Game Winning Catch: (Secret Baby Sports Romance (Pass To Win #5)

by Roxy Sinclaire

  “How was the game?” my dad asked.

  “We won!” Michael cheered. “We won by two touchdowns.”

  “That’s great. How did Lamar Rose do?”

  “Good. But he’s not my favorite player anymore. I like Chris Taylor now.”

  “Is that so?” my dad said under his breath, avoiding my eyes.

  “Yeah. I want to get his jersey. Maybe for my birthday.”

  “We’ll see,” my dad said, his jaw tight.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked my son, trying to change the subject. “I think Grandpa has some sandwiches here for you.

  “Can we watch the other games?” Michael asked.

  “Of course,” my dad said cheerily, bringing two plates into the living room. Michael sat next to him on the couch, his eyes fixed on the big screen TV.

  I went back to the kitchen to wash an apple for myself, when I saw a car pull up in the driveway behind mine. It was a big, black SUV with tinted windows. I didn’t realize that my dad was expecting company.

  I was about to ask who the visitor was when I saw Chris get out of the car. I panicked, freezing in place. What was he doing here? This was the last place I wanted to see him, with my dad, who hates him, and his son, who didn’t know he existed.

  “Dad,” I called hurriedly. “I’m going to run over to the house. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

  “Take your time,” he yelled back. “We’ll be here all afternoon.”

  I made a beeline for the door, shutting it behind me before anyone else knew he was here.

  “What are you doing here?” I hissed.

  “Hello to you, too,” he said, smiling.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you to be here.”

  “You saw me at the game, didn’t you?” he asked.

  “Of course I did.”

  “And you thought that if I saw you, if I knew you were still in town, that I wouldn’t come looking for you?”

  “I don’t see any reason why you would.” I folded my hands in front of my chest.

  “Is there somewhere we can go?” he asked.

  I was about to suggest taking the short drive back to my place, but I wasn’t ready to invite him into my home.

  “There’s a coffee shop not far from here. It’s kind of hidden, so we won’t have to worry about being seen.”

  He nodded and gestured to his car. I got in, though wishing we had driven separately in case it didn’t go well.

  “How have you been?” he asked.

  So, we were going to do small talk. Let’s see, Chris, how have I been over the past five years after you completely abandoned me? How have I been, raising our child all alone? How have I been, never knowing what I did to make you leave?

  “Good,” I answered. “How about you?”

  “Things have been really great. I’m working on some new endorsement deals,

  and I really feel like I’m at the top of my game. But you know me, I haven’t changed much. How’s the job going? I heard you got a big promotion.”

  “Yeah, it’s been pretty great. I’m just slowly working my way up the corporate ladder, so to speak.”

  “That’s really great,” he said as we walked into the shop. We halted our conversation to order our drinks and sit down. I didn’t want anyone else to hear us talk.

  “So, um, I saw that little boy with you at the game—” he said, hesitantly.

  “That’s my son, Michael.”

  “You have a son, wow,” he said rubbing his forehead. “How old is he? Three?”

  “He’s four and a half,” I said. “He loves football more than anything.”

  He smiled, but it quickly faded. I could see him doing the mental math. Everyone did.

  I took a deep breath. He should have known years ago, but there wasn’t much I could do back then. Silly me, for thinking that the problem would just go away.

  “Let’s cut to the chase—Michael is your son.”

  He covered his face with both hands, breathing silently into his palms. After a few minutes, I was getting a little concerned by his reaction.

  “Look,” I said gently. “I’m telling you, because you have the right to know. I’m not telling you that you have any obligations to play a role in his life. We’ve gotten on just fine for this long. I just wanted you to know.”

  When he dropped his hands, I swore I saw tears in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure, taking a long sip from his cup before speaking.

  “I’m so sorry, Natalie.”

  “I’m still not sure how it happened, but it did. It’s been hard, but Michael’s such a good kid. He’s really made my life so much better.”

  “I want to be involved with his life. I don’t know how, but it doesn’t seem right, giving you the burden of doing this alone.”

  “I have enough money,” I said quickly. “And my dad helps out a lot too.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Your dad?”

  “Yes. He takes care of him while I’m busy with work. They’re really close.”

  “I don’t know if that’s going to work out,” he said grimly.

  “What is the deal with you and my dad?” I asked, getting annoyed. “Why couldn’t you two just get along, for my sake?”

  “He didn’t tell you why I blocked your number? He never mentioned why I never came back for you?”

  “What are you talking about?” I said, suddenly feeling sick.

  “Natalie,” he said, looking me straight in the eye, “the morning that I signed my contract, I came back to your house to see you. Your dad answered the door while you were in the shower. I came by to say goodbye and to give you a gift to remember me by.”

  He stopped, dragging his hand along the side of his face, like he was having difficulty speaking about it.

  “Your dad told me that if I ever got into contact with you again, he would end my career. I was just starting out, and I couldn’t afford to be jobless. It would have ruined my life. I liked you so much, but I had to make a choice. I chose my career, and hoped that I could move on from you. I blocked your number, moved to the city, and never looked back.”

  I gasped. The worst part was, I believed every word he said. Everything that had happened that day had never made sense to me. Suddenly, everything was clear. And it was too late to go back.

  “How could he do that to me? To us?” I cried.

  “It’s in the past, Natalie. I think we’ve both moved on.”

  I nodded. “You’re right.”

  We sat in silence for a moment, not exactly sure where to go from here. So much had happened since we last saw each other, and thinking about what could have been hurt too much to even think about. Many times, I had imagined a reality where Chris and I stayed together and raised our child as a team. It was just too late for that.

  “What’s he like?” Chris started. “Your—my son?”

  I smiled. “He’s a little shy, but once you get him talking about something he likes, he’ll never stop. He loves all sports, but he’s obsessed with football. He’s kind and caring, and just the best child I could have asked for.”

  He smiled at this. “If you ever want tickets in the sky box or by the sideline, let me know. I’d love to be able to give him something, anything.”

  “Do you know what he said this afternoon about the game?”

  “What?”

  “He said that Chris Taylor is his new favorite player.”

  I was suddenly overcome with emotion, thinking about how my son’s favorite player was his dad.

  “Can I meet him?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I know I’ll tell him one day, but I don’t know if he’s ready yet.”

  “We don’t have to tell him right away,” he said quickly. “But I just want to meet him, to spend a little time with him.”

  “Okay,” I relented. “We’ll tell him that you’re a friend of mine. He’ll be so excited.”

  We finished our coffees as the sun was sta
rting to set. I really felt like I was dreaming.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” I said.

  “Me neither,” he echoed. “First, seeing you, and then finding out that we have a child together. My brain is spinning. There are so many things we need to get caught up on.”

  “We should probably get a drink, right?” I suggested. “I could certainly use one.”

  “Me too,” he grinned. “Should we take this discussion to the bar?”

  “Let me text my dad, first. I’m just going to tell him that something came up at work, and I’ll be a little later.”

  “Will he suspect anything?”

  “No, he’s mellowed out since Michael’s birth. It won’t be a problem.”

  I typed out a quick message and hit send. A minute later, my dad responded, telling me to take my time.

  “Cool, that’s settled,” I said. “Should we just go to that place across the street? They won’t be too busy.”

  “Yeah, let’s do it.”

  “Just a drink or two,” I said. “The last time we drank together, I ended up with a kid.”

  His face froze, his eyes wide.

  “I’m just kidding,” I laughed. “I hope you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

  He cracked a smile, giving me a light punch on the shoulder. “You’re something else, Natalie Boyd. Let’s get that drink.”

  13

  Chris

  Time seemed to stand still when I was with Natalie. After five years, we managed to talk and laugh without too much awkwardness. One drink with her turned into two, and two turned into three. She was just so fun to be around, that I couldn’t pull myself away.

  Being an experienced drinker, three drinks hardly fazed me. Natalie, on the other hand, didn’t go out much, so she was starting to get a little tipsy.

  Between coffee and cocktails, we had managed to fill in the timeline of the past five years. She had done some really incredible things in her career in such a short amount of time. Game attendance was up, and she had a large role in both the team’s success and their profit margin. And, she managed to do all this while raising our child.

  She was so humble about all of it too. She didn’t get a lot of recognition for the work she did. Not like I did, anyway. She worked behind the scenes, staying up late and waking up early, just to make it happen. I absolutely admired her. What I did for a living paled in comparison.

  When I got back to my car, I realized that I had left my phone on the seat. I had about twenty text messages and ten phone calls. I would deal with that after I dropped her off.

  For old time’s sake, I dropped her off half a block away from her dad’s house. I figured we’d have to speak eventually, but tonight was not that time. Being with Natalie brought up a lot of memories. I still felt nervous debating whether or not I should kiss her goodnight. I ended up chickening out. I wasn’t ready yet.

  When I saw that she had made her way inside, I checked my phone to see what I’d missed in the brief moment I was unplugged from the world.

  Once I read the messages, I wished I had never looked in the first place. While I was out with Natalie, my “girlfriend” was waiting for me at the restaurant. I had to put out this fire before it got worse. I needed to talk to both Wesley and Alexa, so I called my friend first.

  “Where the fuck were you?” he roared at me the second he picked up. “It’s nine o’clock. You were supposed to be there at seven. I reminded you so many times.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I said. “Something came up, and I forgot all about it.”

  “Don’t tell me it had to do with that Boyd girl. Oh my God,” he said at my silence. “It was, wasn’t it?”

  “I told you I’m sorry.”

  “I have no one to blame but myself,” Wesley said shortly. “I should have never gotten her contact information.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I said, trying to comfort my neurotic friend. “I still knew where her dad lived, anyhow. You couldn’t have stopped me if you tried.”

  “Well, I hope you’re happy, Chris, because you really made a big mess for a lot of people. I’m really worried that we’re not going to be able to fix your image after all.”

  “What do I need to do to fix this?”

  “For starters, give Alexa a call and apologize. She’s pretty upset. I’ll probably be up all night working, so I’ll give you a call when we figure out a new plan.”

  “I’m sorry, Wesley, but seeing Natalie was really important to me.”

  “Okay, Chris,” he said, sounding defeated. “We’ll talk soon.”

  I felt bad that I’d ruined Wesley’s hard work, but I didn’t know how to make him understand the importance of seeing Natalie. I couldn’t tell anyone that I had a son, or else it would be all over the papers in an instant. I needed time to mend things with Natalie, and to get in touch with my son.

  I called Alexa next, expecting her to scream at me. She was a nice girl, but years of fame were taking their toll on her, and by the way Wesley spoke about her, I was worried she was going to crack.

  “Alexa,” I said when she answered the phone. “I’m sincerely sorry about missing our dinner tonight. Something really important came up, and I completely lost track of time.”

  I heard her sigh at the other end of the line. “No, Chris, I’m sorry for ever thinking this could work. Fuck, I feel so stupid for going along with this. Did you know that when my publicist came up with this idea, I had a choice of who to chose as my potential love interest?”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. I had my publicist talk to your publicist because I thought you were cute, and part of me hoped that something would come from it.”

  “Seriously? I had no idea.”

  I was pretty flattered by this. She was one of the most famous people in the world, and an incredibly talented woman. At a different time, I could totally see myself dating her, but things were different now.

  “Have I completely ruined your image?”

  “No,” she said. “I know it’s wrong to force a man into a fabricated romance and expect him to comply. I’m sure the agency will have a new plan tomorrow, something absurd that we’ll have to go along with. The world may never find me charming and relatable, and you will never be monogamous and dependable. I suppose we’re just lost causes.”

  “Hey,” I said softly, “don’t say that. I think you’re an incredible woman and people just can’t see how brilliant you are.”

  “And I think that deep down, you’re a sweet guy who wants to find stability,” she said sadly.

  “Can I make this up to you?” I asked.

  She thought for a moment. “I know it’s a lot to ask of you to commit to a relationship with me, but I think I could really use you as a friend.”

  “Of course, Alexa. If you ever want to talk, you have my number.”

  “I have to go, Chris. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I hung up the phone, feeling slightly less guilty than I did earlier. I knew Alexa and Wesley were pissed at me, but there were bigger issues than fame and my image at stake here.

  I thought about what Alexa said about me not being capable of being monogamous or dependable. I wondered if she was right. Those were the two things that Natalie would need from me to be back in her life. I wasn’t sure if I could pull that off.

  I got a text from Natalie asking if I would like to meet her son on Saturday. Her dad was going out of town for the week, so it would be the perfect time to discreetly introduce me to her son. I replied immediately, telling her that I’d meet them at the park for an afternoon with my son.

  I was extremely nervous about meeting Michael. I didn’t have a lot of experience with kids, and I was afraid that I’d have no idea how to interact with him. I also didn’t want him to be disappointed with me. As I found out, meeting your football heroes isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.

  I was about to go to bed when Wesley called again. For a moment, I considered ignoring t
he call, but after all I put him through today, I decided it would be best to see what he wanted.

  “It’s all sorted,” Wesley said. “I think we can reschedule a dinner with Alexa on Saturday. Maybe just coffee. Just be on standby that day, and I’ll tell you where to be, when you need to be there.”

  “I can’t on Saturday,” I said. “I have plans.”

  “Plans? We had plans, too, and you kind of ruined them. What are you doing tomorrow that could possibly be more important that this.”

  “I can’t really say,” I told him. “I’m taking a personal day. I’m not Chris Taylor, celebrity athlete that day.”

  “Whatever,” Wesley said shortly. “You’re being a bit of a diva right now. I thought working with athletes would be better than babysitting pop stars, but maybe I was wrong.”

  I gave a chuckle. “Goodbye, Wes.”

  I woke up early on Saturday morning after a night of tossing and turning. I hadn’t been this nervous since the night before my first pro game.

  After my morning workout, I went to the equipment room to see if I could find something to give to Michael. I thought about what I would want if I were a four-year-old kid.

  If Natalie decided that I could have a larger role in his life, I would get him all of the merch that I could get my hands on. I got more free clothing items than I even knew what to do with. Given the chance, I’d give that boy anything he could ever want. I kind of owed it to him.

  I settled on a game ball, deciding that it was something he could play with, or put on display. I know that I would have loved owning a real professional team’s game ball.

  I drove to the park, and was surprisingly a little early. I twiddled my thumbs as I sat in my car. I really didn’t know what to expect from this outing. I wanted him to like me, in the event that I wanted to see more of him. I started sweating when I saw Natalie’s car pull up next to me.

  “Hey,” she said, getting Michael out of his car seat in the back.

  “Hey,” I said nervously. “How are you doing today?”

  “Good. We dropped Grandpa off at the airport this morning, didn’t we?” she said to Michael, who was clinging to her side.

  “Does he know who I am?” I said softly to her. He didn’t seem particularly excited to see me.