Beth was cooing to the baby while I stood back and watched her.
She looked resplendent with every passing day. Her face glowed with motherly affection, her cheeks were flushed, and her breasts were more prominent. To me, Beth was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid my eyes on. But pregnant Beth was a whole different story!
I wanted to make love to her all the time. She was irresistible. Especially now that she was carrying my child.
“How was your day, babe?” she asked, coming up to me, snapping me out of the daydream I was having of bending her over the dining table and taking her right now.
“It was good. I picked the kids up and came back here, and I’ve been waiting here for you ever since,” I said and wrapped my arms around my woman’s body. She kissed my forehead, then my nose and lips.
“How was work?” I asked. She smiled. Her eyelids were already heavy with desire. We had spent far too much time apart today. I was looking forward to being alone together.
“In and out of meetings. I think I’m going to bag the hotel deal after all,” she said. I congratulated her and kissed her some more.
Soon after I went to New York, Beth moved to Boston.
I didn’t want to uproot her from New York, so I offered to move there myself, but she insisted that she wanted to come here instead. Uprooting my life would be more complicated she said.
I still didn’t want any social media presence, and now that Beth and I were together Leo stopped pestering me about it. Beth and I came to an understanding that she would handle my accounts, but my updates were going to be sporadic and widely spaced, and only with meaningful moments that my fans would actually enjoy. I didn’t want any pictures of my lunch and my clothes on the internet. I wasn’t getting into a competition with other celebrities to see who was more insta-famous!
But in the meantime, Beth’s business was booming here in Boston, and I wasn’t surprised. Her work was excellent, and she was able to give her clients exactly the kind of exposure they were looking for. Beth admitted that in Boston, she could
start afresh and nobody was pulling her down.
I was happy to see her happy. Every morning, Beth woke up beside me and I felt like I finally had a purpose in my life. My mission was to make this woman happy and to build a warm and loving home for our baby.
I realized I was still kissing her now when she finally pulled away from me.
“We need to put the kids to bed first! The others aren’t picking them up before midday tomorrow. We’re going to have our hands full for a while,” Beth said.
I sighed. Evie and Oscar were still running around.
“Okay, you get Izzy, and I’ll nab the other two,” I said, and Beth smiled at me knowingly.
“What?” I asked, and she chewed on her lip.
“You’re going to make such an incredible dad. I can’t wait to see us together,” she commented and stroked her belly lovingly.
Beth
One Year Later
It was crazy to think how quickly time had just flown. Our son, Max, was only three months shy of being a year old now and every day, he looked more like his handsome father.
We organized an elaborate barbecue at our house this sunny weekend, and all our friends were here.
Since it was Vince on diaper duty today, I was the one overseeing the barbecue along with Cliff’s help. Everyone else was scattered around the garden. The kids were chasing each other, Isabel was walking now, and Max was in the house with Vince, getting changed.
“It’s amazing to see Vince as a father,” Cliff said at one point, while I flipped a steak on the grill. I was doing most of the work. Cliff was standing there keeping me company, and handing me an iced tea from time to time.
“It’s funny you say that. Vince says it about you guys all the time too!” I retorted, and we laughed. “Besides, you should be used to seeing that by now. He’s been a dad for nearly a year,” I added.
Cliff nodded and took a swig of his beer.
“It’s still weird. He was the last one of us to fall, and none of us saw it coming,” Cliff continued.
Daddy Player: A BILLIONAIRE SPORTS BABY ROMANCE Page 9