“I’ll do that tonight, but I’m pretty sure Bret’s mine. You even said how much he looks like me when I was a baby, well, without the cleft palate, of course.”
“Cade, you were a beautiful baby. I mean it.” His mother’s voice was choked. “Thanks for letting me be a part of this. Thank you so much.”
“Same here. Thanks.”
His mother and he had never been close until they found out Roxanne was pregnant. Perhaps, she wanted a second chance with her grandson, or maybe she regretted leaving him to foster care, but for whatever reason, this unplanned pregnancy had turned out to be the biggest blessing besides meeting Andie. It had brought his mother back to him.
Cade switched on the ignition and followed the police down the hill. Whatever trouble Andie was in, he’d pay for the damages. She must have panicked when the hordes of reporters had descended on her.
His heart ached at her betrayal. She’d sounded so sincere when she’d said she loved him. But was he surprised? Not really. It was the sorry story of his life—to be left as soon as he’d thought he found love.
# # #
Andie’s eyes popped back and forth between the rear view mirror and the windshield. The cops hadn’t chased her, and she was on an interstate heading east. She didn’t know where she’d go, only that she couldn’t go back to Cade’s.
Her phone had beeped with incoming text messages and voicemail, but she couldn’t violate the law in California against using cell phones while driving. It was probably Leroy checking up on her. Of course, it could be Cade, but he was supposed to pick up his baby from the hospital.
She took a deep breath and blinked. No matter what, she’d never be Bret’s mother, and even though Cade had tried to include her at the hospital, she felt strange holding the baby while his mother looked on.
Face it. Roxanne would always be tied to Cade because of Bret, whereas she had only the ruby red slipper charm.
Nope. She couldn’t face any of them now that her face had been plastered all over the internet as the slut who sucked off Cade.
Besides, when she filed her divorce papers this morning, the clerk had told her it wouldn’t be finalized for six months. She’d still be married to Declan during all of the work on the King David series. Day after day, rehearsing and shooting the takes with him would be awkward.
Then night after night, sleeping in Cade’s bed while still married to Declan? No wonder the reporters had staked out Cade’s place. They wanted to catch her and humiliate her. Call her a slut and adulteress and disturb the peace at Cade’s house. With her around, the media circus would continue, and Cade’s baby would never get any sleep.
No way could she go back now. It was time to lay low and wait. She could hide out in a small town, wait tables or work at a library. Wait until everyone had forgotten about her and Cade. Wait for her divorce to be finalized.
Wait and see if Cade and Roxanne would get together and make a family for Bret. She was the interloper, ruining his perfect family. Maybe if she stepped out of the picture, Cade and Roxanne would make a go for it and they could live happily ever after.
She glanced at her cell phone. She had a message and a missed call from Cade. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she longed to hear his voice.
Swiping the screen, she read the text message first. He was going to pick up the baby and wanted to know if she’d come along.
“I can’t,” she spoke to herself. “I can’t ruin your evening, with reporters hounding us.”
She checked the voicemail, and her heart sped up into a frenzy. She was wanted for a hit and run? Had someone been hurt after all?
Should she turn herself in? Were they after her? The license plate was too obvious, a personalized one.
Darn it. She’d have to ditch his car and take the bus. How much cash did she have on her? She had no clothes other than what she was wearing and no toiletries. Not even her dog, Gollie.
Another message popped up on the notification area of her phone. She fumbled with her phone to swipe it open and read it. A horn blared and tires screeched as the truck on her right swerved into her lane.
A loud metallic thud jerked the steering wheel from her hands, and she was spinning to the shrieking of tires and the crunching sound of metal while a cloud of white punched her in the face, throwing her up, down, over and out.
Chapter 20
Cade gave his statement to the police and assured them that Andie had permission to use his car. He also contacted his lawyer about paying for the damages on the photographer’s equipment.
On his way to his car, he texted Andie again, Where are you? Let me know you’re okay.
His phone rang as he opened his car door. He picked it up. “Hello, Andie?”
A man cleared his throat. “It’s Dick Davis.”
“Mr. Davis?” Cade’s pulse ratcheted higher. Why would the owner of the Flash be calling him after hours?
“Can I have a word with you?”
“Uh, yes, sure. Go ahead.”
“Actually, I want you to meet me at the stadium.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, it’s important. Can you be there in fifteen minutes?”
“Sure, I’ll be there.” Cade’s stomach lurched, and he swallowed bile.
His contract expired this year, and if he didn’t make starting quarterback, it would be a foregone conclusion that he’d be traded or sent to another team. A player who hadn’t made the starting lineup by the time his contract ended was a bust and viewed as a “has been,” only suited for keeping the bench warm in case a starter was injured.
Had something happened to cause Dick to want to speak to him?
Cade called his mother. “Mom, something came up. I can’t go to the hospital right now. I’ll call Joey and have him take you to meet Roxanne and the baby.”
“What? Is everything okay with Andie?”
“Yes, she’s fine. It’s just that the owner of the Flash wants to speak to me.”
“Owner? You mean Dick Davis?”
“Uh, yeah. Maybe he wants to talk contracts with me. Coach Settles says I’m starting this Saturday. You’re coming to the game, aren’t you?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” His mother chuckled. “By the way, you called me ‘Mom.’ That’s the second time.”
Cade’s gut somersaulted with his heart. He had? He’d sworn up and down growing up that he’d never call the woman who gave birth to him ‘Mom.’ She hadn’t deserved it, leaving him in foster homes when he was born with a deep cleft palate. He still wore the scar from his surgeries over his upper lip, and every morning when he shaved, he’d recall how she couldn’t deal with him being deformed.
“I have to go,” he said quietly. “See you later, and thanks.”
He swallowed the last word, unable to say it now that he was thinking about it. Sure, his mother had had a tough life with her drug addiction, and arguably, he’d been better off with his wealthier foster parents and donors who paid for his surgery, but still, every baby deserved a mother and a father.
Except he had no clue who his father was.
Cade called Joey and explained the situation.
“Sure, I’ll go. I can’t believe Davis wants a one-on-one with you. Your ship’s coming in, man, I know it,” Joey said. “Dick probably wants to feel you out, see if you’re the man to lead the team this season. This is awesome.”
“It’s not a done deal.” Cade rubbed the side of his neck. “Maybe it’s something else.”
“Don’t worry, man. You’re looking sharper than Irvin in all the videos. I’m sure you’re getting the starting job.” Joey chuckled. “Which means I’ll get more receptions, too. I swear, Todd holds onto the ball too long. I’m waving and waving at him and he ends up grounding the ball into the sidelines because he’s too chicken to throw a possible interception.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, rub it in. Listen, gotta go.”
“Okay, have fun while I pick up your son for you. You got the paternity test, right?�
��
“Yeah, ordered it online already. They just have to draw my blood again. See ya.” Cade hung up and rolled his eyes. Why was everyone suspicious of Bret’s parentage? Or was it just another rumor to elicit publicity for the team? The team’s motto was always ‘no publicity is bad publicity.’ Which was why guys were slapping his back and congratulating him over the picture of Andie in his lap. What was looked on gloriously for a man was the polar opposite for a woman. Thankfully, no one had brought up the shameful images of his Andie kissing her costar and husband. Maybe it wasn’t newsworthy since she was officially still married to the jerk.
At least Bret was all his. The baby had his shining blue eyes and big bones. He was the spitting image of how he imagined he would have looked had he not been born with a cleft.
“Cade Prescott,” a booming voice greeted him at the entrance to the clubhouse. “Have a minute? I picked up two box dinners since I figured you’d be hungry.”
“Mr. Davis, an honor.” Cade shook hands with the white-haired owner. The man was a former Pro Bowler during the reign of the Los Angeles Rams who’d married a wealthy woman. After the Rams left Los Angeles, Dick worked tirelessly to build the LA Flash football team from scratch, including the entertainment oriented, state of the art Flash Stadium on the shores of Lake Hollywood.
The older man clapped a hand over Cade’s shoulder and steered him toward an elevator. “I’ve been studying the videos. You’re looking like a contender. You do know this is your fourth year on the contract.”
“Yes, I’m aware. I’d like to prove to you why you should sign me to another four year term.”
“That can be done. Your agent’s been in touch.”
Really? Rob must have been working behind the scenes. He certainly hadn’t visited Roxanne as often as a caring brother should have. Maybe he was busy signing new players or traveling around the country courting team owners before the trading deadline at the end of October.
They stepped from the elevator into the highest box in the stadium. From the expansive glass windows, they hovered over the entire playing field, which was empty at the moment. Beyond lay the sparkling waters of Lake Hollywood, drastically lower from its banks because of the prolonged drought.
“My domain,” the older man said, waving his hand. “Can you see yourself up here some day? Please, take a seat.”
Cade sank onto the plush leather chair and set his dinner box on the walnut burled table. Mr. Davis poured himself a whiskey on the rocks, while handing Cade a bottle of mineral water from the stainless steel refrigerator engraved with the Flash logo, a lightning bolt.
“First of all, I want to congratulate you on becoming a father,” Mr. Davis said.
“Thanks, I’m rather proud of the little one.”
“Name?”
“Bret.” Cade took a drink of the water, cooling his mouth.
“Taking good care of him?”
“I plan on it.” Cade watched as Mr. Davis opened his box and unveiled the chargrilled steak. Why had the owner brought him here to talk about babies?
“Good. Like a real man should. I know you didn’t grow up with a father, so I figured I’d offer you any advice or support you need.”
“Thanks, Mr. Davis.” Cade finally decided to cut a piece of the steak and chew on it. He wanted to get to the hospital or at least back home to help Roxanne and Bret get settled.
“Call me Dick.” The owner put his fork down and laid his palms flat on the table. “You’re not Bret’s father.”
Cade inhaled a chunk of beef, catching it down his windpipe. His mind blanked at the thought of losing Bret. No. It couldn’t be. Bret was his. Dick was playing a game. Shocking him.
He grabbed his throat, gagging and unable to breathe. His eyes bulged and nothing felt real.
Dick pushed him forward and grabbed him from behind. His heavy, hammy fists clasped together, and he shoved them into Cade’s solar plexus.
Flashes of light danced in Cade’s vision as he struggled to pull air in. He was freaking going to die. He’d never get to marry Andie. Make an honest woman out of her. Give her a baby. Love her until death. No, no, not death. No.
The visions from the Pet Sematary movie flashed, and he saw himself coming out of the grave, a monster ready to devour all around. He saw Bret growing up without him, lonely and rejected, bouncing from foster home to foster home.
He was slammed onto the table, and his breath expelled, and then he was coughing and hacking, gasping as he spit out the chunk of meat.
Sharp slaps landed between his shoulder blades as he hunched over the table, catching his breath.
“Well, now, I guess you’re okay, kid.” Mr. Davis handed him the water bottle. “Do you want to keep talking or should we reschedule?”
“I … need … to know.” Cade swallowed a draught of water down his aching throat. “Were you joking?”
The older man folded his hands and shook his head slowly. “This is between you and me only. You must deny the paternity test, or tell everyone you took it and that Bret is yours.”
“W-why?” Cade’s vision was blurry, and he blinked to clear his head. “I don’t get it.”
“You love Bret already, don’t you? And you’d do anything for him.”
“Yes, but why isn’t he mine? What’s going on here? Who’s his father and how do you know?”
“I’m his father.” The older man leaned forward, holding Cade’s gaze. His fierce blue eyes were large and clear without any specks of grey.
“You?” Cade pointed at him, his index finger shaking. “You? How?”
“The old fashioned way. Roxanne was already pregnant when she seduced you New Year’s Eve. We trusted you to be the designated father. We chose you.”
Cade’s gut contracted, setting off a rumbling avalanche as blood pounded his temple. Red heat expanded, and adrenaline flooded his muscles.
“You two chose me?” he roared, standing and slamming his fist on the walnut burl, cracking the table. “Because why? I’m the chump? The idiot?”
“Calm, calm.” The older man spread his hands wide. “You need something. I need something.”
“What do you need?” Cade’s voice was deep with fury. “What. Do. You. Need?”
“A young man to raise my son. One who would love him and give him all he needs. In exchange, I give you the starting position on the team, a generous contract, and enough money to raise Bret at the level he deserves. I’m an old man, Cade. I’m married to an extremely wealthy, but jealous woman who insisted on a pre-nup. Surely, you can see this is a win-win for both of us. You want to be a great father, the kind of father you never had, and I need someone to take my place. I’ll be Bret’s godfather, but I can never acknowledge him, or my wife will cut me from all her funds. The entire team will have to be sold, and all of the redevelopment projects I’m doing for Los Angeles would be scrapped. People depend on me to gentrify the city, create jobs, and give endowments to the arts and higher learning.”
“You want me to lie and claim Bret?”
“You love him already, don’t you? Even your girlfriend loves him, and in case you wonder why your girlfriend even got that job at Silver Studios …”
“Ronaldo knew about this?” Cade’s heart turned upside down, and his gut flipped inside out. He covered his mouth and swallowed hard to keep from retching. Here he thought he was the one who’d influenced Ronaldo to hire Andie as a consultant for The Love Lives of King David project.
Was the entire thing a ruse? Andie was going to be so pissed when she found out she’d been used. No wonder things had fallen into place so neatly—her job, Roxanne’s cooperation with not suing him, his agent swinging a deal for him, even the starting quarterback position—add to that, Andie’s new acting role that had her kissing Declan on the set.
“I-I can’t do this,” Cade sputtered. “I can’t take the starting job unless I earned it.”
“Your choice,” Dick said. “But the rest of the deal still stands. You breathe a
word of this to anyone and not only will you be a free agent tonight, the King David show will be canceled, and your mother will be brought up on embezzling charges.”
“Embezzling? What? How?”
“She’s a thief. Maybe she doesn’t steal from you, but she steals from everyone else. Have you checked your statements lately? She doesn’t take much, but she slips bills out of wallets and makes small charges to credit cards. Think about it.”
“I, uh, this is too much. I love Bret, it’s true. And you’re going to be an absent father. But I can’t do this. It’s dishonest. I’d be lying to myself and to those I love.”
Dick grabbed Cade by the shirt and drew him close. “You’ll never play football from the inside of a federal penitentiary.”
“What? I haven’t done anything wrong.” Cade resisted breaking the man’s hands from his shirt.
“You threw away the Super Bowl. I can arrange for witnesses to tell the commissioner that you prearranged it. Should you be chosen to play, you’d go against the coach’s call and throw an interception. You couldn’t totally control whether you’d get the nod, but your cronies knew as soon as you took the field that you’d do some irreparable damage somewhere.”
The blood drained from Cade’s head, and ice traversed his veins, freezing his every nerve cell. “D-Devon stumbled. Devon couldn’t take the handoff.”
The older man’s face creased into a snarling grin. “Devon’s my son. He’s a good boy. But you’ll never prove he had anything to do with it. He’s my heir, you’re a street rat. Who would they believe?”
~To be Continued~
Book Four
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“… twists and turns in this story will have you yelling ‘Foul’”
– Debbie Rosa
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Dedication
#24 Freeman McNeil III
Chapter 1
Where am I? What happened to me? Who am I?
Andie felt her way through the smoky mist between spindly gray trees, devoid of greenery. Her lungs ached, and her throat was clogged. A puffing sound whooshed and whirled between her lips, and shadows crept over her eyelids.
Boxed Set: Intercepted by Love (The Complete Collection): Books One - Book Six Page 32