A Daddy for Mother's Day_A Secret Baby Romance

by Natalie Knight

  There. Sent. I fulfilled my promise.

  “Mommy?” Liam calls. “Can I ask you another question?”

  “Of course, buddy. What is it?”

  “Do you get to talk to Brady Thomas?”

  I hesitate.

  “I do.”

  “Wow! Mommy, can I have his autograph?” he blurts.

  His eyes are filled with hope and excitement as my stomach forms knots.

  “Why Brady’s autograph, bud?”

  “Uh, duh! He’s the best quarterback ever. He’s my absolute favorite!”

  “I see, I see. Well, I can try. Can you go do your homework while we wait for the pizza? Then, we can read together when dinner’s over.”

  “Okay! I love you, Mom!”

  “Love you, too, kiddo.”

  Of course Brady fucking Thomas is Liam’s favorite.

  Shit.

  Chapter 11

  Izzie

  I take a long, satisfying sip of my rich, dark roast coffee, and take a seat at my desk.

  “So, how extensive is the damage?” I ask Brandon, a technician at the exterminator’s office. “And how long has it been? I don’t know how it slipped.”

  “It’s been two years, it looks like. The last routine inspection was called in by a woman, Mrs. Harriet Williams,” he answers.

  “Yeah. Okay. That was my grandmother. I was such a mess after she passed, that this was the ball that dropped,” I explain.

  “I’m sorry, miss. I know it’s hard being the one maintaining a home, especially an inherited house. You never quite know what you’re walking into,” he replies in an attempt to comfort me.

  But I don’t know if there really is much comfort to be given. My home is inhospitable and hazardous to Liam, and I don’t know what we’re going to do.

  “So, what’s the next step? What do I need to do to get it all right?” I ask him. I’m frantic and nearly in tears.

  “Well, we need to fumigate the home, inside and out. Thus, you need to be out for a full week, so we can be certain we clear the infestation.”

  With the phone in one ear, I start typing away at my computer, already searching for some solution.

  AirBnB? Motel 6?

  “Okay. That’s not so bad. So one week, and we can come back; and by then, we’ll be free and clear?” That’s absolutely something I can wrap my mind around. Honestly, I feel a relief that’s enough to make my shoulders finally relax.

  “Well, not quite, Ms. Williams. You see, there’s a lot of underlying damage to the supports of the house. And this is just underneath. I have no idea how the inside of your walls look like right now. These little guys have been making themselves comfortable for a while,” he points out to me.

  “Okay. So what does that mean? I’ve literally never dealt with something like this before. So please, leave no stone unturned here.”

  “It means you’ll need to hire a contractor to rebuild the framework of your house. And I’ve got nothing to do with that, so I have no idea how long that could take.”

  “I understand. Well, alright then. Um, thank you for your help, I appreciate the call,” I say politely and hang up my phone.

  I take another indulgent mouthful of coffee, as if somehow it’ll absolve me of my current dilemma. As I swallow, I come to the awful reality, that it’s just not the case.

  I close my eyes and think for just a moment. I need a plan for me and for Liam. The plan should include enabling me to get to work and to drop Liam off to school at a reasonable time.None of the ‘reputable’ motels seem to suit this plan.

  I start scrolling AirBnB. Shit. There are no houses available for the next two months.

  Okay. Think, Izzie. You can do this.

  The door to my office slowly opens, presenting a sweaty, achy Brady Thomas in my doorway. He sees me in my frazzled state — my hair is a mess, my eyes are sunken in, and I’m so pale— that it looks like I’ve seen a ghost.

  “Is everything okay?” he asks, his look immediately turning from curiousity to concern.

  “Yeah. Besides the fact that my house could collapse at any moment, I’m freaking fantastic,” I snap.

  I feel bad. I know I’m lashing out. But what’s he even going to really do about it?

  “Oh, no. What happened to it?”

  “Termites. Apparently, I never renewed the inspection agreement after my grandmother passed. Now, my son and I have nowhere to go. God, why?”

  “Hey, calm down, Izzie. It’ll be okay.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. Aren’t you, like, so rich that you can’t stand it? You can literally sign a lease somewhere tomorrow and be fine.”

  “That’s true. I really can. But I don’t.”

  “Yeah. Must be nice,” I comment coldly.

  “Well, I was gonna say...If you need a place while your house is getting fixed, I can help,” he explains. My ears perk up like an excited dog.

  “Yeah? I mean. I couldn’t possibly impose. I have a young boy. He can be a handful at times, and I don’t want to burden anyone.”

  “Listen, Izzie. I have three guest rooms. No one has used them in years. Please, I insist. You’ve been so great to all of us. Let me help you. You need it.”

  “I’m sure I can figure something out. You’re going to have to let me do this on my own. But thank you, Brady.”

  “Okay, then it’s settled. You and Liam are going to do your own thing. Do you have a pen? I’ll write down my number, just in case you change your mind,” he insists.

  I hand him my pen and sit back in awe of Brady. He has really surprised me the past few days. And this is more than I could ask, even from a close friend.

  He hands me the paper, and I fold it and place it in my wallet.

  “Thank you, Brady. I really appreciate that,” I say.

  “It’s no trouble, Izzie. Really. It’ll be nice to have a not-so-empty home for a little while,” he assures me, still trying to sell me the idea.

  “Oh, well, you might not feel the same way after you’ve battled with an eight-year-old a few times,” I reply. “I can’t just put that strain on anyone, you know?”

  “Oh, I’m sure I can handle it if I have to,” he says. He walks across my office and picks up a small picture frame. “Is this him?”

  “Yes,” I answer.

  “He looks a lot like you.”

  Tears almost fall from my eyes. He actually looks a lot more like my sister, but I don’t want to get into it.

  “Thanks. I get that a lot,” I lie. It’s just better that way. “I’ll see you out on the field, then.”

  “Oh, wait. Izzie, is there anything I can be eating to help me?”

  Right. I forgot he came to my office looking for help.

  “Yeah, what’s up?”

  “I’ve gotten your plan down pat, but I just don’t want to have to take a leave every few hours, ya know? My elbow’s been crazy stiff and I can’t have that.”

  “Oh, man. Well, you need to take it easy on it for the away game. In the meantime, I’ll give you a catered list of some anti-inflammatory food that are going to help you get through it.

  “Awesome, thanks!”

  “No problem. Thank you.”

  He leaves, and just like that, Brady Thomas is selling to me that he’s not the total douchebag I’ve painted him up to be. God, how can he be so awful and good at the same time?

  I sigh and prepare for a long day. I need to set aside all of the thoughts literally racing through my mind about the house and just focus on work for a few hours. I’m going to get this all straightened out for me and Liam. I know it.

  Chapter 12

  Izzie

  As soon as we get home from school, I race upstairs. I tell Liam to pack all of his favorite things and all of the clothes he needs for the next couple of weeks.

  I already know I’m going to have to supervise him and do it all over again, but honestly, I just need him in another room not asking questions.

  I go into my own room and
grab a few suitcases. I take one over to Liam, and he starts tossing his clothes in, his toothbrush, his underwear, a few books, and more reasonable essentials than I’d expect of an eight year old. Okay, maybe he’s got this.

  I go back into my room and start tossing underwear, clothes, shoes, toiletries, and pictures from my dresser of my sister and me.

  God, I miss her right now. I would kill for her to still be here with me. I’d just be the awesome aunt helping out, but that’s not possible.

  I’m Liam’s mom now, and I have been since he was born. It’s just that, it ‘s never been this difficult before.

  I try to keep my mind and my ears occupied. During every moment of silence, I feel like I can hear the termites just eating away at my beautiful home. It’s so unsettling and nerve-wracking that I question whether or not I’m going to get through packing.

  After I fill a couple of suitcases, I feel like I have enough to get me through. I zip them up and carry them down the hall.

  God, even walking through the hallway is horrible. I swear I can hear them sawing at my supporting beams and tunneling through it all.

  I bolt into Liam’s room to help him with the rest of his stuff, and we fly down the stairs and out of the house. I toss the suitcases into the trunk and we get ourselves buckled in.

  “What’s going on, mommy?” Liam asks, concerned.

  “We just have to be away from home for a little while, buddy. The house needs to be fixed, so it will be safe for us to live in.”

  “Oh. Wait. It wasn’t safe while we were living there?”

  “That’s not necessarily true. But I can’t really say yes or no. The point is, we can’t be there now. There are some awesome guys that are going to make it even better than before.” Once I figure it all out, I think to myself.

  “Okay, mom. I trust you,” his little voice offers from the back seat. A little tear drops from the corner of my eye. He’s such a sweetheart and doesn’t know how much those tiny words mean to me right now.

  “I’m glad, kid. I try really hard to make sure we’re good, you know?” I admit.

  “I know, mommy. I love you. I always feel safe with you, even if our house isn’t.”

  “Me too, buddy.”

  “Mommy? I’m hungry.”

  Shit.

  I forgot about dinner. I’ve been so ready to go, that I completely forgot to make dinner plans for us.

  Well that’s not entirely true; there’s a pork roast ready to cook in the refrigerator. But that’s obviously no longer the plan.

  Oh God. I forgot. I should probably call Alex, before I try to barge into her house. She’s my best friend, but this is one crazy request to not actually ask about.

  And she doesn’t answer. Crap.

  I forgot, she’s house sitting for her parents about 4 hours away. There’s no way I could even get her key to ask her if I could stay at her place.

  On to plan B. But first, I gotta get Liam and me some dinner.

  “What’re you hungry for, buddy?” I ask him. I’m gonna spoil the crap out of him soon, if I’m not careful.

  “Can we have waffles?” he yells from the back seat. I look at him in the rear view mirror to see a massive grin across his face. How can I say no?

  “Yes. You got it, man.”

  We drive up to the nearest IHOP and as we’re seated I furiously browse through hotel sites, finding that any hotel per night is my budget for the week.

  I turn the search to motels. Okay, there’s one I can afford. But, it’s a little farther than I wanted to drive. Well, if it’s what I’ve got, it’s what I’ve got.

  I can’t help but think about Brady’s offer to us. Liam loves Brady Thomas and would just die to stay with him, and hang out with him if he could.

  But it’s not a good idea. There’re too many blurred lines, and I want to keep myself as professional as possible with him. I don’t want to lash out at him, nor do I want him to somehow find out about Liam.

  This motel will be fine. Everything is going to work out.

  As Liam scarfs down his waffles, drenched in butter and syrup, I cringe. Here I am, eating the ‘fit and simple’ egg white omelette and fruit, and there he is, eating twice his daily calorie intake.

  But I’ve been a good mom in every other way possible today. Is it really so bad to let him indulge once in a while? I know the answer, so my guilt fades quickly.

  When we finish our meal, Liam is a gooey mess. So I send him to the bathroom to get washed up while I settle the check.

  Brady’s phone number peeks out from my cash as I pay for the meal.

  But I fight it. I shake my head to myself and we take pride, as we exit and make our way to our temporary home.

  We pull up in the parking lot, and I have to fight weeping in front of Liam. It’s so much worse than I could have imagined.

  Half the lights in the sign are out. There’s a stray dog wandering around, pacing the main entrance into the lobby, and there are a couple of rooms that are roped off with yellow tape.

  Can I really bring Liam into this environment? If it’s this awful on the outside, I can’t even begin to imagine the inside.

  I fight myself again, turning the car off and going to unhook my seatbelt. I’m incredibly aware of our surroundings, and I’m scanning the building as I place my hand on the door handle.

  As the dog curves around the building, I get out and get us checked in, but I freeze when I see two men off the second floor on the balcony ‘exchanging business’.

  That’s when I finally decide it’s a no. I should have just pulled it off as soon as I pulled up. But I’m desperate.

  “Mommy, are we getting out?” Liam asks.

  “No, bud. We’re going to go somewhere else. Are you buckled, still?”

  “Yes.”

  I pull out my phone and my wallet, and take out Brady’s phone number.

  Hi, Brady. It’s Izzie. What’s your address?

  I wait for only a moment, and wonder just how much I’m going to have to explain, while I’m still in this parking lot before he replies.

  But, to my surprise, he promptly gives me his street address, and I plug it into my navigation.

  I tried. I tried so hard to avoid it. But now it’s the only choice we’ve got besides the car, and I’m not doing that to Liam.

  I take a deep breath and pull out of the shady motel parking lot and drive to Brady Thomas’s house.

  Chapter 13

  Brady

  “Mr. Thomas, Ms. Williams has arrived. Should I buzz her in?”

  “Thanks, Phil,” I tell my guard over the phone. “Wave her in.”

  I actually already knew she was here. I’ve been standing by the front window, watching anxiously for her like a dog waiting for its owner to get back.

  Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds a little pathetic, but I’ve been looking forward to this day ever since I got the call from Izzie. It really sucks about her termites, but I’m going to make sure she and Liam will have a blast at my place.

  After all, this is her chance to see the real me and not, you know, the big shot version of me who struts around the stadium; although I’ll be lying if I said I wasn’t a hotshot outside the field, too, because I totally am.

  I run outside to the front of the house to greet them.

  As Izzie climbs out of the car, I notice she’s not wearing a stitch of makeup. She has her hair all piled on top of her head in a messy bun.

  I can tell from the stressful way she reaches into the car and grabs her heavy suitcase, swinging it around on one arm, that she’s tired. It can’t be easy to pack up your life and stay with a stranger for a whole week.

  But now that she’s staying here with me, things should be smooth sailing for her. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s pampering the fuck out of people.

  I meet Izzie at her car.

  “I’ll take that off your hands for ya.”

  I grab her suitcases from her, which are surprisingly lighter than she made them lo
ok.

  She looks up at me, her eyes all wide-eyed and embarrassed. She has no idea how beautiful she looks with zero effort. What is this sorcery?

  “Brady, thank you so much for—”

  I immediately wave her off. “Forget about it. It’s nothing.”

  Knowing Izzie, she probably feels like all this is a big inconvenience for me when it’s really not. I need to nip her doubt in the bud.

  “Everyone’s always welcome at my place. No biggie.” I shrug and give her the old-Brady smile.

  I can already see the anxiousness melt from her face. Did I catch a hint of a smile?

  Liam climbs out the passenger side with his Justice League backpack.

  “Yo, Liam! My man!” I slap his hands, a gesture which he enthusiastically returns.

  His face is all wide-eyed; he’s positively beaming.

  “Thanks for letting us stay in your house, Mr. Brady!”

  “Dude, it’s nothing.” I grab his backpack; I’m now lugging everyone’s bags as we walk into the house. “My house is big and empty and doesn’t have enough people in it. If anything, you’re doing me a favor.”

  I look behind me to see Izzie with a peculiar expression on her face, like she’s proud or something. Whatever it is, it makes me feel confident that I’m doing the right things and not, you know, creeping her out.

  At the front door, I put my hand on the handle. “Hold on to your hats, folks. Welcome to...Casa de Brady!”

  I swing the doors open theatrically. Izzie rolls her eyes of course.

  Yeah, I know it’s a little cheesy, but I’m sure Liam will get a kick out of it. After all, my entryway is pretty damn impressive.

  As the door swings open, Liam and Izzie’s faces light up like Christmas trees.

  “Wow!” Liam runs into the house as he stares at the tall ceilings.

  While I was house hunting, I picked this one right away based on the entrance alone. The tall ceilings, the marble floors, the two spiral staircases that curve up into the mezzanine...It was majestic as fuck.

  As soon as I saw it, I signed on the dotted line that day. You don’t let a house like this get away.

  Even Izzie looks surprised. Her eyes are glued to the ceilings as her pupils travel around the room. It’s probably as if she’s stumbled into Narnia.