“We should start getting ready for the party,” Carly said, glancing at her wristwatch through drooped eyes. “I have to make sure the entertainment areas have been cleaned properly and let the caterer in. And we still need to get dressed.”
Carly and I had gone shopping for clothes. We had both bought maxi dresses. Mine was black with a cinched waist and a mesh back that showed off my curves. It was casual but still looked amazing, and I felt I would fit in perfectly in this environment.
I was nervous about the party. Everyone coming tonight would be famous or married to someone famous, and even though Carly had said I would fit in, I wasn’t so sure. But I had been worried about Brad, and that had gone fine. He was a great guy, easy to talk to, and as much as I had hated the guy for breaking my best friend’s heart once upon a time, I had to admit I could see what she saw in him.
I braided my hair at the front to keep it out of my face, letting it hang loosely at the back, and I put on light makeup. The vacation-y feeling in the air encouraged me to keep things casual but classy. I added sandals to my outfit with gems on the bridge of my foot and when I looked in the mirror, I was happy with what I saw.
When I emerged from the room, Carly came out of the main bedroom. She wore the dress she had bought, and she looked as put together as I did.
“We clean up well,” she said, and I agreed laughingly.
Brad emerged a short while later, dressed in jeans and a collared shirt, and I assumed the others would dress similarly. It was so good to see that people made an effort, that it wasn’t only about spending time but about dressing up for each other.
The caterer arrived, and I helped oversee him unpacking the food while Carly ran around, arranging flowers she’d had delivered.
When everything was finally ready, the first guests arrived as if they had known exactly when to make an appearance. Carly introduced me, and bit by bit, the house filled up with the couples arriving. We were twelve people in total, with five couples and me as the guest. Carly had mentioned that Brad had invited another friend, but I hadn’t seen him, yet.
I walked to the kitchen for a glass of water and stayed there for a while. I was overwhelmed by it all. So many people had arrived, and I didn’t do very well in large crowds. I had always kept to myself at school. I had been the ugly nerd no one had wanted to talk to.
“What are you doing?” Carly asked, finding me in the kitchen.
“Getting water,” I said.
Carly raised her eyebrows. “There are pitchers of water on the table. What’s bothering you?”
I shrugged. “It’s just a bit much. I know these are your people, and I see how happy you are, but I don’t know them. I don’t feel like I fit in very well.”
“We’ll just have to fix that,” Carly said and looped her arm through mine. “Come on.”
She walked with me to the group of girls. I had met them briefly, but now Carly insisted I join the conversation. I listened, trying to offer input. I knew Kina by sight, but I got confused between Lacey and Stacey. They both had dark hair, albeit different styles, and their names threw me off. I felt better when I stood with the girls, talking to them. They weren’t famous like the men, who I had seen on TV. It was unnerving to see all those achingly familiar faces in person.
The girls asked me about my studies and about life in Colorado, and I had something to talk about. It was more comfortable than I had expected, and I found I enjoyed myself.
“Is that Brad’s friend?” Kina asked, pointing to someone who made his way to the group.
“It is,” Carly confirmed, and I looked to see where they were looking. When I saw him, I froze.
Could it be? I was looking at Nick Watts, wasn’t I?
Nick and I had gone to school together. In Fort Collins. What was he doing here? He had been a popular guy at school, and I’d had a crush on him for years. The coincidence seemed like it had to be a joke.
As I watched, he looked at me. I waited for a flicker of recognition, the familiar look of irritation that I had been in his line of sight and had gotten in the way, but instead, his eyes slid down my body and back up, and he grinned at me.
This was new. When I had been at school, he had thought I was a waste of his time, even when I had tutored him to keep his marks up and he’d been the one who had needed me, not the other way around.
“Let me introduce you,” Carly said, taking me to Nick. I was unsure. I was worried he would recognize me and run for the hills. But when Carly introduced us, he took my hand and smiled at me, maintaining eye contact. This was definitely new.
And his eyes were mesmerizing, a cornflower blue so deep I could get lost in them.
“I have to check on something,” Carly said, leaving me alone with Nick.
“I have to say, when I came here, I had no idea I would like it this much,” he said.
I blushed despite trying to act cool.
“Did you think the famous football players would bore you?” I asked with a smile.
“Oh, not at all,” Nick said. “But I don’t exactly find any of them attractive.”
I blushed again. Nick had never used his charm on me in high school. Being on the receiving end of it made me understand why so many girls had fawned over him. Of course, I had fawned over him too. His charm hadn’t even been necessary.
“Can I get you a drink?” Nick asked, a gentleman.
I nodded, and he disappeared to refill my glass. When he returned, he had gotten himself a glass too.
“So, what do you do?” he asked. “Besides looking incredible.”
I chuckled. “That’s quite a line,” I said.
Nick shrugged. “I don’t know how else to draw the attention of a goddess like you. If I don’t use lines, I’ll fumble my words and sound like a fool.”
He was being a player. I had seen this MO a million times. But it was working on me. The other times, I had watched men do it to other women, and it had irritated me that they would fall for it. Now I was the recipient, and I had to admit, it was making me want to know more, to hear more.
“So?” Nick asked.
“I’m currently studying to earn my MBA,” I said.
Nick whistled through his teeth. “Beautiful and smart,” he said.
I smiled. I couldn’t believe how smooth this guy was, and it was all aimed at me.
The rest of the night was a lot more bearable than it had been before I had talked to Nick. When it was all over, and Carly and stood in the kitchen, I told her what was on my mind.
“I know Nick,” I said. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it all now that he had gone. He hadn’t recognized me, and even though the light flirtation had been great, I felt unhinged now.
“How?” Carly asked.
“It’s the guy from school. The one I had a crush on.”
Carly frowned. “Nick? This Nick?” Carly knew all about him. I had told her how I had felt about him, how he had never even seen me. He had been the love that was always just out of reach, the love I had complained about when Carly had complained about Brad.
I nodded. “It’s crazy. I can’t believe I saw him tonight and so far from home. And that he’s friends with Brad? It’s so weird.”
Carly shook her head. “It’s such a small world,” she said. “Did you enjoy talking to him?”
I nodded. I didn’t tell her he hadn’t recognized me at all and that it was probably the only reason we had talked so much. I didn’t tell her I felt upset about it and elated about it all at the same time. I doubted I would see him again, so it didn’t matter.
Chapter 4 – Nick
On Monday, excitement was in the air. Our first games were coming up soon, and I was ready to prove myself. A lot of the men felt that way, and maybe they had what it took. But I knew I had what it took.
Coach Daniel had picked us for his team, so we were backups for the first-stringers, and even though it was a huge privilege to be a backup, to be the guy they relied on when their first-stringer went down
for some reason, I wanted to be the guy who had a backup.
“Right,” Coach Daniel said, clapping his hand together and summoning the team. We had been running to warm up, passing the ball casually between us. “Get all the wiggles out of your system.” The men laughed when he said that, talking to us like we were kids. “I don’t want fights on my field today. If I can’t rely on you during training, the Sharks sure as shit can’t rely on you to back them up. Think about it.”
Some of the guys rolled their eyes at the coach, but I agreed with him. Our focus had to be working as a team, not fighting each other. I could imagine how strong the Sharks were, with so many of them being close friends, and I knew it had to make a difference. I considered making friends with my teammates, but I told myself I was already friends with the men who would eventually be my teammates. It was only a matter of time. The dinner on Saturday had proven to me how much I was already part of the team. The boys had welcomed me with open arms, drawing me in and making me feel like one of them. It had been a pleasure to spend time with them.
Ryan was a great friend, and I valued our friendship, but the Sharks—Liam and Brad and Brian and the other guys—were on a different level. They were sure of who they were. The second-stringers were all a little unsure of where they stood, and I didn’t want to be there. Was I arrogant in assuming I was worth more? Maybe. But if I didn’t look at the whole thing as if belonged at the top, I wasn’t going to get there.
Training started, and we worked on our tackles and huddles. It was a rough one, physically challenging, and we had jostled around and shoved a lot. This what we trained for. We had to learn to handle a hit because in football, it was inevitable. I felt good on the field, but I knew as soon as the adrenaline faded, all my aches and pains would show up after hits I couldn’t even remember.
Brad and a few other Sharks players I didn’t know personally stood on the side of the field when we finished, and I realized they’d been watching us play.
“This was a good session,” Brad said when I joined them and shook his hand.
“It was,” I said. I felt on top of my game, and the men had worked together better than on Friday when they had been at each other’s throats.
“You’re getting better,” Brad said, and I tried to hide how happy I was to hear him say that.
“I’m working hard,” I said.
Brad nodded. “It shows.”
We talked shop for a short while before I steered the conversation toward Saturday night.
“Thank you again for inviting me,” I said. “I had a great time.”
“I’m glad,” Brad said. “We try to host dinners when we can to keep in touch. It’s so easy to live past each other or get too involved in the game.”
I nodded. I could understand that. Football easily became the air we breathed when it was this serious.
“So, I was wondering,” I started. “Could I ask you for Hailey’s number?”
Brad looked at me, surprised.
“You’re asking me for a girl’s number?”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah, I didn’t get it on the night. I should have. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her.”
Brad chuckled. “Okay, but she’s not a piece of meat. She’s Carly’s best friend.”
I nodded. “I know, I’m not trying to get some company for the night. I want to get to know her.”
Brad nodded and took his phone out of his pocket, finding her number and sending it to me.
“She’s a good person, Nick,” Brad said.
I nodded again. He was protective of her. I could understand that. It was Carly’s best friend, and he was hosting her. But when I had seen her, I had forgotten about everything else. When Brad had mentioned the out-of-town guest he was hosting, I hadn’t for one second thought it was a woman, let alone a woman who looked like that.
“Thanks,” I said when I received the number.
I didn’t usually ask other people for a woman’s number. I could get them myself, thank you very much. But she had caught me off guard, and I had spent the night watching her or talking to her. I hadn’t thought about getting her contact details until after I had left. Which was saying something about how she had affected me. Usually, I couldn’t think of anything other than getting into their pants. This time, I had wanted to know about her, what made her tick. I had watched her laughing and talking with the others, and she had been amazing to watch. It sounded creepy, but it wasn’t. She was beautiful and gracious.
I showered up, exchanged jokes with the guys, and finally headed to my car. When I hit the road, I dialed Hailey’s number. The caller tone filled the car through my Bluetooth radio system, and she answered after a few short rings. Her voice wrapped around me, smooth and husky.
“Hi, it’s Nick,” I said. “We met at Brad’s dinner party on Saturday.
She remembered who I was, which made me happy, and told me it was fine when I said I had taken her number from Brad.
“I was wondering, do you want to go out with me on Friday?”
“Are you asking me on a date, Nick?” she asked. She was a little coy. Playing hard to get was so fucking sexy.
“I am,” I said.
She was hesitant. I wondered if Carly had told her anything about me and my reputation with women.
“It’s nothing crazy,” I said. “I just want to take you out, show you a different side of Miami than I’m sure you’ve been seeing. I want to get to you know you a little better.”
“That would be nice,” she finally said, and I could hear her smiling.
Score.
“Can I pick you up?” I asked. “Or would you like to meet me somewhere?”
I was proud of myself for asking. She was already hesitant. I didn’t want to do anything to make her uncomfortable. Even if this woman was nothing more than a one-night stand, I wanted her to feel special because she had seemed different when I’d met her.
“You can pick me up,” she said carefully.
“I’ll call you during the week and let you know what the plans are, then,” I said.
She agreed, and I ended the call. When I was sure the line wasn’t open anymore, I fist pumped and told myself, “that’s how we do it, Nick.” I had always been on top of my charm. The other night with Ryan at the pub had left me wondering if I was losing my touch, but I wasn’t. I was right up there, ready to show what a thrill it was to be with me.
I drove the rest of the way home blaring music over my sound system, singing along. I didn’t get pissed off with road hogs, and I was in a good mood when I arrived at home.
I drank a post-training shake and took the meat I wanted to steam for supper out of the freezer before sitting down in front of the television. I didn’t switch it on. Instead, I flashed on Hailey’s face.
She had blond hair that hung over her shoulder in waves and green eyes that reminded me of springtime. When she smiled, she lit up the room, and her laughter reminded me of windchimes. It sounded stupid and cheesy even in my own head, but I couldn’t help the analogy.
On Friday, I would find out more about her. I hadn’t been this drawn to a woman before. I had wanted to fuck women for sure. I had seen a piece of ass and gunned for her until I’d gotten it, but this was different. This was about who she was as a person. Sure, Hailey had a hot body. God, she had an incredible ass and tits that looked perfectly sized for my hands. But her eyes were mesmerizing, and her lips made me want to kiss her whenever she said something interesting, which was all the time.
When I noticed a woman’s face and her personality, more than her delectable ass, I sat up and took notice.
I had been a playboy all my life. The pursuit of women had intrigued me from a young age, and the moment I’d realized they thought I was irresistible, it had been game over. I could get anyone I wanted without trying very hard.
As fun as that was, it got boring. I was tired of women throwing themselves at me. Women often complained about men wanting only one thing, but in my experience, th
e women I’d been with hadn’t been after much else either.
I had a feeling Hailey was different. She seemed like the kind of woman who would care to find out who I was on the inside and not only how big my package was. I didn’t know for sure. We hadn’t spoken much besides lightly flirting with each other, but I wanted to find out.
Instead of switching on the television, I walked back to the kitchen and started on a garden salad. I could cook. As a football player with a strict diet, I’d had to learn to create my meals because takeaway joints were out of the question, and no one was going to put it all together for me unless I hired a cook, which seemed pointless until I was on the team where I wanted to be.
So, I cooked. Maybe, if everything went well with Hailey on our first date and I could see her again, I would cook for her. There was nothing sexier than a man who could cook, I’d been told.
I steamed vegetables after making the garden salad and put oranges in the juicer for breakfast for the next morning
Finally, when I was done, I sat down at the counter with my plate. Yeah, going out on a date with someone who was more than a lay would be a great idea. I was getting tired of eating alone every night. I wasn’t sure when it had changed for me, when I had realized I didn’t want to be so detached anymore, but everything was changing.
Maybe it was because I knew where I was headed in my football career, so I wanted my personal life to be on track too. Maybe it was because I was settled into a routine now, and I had time to realize I was lonely when I wasn’t training all the time.
Or maybe it was me growing up. Whatever it was, I was hoping my date with Hailey would prove she wanted more too. But that was still a big maybe. Until then, I would do me.
Click here to continue reading Don’t Worry Baby!
I never thought he could be mine. Now I'm having his baby...
In high school I was the ugly duckling and Nick was the dreamy football star I tutored.
He didn't pay me any attention back then, but now we've both ended up in Miami.
Hold Onto Me_A Secret Baby Romance Page 142