“I think it’s absolutely adorable,” Liv smiled brightly, the afternoon sun leaking into the office. “Plus Nova needs someone to bring him down to earth. I’m ready for that boy to settle some roots.”
Raising a brow at his wife, Jax looked at her as if she had lost her mind and that made her nervous. Jax surely spent more time with Shay during the season than she did and if he had doubts about Shay committing, should she? “If he makes one bonehead move,” Jax warned, his eyes serious, “you let me know.”
Drawing her lips inward to keep from laughing, she agreed. She wanted to laugh at his seriousness, but she was too embarrassed.
“Well I for one think it’s great,” Liv said, grabbing a few folders from the desk. And if Liv thought it could work, than maybe it would? Oh, this was all so confusing. “Headed home my hot husband?” Liv asked, grabbing her purse.
“Only if you are,” he winked and Liv checked her watch. “We have like two hours before the girls are finished at school.”
“Then let’s go, we’re burning daylight here.” Jax clapped before grabbing his wife’s butt.
“Why?” Charlotte asked looking up at them. “Why do we need to hear this?”
“You two are shameless,” Ross yelled out as Liv and Jax laughed walking out the door, the bell chiming again. “Shameless.”
She didn’t think they were. They were adorable and a couple to be admired. Gosh, she wanted a love like that. That unwavering love, that happiness, the joy, all of it. Looking beside her at Charlotte, she watched her toss her cell phone back into her giant bag, catching Myles’s name on the screen before it disappeared amongst linen swatches and bags of candy. “What are you doing this afternoon?” Whitney asked quickly, her hands finally calming down from reading the letter from Shay that she secretly wanted to lock herself inside the bathroom and re-read.
“I’m not sure, but I need a break. My eyes are physically burning,” Charlotte said, rubbing her eyes violently. She hadn’t been in one place long enough for her to talk about what was going on with her and Myles and that was about to change.
“Quinn and I both need new outfits before dinner with my parents,” she explained, her good mood almost deflating at the thought. “We’re going shopping and you’re coming with us.” It wasn’t a question because she wasn’t going to let Charlotte wiggle out of this one. Nope. They were addressing this issue.
Today.
“But I don’t wann-”
“Oh hush, we have a lot to discuss,” she eyed Charlotte, getting up before she could argue further.
“Sweets, do you mind if I venue search tonight and promise to secure a caterer by tomorrow?” she asked Ross already knowing his answer.
“Sure.”
Gathering her things to get home to her baby girl and re-read Shay’s letter until she memorized every word, she gripped the letter close to her chest. Tapping Charlotte’s knee to get her attention again, she looked down at her. “And I will see you in one hour at Sassy Shortcake on King Street. Do not be late.”
“Relax.”
Looking across his shoulder at Brody, Shay’s jaw tightened. Yeah, easy for his agent to say. He wasn’t the one whose career was hanging in the balance. When he had gotten word from Brody that Mathis wanted to sit down and go over a few details of his contract as a courtesy, he’d wanted to spit. This was such bullshit. He’d always known going into the league that getting traded came with the territory. Every season he watched previous teammate’s suit up for different teams, even ones they had spent the past season trying to kill on the field. It was a business. He got it. But the Mavericks, they felt like family. He had no right to ask to stay on one single team his entire career, but damn if he and Brody weren’t going to try their best to do just that.
“Cunningham,” Mathis’s voice filled the office and he glanced up at the man, looking as ridiculous as ever. He also looked worn out. “Brody.” Emme and the new owner, Prescott, followed behind him sitting at the round table in the center of the office.
Shit.
“Alright, let’s talk,” Mathis exhaled, torturing that poor chair beneath him. Emme looked pissed and he knew that whatever was going to come out of Mathis’s mouth next wasn’t going to be any good. “We have an official offer from San Fran.”
Santa Clara.
California.
Across the motherfucking country.
Emme swung her stiletto violently off her foot and he could almost hear her grinding her teeth. Handing Brody the paperwork, Mathis sat back quietly watching him skim through the papers. Turning another page, Brody whistled, he assumed at the offer. But he didn’t care. He didn’t care how much money they were going to throw at him. He wanted to stay here. In Charleston. With his team. With his woman. With his kid.
Whoa.
His kid? Where the hell did that come from? He loved Quinn, he did. So damn much. She had him wrapped around her chubby little finger of that he was sure of. There wasn’t a day that went by that he hadn’t thought about her. Surprised by how much she changed if he went more than a few days without seeing her. She was perfect and he loved her. He had a sense and a need to protect her and he got excited thinking about taking her back home over Christmas. She was a little older now, they could do more. And her mother. That woman had him in damn knots. The only one who could have ever gotten him to write a damn love letter; although, the term love letter was being kind because he had no idea what he’d been doing only that he wanted to make her smile.
“Is this the official offer?” Brody asked, holding up the folder. Franchises liked to throw around some big numbers in case a player wanted another excuse to get out of their contract or off their team, but he didn’t. Really fucking didn’t. Nodding quietly, Mathis refused to look at him.
“Shay, you know this is nothing personal. You’re a phenomenal player and co-captain to this team, arguably one of the best. We just need to do what is right for the team and your salary is holding us back for more defense players that we need. Taylor and Morgan can only do so much out there,” Prescott explained.
“We are willing to negotiate a lower salary,” Brody informed and he hoped that the last card they had worked. He didn’t care about the money. He cared about his team. His career. “And no signing bonus.”
Everyone was quiet as Mathis and the owner shared a look. “I didn’t think that was an option.” Mathis looked at them and Shay folded his hands. Everything but leaving this city was an option. Especially now.
“Shay, with your stats and perfect eligibility,” Prescotts’ forehead wrinkled, he seemed stunned. “You’re worth even more than we guaranteed you.” Good. They could finally agree on something. Maybe now it was just enough to work. “I mean San Francisco clearly knows that,” he said pointing the folder.
“We are more concerned with longevity in a franchise position than the dollar amount, gentlemen,” Brody interjected.
“So now you’re talking franchise?” Mathis asked.
Nodding, Brody agreed, a smirk on his face that looked more confident than Shay felt at the moment. “That we are. Why don’t you rework some numbers,” Brody offered, packing up the folder into his brief case. “Fair numbers,” he stressed. “I mean we’re talking about a league frontrunner here, let’s remember that.” Snapping his case shut, he looked around the room. “And we’ll regroup in about a week. In the meantime, we will look over San Francisco and we’ll come to a final same time next week.”
Shaking his head, Mathis stressed, “I think it’s pretty solid, gentlemen.”
“That actually sounds like a terrific idea,” Emme cut Mathis off, looking up from her phone quickly. “Some tides have turned that need to be addressed,” she shot Mathis a look. The woman was good. Real good. He just hoped good enough to keep him here. He wasn’t leaving his team. He wasn’t leaving his city. He wasn’t leaving his friends and he surely wasn’t leaving his girls.
Stepping off the elevator Shay was pissed. This was ridiculous and as much a
s he wanted to believe that Emme had a way to keep him here, he wasn’t quite sure anymore. He wasn’t quite sure of anything anymore. His head was royally screwed up lately between contracts and his pop’s impending surgery. He was going nuts. Finn had read him the possible complications that they received from the surgeon about what could happen once his pops went under for surgery, the thought of it all making him sick. Possible paralysis, loss of limb function, death. His father was a good man. Worked his entire life for his family and he should be traveling with his mother, not holed up on a couch and in rehab. It didn’t matter that his pops had the best surgeon in the country, anything could go wrong. Anything. Things with Whitney were good, real good but he didn’t know where they were headed. The thought of not being around for her and Quinn had him anxious. Seeing Liam come out of the gym ahead of him, he nodded.
“Yo, Nova,” Liam took his hand shaking it. “What’s wrong?”
“Just left Mathis’s office.”
“And?”
“And we wait another week,” Shay said, swiping his mouth with his hand. God, he wanted to scream. He hated this.
“It’s not over until you sign on the dotted line, brother,” Liam raised a brow. And he was right. But it wasn’t helping. “I learned that last year. My agent was making deals with Mathis up until the last pre-season game.”
Again, he was right.
“Thanks man, listen, I’m heading out,” Shay said tapping his arm. He needed a drink. No, he needed Whitney.
“Alright,” Liam shook his hand, giving his back a slap. “Hang in there brother.”
Yeah, he needed to see his girls. And then he needed to grow a pair big enough to tell Whitney about his looming relocation.
“Oh hey, Nova,” Liam called out and he turned around. “I saw Whitney’s douchebag ex over on Front Street this morning.”
Stopping, Shay looked over his shoulder before walking towards him again. “Excuse me?” Taking out his phone he hit the recent call button tapping her name, his body tight.
“Whitney’s ex,” Liam repeated, shucking off his lifting gloves. “And if I wasn’t already late for practice I would have pounded him into the pavement myself. I also figured I’d leave the joy of the beat down to you.”
Rage building inside of Shay, Whitney’s phone went straight to voicemail.
Shit.
Slamming out the metal, complex door, he dialed her number four more times, every single one going to voicemail. “Where the hell are you?” he yelled jumping into his car.
Adam was back in town and he knew enough about the greedy prick to know that his sudden reappearance only meant one thing.
Checking on Quinn, Whitney leaned over the railing of the crib and just stared. Gosh, she was blessed. Watching her puffy lips part, the same ones her sweet girl had inherited from her, she smiled. She was changing every day and she just loved watching her personality shine through and develop. She was such a good baby, so sweet and innocent and lit up a room. She made her proud to be her mama every single day, but she also wished she would slow down. She was growing too quickly. She and her sister were only two years apart and Quinn deserved brothers and sisters. She also deserved a good man in her life to teach her things that only a daddy could. She hadn’t had that growing up because her father would never get his loafers and oxford shirt dirty. Cringing, she wanted to scream at herself. She’d almost married Adam, a man who emulated her father in all the ways that mattered. How could she have been so naive? She wanted more for Quinn. A man who would roll around in the dirt outside with her baby girl and not come inside until the sun came down despite her requests about it getting late. One that would let go of the seat on the bike when she finally had the courage to ride on her own. And one who would sit and play Barbies in the middle of the floor and walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. Pulling the small blanket over her, she caressed her cheek and she thought of Shay. Gosh she loved him. And she loved his family. And his passion for his career and yes, even that ego. But was Shay her happily ever after? Everything had unfolded so quickly it was hard to keep up, yet she couldn’t imagine going a whole day without hearing his voice or knowing that she was going to see that gorgeous grin or feel those strong hands. Couldn’t imagine never getting another letter from him.
Closing the door quietly, she picked up Quinn’s bag filling it with some more diapers. She had to meet Charlotte soon and as God was her witness, that woman had better show up. She was going to get to the bottom of why she was pushing Myles away. She had even avoided Asher’s birthday party once she got wind of Myles being there. Reaching for the refrigerator door, she heard a knock at the door. Just one knock and then a few more. Slipping the bottle into the bag, she walked across the condo, opening the door before it woke up Quinn, her heart dropping. Shock racing to all parts of her body, she gripped the door. “Adam.”
Blinking back at him, she felt frozen, her mind racing before settling on one thought.
Quinn.
“Hello, Winnie.” Stroking his thick watch, he smirked as she cringed at the nickname she hated since the day he’d used it for her. Looking at his white pressed shorts and light blue polo, his Burberry loafers finishing off the outfit, he looked so neat and tidy. So, Adam. She had spent her entire life surrounded by men like him. Lawyers that people feared who golfed on their days off and vacationed in the French Riviera. Morally corrupt and greedy men who covered it all up with a heavy dose of perfectly crafted southern charm. Men who didn’t drink beer or cuss or roll around in the mud hitting their brother in the head and one who certainly wouldn’t have stayed up all night rocking a sick baby.
“Have you lived with Charlotte so long that you lost your manners?” he asked, that smug smirk making her skin crawl. Thank goodness Quinn hadn’t inherited his crooked smile. “Are you going to invite me inside?”
Swallowing the lump in her throat she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to make him angry because she didn’t trust him, but she also didn’t want him inside her home, her daughter only a few feet away. Looking at her expectantly, he raised a brow reminding her just how powerful he was. How he could take what he wanted and how he’d always done just that. Maybe she just needed to hear what he had to say before sending him on his way. Her phone was across the room and she wished she could text Charlotte. Or Myles. But not Shay. No, she didn’t trust him not to kill Adam after her admission the other night. “Of course,” her voice spiked stepping aside, the smell of his cologne getting stuck in her throat. “Come in.”
Yes. She just needed to keep things neutral and civil before sending him back to where he’d come from. Wherever that was. What would he want with Quinn anyways? Take her to live with him so that he could hire nannies to raise her in the cold, lavish, penthouse she assumed he was occupying these days. Looking around the apartment, which she had spent the better part of yesterday cleaning and organizing, he looked disgusted before giving her a once over. She expected it, but it didn’t mean it felt good. Nervously twirling her finger in the fringe of the cutoffs she had just thrown on, memories of his verbal cruelty flooded back. She vividly remembered one of his final comments before he left when she spent over an hour crying at herself in the mirror. When he asked why she couldn’t have been slimmer while carrying Quinn. Small and cute like other women who just had a small bump.
“Well,” he inspected, his eyes running over her. “You look healthy.”
Chewing the inside of her lip she dug deep for some nerve. She was tired of being afraid of him. Tired of being bullied and she wasn’t going to let him anywhere near Quinn. He didn’t deserve her. Didn’t deserve to be a part of her baby’s life.
“What can I help you with, Adam?” she asked stronger than she felt. She didn’t know exactly what it was, but she felt tougher than she imagined she would be. She’d had nightmares about this happening for months following Quinn’s birth and although nothing could have prepared her for this moment, she felt ready to stand up against him. She wasn’t
the same woman he’d left pregnant, alone and scared. She was getting her life in order, working hard at securing a future for herself and her baby. A future that did not include him. Maybe it was living with Charlotte or finally easing into the parenting thing a tad bit more, but mostly she knew it was Shay. He fed her courage and confidence every day. Forced her to stop apologizing for who she was and what made her happy. Shrugging his shoulder, he was quiet, slowly strolling around the condo. His hands inside his pockets, he gazed across the mantle of the fireplace taking in each picture. Her stomach dropping, she realized she had rested her favorite photo of Shay holding Quinn on top of the cliff between two other frames. Inspecting the photo closely, his mouth went tight.
“Why are you here Adam?”
He was quiet, his face unreadable and it was making her nervous; reminding her of all the days he had come home quiet and expressionless, not knowing if he was going to start a fight or force her to cuddle with him on the couch. “Just curious, I suppose,” he shrugged, a taunting smirk crossing his face.
“Well, as you can see there isn’t much to write home about,” she nodded, silently praying he would leave without a fight. That he would leave before Quinn woke up.
“Where is our daughter?” he asked and her breath tripped.
“Sleeping.”
“You named her Quinn.”
“I did.”
Rolling his eyes in disgust, she wanted to charge at him. Who the heck did he think he was? And more importantly, how did he know that? “I want to see her,” he ordered, checking the time as if he was doing her some kind of favor by being here.
“No.”
Raising his eyes to her, he tilted his head. “Excuse me?”
“I’m going to ask you again. Why are you here?”
Hail Mary (The Mavericks Series) Page 25