“It'll be okay,” I said, as I kissed the top of her head.
“How do you know?” she asked. “He has a lot of money, Parker. He's going to have more lawyers than we do. I know James thinks ours are good, but Jeff has proven to me that he is an evil man. He's going to try to prove I'm unfit, but I'm not. I know that I let someone else take care of our kids while I waited on him hand and foot, but I'm not the same woman now. I swear I'm not. My babies are my everything.”
“I know they are,” I said softly, as I continued to run my fingers through her hair. “They'll see that too. You're a good mom, Cassie. You love your kids. There is no way to miss that. You have a lot of people in your corner. You have to believe that they'll see what an asshole Jeff is. They won't take kids away from their mother and put them with a father that won't even be there for them.”
“I don't know what I'd do,” she said, as she pulled back and looked up at me. “I won't let it happen.”
The look in her eyes told me she was thinking something I wasn't going to like.
“What?” I asked.
“I can't be without them,” she said. “If they give them to him, I'm going back.”
I was right and so pissed at her words.
“You're fucking kidding me,” I snapped, losing my composure for just a moment, before taking a deep breath in and letting it out. “Do you want him?”
“What?” she asked. “No! I can't stand him, but I can't lose my kids. They are my life, Parker. I have to do what it takes to keep them.”
I shook my head.
“It won't come to that,” I said, and I knew I'd make damn sure of that, right along with the rest of the guys. “I get it. I feel the same way about my kids, Cassie. I'll do anything for them, but you cannot think things like that. You can't go back to him.”
She nodded, and I took the sides of her face in my hands, making sure her eyes were connected with mine.
“Please don't say that again,” I said. “They won't take the kids away from you. Everything will be okay. Do you hear me?”
When she nodded again, I felt myself beginning to relax. Then I felt her relax in my hands.
“You have twins?” she asked.
I let go of her face and sat back against the couch.
“I do,” I answered, and she scooted in even closer to me. “A boy and a girl. They're a bit older than Jenny.”
“Why don't you see them?” she asked. “You're really good with kids.”
“Tell that to my ex,” I said, as I leaned back and closed my eyes.
“Parker,” she said.
“I don't talk about it much,” I said, as I thought about how she'd just told and showed me things nobody knew. “It's hard. She's not the woman I thought, and she does everything in her power to hurt me through them. Every chance she gets, she uses my career against me, while at the same time, enjoying every penny she gets from it. That about sums it up.”
“I'm so sorry,” she said. “Is there anything you can do about it?”
“I've taken her to court, but she just seems to get more out of me. It makes no sense. She hasn't been letting me see them when she's supposed to, so I'm thinking about taking her back to court again.”
“That's not right,” she said. “How can she not let you see them?”
“She's full of excuses and takes them out of the state,” I answered. “They'd put my ass in jail if I did that.”
“So crazy how it works,” she said. “Jeff wants nothing to do with the kids anymore. He hasn't asked about them once since I left or before that for a while really, and he's trying to get full custody. You actually want your kids and can't see them.”
The ding of her phone had her reaching for it.
“I have to go get the kids,” she said. “I can't believe how long I've been here. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to take up your whole day.”
“Don't be sorry,” I said. “I'm the one that invited you over. I'm glad you're getting things moving with the divorce. Everything is going to be fine. Before you know it, it will all be over and you'll be able to get on with your life.”
I walked her to the door. When she reached forward and wrapped her arms around me, I was surprised, but I wrapped mine around her too.
“Thank you for lunch,” she said.
“Thank you for talking to me, Cassie,” I said.
“I'll see you later,” she said, as she pulled out of my hold and hurried out the door.
Then she was gone, not even looking back at me once. It took all I had not to get on the phone with her brother and let him know that we needed to pay that fucker another visit. I couldn't do it though. I'd promised her I wouldn't repeat what she'd told me, and I was a man of my word. There was no way I would give her a reason not to trust me. She needed to know that there were still good men in the world, even if it was as just a friend.
Chapter 15
Cassie
The following two weeks had me on pins and needles every single day. Not knowing what was going to happen was stressing me out more and more. I worked all day, played with the kids at night, and went to Sammie's place with them on the weekends. Between all of that and talking to Parker, my parents, and my grandma, I didn't have much time left.
No matter how busy I kept myself, Jeff and the divorce was on my mind every second. What was going on? When would I hear back from either of the lawyers? What was Jeff thinking about what I wanted? Was he going to give a little, or was he still going to fight for the kids? When would it be over?
I was standing on the field with the kids at Sammie's place when I heard my phone ring. Of course, I hurried over to check it like I had every time it rang. When I saw the name of my lawyer, I felt like I was going to be sick. I'd been waiting for him to call, and there he was. You'd think I would have been relieved, but I wasn't. I had no idea what he was going to say. Would it be good? Would it be bad? I was nervous. I looked up to see Parker looking at me. Then I took a deep breath and began walking toward the back, so I could hear.
“Hello,” I said.
“Cassie,” my lawyer said. “I've got some news for you.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling more unsure than ever.
“We've heard back from Jeff's lawyer,” he said. “He's giving up his fight for custody.”
“What?” I asked, not at all believing that I'd heard him correctly.
“I was just as shocked as you are honestly. I don't know what happened,” he said. “He's also agreed to give you your choice of house, your vehicle, and five million dollars.”
“You're kidding,” I said.
“Not at all,” he said. “We never even went to his lawyers. They came to us after going over the papers. I'm thinking we can get a lot more, Cassie. If he gave you that without an argument, we can definitely get more.”
“No,” I said. “That's perfect. I'm not fighting. I'm good with that. What do we do now?”
“You let me know which house you want,” he said. “It will be about six months from that date. You'll have to go to Michigan once to finalize everything, but that's all. I can go too, or you can just have the other lawyer there. Either way is fine since he's not fighting.”
“I guess James was right,” I said. “Having two lawyers made all the difference.”
“I don't think that's it,” he said. “It took us time to get it written up, and once they got it, they responded right away with these terms. Either he thinks you're going to want exactly what we originally said, or he isn't fighting at all. Either way, you're getting what you wanted. He hasn't even asked for visitation.”
“I'll get back to you tomorrow on the house. I honestly didn't think I'd even get one, so I hadn't even thought about it. I don't know what's gotten into him.”
“Neither do I,” he said. “I'll be waiting to hear back from you.”
“Okay,” I said. “Goodbye.”
I hung up my phone, and tears began slipping from my eyes. Was it real? Could he change his mind? Was he really le
tting me have my babies? I turned around and jumped when I saw Parker standing there. His eyes widened instantly.
“What is it?” he asked. “Why are you crying?”
“It was my lawyer,” I said.
“What did that fucker do?” he growled out.
“He's not fighting,” I said.
“What?” he asked.
“Jeff,” I said. “He's not fighting. I get the kids, a house, my Escalade, and five million.”
“Seriously?” he asked, with a smile on his face.
“Yes,” I said. “After everything he put me through, I thought he was going to do everything he could to hurt me, but he gave in. Everything is going to be okay. You were right, they aren't taking my babies, Parker.”
Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tight. When I pulled back, he had a surprised look on his face.
“I have to tell them,” I said, pointing out at Lance, Sammie, and Lauren.
He reached up and wiped away my tears.
“You don't want the kids to worry,” he said.
“Of course not,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Go tell them,” he said, as he smiled. “I'm so happy for you.”
I walked out with a smile on my face. As I approached them, I noticed Parker wasn't behind me.
“What was that about?” Lance asked.
“It was my lawyer,” I said, and then went on to tell them what was said.
“About fucking time,” I heard Lance mumble.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he answered.
“Can I go outside for a few to call James and my parents?” I asked Sammie.
“Of course,” she said. “I'm so happy for you, Cassie. They deserve to be with you.”
A huge smile stretched across my face at her words. As soon as I got outside, I called James. He was so happy. Then I called my parents. My dad answered and put me on speaker. When I told them, I could hear all three of them telling me how happy they were. I told them I'd talk to them later, hung up the phone, and burst into tears. It was real. My kids were staying with me. We were going to be okay.
“Crying again?” I heard Parker say, with a laugh, as he came around the corner of the building.
He pulled me into his arms and hugged me.
“I can't help it,” I said. “At least they're happy tears.”
“You're good?” he asked.
“You have no idea,” I answered. “I'm happier than I've ever been in my life.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked, unsure of what he was asking me.
“You're going to have a house and money,” he stated. “Are you going back to Michigan?”
The thought of going back hadn't entered my mind. I hadn't even had time to think about it yet. My parents and grandma were there, but so was Jeff. Part of me felt hurt, like Parker wanted me gone or something. Another part felt defensive, like he was saying now that I had things, I didn't need anyone there.
I pushed back out of his arms quickly and looked up to see a sad look on his face. What was that about, I wondered? He was the one basically telling me to leave.
“What do you care?” I asked, in a harsh tone. “You might not even be here at all.”
He lifted his hand, and I felt my body stiffen just as his finger connected with the bridge of his nose. His eyes closed for a moment before opening again, and he let out a long breath.
“First, let me tell you something,” he began. “I have never and will never put my hands on a woman. If anyone was going to get it, it would have been my ex, and she didn't. I might want to spank your ass for every cocky comment that comes out of your mouth, but I will never do anything to hurt you. Do you hear me?”
I nodded but didn't speak, and he continued.
“Second, I do care,” he said. “Do you think I want to be traded? I don't. I barely ever see my kids as it is. If I leave, that bitch is going to do everything she can to make it that much harder for me. I don't want to leave, and I don't want you to leave either.”
“It doesn't matter,” I said. “Pretty soon you'll be too busy to notice if I'm here or not.”
“Cassie,” he hissed.
“It's true,” I said. “I know how much players are gone, Parker.”
“Is that why you pulled away from me?” he asked. “Is that why you don't want me?”
“Never said I didn't want you,” I answered him honestly.
“What is it that you want, Cassie?” he asked.
I knew what I wanted, but I wasn't about to tell him, so I went with a different answer instead.
“The vacation house.”
“What?” he asked.
“I'm picking the vacation house,” I answered. “I could never live in the home I shared with him. That's where his business is. That's where our friends are, his friends really. They were never really mine. I want no part of that life anymore.”
“So you're choosing the vacation house?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered. “I could keep it up, and I could handle being alone with the kids there. It's really nice. It's away from everything, and it's on a lake. I'm telling you, Parker. It is so relaxing there.”
“So you're moving to the vacation house,” he said, in a cocky tone.
“I didn't say that,” I snapped.
“What exactly are you saying then?” he asked.
“I don't know,” I growled out in a frustrated tone. “I don't know, Parker.”
“I'm glad things are working out for you, Cassie,” he said, as he turned around and started to walk away.
“Parker,” I called out.
“I really am,” he yelled back, and then he was gone.
I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes. What did I want, I wondered?
When I finally walked back inside, he was gone. I sat down on the bleachers with my phone in my hand and watched the kids play. Sammie was right, I needed to step up, and I was, but I needed to do even better.
I looked down at my phone, pulled up my social media page, and scanned my friends list. Not one of them was checking on me to see how I was. They weren't my friends, and they needed to go. I needed a fresh start. I began deleting them, one by one. Once they were all gone, I went through my pictures. Every single one of them was of the kids with the nanny or just the kids alone. I saved the ones of them alone to my new phone. Then I deleted every photo on my page, along with every post.
From that moment on, every picture on my page would be of the kids and me having fun together. I locked my page up tight too. Nobody was going to see my business unless I considered them a real friend. I truly was starting over.
I looked back at my empty friends list, and a sad feeling moved through me. Then I thought of Parker. We were friends, right? When I typed his name in and his handsome face popped up, I smiled as I clicked the friend button. Then I thought about the clerk from the store again, the one that said I wasn't alone. She was right. I typed in Sammie's name, and I hit friend. Then I continued, sending a friend request to everyone in my family. I'd pushed them away for long enough, and I didn't want to ever do it again. By the time I'd finished sending them each a request, I'd gotten a notification. Parker had accepted my request. I was no longer without a friend. I had him, and that thought eased my mind instantly.
I clicked on his name and began scrolling down his page. It was filled, one post after the next, with women telling him how great he was. He was adorable. He was sexy. He was perfect. Some had even posted pictures of him with them. He stood in each of them with a huge smile on his face and one woman or another hanging off of him in some way.
“That,” I whispered to myself. “That's what I don't want.”
A sad feeling moved through me, and I quickly clicked the unfriend button, shoved my phone into my purse, stood from the bench, plastered a smile on my face, and walked out onto the field to play with my kids.
; That was where my attention needed to stay, right there with them. They were all that mattered to me.
Chapter 16
Parker
When I walked away from her, I was pissed, but I couldn't explain why. I had to get out of there, so I did. The thought of her leaving bugged the shit out of me. It wasn't that I planned to be with her, because I didn't, not at all. I liked her being there. That was it. She was right. There was still a chance that I was leaving and wouldn't be there at all. It was true, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. At the same time, I didn't want her leaving either. She didn't need to be close to the fucker that put his hands on her, and she didn't need to be alone, in the woods, with the kids either. She needed to be right where she was, by her family, the people that would lay down their lives for her.
By the time I got home, I had a bunch of social media notifications. That shit was a pain in my ass, but I had to have it. I rarely read anything on it, and the only time I ever posted was after a game. I did keep track of my notifications though. There was no way I wanted someone doing something crazy on my page without me knowing about it. I pulled up the friend requests first, and I was blown away the second I saw one from her. I accepted it right away and then quickly clicked on her page. There was nothing there. It was blank, and I was her first friend. In a way, I felt honored. That sounded pathetic, but it was true. She'd wanted me to be her friend when she'd had no others. That shit was sweet, and it hit me straight in the chest. By the time I backed out of her page, she was gone. It was the weirdest thing. I went to my list of friends, and sure enough, she wasn't there. What the fuck was that about, I wondered?
The next month went by in a blur. I was practicing with a team I wasn't sure was even mine anymore. When I could, I went to Sammie's place to hang out. The woman was huge. She was only seven months along, but she looked like she was ready to pop at any moment. Jenny and Jeff were there twice a week with Sammie, so I'd play with them along with Jillian and Jackson. They just wanted to have fun, and that was fine with me. It kept my mind off of the shit I didn't want to think about. The kids were making real progress too, so that was an added bonus.
Out of My League, Part 3 Page 9