The Pickup (Imperfect Love Book 1)

by Nikki Ash

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “Look, if it’s about me not going with you to see Olivia…”

  “I’ve decided to file for joint custody. My attorney is filing the paperwork today.”

  When she doesn’t say anything, I continue. “I want to be Reed’s dad.”

  “Reed?” Her voice is soft, very unlike Celeste.

  “That’s his name. I saw him today, and he has the most beautiful green eyes and a thick mop of brown curls. He deserves to have a dad. I know you of all people can understand that.” Celeste stays quiet, so I keep talking. If we’re going to work in any way she’s going to have to be on board with my son staying here in our home. “I got a bunch of baby stuff today. It’s all being delivered tomorrow.”

  “Where’s it all going to go? We only have three bedrooms.”

  “Killian is helping me move my desk and files into your office. I figured we can just share one office. And that will open up a room, so that I can turn it into a nursery for when Reed comes over.” When Celeste doesn’t say anything, I pull the phone away from my ear. It shows she’s still on the line. “Celeste?”

  “Yeah,” she says quietly. “I need to run.”

  “Okay…have a good night.”

  “You, too.”

  Eleven

  Olivia

  “That motherfucker!” I throw the papers onto the table, and Giselle swipes them up. I’m so pissed I could murder him!

  “He filed for joint custody?” she questions after reading the top document.

  “Yep! The last thing he said to me was that he didn’t want kids! He said he wouldn’t be a good dad! Now…he wants shared fucking custody! Fifty-fifty!”

  I sit down at the table, my head resting in my hands. I don’t know what happened, what changed his mind, but he could’ve let me know. “We could’ve discussed this. I don’t understand what happened that made him not only change his mind but file for joint-fucking-custody.”

  “It says he agrees to pay child support as well.” Giselle sets the document on the table. “Maybe he’s just trying to do the right thing.”

  Do the right thing…those are the same words Nick threw at me the other day.

  “I should’ve known he was up to something when he came back the other day.” I pull out my phone and call my attorney. His assistant puts me through.

  “Olivia, I just received the petition.”

  “He said he didn’t want kids.” My voice cracks at the thought of my baby having to go with him and his evil fiancée—which reminds me that I still need to throw away all of the makeup with her stupid name on them! “He didn’t want Reed. Why is he doing this?”

  “I’m not sure. But as a father who has established paternity, he’s within his rights. You have thirty days to respond, but he’s requested he be given visitation in the meantime.”

  “How long do I have before I need to respond to his request for visitation?”

  “Fourteen days for the temporary visitation and thirty days for the shared custody.”

  “Okay, can you please hold off until the last day? Maybe he’ll change his mind.”

  We say goodbye, and I call my dad. When he doesn’t answer, I remember it’s Friday. Tomorrow is game day. I look online and see it’s a home game. Good! That means I won’t have to wait for Nick to get home to kill him. Then an idea forms. He wants to fuck with me, well two can play this game.

  * * *

  I’ve rallied up my girls—Corrine, Shelby, and Giselle—and we’re in the owner’s box getting situated. I didn’t tell them my plan, in fear they would try to stop me, but I still wanted them with me in case anything goes down. I know they’ll have my back regardless if they think I’ve done something stupid. Reed is sleeping, and I’m looking around for my target. If she’s not here, my plan won’t work. I spot her, and when she notices me, I set my plan into action. Immature, sure. Dirty, definitely. But so was Nick filing for custody without telling me!

  Gently, I shake Reed awake—don’t judge me. He begins to cry, and everyone’s eyes start darting over to us. Giselle shoots me a confused look, but I ignore her, standing up and pretending to soothe him. The truth is, he hates it when you rock him too much. He prefers to be swayed. His cries continue to get louder. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nick’s fiancée staring at Reed in horror, her mouth pinched in annoyance and her eyes squinting in pain at the loud cries coming from my baby. I hold back my grin, pretending to look concerned, meanwhile Reed is now pissed off and wailing at the top of his lungs. I want nothing more than to soothe him, and I will soon.

  Celeste continues to glare daggers my way, her eyes squinting from Reed’s ear-piercing screams. And then when she can’t take it any longer, she swipes up her purse and stomps out of the room. As soon as the door closes behind her, I immediately slow down my rocking, and my baby boy instantly lowers his cries. “Shh…Mommy’s sorry, baby,” I coo softly, wiping his tears away. His eyes begin to flutter closed.

  “You’re bad.” Corrine smirks knowingly.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I play stupid, trying to hide my triumphant grin.

  “I’ve seen her here several times. She shows up once in a while to support her fiancé. She’s always dressed impeccably and always makes sure to speak to the media.”

  “If I’ve learned anything from watching my dad with my mom and then with you, it’s that men follow their woman’s lead. If he’s filed for custody because she wants to play house, hopefully this will have her thinking twice.”

  “And if he filed because he wants to be a dad?” I still at her question. I hadn’t thought about that. I’ve been so mad over the fact that he filed behind my back, I never considered his motives, or that they might be pure.

  “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Based on her reaction to Reed crying, if she did want to play house, she’ll more than likely be begging him to drop his petition for joint custody. I guess we’ll find out soon enough what his motives are.”

  Corrine gives me a soft smile, the one moms give their kids right before they’re about to give them advice. “I know you’re hurt and nothing is happening how you imagined it. But the one thing I learned from my divorce with Shelby’s dad is that it’s better to get along and play nice than to piss everyone off. If he’s serious about being a dad, you both will be raising Reed together for the next eighteen years.”

  * * *

  We stay for the entire game. Eventually Celeste returns, but I don’t play any more games—not wanting to upset Reed again. New York wins, and after the teams make their way off the field and into the locker rooms, Giselle and I take off. I had wanted to confront Nick, but Corrine’s words have me wanting to avoid him while I come to terms with the harsh reality of this situation. If he’s filed because he wants to be a dad, I’m going to have to share my son…our son with him—as well as with his soon-to-be wife.

  We get home and I lay Reed down to sleep in his crib. Grabbing a glass of wine and my laptop, I pull up a couple museum sites in the area. While I love being home with Reed, one day I’m going to want to find a job doing what I’m passionate about—sharing my love for art with others. I had planned to go back to France one day, but now I’m not sure that will be possible.

  Giselle has taken off to go have dinner with Christian, so when there’s a knock on the door, my thoughts are that it’s probably my dad. Corrine asked if she could tell him about the petition Nick filed, and I told her she could.

  I look through the peephole, and when I see it’s Nick, I swing the door open. “Don’t you know how to use the intercom system downstairs like everyone else?”

  He shrugs. “I figured Reed might be asleep, so I followed someone in.” He steps into my home without invitation. “Have you received my petition yet?”

  Guess we’re getting right to it. “Yep, thanks for the heads up.” I go to slam the door but catch it. My anger isn’t worth waking up my newborn baby.

  “I was going
to tell you, but you weren’t in a good mood. I figured it would be best to show you through my actions.”

  “Oh, you sure showed me.” My hands go to my hips.

  “Okay…” He gives me a confused look, and I glare at him, silently wishing for a space shuttle to come down and kidnap him. “Well, I haven’t heard back yet, so I wanted to ask if I could see Reed.”

  An oversized lump forms in my throat, and I have to swallow several times before I speak. “I just got the papers. I have fourteen days to respond.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I was thinking I could spend some time with him while we wait for it all to go through the courts and become official.”

  “No.” The word is out before I can stop it, and Nick’s confused look morphs into anger.

  “No? You’re going to keep my kid from me?” His eyes glance over my shoulder and around the room for Reed.

  “He’s sleeping. I think it’s best if you go. As I said, I have fourteen days to respond, and until then there’s no agreement.” My palms are sweaty, so I rub them down my jeans to calm my nerves.

  Nick gives me an incredulous look. “I don’t get it.” He scrubs up and down his face with his hands and then locks eyes with me. “You gotta give me something here, Liv. You can’t really be considering fighting against me for wanting to spend time with our son. You came to me. That day in the locker room. You came in there and flipped my world upside down. You said you didn’t want anything from me. You just wanted me to know I’m the father. What did you think the outcome would be when you told me? If you didn’t want me to be a dad, you shouldn’t have said anything when you recognized me. You fought for this, and now you’re fighting against this. What you’re doing doesn’t make any sense.”

  He’s frustrated and confused, and I don’t blame him. He hit the nail directly on the head. I didn’t think any of this through. I saw him playing, and all I thought was that I would be able to give my baby his father. I never imagined that he would be engaged and we wouldn’t be a family. I never considered I would have to give up my son fifty percent of the time. I was blinded by wanting that stupid effing happily-ever-after. But none of this is Nick’s problem. He’s doing the right thing, and he’s right, I can’t keep our son from him.

  After I take a calming breath, so I don’t cry in front of him, I force my tears back and say, “You’re right.” I nod once. “It’s late, and like I said, he’s sleeping. Would tomorrow be okay?” I only suggest this because tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. There’s no way he’ll agree to take a baby on one of the biggest partying nights of the year. I’m sure he and his fiancée have plans.

  Nick’s shoulders sag in relief. “Yeah, I’m off tomorrow since we played today. I can come by in the afternoon.”

  “It’s New Year’s Eve,” I point out, but he simply shrugs.

  “I’m pretty sure our only plans were to go to the team party, but I’ll cancel them, or she can go alone.”

  “And when would you bring him back?” Please say in a few hours. Please say in a few hours.

  “I bought a crib and stuff, so I can keep him for the night and bring him back in the morning. We don’t have practice until the following day.” Not able to speak, I nod again, then walk over to the door, opening it up to indicate I want him to leave. He gives me a quizzical look, but I avert my eyes, not wanting to look at him. “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He shoots me a small smile, thanks me, then leaves. When he’s just on the other side of my threshold, he turns around like he’s going to say something but changes his mind. He seems to do that a lot. I shut the door, lock it, and close my eyes, wishing that this entire ordeal is one big nightmare that I’ll soon wakeup from.

  Twelve

  Nick

  It’s close to noon, and I’m lying in bed, half-awake, when the bed dips down slightly. By this time of the day, I’ve usually gone for my daily jog and been to the gym to get a workout in, but with everything going on, I’ve taken the day off. I roll over and Celeste is facing me. She had to attend a photo shoot last night after my game. Because it ran so late, she ended up staying at a hotel near where they were shooting.

  “What are you still doing in bed? It’s almost noon.”

  I sit up and take a sip from my water bottle I left on the nightstand. “I took a day off. What’s up?”

  Her eyes go wide, and her grin is huge. “I heard back from Richard Ford.”

  “The designer?” Celeste has been looking into expanding her company. As of right now, she has a makeup and an accessory line, both of which are excelling far beyond what she’d ever imagined. Now her goal is to start her own clothing line. She’s been pitching said line to several different investors, but who she really wanted to partner with is Richard Ford. According to Celeste, he’s one of the top designers in the world.

  I offered to lend her the money to make it happen, so she wouldn’t have to partner with anyone, but she told me this is something she wants to do herself. I had invested in the initial startup of her company a few years back and was shocked when she’d paid off her loan in full—interest included—sooner than what we’d originally agreed upon. To say that I’m damn proud of her is an understatement. From the outside, Celeste may look like she’s nothing more than a beautiful model, but don’t let her cover fool you. Inside is a damn smart and savvy businesswoman.

  “Yes! He’s all in!” she squeals. “I can’t believe it, Nick.” She clasps her hands together in excitement. “Production will start early spring.”

  “That’s amazing!” I pull her in for a hug.

  “And there’s more. Several of the department stores and boutiques I reached out to have verbally confirmed that they’re interested in carrying my line. If all goes well, my clothes will be in stores next Christmas! And not just in the United States! I’m talking international…Milan and Paris…Italy!”

  “Look at you, conquering the world.” I give her hand a squeeze.

  “My dreams are finally coming true.” She looks at me with a watery smile, and before I even know what’s happening, her mouth crashes into mine. I back up quickly, confused. “What are you doing?”

  “Kissing my fiancé,” she says, hurt evident in her tone.

  “Since when?” I ask. We’ve been together for the last nine months, and aside from the one time we tried—and failed—to have sex, Celeste has never once kissed me in any way other than as a friend.

  Celeste lets out a soft sigh and then follows it up with a loud huff. I watch as her eyes go from appearing hurt to being cold. “Do you not understand how bad this all looks, Nick? You’re going to be raising another woman’s baby.”

  “No…I’m going to be raising my baby.”

  “That you had while engaged to me!”

  “No,” I repeat. “He was created before us. He was born while engaged to you.”

  “Everything is about to be destroyed.”

  “Nothing is going to be destroyed.”

  “You don’t know that.” She shakes her head. “If a scandal arises, Richard might change his mind about wanting to partner with me, or the department stores might decide that carrying my name isn’t in their best interest.”

  “It’s hardly a scandal. I’m not the first guy to find out he has a son. The stores aren’t going to think like that about your name. They want you because you’re the best. And Richard Ford isn’t going to change his mind. He would be stupid to.” I take another sip from my water bottle and then add, “I thought I had your support, Celeste. You told me Reed deserved more than to have a dad who doesn’t want him.”

  “I do support you,” she insists.

  “Okay, good. I really appreciate it.” I throw the sheets off me and get out of bed. “I need to get ready. I’m having lunch with Killian and then going by Olivia’s to pick up Reed.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I’m assuming that you’re referring to me picking up my son and not me having lunch with Killian.” I smirk, and Celeste rolls
her eyes. “I told you earlier in the week, I petitioned for joint custody. The room is ready.”

  “It’s New Year’s Eve,” Celeste deadpans.

  “And I’ll be bringing in the New Year with my son. You’re more than welcome to join us.”

  “I saw her at the game. That baby…it kept crying!” Her eyes go wide.

  “She was at the game?”

  “Yes! And the baby was screaming his head off. Maybe you should suggest she hire a nanny,” she says, scrunching her nose up in disgust.

  I internally groan. Every time I’ve seen Olivia, the baby is fast asleep or being cared for. “Babies cry. What’s really going on?” I cross my arms over my chest and stare down at Celeste.

  “I-I…” She throws her arms up in frustration. “I can’t do this! I can’t be the other woman.” Tears prick her eyes, and I know there’s more to all of this than what she’s saying. But Celeste is a vault, and she’ll never open up to me—or anyone.

  “You’re my fiancée.”

  “Exactly! So can we maybe…try for real?” She gets up from the bed and approaches me. “I know you went from getting laid on the regular to not at all. I don’t want you to be unhappy.” Her hand moves to my dick, and she grips it through my boxers. She’s right. I did spend a lot of time inside women, and obviously sex is on my mind. For one, I’m a man, therefore, it’s pretty much always on my mind, but also, ever since Olivia came back, I can’t get our night together out of my head. She was the last person I was with before I agreed to this pseudo relationship with Celeste. She was the last woman I sank my dick into, and I can still remember the way her tight cunt felt… Fuck! I can’t think about Olivia like that.

  Removing Celeste’s hand from my crotch, I back up slightly. “We already did once and there was nothing there. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure your exact words were, ‘I can’t do this. It feels like I’m about to fuck my brother, if I had one.’”