“You knew?” I asked.
“Of course we did,” Mrs. Blake added.
“You guys are kind of awful at hiding it,” Katie said as she beamed back at me. What was happening?
“I knew nothing about this,” Dad said. He pinned his gaze on West, but West didn’t even flinch under his hard stare. He just stared back with my hand still firmly tucked in his. “How long has this been going on?”
“Well Sir, if I’m being perfectly honest…since Lennon was thirteen.”
“Thirteen?!” Dad almost choked out. Mom put a calming hand on his arm and it did seem to relax him. Slightly.
“Harold,” she said softly. He turned toward her.
“Don’t do that. You expect me to be okay with the fact that he’s been corrupting our little girl since she was thirteen?”
“Does she look corrupted to you?” Mom asked him back. He opened his mouth to protest, but closed it quickly when he realized he didn’t actually have a comeback.
“Dad,” I said calmly. He turned to face me. He still looked upset, but I could see a bit of the fire leaving him. “I love him,” I said with conviction. Then I looked over at his handsome face. “And he loves me.” He grinned wide.
“Damn right I do.” I smiled before turning back to Dad.
“Nothing happened when I was thirteen. We didn’t even talk about liking each other until I was sixteen, and even then that’s the most that ever happened. West wouldn’t allow anything to happen because he knew you wouldn’t approve.” Dad flashed a glance at West briefly before his eyes found mine again.
“Then when did you two…?” He didn’t finish his question, but I knew where he was going.
“I was seventeen the first time we kissed. We were together for almost the whole year before I left for college.”
“I knew it,” Katie muttered.
“I thought you were with that other guy. What was his name?”
“Stetson, and I was. I dated Stetson because he was a good guy, and I thought that maybe he would help me move on from my feelings for West. I was wrong though.” I looked to West again. “There is no one else for me. West is my happily ever after.” He grinned again and then he surprised us all by leaning forward and giving me a sweet tender kiss.
“This is so weird,” Katie said.
“Oh hush, it’s not weird,” Mrs. Blake told her.
“It’s romantic,” Mom added.
“Whatever,” Dad mumbled.
That was it. The moment that I had been dreading for years was over. It had been nothing like I’d expected. With the exception of Dad, no one else seemed to mind the fact that West and I were together.
We spent the rest of our time at the cabin with our family. West was quick to hold my hand or wrap his arms around me any chance he got, while I was taking a little more time. I wasn’t used to not having to hide him, but I’d be lying if I said I was happy I no longer had to.
Forty-Five
I couldn’t sleep. I was easily the most excited I had ever been. It was the day of West’s NFL debut, and I was filled to the brim with excitement. I woke up at the crack of dawn and took my shower. West was still snoozing peacefully, and while it was tempting to wake him up for a little pre game workout of our own, I also knew he would need as much rest as possible.
So, instead, I went into his new massive kitchen and looked around to see what I could make. Unfortunately for me, it looked like he hadn’t managed to go grocery shopping at all since he had moved in three months before. I hesitated for a minute before finally deciding to just take his truck into town and grab a few things.
It took me a lot longer than I would have liked, but by the time I made it back, West was still asleep though I doubted he would be for much longer. I quickly set out all my ingredients and went to work making him an elaborate breakfast that he could enjoy.
I was right in the middle of stirring my gravy when I felt strong arms wrap themselves tightly around my waist. A smile spread across my face and I let my head fall back against his broad chest. His familiar citrus scent invaded my nose.
“What are you doing?” He asked in a low voice.
“I wanted to make you breakfast before your big day,” I said happily.
“Is that safe?” He asked without missing a beat. It had been a while since he had teased me about my cooking, and it took me back to when were younger. I turned and smacked him in the arm, causing him to flinch slightly as he chuckled. “What? Kidding.”
“You go sit over there. I’ll tell you when I’m done.” I turned back around and a second later, I felt his arms wrap around me again. His lips found the base of my neck and he pressed a single kiss there before moving up to whisper in my ear.
“I have a better idea.” I kept stirring as my eyes closed. West pulled my earlobe between his teeth and sucked. My knees wobbled beneath me, but with West pressing into me from behind and the counter in front, I wasn’t nervous about falling. His hand moved up and around so that he was cupping my jaw. He eased my head back as he continued doing masterful things to my ear. Finally, the gravy was forgotten as I braced myself on the counter. A low moan passed through my lips, and that seemed to be just the reaction he’d been waiting for.
He quickly turned me around so that I was facing him. One arm snaked out behind me to push things out of the way, and then he reached for my butt and squeezed tightly just before lifting me up and setting me down on the counter.
After that, our moves became frantic. He grabbed the hem of my shirt and lifted it up and over my head, while my hands fumbled to get his lounge pants out of the way. Thankfully, he hardly ever bothered to wear a shirt when it was just us.
Once he was free, he cupped my cheek in his hand and his lips crashed against mine. I reached for him and the second we touched, he let out a deep groan that made me instantly wet. I moaned in response and he reached up my skirt and found my soaked panties. He pushed them out of the way before slipping his finger inside me. I gasped as I jerked into him. I continued to stroke him until it was driving him crazy. He let out a growl before he pulled away from me. He reached back up my thighs and quickly tore my panties away from me.
He was quick to slip back between my legs. Then he gripped his enormous length in his hand and with the precision of an expert, slipped into me. I gripped his shoulders as he went deeper and deeper.
“Ooooh,” I moaned once he was buried to the hilt. His body shuddered at the sensation and he looked me in the eyes. He brushed a few strands of hair from my face before he began to move tortuously slow. He slipped almost entirely back out before a thrust of his hips pushed him back in. We both groaned together. He repeated the same process until I couldn’t take it anymore. My nails slid down his back and he hissed before picking up the pace.
It wasn’t long before he was thrusting in and out without abandon. His fingers dug into my butt as he moved faster. I was certain there would be bruises later, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. I held him even closer to me and as he buried himself again, I found my release. His name came out as a cry while my body pulsed around him.
He followed shortly after and my name fell from his lips much of the same way. He collapsed against me and we both just sat there motionless, panting and covered in sweat.
Finally, he moved away from me and I felt him slip out, leaving a hollow feeling in his wake. He pulled his pants back into place and helped me down from the counter. I picked my shirt up from the floor and quickly pulled it back on. West gave me a quick kiss and I smiled up at him.
“That was so much better than breakfast,” he said with a grin. “I love you.” Those three little words, no matter how many times I heard them, still made my heart flip around in my chest.
“I love you too.”
“I’m gonna take a shower.” Then he started to leave the room. I turned to look over the mess we’d made of the counter top. The eggs had been knocked off their plate, the gravy was ruined, and the biscuits had been burned, but I wasn’
t going to complain. So, instead I just cleaned up with a happy, satisfied smile on face the entire time.
At five that afternoon, I was being escorted toward the seats West had arranged for me. I wasn’t exactly front row, but I was close enough that I would be able to see every single move that he made on the field. I was giddy as I took my seat and waited for kick off.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent him one message. I just let him know that I loved him, and that I was so incredibly proud of him for living out his dream. My phone pinged a second later with a little smiley face and him saying he loved me too.
After that, I put my phone away and focused on what was happening all around me. It was the first actual game of the season. There had already been a couple of pre season games that West had been able to play in and he’d done amazing. Or at least I thought he did. According to him, there was always room for improvement. He must have done something right though because I saw a few people around me wearing jerseys with his name on them.
“Is anyone sitting next to you?” Someone asked. I turned and saw a woman and a man looking back at me. They were wearing matching ‘Blake’ jerseys. I beamed as I motioned for them to come over.
“You’re Blake fans?” I asked. The wife didn’t seem to know who it was, but her husband was excited.
“Hell yeah,” he said enthusiastically. “I’ve been watching since he played in Houston. He’s amazing. I was so happy when we got him.”
“Me too,” I replied honestly.
“You a fan?” He asked. I nodded my head.
“Yeah, you could say that.” We chatted a little more and it was obvious that this guy really did like West. I made sure to take note of his seat and I got his name. I thought maybe there was something West could do for him. Maybe sign a jersey or something. I’m sure he would have gotten a kick out of the guy.
When the game started, my eyes remained laser focused on number forty-two, West’s new number. He played excellently the first quarter. It was obvious that he was born to do exactly what he was doing. Every time the quarterback tossed him the ball in that perfect spiral, West would catch it with ease and run a lot farther than most of the other guys before someone would get him. He ended up scoring a touchdown. The guy next to me hollered louder than any girl I’d ever heard, and it made me smile.
Second quarter seemed to be going about the same way. West would catch the ball and run almost all the way into the end zone before being tackled. I knew when they got back into formation; it would just be another easy touchdown for him. I stood on my feet and braced myself for the screaming I was about to do.
Just like the times before, the quarterback tossed it right to him. West caught the ball with ease and took off running for the end zone.
He was maybe two yards away from his second touchdown when a massive guy from the other team plowed right into him. There was a collective gasp from the whole stadium, and my heart started to race. I watched as the ref ran over blowing his whistle and the guy started to get up off him. West didn’t move.
I kept waiting for it. I kept waiting for him to jump up and shake it off like he had done so many times before, but he wasn’t.
That was a bad hit. One of the worst I had seen him take and I’d seen some horrible ones before. The fact that he didn’t get up right away still didn’t sit right with me. West knew he would have family watching. If that was any other normal tackle, then we would have been quick to get up and show that he was okay.
The fact that he didn’t meant that something was seriously wrong.
I watched with bated breath as a group of men including team mates, opposing players, men in suits, as well as coaches from both sides huddled around him. All I could see was a blur though. My eyes were watering and I kept my hands over my mouth.
“He’s gonna be fine,” the man next to me said, but he didn’t sound all that sure.
It only lasted one minute before he finally started to move, but it had felt like an eternity. I let out an enormous sigh of relief. He still wasn’t standing up and one of the guys motioned for something off to the side. Two men carrying a stretcher came running out onto the field. The good feeling I’d had just a moment before quickly vanished. Something was really, really wrong.
I didn’t think about it, I quickly got up and made my way to security. Not surprisingly, the guards weren’t interested in my sob story as I told them over and over that the man that had just been hurt was my boyfriend. I was bawling and yelling at them, but they wouldn’t budge.
“I’m sorry Miss, but only authorized personnel is allowed down this way.”
“Don’t you get it?” I yelled again. “That is my boyfriend.” Looking back, I understand they were only doing their jobs, but at the time I was furious. I continued to yell and scream until I finally had to be removed from the premises. I was escorted out to my vehicle and then another cop car made sure that I actually left the parking lot.
The entire drive back to West’s house, I called him repeatedly. His phone would ring a few times before being clicked over to voicemail. I didn’t bother leaving a message. I would just hang up and try all over again only to get the same result.
I kept doing that well into the night without hearing anything from anyone. My throat felt like it was on fire. My cheeks were stained with tears, and I couldn’t stop pacing around West’s living room. Finally at around ten o’clock, I got a phone call from a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?” I said quickly.
“Is this Miss Lennon Cooper?” A woman on the other end asked.
“Yes.”
“Good evening Miss Cooper, I’m calling from the Medical Center for the San Diego Chargers in regards to Mr. Weston Blake.” My heart sank. I knew I was about to get bad news. I just knew it. I sat down on the sofa as tears that I didn’t even know I still had in me began to fall.
“Yes.” My voice quivered.
“I was asked by Mr. Blake to call you and let you know that he is in room ten ninety-three. Visiting hours are from eight until midnight.”
“Is he okay?” I asked.
“He’s doing well at the moment. He has a surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning, but it’s routine. I expect him to be back home by the end of the week.” My heart resumed beating. West was okay. He was going to be okay.
“Thank you,” I whispered because I couldn’t do more than that.
“Of course Miss Cooper. You have a nice night.” Then the call disconnected. I quickly ran into the bathroom to wipe my eyes and make sure I didn’t look like a complete train wreck. Then I grabbed my bag, googled directions, and headed straight for the Medical Center.
Forty-Six
I still had a few hours left of visiting time when I reached the medical center. Despite the fact that West had given them permission to let me in, they wouldn’t allow it unless I was immediate family. So, I found a doctor and told him I was West’s sister and that I demanded to see him. He led me straight to him.
When I first stepped into the dark room, West looked asleep. I felt bad for waking him, but there was no way I was going to leave without seeing him. I took slow tentative steps toward him and he must not have been as asleep as I thought because he turned his head to face me.
His stormy eyes drank me in from head to toe, but his usual happy smile remained absent. Instead, he almost looked unhappy to see me. I gave him a tight smile regardless and walked over to a chair that sat by his bed.
Then, I took his hand in mine and squeezed. “How are you feeling?” I asked.
He kept his face void of emotion. “Fine.”
“I was so worried about you. I’ve been trying to call.”
“My phone is back at the stadium. It probably died or something.” I nodded my head.
“The nurse that called said you’re supposed to have surgery in the morning.”
“Yeah.” He seemed distant, nothing like the normal West I’d always been around. I wasn’t sure how to respond. I understood hi
m being upset. His first game and he took a hit that by the looks of it would take him out of the next few games at the very least. I wanted to take his mind off the fact that he was hurt, but I couldn’t think of what to say. Then I thought of the guy at the game.
“I met your biggest fan tonight. He said he’d been watching you since Houston.” West just kind of nodded. He wasn’t nearly as excited as I expected him to be originally, but once again, I understood. “I got his name and figured maybe we could find out where he lives or something. Send him a signed jersey. He would probably get a kick out of it.”
West just gave a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders. I shifted in the chair and he pulled his hand out of my grasp. He looked over at the clock on the wall. “It’s late,” he said in that same detached voice he’d had ever since I’d arrived.
“Visiting hours are until midnight.”
“I’m tired Lennon. It’s been a long night.” I was a little surprised that he was sending me away so soon, but then again, it had been a long night for him. There was no telling what all he had been through since leaving the field. I gave a little nod of my head.
“Okay, yeah sure.” I slowly stood up from the chair and leaned over to give him a kiss. He didn’t turn away from me, but he didn’t kiss me back either. I tried not to let it bother me. “I’ll be back in the morning.”
“You don’t have to.” I pulled back and looked at him with question. “It’s just a little thing. I’ll probably be out for a few hours after anyway.”
“I’ll be here West.” He didn’t try to argue with me further. “Goodnight. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
The next morning, West had his surgery just as planned. It went perfectly and the doctor was confident that he would be just fine with the proper rehabilitation. Unfortunately, he also told him that the chances of West ever playing football again were slim. I was standing right there when his dreams went up in smoke. He kept his face blank when the doctor explained what exactly had happened.
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