by Celia Loren
"He's my client. I know he has a game," he tells me a little smugly. "I called your house, and your father told me you were here. Can we come in?"
"Um, sure," I reply, opening the door wider. "So you were looking for me, then? Why?" I ask.
"May we sit?" Rich asks, looking toward the great room.
"Of course," I reply, walking in with them. I feel awkward in my strange outfit, but am more concerned with why he's acting so cagey. Rich and the other man take the couch, and I sit expectantly in an armchair.
"I'll get right to the point, Britt," Rich says with a friendly smile. "John here is a lab technician. We need your permission to test your son's DNA."
"Excuse me?"
"It's nothing personal. We just need to confirm that Max and Hunter share the same DNA."
"You mean you want to make sure Max is really his son," I reply, anger immediately pulsing through my brain.
"Bluntly put, yes. We'd be happy to drive you back to your home, and we could take the sample and get this whole thing over with. It's just a simple mouth swab."
"I'd like you to leave now," I say, standing.
"This isn't the first time this has happened to Hunter. A woman a couple years ago showed up asking him for child support, and it turned out it wasn't his child. It's quite common in the world of—"
"I haven't asked Hunter for anything!" I snap.
"If Max really is Hunter's son, then there's no need to get emotional."
"I'm calling Hunter," I say, storming to the stairs.
"Hunter wants this to happen," Rich calls after me.
"What did you just say?" I stop in shock.
"He asked me to get this done while he's gone. It's just a precaution. He wants to make sure his image is protected."
I go cold at his words, so close to what Hunter himself said about his image last night.
"I see."
"So if you'd like to get your things, we could take you back to—"
"No. I understand you're just doing your job, but no. Please leave."
"But—"
"Leave!" I almost yell, my emotion at a breaking point.
"It didn't have to be this way," Rich says, but he and the lab technician move toward the door. They shut it behind them and I stand frozen in the foyer for a moment, my chest heaving. My face breaks and furious tears start running down my cheeks. I hurry upstairs and pull off Hunter's clothes, then put my dress back on.
I tear out of the driveway and head back toward my dad's house. My house. I feel so humiliated, having to stand in front of Rich and that stranger while they accuse me of lying. How could Hunter do this to me?
I thought he was the same person I got to know in college, but maybe I was wrong. The fame and the success have changed him.
Chapter 40
Hunter
I frown down at my phone and toss it into my bag. Still no word from Britt. I called her hours ago to make sure she got home okay, and then again, and then two more times after that when my anxiety started to get the better of me. What if something happened to her?
Or what if she's left me again?
No...she wouldn't do that again, right? Still, this gnawing feeling won't leave my stomach even as we take the field. The only other time she hasn't returned my messages is when she left me back in college. That's the only precedent I have to go on.
Still, this Lions defense doesn't give a shit about my personal life. They only want to grind me into the dirt.
From the very first snap, I can tell I'm off. My arm feels stiff and like it's not connected to my body. I start to overanalyze. Even though I know I'm doing it, it's still impossible to stop.
"You're over-correcting!" Coach Mularkey yells as I head toward the bench after failing to convert on the third down. I nod. I know, I just don't know what the hell to do to stop it.
In the second quarter, I insist on calling running plays. I don't trust myself right now, and I need my teammates to pick up some of the slack. Thankfully, the Lions are surprised by the tactic and we manage to score a touchdown, leaving the game tied at the half.
In the locker room, some teammates offer encouragement, but more stay away. They can tell my head's not in the right place, and most of these guys aren't really talkers. The offensive coordinator pulls me aside and tells me my release point is a little later than usual, which is at least something I can work on.
The second half goes no better for me, but hanks to our defense, the Lions don't score any more touchdowns either. On our last possession, I drive us far enough downfield that our kicker is able to score a field goal, and we win by three.
The press conference afterward is painful. I have my phone in my lap and keep glancing down at it, but still no word from Britt. Now I'm sure something's wrong. The reporters ask question after question, trying to get me to reveal something about my lackluster performance today, but it's not like I can clue them in.
"I had an off day. I'm not making excuses, just is what it is. Thankfully, my teammates really stepped up and we managed to pull it through," I reply shortly, and glare at our publicist, letting him know that he better get me off this fucking stage before I explode.
I know it's late, but on the way back to the airport I give Coach McKay a call. Maybe Britt had a car accident on the way back to their house. There's no answer, which surprises me. It's late, and Coach is always home early.
I drive back to my house, hoping that Britt left me a note or something. "Britt?" I call out as I enter, just in case. My voice echoes in the foyer, and my house feels empty and soulless. I head upstairs to my bedroom where I left her, and see a pair of boxers and an old sweatshirt of mine tossed on the floor. That's weird. Britt's so neat and conscientious.
Something's definitely wrong. I try her house again.
"Hello?" Coach answers.
"Thank god. Have you talked to Britt? I'm worried."
"Yes, she's here," he answers shortly.
"Can I talk to her?"
There's a long pause, and from the muffled sounds I think he's asking Britt. "She doesn't want to talk."
"What? Why? Is she okay?"
"No, she's not," Coach snaps. "Don't call here, and don't come by." I hear the phone click before I can say anything else.
What the fuck?
Chapter 41
Britt
"I'm sorry to drag you into this," I tell my dad as he returns to sit next to me on the couch.
"You're not," he tells me simply.
"And I'm not expecting you to change your relationship with Hunter. You two have—"
"No. For him to suggest that you would lie about something like that for money, that's beyond the pale. It goes to his character."
"He seemed so immediately attached to Max, though. I can't believe that he would question that, that he would question me." I feel a pang of guilt run through me. "Though maybe I have given him reason to question. I left him so suddenly, maybe he's having trouble trusting me."
"Mm," my dad murmurs. "Sorry. I'm not so good at this stuff," he sighs. "Your mother would have been much better."
I look at him in surprise. "You don't talk about her much."
There's a long pause. "No," he finally says. "Too painful."
"It was nice to talk to Paula about her. Paula said they were really different growing up."
"Your mom was quiet, studious, like you. Paula was the wild one, always going out, partying. Your mom was always worried about her."
"But she turned out fine."
"And your mom...I suppose it's impossible to insulate yourself entirely from pain. The world will find a way to bring it to your doorstep."
"Do you think I should take the test?" I ask him. "It's not like I haven't caused him pain. Maybe he just needs to be sure."
"You do what you think is best," my dad says. "You were always smarter than me anyway. I'm heading to bed. I'm still getting tired a little earlier than I used to, and it's way past my bedtime anyway.
"'Night, Dad
," I say, pulling the throw blanket over my legs up a little higher. I sit in silence for a few minutes, thinking, as I hear my dad walking in the master bedroom overhead.
I've already missed four years with Hunter. Do I really want to miss any more time? Maybe fame has changed him, but there's still no way I could ever walk away. If he needs proof, fine. I'll give him proof.
I head upstairs to Max's room, the small guest room at the back of the house. I tiptoe in. He's splayed on in his crib with his arms over his head. He's getting too big for this thing. Soon he'll need a regular bed like the one in his room at Hunter's house. I gently brush his bangs off of his forehead, then leave and head into the hall bathroom.
His toothbrush is sitting on the sink next to mine. I pick it up and wrap the head with a wad of toilet paper, then choose a new one for him from the superhero themed pack I bought him at Costco. I walk with it back into my bedroom, where my phone is currently lighting up with a text message.
It's from Danielle. My second date with Adam went much better than our double date, she writes, followed by a winky face. Reading between the lines, my guess is that they had sex.
Glad to hear it! I write back. I don't want to burden her with what I'm going through. I want at least one of our love lives to be smooth sailing.
Chapter 42
Hunter
I wrack my brain, trying to figure out what went wrong. I barely slept last night, and now I feel like shit. I'm punishing myself by watching all the recaps on the game, hearing all the different announcers say in different ways how badly I played, and how I might really fuck it up in the next playoff game, not to mention the Super Bowl. If we even get there.
My phone rings. I jump up to answer it, hoping it's Britt, but my heart sinks as I see it's just my agent, probably calling to find out why I played so fucking badly last night.
"Hey Rich," I answer flatly.
"Hey, man. How you feeling?"
"Is that a trick question? You saw the game, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, the game. That was a bit of a rough one. But, hey, you pulled it out. Listen—"
I hear the front gate buzz and put Rich on speaker so I can check the security camera hookup on my phone. Holy shit, it's Britt.
"I gotta go. Call you later," I tell him shortly, and buzz Britt in. I walk quickly to the front door and hurry out to Britt's car. She steps out, looking serious. "Britt, what—"
"Here," she says, pressing a Ziploc bag toward me. I take it and look at the little Superman toothbrush inside.
"I don't get it," I reply, staring at it, then back up at her.
"I'll be honest. I'm so fucking mad at you right now, but I can't just run away. Not just because I can't imagine having to live without you again, but also because you're Max's father, and he wants you in his life, too. So if this is what it takes to make that happen, then fine."
"Britt," I say carefully. "I'm glad to hear that you don't want to live without me, but I sincerely have no idea what you're talking about."
"The toothbrush has Max's DNA on it!" she replies, looking completely exasperated.
"Why would I want Max's DNA?" I reply, now equally frustrated.
"You said that you did!"
"I never said that!"
"You're right, you sent Rich to say it instead!" she yells back, her blue eyes flashing.
"Hang on. Rich told you that I wanted Max's DNA?"
"Yes, for the test!"
A realization slowly dawns on me. "You're angry because Rich came to you and told you that I want to test Max's DNA to make sure he's my son."
"Yes, of course I'm angry! The idea that I would show up in your life again just looking for money, it's, it's—" she trails off, unable to find the words she's looking for in the middle of her rage.
I hand her back the toothbrush. "Give this back to Max, and just hang on one second." I take my phone back out of my pocket and call Rich back. "Hey Rich, sorry about that," I say, putting him on speaker. Britt is still glaring at me, but at least she's listening.
"No worries, I just—"
"Did you ask Britt to agree to DNA test Max?"
"Well, you know, I was just looking out for your best interests."
"I never asked you to do that. I would never ask you to do that."
"I know, but this woman just shows up after four years and says you're the father of his son? Sometimes emotions can blind you to—"
"You're fired," I say, and hang up.
"You didn't ask him to do that?" Britt whispers, her eyes wide.
"I can't believe you'd think that I would," I tell her.
"I'm sorry," she gasps, pressing her forehead into my chest. "It's just that everything happened so fast, you know? It almost seemed too good to be true. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I thought this was it."
"I've had that feeling too," I tell her. "Sometimes it's just hard to believe you're really back. I was terrified when you weren't returning my calls. I thought maybe you left again. You can't pull stuff like that. You have to tell me what's going on."
"You're right," she murmurs, looking up at me. "Okay, so what happens if you get traded? Max can't move around—"
"I have a while left on my contract yet, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty fucking good at my job. I don't think the Titans want to get rid of me."
"But what if—"
"Then we'll move. Together, with Max. We'll figure it out. I thought you said you weren't a planner anymore," I say with a smile.
She laughs. "I guess old habits die hard."
"Any other concerns?"
"Yeah, this house is too big! You've got entire rooms just sitting empty."
"Well, I never had anything to fill them with. Does this mean you're thinking about moving in?"
"Is that crazy?" she asks "Are we moving too fast?"
"We met four years ago," I remind her.
She grins. "You're right. I don't want to waste any more time. We've already missed so much." My phone starts ringing again. I look down, knowing it'll be Rich, and it is.
"Think I can throw it over the house?" I ask, turning to judge the height and width of the walls and roof.
"Considering you've got the best arm in the NFL, yes," Britt laughs. "But I still want to see you do it."
I back up a few steps, and then throw my phone up and over the house as it continues to ring. Britt and I both pause to see if we can hear it after it clears the roof, but we can't.
"That's better," I smile, and pull her against me. I lean down, and cover her mouth with a kiss.
Chapter 43
Britt
I sit in the second floor study and refresh my email again and again. My breath catches as a new email pops up and I click on it. I shriek, and run downstairs as fast as I can, and then out through the back door and onto the patio.
"I got in!" I yell. Hunter pauses in mid-throw. He and Max are playing catch on the grass just past the covered pool.
"I knew it!" Hunter yells, tossing the ball to the side and running over to me. He scoops me up into a hug as I giggle and Max comes running over.
I really don't know what I would have done if I hadn't been accepted into Vanover's PhD program, since there really isn't another program of its caliber in the area. Now I'll be able to get my psychology degree there starting in the fall.
"Good job, Mama!" Max says, tugging on the leg of my jeans as Hunter puts me back down on the ground.
"Thanks, honey," I reply, even though I know Max doesn't really understand what's happening, he just knows I'm happy.
"I have a present for you," Hunter tells me.
"What would you have done if I hadn't gotten in?" I ask, resting my chin on his chest so I can look up to his smiling brown eyes.
"You're the smartest person I know. I didn't have a doubt in my mind that you'd get in," he tells me, kissing my forehead. "Hey, Max," he says, "I want you to go into your playroom and find the blue box that's hidden in your toy house." Max's eyes light u
p and he runs to the house. "But don't open it!" Hunter adds. "I thought it was a good hiding place because he never plays with that thing anymore."
I smile. "It's nice having you around more," I tell him. His season ended a month ago with Hunter leading the Titans to victory in the Super Bowl, and now in the off-season, he can help with Max more day-to-day. Now he and Max have their own relationship, and Hunter knows all of Max's small habits and the ways to help him get through the day without a tantrum.
"I love being around more," Hunter says, wrapping his arms more tightly around me as I shiver. It's March, but there's a chill in the air and I ran outside without putting on a coat.
Max comes running out waving a small box in his hands. My eyes widen at the familiar-looking shade of robin's egg blue. I look up to see Hunter watching my expression.
"Is that…?" I ask.
Max triumphantly hands Hunter the box. "I found!" he declares. I step back and cover my mouth as my eyes well up with tears. "Mama?" Max asks questioningly, worried about my reaction.
"I'm fine, honey. Sometimes tears are for happiness, not sadness."
Hunter kneels in front of me and I almost lose it. Max leans affectionately against his giant dad as Hunter opens the box, revealing a crystal clear, square cut solitaire diamond.
"Britt," Hunter begins, his voice cracking a bit. He clears his throat. "The last few months since you and Max moved in have been the happiest of my life. I feel complete in a way that I never knew was possible. While I know already that nothing could ever break us apart, I'd still be honored to call you my wife. Will you marry me?"
"Yes," I gasp, overcome with emotion. I kneel down, and wrap my arms around Hunter and Max both. They're already my family, but now just a little more officially.
Chapter 44
Hunter
I've had to play football on a holiday before, but never have I wanted to get home so much. After our plane lands, I toss my bag in the backseat of my car and push the speed limit on my way. Thankfully most people are already with their families, stuffing their faces with Thanksgiving turkey.