17
Chris
I left Natalie’s house a little worried. Her dad was clearly not pleased to see me there, even after all this time. On my drive home, I couldn’t help but think of how amazing yesterday was, and I was afraid that all would be lost.
When I got home, I flopped down on my couch and turned on the TV. After an amazing night and a rough morning, I needed some time alone.
So naturally, someone knocked on my door the moment I got comfortable.
I opened it, half expecting it to be Russell Boyd coming over to kick my ass. Instead, it was Alexa.
“I’m sorry to drop in on you like this,” she said. “But I figured this would be the best way to reach you.”
She grabbed me by the shoulders and planted a kiss on my cheek. It was a bold move, but not unlike Alexa in the slightest.
“Sure, come in.”
I escorted her inside, a little dubious about what she wanted from me.
“Do you want something to eat or drink?”
“Black coffee, if you have it.”
I made two cups and brought them over to the coffee table. Sitting across from her, I waited for her to speak first. Alexa always looked so put together, like her life was a constant performance. Even if I saw her out running errands, she always had a full face of makeup designer clothes on. In comparison, I looked like a huge slob, unshowered and in yesterday’s clothes.
“I hope our publicists aren’t causing you too much trouble,” she said, warming her hands on the mug. “If your publicist is as involved as mine, I’m sure you’ve had non-stop phone calls.”
“Yeah, Wesley probably calls at least once a day.”
“And I’m sorry if I was short with you the last time we spoke. I was under a lot of stress at the time.”
“That’s okay,” I said.
She bit her lip and looked at the floor. “I don’t know how to say this,” she started. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I think that maybe it would be a good idea for us to be together. Press aside; I think we need each other. I’ve had feelings for you for quite some time, and I would hate it if silly little squabbles over work got in the way. Imagine the pair of us together. We’d be an unstoppable power couple.”
This was a ridiculous situation to be in. Perhaps the most beautiful and famous woman of the past few years was in my living room, basically asking me out.
And I was about to turn her down.
“The truth is,” I said. “I’m kind of seeing someone.”
Her face fell. I had a feeling she had never been rejected before. Why would she? She had everything going for her—the looks, the talent, the money. She just wasn’t Natalie.
I could see the tears welling up in her eyes and I wanted to make it stop. I didn’t want her to be upset because of me.
“If there’s anything else I can do, besides enter into a relationship with you, let me know and I’ll do it. After all of this mess, it’s really the least I can do.”
She thought for a moment before coming up with a plan.
“Can I get one picture with you? Then maybe our publicists will leave us alone. The public can decide if it looks convincing or not.”
I thought about Natalie and how she might feel if she saw a picture of Alexa and I together, especially after telling her that there was nothing going on between us.
“I don’t know, Alexa. You know I don’t really care about what people think, but there’s this girl—“
“This is the only thing I can think of that will work for everybody. If you give me permission, I can have a photographer ready in seconds. You walk me outside, we kiss on your doorstep, maybe someone puts the picture on a website or two, and it’s done.”
I didn’t know what other options I had at this point. I really didn’t like the idea of pretending to be involved with someone who wasn’t Natalie, but if it would make a few problems go away, maybe it would be worth it. Besides, I had kissed tons of women in my lifetime. One more wouldn’t be a big deal.
“Okay, fine,” I said. “But let’s get this over with now.”
Alexa was immediately on her phone typing out a quick message. I combed my fingers through my hair, clearly not prepared to be photographed at the moment. I even thought about running upstairs to brush my teeth, but I wasn’t really trying to impress her.
“Okay,” she said. “The guy is in his car across the street. You can think of it as a performance if you like.”
As discussed, I walked her to the front step and closed the door behind us. I felt so awkward and stiff. For the first time in my life, a beautiful woman wanted me to kiss her, and I felt like a child again, not quite knowing what to do.
She put her hands on my shoulders, and I placed mine around her waist. She leaned in close to me and kissed me. I was going to gently pull back after a few seconds, but she held onto my face, kissing more intensely. By now, her whole body was pressed up against mine, her mouth slightly agape.
Eventually, she pulled away from me, giving me a sly smile.
“I’ll see you around,” she said with a wink, as she walked to her car.
I went back inside and closed the door. I would not be taking any more unexpected visitors. I felt a bit of relief that people weren’t going to be mad at me for breaking my promises, but still a little uneasy about kissing Alexa like that.
I called Wesley to tell him about everything that happened with Alexa. I was sure he would be pleased, even if I wasn’t.
“It’s done, Wesley,” I said. “We have a photograph floating around with Alexa and I kissing outside of my house.”
“I didn’t set that up, but good, I’m glad something was worked out. It might salvage some of this disaster.”
“Alexa came by and told me that it would fix everything. Are we good now?”
“Not quite. We’ve got some bigger issues on our hands.”
“There’s another photo out with you at a movie theater. Would you like to explain to me why you were at a movie with a small child?”
Shit. I hadn’t had the chance to explain everything to Wesley. I felt like I was doing nothing but putting out fires.
“It’s a long story, man.”
“I’m in charge of your image,” he interrupted. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but we have some sponsorships from beer companies in the works. There’re people wanting to pay you a lot of money for your party boy image. The last thing they want is some sort of wholesome father-figure spending his weekends at a kid’s movie when you could be out at the club. So, who was the kid?”
“Actually,” I said, feeling annoyed, “it’s my son.”
“Stop messing around.”
“I’m not. Remember Natalie Boyd? I went out with her a few times about five years ago. I recently found out that we have a child together.”
He was silent for a moment. For a second, I thought he actually hung up the phone.
“When did you get the paternity test?” he asked.
“What? I didn’t take any test. Natalie wouldn’t lie about that.”
“No? Because if I were a single mother with ties to one of the highest paid athletes in the game, I would want a piece of that.”
“Fuck off,” I said. “This is really uncool of you.”
“I’m just being real,” he said. “It’s my job to think of these things. Get the paternity test. You don’t want to find yourself paying child support for years, only to find out that he isn’t yours.”
I didn’t say anything more about that subject, hoping that he’d understand my silence on this issue as compliance. There was no way I was going to ask Natalie for a paternity test. Besides, Michael looked a lot like me. I didn’t want Wes or anyone else putting doubt in my mind.
“The photo with Alexa should do a little to fix this problem, but now we need to take it further. After your game tomorrow, find one of the network cameras and let the world know that you’re dating Alexa. All you have to do is give her a little shout out, and eve
ryone will love it.”
“I can think of a few people who wouldn’t love it,” I growled.
“We really need this, Chris,” he pleaded. “We could bring in double the endorsement deals with this. No one is selling products meant for young guys looking to have a good time with a family man as their face.”
“Then I don’t want it,” I said slowly.
“Wait, what?”
“Things are different now, Wes. Maybe it’s time for a different angle.”
“Lots of guys are working that angle already. I don’t think there’s enough room for you to be making money that way.”
“Then maybe I don’t need that money,” I said. “I already have my team contract. Honestly, I have more money than I need.”
“I think you’re making a terrible mistake, Chris. As your friend, I’m worried that you’re going to wake up in five years from now, and realize that you’ve messed up.”
“I guess that’s a risk I’m willing to take. I have a son now. With any luck, I’ll have a girlfriend too. I have a real chance at doing the right thing.”
“Suit yourself,” Wesley said, defeated. “I’m going to start looking for a cheaper place to live, because I was really banking on those endorsements I was working on.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Wes,” I said. “There will be more.”
“Whatever,” he mumbled. “Bye.”
Now that that was settled, I went up to my room and packed my bag for the away game. After everything that had happened, I was a little relieved that I was getting out of town, even if it was just for a couple of days. I could really use some time to hang out with the guys on the team and just talk football.
Before I got on the plane to go to our away game in Seattle, I texted Natalie to tell her I was leaving.
Getting on the plane now. I had a great night with you and Michael. I can’t wait to see you guys.
She texted me back instantly.
Us too. Don’t worry about that stuff with my dad. We’ll be watching you tomorrow and cheering you on. Good luck!
With that, I turned off my phone, and took a little nap on the airplane.
When we landed, I turned on my phone and was bombarded with a bunch of messages, all from Alexa.
Can we talk about today?
Did you feel something when we kissed? I can’t stop thinking about it.
I think I’m falling for you, Chris. I want to make our relationship official.
I just talked with your publicist. He said you wouldn’t announce our relationship to the press. Do you not want to be with me?
Chris, I’m in love with you. Call me.
I groaned loudly and typed a response. I hoped this would get her to stop bothering me.
Alexa, I’m seeing someone else. It’s not going to work out between us. Please stop texting me.
When we got to the hotel, I turned off my phone for good, tucking it into my bag. Alexa had clearly lost her mind, and I wasn’t going to help her with this one. I was here for football, not for publicity. I went and joined my teammates for dinner, not thinking twice about Alexa, or the publicists.
18
Natalie
On Monday, I invited Chris over for a family dinner with Michael, my dad, and me. I was tired of all of the secrecy around Chris and I wanted to get everything out into the open. My dad was reluctant to join, but he could tell how important it was to me, so he relented.
I was surprised that Chris was so willing to join us, especially after his team lost on Sunday. When I talked to him on the phone afterwards, he seemed a little down, but that was the nature of his job. Growing up around football, I understood that he needed comfort, but also some space.
Michael was overjoyed, of course, to hang out with his favorite player again. He had started asking more questions about Chris, and I didn’t want to lie to him about anything. There were just some things that I couldn’t quite tell him yet.
I told him that we met while I was in college, and that we were kind of friends. I said that we lost track of each other for a while, but when we saw each other at the game, we remembered how much fun it was to be with each other.
That afternoon, Michael came home from preschool and asked me if I had a boyfriend.
“A boyfriend?” I exclaimed. “Where did you get that idea?”
“Kinsley, at preschool, says that Charles is her boyfriend. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No,” I sputtered. “I don’t have a boyfriend. You’re the only boy I need in my life.”
“Oh,” he said nonchalantly. “Because I thought Chris could be your boyfriend.”
“Is that so?” I said calmly, not wanting him to sense that I was thinking the same thing. I didn’t want to get his hopes up any more than I wanted to get my own hopes up.
Chris got to the house an hour earlier than I told him to arrive. I had just started cooking, and my hair was a mess.
“You’re early,” I squealed. “I told you to come at six-thirty.”
“I came to talk to your dad,” he said, holding up an expensive looking bottle of whiskey. “Is he here?”
“I think he’s in the living room,” I said, suddenly feeling nervous. I grabbed two glasses, plopped a few ice cubes in each and handed them to Chris.
“Michael,” I called. “Come help me make dinner.” I wanted to keep him out of the way. I didn’t know what words would be exchanged from Chris and my dad.
“I want to play with Grandpa and Chris,” he whined.
“There will be plenty of time for that later. Help me set the table.”
I tried to eavesdrop on the men, but I didn’t want them to catch me listening, so I only heard a few words here and there. From what I could piece together, my dad was asking what his intentions were with Michael and I.
I cringed at the thought of my dad having this conversation with Chris before I could. When I looked at all of the signs, it seemed like there was a good chance that Chris and I would become a couple, for real this time.
The fact that there were no raised voices was a big positive. Maybe it was just the whiskey keeping them mellow, but I was glad that they weren’t fighting. My dad could have a bit of a temper at times, and I knew that Chris would be upset to have his favorite football player yelling at him again.
I was getting the feeling that Chris and I needed to have another talk about the future. I was scared to, though, because I didn’t want to be told that my feelings for him were one sided. It was hard to read people like Chris sometimes. His career revolved around showing the world exactly what they wanted to see. If his publicist decided he was going to be football’s bad boy, then he’d play the part. If he wanted to turn on the charm in post game interviews, he could do that too.
After what seemed like hours, but in reality was only about thirty minutes, the two reemerged into the kitchen.
“Need any help?” Chris asked. I wondered if he was trying to be on his best behavior for my dad. So far, he had done everything right.
“You can chop those vegetables and add them to the pot,” I said.
It was nice, having everyone in the kitchen together, cooking as a family. I felt a pang of longing for my mother in my chest. If she were here, I knew she would invite Chris in with open arms and beam at the sight of everyone together. I knew she would want Michael to grow up with a father.
We sat down and ate dinner together, and everything went well. We mostly talked about football, because that was the one shared interest of everyone at the table. My dad even told some stories from back in his day. Chris’s eyes absolutely lit up hearing about some of the great games of his childhood.
“Do you know what?” Chris said to Michael. “Your grandpa is one of my favorite football players of all time.”
“Really?”
“Yep. We even went to the same college.”
“Can I play football there too?” Michael asked.
“Of course you can,” Chris said.
“That’s a long
time from now,” I laughed. “I don’t want you to grow up too quickly.”
“Mom,” Michael said, annoyed, “I’m almost five. I’m not little anymore.”
The three adults laughed, much to Michael’s dismay.
After dinner, Michael and my dad went into the living room to watch TV, while Chris and I did the dishes.
“So,” I said softly, “what did you discuss with my dad before dinner?”
“He just wanted to ensure that I was good enough for his daughter and grandson. We talked about what being a good parent takes, and how to balance work and fatherhood. I’m really glad we had that talk.”
“Good,” I said, pleased that they were getting along. “Do you think the two of you are on good terms now?”
“I’d say so. He’s never been this warm toward me.”
“And he didn’t force you to pay child support or marry me or anything like that?” I joked.
“He didn’t force me to do anything. There is something I wanted to discuss with you, though. It’s about our future.”
My stomach dropped. I knew we would be having this conversation at some point. I just hoped the result was what I had been dreaming about.
“I have something I wanted to talk about too,” I said.
“You first,” he said.
“I was thinking about telling Michael that you’re his father,” I said hesitantly. “I know that I said I would wait until he was a little older, but if you’re committed to sticking around, there’s no reason not to tell him. He’s getting to the age where he understands that he’s different than other kids his age. I don’t want him to grow up not knowing who his father is.”
He nodded, his face still. “I think you’re right. When were you planning on telling him?”
“Tonight?” I said, a little unsure. “I was going to tell him on my own, but maybe it’s best if you’re here too. We can tell him together.”
He rubbed the scruff on the side of his face. “Okay, let’s do that.”
“What did you want to tell me?” I asked.
Game Winning Catch: (Secret Baby Sports Romance (Pass To Win #5) Page 11