As angry and betrayed as I felt by his accusation, I knew it was coming from his inability to trust. He’d come a long way from the guy I’d met in a blizzard, but he still had this fear that I’d betray him, like Hannah did. I couldn’t force him to trust me, but I also wasn’t going to make this easy on him.
I slammed open his door, causing him to jerk his head out of his hands. He looked at me with this dreadful hope that stripped my heart bare. I knew what he wanted, but he had to make this decision on his own.
“I’m going to my family’s for Thanksgiving. I’ll be back on Sunday. I will only say this once. I did not write a story about Grace. I would never do that to you or her or anyone in your family. You mean too much to me, plus I’m not an evil bitch. You need to decide to trust me. Not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard. When everything goes to shit and the only thing you have left is my word, that’s when you need to trust me,” I told him, the tears that wouldn’t come earlier slipping down my cheeks now. I walked out of the apartment, managing to not look back or break down.
Colt
Chapter Seventeen
I woke up with a throbbing head. Memories from the day before raced through my mind like a nightmare that wouldn’t end. The last image was of Sophie’s face, right before she walked out. Tears were running down her face, but the look of determination she had sent a chill down my spine. The fear that I’d made a mistake in accusing her wouldn’t leave me. My heart knew I jumped to an incorrect conclusion, but my need to protect myself wouldn’t let me admit it.
I dragged myself out of bed, hoping a shower would clear my mind. I needed to get over to Ford’s, so we could figure out damage control. My dad planned to meet us over there. The media had worked itself into a frenzy, and the Broncos hadn’t issued any type of statement, feeding into the idea that I would be released. The reporter’s speculations were ludicrous. They wanted a horror story, I thought bitterly. More sales when the mighty have fallen.
The shower didn’t help my aching head, but it got me moving. I replayed the conversation with my agent from the day before.
Even though I was at practice, I answered the call from my agent. I’d gotten the all clear from my orthopedist the week before. I was hoping this was the call saying the Broncos were going to stay my team.
“The Broncos are silent. Which is better than I expected,” he started off with. “I was afraid they’d release you with the media storm. But so far, they’re maintaining their wait and see approach. What I wasn’t expecting was the story that broke today. We need to address this, Colt.”
“What story?” I asked, keeping an eye on the team running sprints on the field.
“You seriously haven’t heard? You don’t know anything about it?” he asked me, disbelieving.
“No. What is it?” I asked, impatiently, raking my hand through my hair.
“There’s a story that you have a daughter. That you had her with a minor, and she has been raised by your brother. Dude, it’s all over the news. They’re crucifying you,” he answered quickly.
“What?” I shouted into the phone, horror creeping in, as he continued.
“Yeah, they even have a picture of her. She’s really cute. I could see how she’d be yours. Same eyes, but the details they’re going over ... this could only have come from someone close to you, if it’s the truth,” he admitted unhappily. “Is it true? Do you have a daughter?”
“Yes. I do,” I admitted dazedly. “I have to go.”
I hung up with my agent, before calling my dad. He picked up on the first ring. “Ford just called me. I'm trying, but we don’t know who leaked the story. And son, it’s not a lie. That makes it very difficult to try for a gag order. It’s out there now, and there’s no way of putting it back in the box.”
“Ok, but there has to be something we can do. I can’t let them plaster Grace’s face all over the news,” I growled, angry at my helplessness.
“We’ll figure something out,” he promised, before hanging up. Seconds later my phone rang and it was Ford.
“What the hell happened? Why is my daughter’s face all over the news?” he yelled at me, fear and anger dueling for prominence in his voice.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. The insidious thought crept into my mind, that it could have been Sophie. I wanted to shake the thought, but it was persistent. She was the only person who’d recently found out about Grace. Everyone else had known for years that Grace was my daughter, and it’d never come out. Ford was still yelling so I interrupted him. “I don’t know. I have no idea who would do this or why. We’ll figure it out and fix it,” I paused, before I told him the next part. “The Broncos aren’t saying anything. They won’t openly support me, and the uncertainty is going to fuel the fire.”
“Fantastic,” he groaned sarcastically. “Fucking fantastic. Like this wasn’t bad enough. It’s not going to blow over quickly.”
I blocked the memory of coming home and accusing Sophie. I couldn’t relive that again. Not so soon. I drove to Ford’s on autopilot. I had an idea what I needed to do, but it was not going to be easy. I’d need to convince Hannah and Ford first.
When I arrived the first words out of Hannah’s mouth are, “Where’s Sophie?”
“She went home for Thanksgiving,” I replied tersely. Hannah looked shocked, and Ford blew up, “What, she jumped ship, as soon as things got difficult?”
I couldn’t let them think that Sophie not being here was her decision. She might have left, but I drove her away. “I told her to leave. I accused her of being the one to leak the story.”
The stunned looks on their faces drove my guilt deeper.
“What?” Hannah finally gasped. “You think Sophie did this?” Ford didn’t say anything. He was apparently shocked into silence at my words.
“No, yes, I don’t know,” I muttered, my heart warring with my head. I knew what Sophie told me, and a huge part of me knew she wouldn’t lie, but I couldn’t escape that niggling voice saying it was too easy.
“Bro, I don’t think she would do this,” Ford finally said slowly. “I’m not saying I know her better than you, but this doesn’t seem like something she would do.”
“I know,” I cried, banging my hand on the kitchen table. “But she was the only one who found out recently, and suddenly after four years, almost five, the story makes the news?”
“Not trying to doubt you, but this is also the first time you’ve been back home in all that time, and now you’re famous,” Hannah said quietly. “Maybe someone thought the story would be worth something now.”
“Pretty sure I screwed up,” I admitted, holding my head in my hands. “I didn’t want to listen to her. I didn’t even give her a chance to talk before I told her to leave.”
“What did she say?” Hannah asked, resting her hand on my arm.
“That she was going to her family’s, but she’d be back Sunday. That I had to decide to trust her. It wasn’t just about when things are easy, but when they get difficult too,” I replied, feeling a little hope. She said she was coming back, and I had to believe that meant I had a chance to win her forgiveness.
“It sounds like she’s giving you time to figure this out. She’s right you know. You can’t let what Ford and I did color your relationships with other people,” Hannah said sadly. I jerked my head up at her words. It hadn’t occurred to me that I was doing exactly that.
“I hate to break this love fest up, but have you come to the conclusion that Sophie is an innocent party in all of this?” Olivia announced, walking into the kitchen with a folder.
As I looked around and saw Ford’s understanding nod, Hannah’s soft smile, and my dad’s encouraging face I had an epiphany. I truly forgave them. Seeing the media storm over the release of Grace’s parentage gave me a new understanding of how much they’d done what they did, in an effort to protect me. Until I’d experienced that same need to protect my own child, I hadn’t understood their reasons and hadn’t fully forgiven them. Admitting t
hat I knew in my heart that Sophie hadn’t had anything to do with the release of the story, allowed me to finally forgive them completely and let the distrust go.
“Yes, I believe Sophie is innocent,” I stated confidently.
“Good, because I found out who did and it’s not pretty,” Olivia said, frowning.
“How did you find out so quickly?” I asked, surprised. Olivia gave me a disbelieving stare.
“There’s nothing money can’t buy. Besides my IQ is higher than yours, even discounting how many hits to the head you’ve taken,” she said sarcastically. “I had investigators on this, the second I heard.”
“You’re a good friend, Olivia,” I responded, appreciating her immediate action to protect my family. Olivia might seem haughty, but she cared about my daughter and was a fierce competitor. I was grateful she was on our side.
“And don’t you forget it,” She told me, with a sharp nod of her head. “The rest of you may want to sit down for this.”
Ford and Hannah sat down, and I noticed a sick look on Hannah’s face like she suspected what Olivia was going to say, and it really was bad. Ford reached over and clasped her hand. Olivia took a deep breath before diving in. “It was your parents, Hannah.” Her voice was devoid of any emotion, as she stated it. I was flabbergasted by the news, but no one else seemed overly surprised.
“Why would they do this?” I asked, unaware I’d said it out loud.
“Who knows?” Olivia said. “They’re bitter, greedy people. The main issue is, they didn’t say anything untrue, so we can’t nail them to the wall for slander.”
“We have to do something, though,” Hannah said, visibly pulling herself together.
“I have an idea,” I said, uncomfortable, but it was the only thing I’d thought of. They looked at me expectantly, so I told them. “I do a press conference with all of us there. I don’t need to go into detail about Grace, but if we address it as a united front, they'll back down.”
“I hate to admit it, but helmet head has a point,” Olivia said, her agreement shocking me. “But it’s going to need to be heartfelt, whatever you say. It needs to disarm all the haters out there.”
I nodded, agreeing with her. Ford cleared his throat. “Are you okay with doing this?” he asked, looking at me. “They’re out for blood, and with the Broncos silent about your future, what will this do to your career?”
His implication pissed me off. “I don’t care about my career,” I told him angrily.
“But I do,” he answered passionately. “We’ll face this together as a family, no matter what, but I don’t want you to lose your dream either. We can weather this. But you should be on the field playing, and you know it,” he ended vehemently.
“I admit the idea that I might never play again terrifies me, but protecting Grace and winning back Sophie trumps football,” I told him. “I love football. It’s been my life for a very long time, but it’s not what matters. Not anymore.”
“That should work for the immediate issue at hand,” Olivia said. “But we still need to address the issue of your parents, Hannah,” Olivia’s face was compassionate, but determined.
“We ruin them,” Hannah finally said, her face colder than I’d ever seen. She frightened me more in that instant than she ever did dressed as a Wicked Queen.
“Hannah,” Ford protested. Hannah shook her head. I had a feeling they’d had this discussion before.
“They did this,” she answered him, frowning. “I let it go when they attacked you, but this is too far. I will not allow this to go on,” She looked at Olivia. “What’s your suggestion?”
“We can’t go after them from a legal standpoint, but we can go to the press with the full story,” Olivia answered. “Basically we’ll do to them what they’ve done to you. Try them in the court of public opinion. They’ll lose.”
Hannah nodded, “Who do we go through? Can you set it up?”
“I’ve got a magazine in mind. This story will sell,” Olivia stated. “Especially, after Colt’s press conference.”
“I don’t want to sell the story,” Hannah said, suddenly. “I don’t want to profit from this.”
“Then we’ll stipulate they donate the money to a charity of your choice,” Olivia agreed. “Either way, the truth gets out there. They’ll be hard pressed to find anyone willing to associate with them, once it does.”
“Are you sure?” I asked Hannah. “I don’t know what happened with your parents, but this is a big step.”
“I’ll tell you the story, but I’m sure. This has been a long time coming,” Hannah said sadly.
“Colt, see how quickly you can arrange for the press conference. We need to stop this, before it builds anymore momentum,” Olivia told me. I nodded and stepped out to call my agent.
We set up the conference for the next day in the high school auditorium. I couldn’t stop the nerves running through me. We’d agreed to have Ford, Hannah, and Grace there at the table. We’d talked to Grace about what was going on and tried to explain why people were saying I was her father.
The next afternoon, we arrived and pushed through a gauntlet of media and flashing cameras. We took a seat at the table facing the camera crews and reporters. I wished Sophie was beside me, but I pushed the thought aside. I needed to focus on what I was going to tell these people, and not the massive mistake I’d made with Sophie.
At 2:00 p.m. on the dot, I started the conference.
“Good evening. I’m going to start off by saying this conference is not about my career or the Broncos. Instead, it’s about my daughter,” I paused for a second, as the press went wild, shouting questions, cameras clicking. I glanced over to see how Grace was handling it. We’d tried to prepare her. She smiled for the cameras and waved. I smiled and cleared my throat, to get their attention. “Questions may be answered after I’ve completed my statement. A woman very important to me once said, “A life lived ordinarily will never become extraordinary.” She was right. My life has been extraordinary so far, but it’s because of the extraordinary actions of ordinary people. People like Hannah and Ford, who saw a dream in me, and fought to make sure it came true,” I paused a moment, looking out. The silence in the room was absolute. “Grace is my biological daughter. There were circumstances around her birth that prevented me from being a part of her life. I’ve never acknowledged her as mine, because in every way that counts, I’m not her father. I was there for the moment of her creation, but that doesn’t make me her father. It makes me a sperm donor. Being a father is a choice. One my brother, Ford, has made every day, since the day he discovered Grace’s existence. He is Grace’s father. And he’s an incredible father. I know, because I grew up with him, and I couldn’t have chosen a better man to be a father to Grace.”
I looked down the table and saw Ford’s eyes were red. Looking around the room, there were very few dry eyes. Olivia was in the back, and she gave me a small nod.
“I appreciate everyone’s time today. I hope you’ll respect my family’s privacy. Have a good day.” I stood up, and the others followed my lead. As we walked out of the room, the press began clapping.
The next day, I sat in on Hannah’s interview with People magazine. Olivia had set it up, to follow the press conference. Hearing what Hannah went through, after finding out she was pregnant, horrified me. I’d never bothered to find out the entire story, instead choosing to wallow in my own pain. Watching the interviewer’s expression, as she listened to Hannah recount the events made me realize theirs was a love story. One that told me everything they went through was worth it. Their love would always be worth fighting for.
Thanksgiving passed slowly for me. As much as I had to be thankful for, it was the person absent that haunted me. I clung to her words, as the days went by, hoping they meant I had a chance to be forgiven. Words wouldn’t be sufficient to win her back, so I devised a plan with Ford, Hannah, and Olivia. They seemed confident it would work, but I wasn’t as certain. I would have a hard time forgiving, if the sit
uation was reversed.
The days dragged, giving me too much time to think. Sophie’s last words replayed in my mind constantly. I regretted my accusation, but I couldn’t take the words back, no matter how much I wished I could. All I could do was hope she showed more understanding than I did.
Sunday morning finally arrived, causing my anxiety to spike. This was my make or break moment. I’d put everything I had into my apology and hoped she understood it. I took one last look around the apartment, before stepping out. I was putting my faith in Sophie now, hoping that she would know this was the ultimate sign of my trust.
Sophie
Chapter Eighteen
The cab dropped me in front of the apartment complex. I hadn’t called Colt, or anyone for that matter, to let them know when I’d arrive back. I had no idea of the reception I’d receive. For all I knew, he’d packed my stuff and it was waiting at the door for me. I closed my eyes, fighting back the fear around what I’d see when I got off the elevator.
Thanksgiving had been a special form of torture. I couldn’t admit to my family what Colt had accused me of. I lied and told them the plan was always to surprise them. Of course, they’d heard the news story and had millions of questions. I answered their questions the best I could. Somehow, I managed not to break down in front of them. I stayed glued to the TV, as the press conference showed live from the high school auditorium. Tears ran down my face, as I listened to Colt talk about fatherhood.
He may not realize it, but he was so much more than a sperm donor. Grace adored her Uncle ‘Olt, because he loved her as a father. His choice to only discuss Grace during the press conference was proof of that. He put his career second to his daughter.
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