by L. P. Dover
I didn’t want to play Bristol for a fool and I didn’t want to just fuck her. When we were on the couch, I did want to rip off her clothes and have sex with her right there, and then take her to my room for the rest of the night. However, a part of me knew that wouldn’t be a wise choice. I was going to let her come to me on her own time.
“All right, Reed, let’s see what you got,” Drake called out. Aaron stood back while our kicking coach held the football in place. My longest successful field goal had been sixty yards, but it wasn’t something I could do each kick. The longest one on record in NFL history was sixty-four yards. I was determined to beat that record one day.
Taking a deep breath, I rushed toward the ball and kicked it, only for it to come up short. “Fuck.”
“Your balance is off,” Drake snapped. “You need to concentrate. You never know when the fate of our game lies with you.”
I flung out my arms angrily. “What the hell do you think I’m doing? I’m working my ass off.”
“That’s enough, Reed,” Coach Joel barked.
Clenching my teeth, I kept my mouth shut and kicked another ball. It, too, fell short, but it at least hit the field goal. I was getting close, but it wasn’t good enough. I’d had games rely on my kicks and been under tremendous pressure to perform. As a kicker, all eyes were on you in that situation and if you missed, your team would lose. Nothing else mattered but that one kick. So far, I hadn’t let my team down yet. My goal was to be the best, and the only way to do that was to make the sixty-four-foot field goal.
Two more balls were kicked and nothing. Aaron stood back, while Drake grumbled under his breath and walked off the field. “They sure are up your ass today, aren’t they?” Aaron said.
I couldn’t agree more, but tensions were high with the game against Tampa. We weren’t undefeated this season, so we had to step up our game, and Tampa Bay was known for their exceptional defense. Not to mention we had Ryan for the first game, and there was no telling how he was going to perform.
“They know it’ll be up to me if we can’t get past Tampa’s defense,” I told him.
He stood by me and we watched the rest of the guys practice on the field. Evan caught Ryan’s throw flawlessly and sidestepped Derek all the way down to the end zone for a touchdown. Aaron glanced over at me and slapped my shoulder. “I don’t envy you, Reed. I can’t imagine the kind of stress you deal with.”
I chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “I haven’t let our team down yet, but we’re not always perfect. Knowing my luck, we’ll be in the Super Bowl and there’ll be a sixty-four-foot field goal I’ll have to score.”
He burst out laughing. “And if you make it, I’ll give you two thousand dollars.”
I held out my hand. “Wanna bet on it?”
“Hell yeah,” he said, taking my hand. “I’m just hoping it doesn’t come down to that.”
Coach Joel blew the whistle and called us all in. Once in the locker room, all the other guys went straight to the showers, but I stayed back and pulled out my phone. There was nothing on it. I was tempted to text Bristol, but thought better of it. Being pushy worked with some females, but not with her.
“You expecting a call?” Derek asked, nodding toward my phone. “Every time I’ve seen you today you’ve been staring at it.” All the others were out of the shower and already getting dressed.
I glanced over at Ryan, who was talking to Evan, both of them smiling. As much as I disliked the douchebag, for the first time in my life, I was ready to let everything go. I looked up at Derek, the weight of what I’d done riding hard on my chest. “I have a problem,” I answered regretfully.
He snorted. “What else is new?”
When I didn’t smile, his expression grew stern. “What the hell did you do?”
There were too many people around for me to explain. “Can I come over to your place? I can’t talk about it here.”
“Sure. Hayden’s been asking about you. I know she’d like to see you.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll be over there shortly.”
After everyone left, I rushed to take my shower and headed over to Derek’s house. He was in the driveway, pulling out a case of beer from his truck.
“Look what I got,” he called out.
“Are you going to have one with me?”
He winked. “Maybe one. I gotta be coherent tonight. Hayden’s ready for more baby making.”
“No fucking way,” I exclaimed happily. “Congrats, man. How long have you been trying?” I grabbed the beer and followed him to the door. However, before we could get there, Hayden burst out and jumped in his arms. She was still in her green scrubs from the clinic, with her dark hair in a ponytail. There was no mistaking the excited grin on her face. I’d never seen two people as into each other as Derek and Hayden were.
“I’m pregnant!” she squealed.
Derek spun her around and held her close. “Are you serious?”
She nodded. “I suspected, but I didn’t want to say anything. When I got home, I couldn’t wait any longer to take the test.”
“Holy fuck, this is insane. We have to call everyone.”
I felt like I was interrupting their celebration, but I couldn’t help but be happy for them. “Here you go, D,” I said, passing him a beer. I grabbed one myself and we toasted. “To the baby. I wish you two all the best.”
We guzzled them down and then Hayden flung her arms around me. She gripped me tight and it made me smile. Derek pulled out his phone and I could hear him shouting the news to everyone he called. “It’s good to see you,” she said, smiling up at me.
“Same to you. I know you’re excited about the baby.”
She stepped back and rubbed a hand over her stomach. “I didn’t think it’d happen so fast. We’ve only been trying for a few weeks.”
“It’s because I’m the fucking man!” Derek hollered, pumping his fist in the air.
Hayden rolled her eyes and laughed. “Want to eat dinner with us? I have a roast in the Crock-Pot. It should be ready in about thirty minutes.”
“Sure. I need your help anyway.”
“Uh-oh, you never ask for help. This must be bad.”
I snorted. “You have no idea.”
Once Derek made his calls we went inside. I’d never seen him so happy. I’d often wondered what it was like to feel that way. I’d had many great times in my life, but nothing life-changing. There was a part of me that envied what he and the others like Evan and Cooper had. Their lives were almost perfect.
I took a seat at the bar, breathing in the savory scent of the roast. “Smells delicious, Hayden.”
She beamed. “Thanks. I figured Derek was tired of eating out, so I made a point to do something about it. Did you know you can pretty much put anything in a Crock-Pot? One Thanksgiving my family cooked a turkey that way.”
“Fuck that.” Derek laughed, taking the seat beside me. “I’m not going to ruin a turkey that way. Speaking of which, what are you doing Thanksgiving?” he asked me.
Thanksgiving was in three weeks and we had a home game against Arizona. “Probably going to the game and then heading home.” Derek glanced at Hayden, and she nodded with a smile on her face. “Why? What’s going on?”
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Come eat Thanksgiving dinner with us. Everyone’s going to be here. It’ll be fun.”
“Who is ‘everyone’?” I asked with a sigh.
I could tell by the look on his face, he didn’t want to tell me. Probably because he knew I’d say no. “Evan and Summer, and Summer’s twin sister, Lara, and her fiancé, Luke,” he informed me. “There might be more, but that’s all we have right now.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
He elbowed me hard in the ribs. “Sure it is. Now stop being a pussy. You’re a part of my group now and I know you don’t have family around here. I’m not going to have you alone on fucking Thanksgiving.”
“Exactly,” Hayden chimed in. “We w
ant you here.”
I held up my hands in defeat. “Okay, I’ll come.”
Usually on Thanksgiving, Angela would pack up some of the food she and her family made for the holidays and bring it over if we didn’t have an away game. Then the Friday after, I’d always travel to Tampa to see my family.
“Now what did you want to talk about?” Derek asked. “You looked pretty serious earlier.” Hayden stood across from us, leaning her elbows on the counter to listen.
“You know how I wanted to get Delaney back for being a complete and utter douche?” I said regretfully.
Derek sighed and closed his eyes. “Yeah.”
“Well, as you know, my first thought was to go after his girl, which ended up being his sister. Her name is Bristol Thomas. She’s his half sister.”
Hayden huffed and shook her head. “Dammit, Jax. Bringing an innocent girl into your games is messed up. How could you do that?”
“It’s not what you think,” I told her, hoping she could hear the truth in my voice. “I wanted Bristol before I even knew who she was. And now that we’ve been spending time together…” I stopped and sighed. “Let’s just say Delaney’s been the last thing on my mind.”
With narrowed eyes, Hayden glared at me, but then she gasped. “Oh my God. Are you saying you fell for her?”
I glanced at her and Derek both before nodding. “I don’t know what it is about her. We were together last night and I couldn’t seem to get enough of her. It’s like there was a connection between us that I’d never felt with anyone before.”
Squealing, Hayden jumped up and down. “This is awesome. You’re finally starting to settle down. I knew it would happen eventually.”
Derek didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm. “You do know it’ll be a shit storm when Delaney finds out. He’s not going to want you with his sister.”
I nodded. “I’m aware of that.”
“Does she like you as much as you care for her?” Hayden asked.
“I think so.”
She smiled. “Then there’s nothing to worry about. Just make sure to tell her how you feel.”
If only it were that simple. “That’s not going to matter when she finds out the truth. She doesn’t know who I am.”
Derek looked confused. “What do you mean?”
Groaning, I ran a hand through my hair. “She doesn’t know I’m a football player. If she did, she’d have nothing to do with me. Mark Whitmore is her ex and he cheated on her multiple times. She has a severe loathing for jocks.”
“Ouch,” Derek blurted. “That fucker is a piece of work. I can’t believe she dated him.”
“No shit.”
Hayden waved her hand in the air. “So let me get this straight. You’ve been spending time with this girl and you haven’t told her who you really are? Does she even know your real name?”
I hung my head. “No. I’d told her my name was Jack and that it was what my family called me. It’s actually the truth but I haven’t heard my mother call me that in a long time. I was afraid that if I told her who I was, her brother would find out.”
“Damn, dude, you’re fucked,” Derek stated sadly.
Hayden snapped her fingers to get my attention. “Not yet you’re not. But the answer’s simple.”
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I set it on the counter. “Oh yeah? How so?”
“Tell her the truth. Call her up and ask if you can see her. You have to do it before Ryan does.”
“What if she doesn’t forgive me?” I asked, knowing full well there was a strong chance she wouldn’t.
Hayden shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s a chance you have to take. There’s no other option.”
I knew she was right, but I didn’t want to see the look on Bristol’s face when I told her. Maybe it was a good thing to tell her the truth now before things went too far.
Chapter 12
Bristol
“Good afternoon, Jennifer. Thank you for coming to see me,” I said in greeting. Jennifer Hallowell was a new client who had just bought a house with her fiancé. She was around my age, with golden-blond hair and a sweet, girl-next-door type of face, and arrived in a black Calvin Klein dress.
Jennifer shook my hand and smiled. “Thank you for seeing me. I heard it could take months to get an appointment here.”
“That was until M&M hired me.” I laughed, flourishing my hand toward the chair in front of my desk. “Please have a seat.” Once she sat down, I passed her my portfolios. “Tell me about the new home. What all would you like me to do for you?”
She opened my work and glanced around at the pictures. “Basically, everything. We’re going to buy all new furniture for the place and I didn’t want to do that until I spoke with you.”
I opened my notebook to take notes. “When is the wedding date?”
“Eight months from now,” she said happily.
“Good, that gives me plenty of time. When would you want to move in? That way I’ll know how fast I need to work.”
Lips pursed, she stared off into the distance. “Probably in another four months or so. We’re not in a hurry just yet. He still has to sell his condo and I’m waiting for my apartment lease to run out.”
I nodded. “Got it. That works out perfectly. Are there any specific colors you’re interested in? Or do you want me to figure it all out and you take it from there?”
“We want you to do it all. I trust you to make it epic.”
“Thanks, I’ll try my best.” I jotted some notes and smiled. I loved it when people let me take the reins on their houses. So far I hadn’t had anyone not like what I’d done and Jennifer seemed like an easygoing woman. Hopefully I could make her happy.
“Your work is amazing,” she said, passing my portfolios back to me.
“Thank you.”
“I can only imagine what your house looks like. Does your husband admire your work?” she asked, nodding at the picture of me and my brother on my desk.
I burst out laughing. “Oh goodness, no. That’s not my husband; he’s my brother.”
She slapped a hand over her mouth. “I am so sorry. I just assumed he was your husband or boyfriend.”
“Nope, but I get that all the time. He’s the only man in my life right now other than my dad.”
“That’s so sweet. I don’t have any brothers, but I always wanted one.”
“I wouldn’t trade him for anything,” I told her.
She giggled. “I bet.”
“Ms. Thomas,” Mrs. Blanton called out over the phone speaker.
“Excuse me for one second, Jennifer.” She nodded her head and smiled.
Clearing my throat, I pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”
“You have a phone call on line two. It’s the one you’ve been expecting.”
Excitement bubbled in my chest. “Great, I’ll take it in just a minute.”
When I focused back on Jennifer, she stood and straightened her dress. “I should probably get going. I know you’re a busy woman.”
I stood too and walked around my desk to face her. “When would you like to get started with everything?”
“Probably in the next month or so, once we officially close on the house.”
I held out my hand. “Sounds great. I look forward to hearing back from you.” She shook my hand and we said our goodbyes. As soon as she was gone, I shut my door and picked up line two.
“Hello.”
“Ms. Thomas, it’s Boone from the frame shop. How are you?”
“Great,” I said sitting down. “Is everything finished?”
“Yep. All you have to do is come by and pick everything up. I’ll show you what to do when you get here.”
“Thanks, Boone. I’m on my way.”
I’d had something special done for Jack and I couldn’t wait for him to see it. My only problem was having to wait until tomorrow to see him. I grabbed my purse, eager to get over to the shop. Rebecca waved at me in passing and as soon as I got off the elevator t
o my level of the parking garage, my phone rang.
Seeing Jack’s name pop up on my screen made everything inside me tremble. I had hoped he’d call or text, and now I got my wish. “Hey, Jack,” I answered.
“Hello to you too. What are you doing?”
“I have an errand to run and then I’m going home. You?”
“Just ate dinner with some friends. I was wondering if there was any way possible for you to come by my house tonight.”
My heart thudded in my chest and I smiled. “Of course. There’s something I need to drop off there anyway; it’s a surprise.” The phone went silent and then I heard him sigh. “Jack, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be home in a few minutes, so come over whenever you’re ready.”
“Be there as soon as I can.” I got in my car and started on my way to the frame shop. I was way past ready to see him, and this time I wasn’t going to run away.
—
After I visited the frame shop, I stopped by my house to change clothes before heading to Jack’s house. Boone had made me three custom frames to go with Jack’s sketches. They were gorgeous, all done in dark cherrywood with hand-carved designs resembling vines but without the leaves. I wanted to make sure they were masculine to go with his sleek drawings. I didn’t know if he wanted his sketches showcased in his home, but I thought it would be better than their just lying around unseen. They were amazing and needed to be shown off.
When I got to his house, I covered the framed pictures in a blanket and carried them to his door. Jack opened it before I could even hit the bell. “Hey,” I said nervously.
He smiled, but I could tell there was something wrong. “Hey, what ya got there?”
“Something for you.” I walked past him inside and he shut the door, his gaze downcast. “Are you okay?”
I carefully set the frames down and then he lifted his head, his expression torn. He reached for my hands and pulled me to him. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
His fingers grazed my cheeks and I leaned into him. “No.”
“Well, you are. I can’t seem to stop thinking about you.”