Razor's Edge: A Bad Boy Romance (Bad Boys of Football Book 2)

by Clementine Roux

  “Hear me out; I’m not going to raise him as my own. I’m going to let him stay here until E.J. can smooth things out with his ex. That’s it. Edge needs a home base for now. I’ll be his home base. It will be fun. You’ll see,” I said.

  “It won’t be so much fun when the crazy woman has you locked up for kidnapping her son. Do you hear yourself? E.J. isn’t your husband. Hell, he’s not even your boyfriend. Why would you want to take on the responsibility of his kid right now? You’re supposed to be getting your life together, not trying to fix someone else’s life,” Felicia added.

  Instinctively, I knew she was probably right. As an outsider looking in, I could see how it sounded like I’d lost my mind. If it was her volunteering to take a five-year-old child into her home, I’d probably try to talk her out of it too, but since it wasn’t her and she had no idea of what the back story was, I couldn’t take her advice this time. “I have to do this. It feels right. Trust me. Things will be okay,” I said as confidently as I could. “He needs me.”

  Felicia threw her hands up in the air. “Oh, he needs you. Well that changes everything, doesn’t it? He needs you. Tell me, who exactly are you talking about here? Edge or his father? Girl, I don’t know what’s gotten into you. I know, you’re hurting. I get it. We’re all hurting. I miss my brother too. I miss him every single day, but you can’t bring Sam back by doing this. He’s gone, honey. He’s gone.”

  Goose pimples started to cover my body. She believed I was doing this because I was sad. “This isn’t about Sam. This is about helping Edge and his dad. That little boy doesn’t deserve to have his life torn apart.” Tears spilled down my face. “I know what it’s like to have everything taken away from you. I know what it feels like to have the person you love the most in the world -- the person you trust more than anyone -- stripped from you. It hurts. It hurts like hell. No one, not even a womanizing football player, deserves to have to go through that. No one.”

  Felicia stared back at me, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I get it now.” Clapping her hands together, she asked, “So, how do we do this? What do you need for me to do?”

  And our plan was in motion. Now, I had to figure out what exactly the plan was. I hadn’t thought much beyond telling Edge and having him brought to my house.

  “I guess, we wait,” I answered.

  She looked around my apartment. “How about we unpack some of these boxes and make some room for your new roommate?”

  Two hours later, my apartment was in order. Art pieces were hung on the wall. Some of my family photos had been placed in frames and hung on the walls or found a home on the built-in shelves that lined many of them. We’d even managed to transform my bedroom into an actual bedroom and not a makeshift office/storage room/living area.

  “What do you think?” Felicia asked as she stood back and admired her handiwork.

  I smiled. “You did good. You did good.” I checked my watch to see how much time I had before E.J. said he’d bring Edge by for what he was told would be a mini-vacation. “It’s almost time.”

  Like clockwork, the downstairs buzzer rang.

  “Your new family is here,” Felicia said as she peeked out the window to the yard below. “Do you want me to disappear so you can get settled?”

  I shook my head. “No, I need you to stay. My stomach is in knots.”

  I held the door open as Edge and E.J. stepped into my apartment. “How are things?” I asked them.

  E.J. kissed me on the cheek. “Quiet for now. How are you doing? You look gorgeous as usual.”

  Edge rolled his eyes at his dad. “Yuck. Really? She’s a teacher, though.”

  “She’s a beautiful teacher. She’s the teacher, you’re going to hang out with while I take care of business. Remember what I told you; you have to listen to her. Help her around the house, eat what she serves you, and do what she says,” E.J. reminded him.

  Edge considered his father’s warnings for a moment, wrinkling up his nose. “Do you make paella? I hope so because I love paella. Right, dad?”

  I laughed. “Paella is delicious. I know a wonderful paella recipe. I learned to make that and a lot of other dishes when I lived in Spain.”

  Felicia muttered under breath. “Making paella ain’t cheap. How about Sloppy Joe's?”

  E.J. cleared his throat as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash -- all one hundred dollar bills. “Here, this will help cover your expenses.”

  I’d never seen so much cash. “I can’t take that from you.”

  He grabbed my hand and folded my fingers around the wad of money. “Yes, you can and you will. Look, you’re taking care of my son. Kids are expensive little creatures. He has expensive taste. Take it. Buy whatever you need and when you run out, call me and let me know. I’ll get you some more.” He shook his head. “No, you know what? I’m going to call Kelly and have her set up an expense account for you. That way you won’t have to ask me for money. Get whatever you need.” He looked around the apartment. “There are really nice places near where I live. Maybe you could find a new place to live while you’re at it.”

  Now he’d crossed the line. “What’s wrong with my apartment?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Nothing, but if you’re with me, it doesn’t look good. Your place should be luxurious, like you. Let me see about setting you up in a better neighborhood.

  “I don’t want your money. I’m fine where I’m at,” I whispered as we watched Edge bore of us and move on to unpack some of his things.

  “Take it. Let me take care of you. You don’t have a job right now because of me. It’s the least I could do to make up for everything I’ve put you through,” E.J. offered.

  “Damn right it is,” Felicia chimed in.

  Planting another kiss on my cheek, E.J. said, “It’s done. From now on, you won’t have to worry about money. I’ll have my realtor show you around to help you find a better place. And, in the meantime, if you need anything for Edge or yourself, let me know. If you can’t get a hold of me, call Kelly. She’ll know where to find me.”

  “Where to find you? Are you leaving town?” I asked. That wasn’t part of the deal.

  “I don’t know yet. All I know for sure is, I need to keep Stephanie and her goon squad away from my son,” E.J. said, his eyes on Edge. “Keep him safe. Thank you for this. Thank you for everything. I promise, when this is all over, I’ll make it all up to you. I’ll fix everything.”

  Felicia shifted in place. “I’ll go help Edge get settled in while you two lovebirds sort out your arrangement. If you ask me, you two need to admit you’re in love with each other and quit resisting the inevitable.”

  “Don’t hold back, Felicia. Tell me what else is on your mind,” I said.

  “In love?” E.J.’s eyes lit up. “Is Ms. Jackson in love with me? Did she say that to you?” E.J. looked at me, grinning from ear to ear like he’d been given the key to paradise.

  “No!” I protested. “I never said that to her.”

  Felicia shook her head and tiptoed away.

  “Who did you say it to then?” E.J. grabbed my elbow and led me into the kitchen to sit at the table. “Are you? Are you in love with me?”

  I rolled my eyes at him.

  “I mean, I can’t blame you if you are. Women love me and I love them,’ E.J. boasted. “You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

  When I didn’t respond, E.J.’s tone changed, became more serious. “About what you’re doing for us -- thank you. Seriously. Thank you for agreeing to do this. You don’t know how much it means to me. I promise, it won’t be long. I just need some time. With the police making appearances and the accusations flying all over the place, I don’t want to risk having Edge exposed to any of it. It’s better if I keep him as far away from the drama as possible.”

  In my heart of hearts, I knew I was doing the right thing. Edge didn’t need to be exposed to the turmoil, but at the same time, I wondered how E.J. would fair in all of this. As the
pressure increased, E.J.’s anger grew. I hated to think about how much further he’d have to be pushed before he unleashed all of his anger on everyone.

  “You don’t have to thank me. It’s the right thing to do. And besides, like you said, I’m not working these days. Hanging out with Edge for a few days or weeks will give me something to do,” I said.

  E.J. sighed as he reached across the table for my hands. “They’re going to come after you too.”

  I swallowed hard. “Who?”

  “Stephanie and her people. The media is already clamoring for information. They probably followed me here. Just know, people are going to figure out you are keeping Edge here. They're going to want to know what our relationship is. They’re going to start snooping around. When that happens, you have to be ready,” he explained.

  “Ready for what?” I asked.

  “Ready for whatever happens. It’s not going to be pretty. In fact, it’s going to be really fucked up. They’re going to say things about me that will make you hate me.” E.J. turned his head. “Don’t leave me, okay? I need you.”

  His vulnerability both touched me and scared me at the same time. How bad were things going to get?

  Chapter Fourteen – Hillary

  Four days and we were finally settling into a bit of a routine. I woke up and applied for jobs online while Edge slept. After he woke up, we’d make breakfast together. Edge was quite the little cook. He’d assemble ingredients while I sliced and diced. I’d handle the cooking duties while he told me stories -- most of them about things he’d done with his dad. After that, we’d clean up and get some school work done.

  “When can I go back to school?” Edge asked me.

  I’d been wondering the same thing, but I didn’t want him to know I was completely clueless on that front. My understanding was, E.J. had pulled him out of school for a family emergency. For now, he was still enrolled but away.

  “As soon as your dad is done with his work stuff, you’ll go back to school. Until then, we need to make sure we’re doing some work so your brain doesn’t forget how to study.”

  “Is that when you’ll go back to school too?” he asked me.

  I wish!

  It was time to change the subject. “Tell me about the vacation you went on last year. It sounded like you had a lot of fun.”

  We spent the remainder of the morning talking and completing school work. I found it was a nice replacement for not having anything or anyone to keep me occupied. It helped me to pass the time while I waited for the powers that be to figure out I’d done nothing wrong. I deserved to have my job back. Eventually, someone would come to their senses and ask me to return.

  Edge kept glancing out the window throughout the morning. I felt sorry for him, thinking he was missing his dad.

  “Would you like to give your dad a call?” I asked.

  “Nope. I can’t. It’s not time yet,” Edge answered. “He said, I have to wait five sleeps before I can call him on the cell phone. Didn’t he tell you?”

  I thought it odd that his dad would have told him to wait a few days before calling. I walked over to stroke Edge’s soft curls when I caught a glimpse of a man with a long camera lens pointing up at my window.

  “They found us,” Edge said, shrugging his shoulders like it was all in a day’s work for him. “They always do. My dad says to stay away from them because they’ll bite his head off.”

  I laughed nervously as I yanked the heavy drapes shut to block the photographer’s view. “Do they follow you everywhere?”

  Edge shrugged again. “Pretty much, but mostly they didn’t start following me until my mom told them to.”

  I swallowed hard. I’d never heard him say anything about his mom before.

  “After my dad comes back, we’re all going to go live by the water. I like the water. We used to always go to the beach when I was a little kid. My dad loves the beach, too,” he said.

  My ears perked up. “You’re going to live by the beach with your dad?” I asked.

  Edge busied himself with the television remote. I didn’t want to push him by asking him more questions, but I was curious. I wondered why E.J. hadn’t mentioned he and Edge were going to be moving away.

  “Are you moving downtown?” I asked.

  “Nope. Far away.” he answered. “Can I watch t.v. now? Please, Ms. Jackson?”

  I nodded my consent. While he found a children’s television show to watch, I sent E.J. a quick text to ask him how things were going. I figured it was better not to ask him about moving to the beach until we met face-to-face. I’d have a better chance of getting an honest response from him if I was looking into his eyes.

  The buzzer downstairs sounded.

  I took a peek over at Edge as I went to the intercom. “Who is it?” I asked.

  “Ms. Jackson, this is Sean Ridge. I’m a reporter with Sports Daily News. I was wondering if you have a few minutes to chat?” The man’s voice was low and soothing, but it didn’t stop my blood from running cold.

  “I… um… I can’t. I don’t have anything to say. Please, go away.” I glanced over at Edge, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention.

  The buzzer rang again.

  “Someone is ringing the doorbell,” Edge called out. “Can I get it?”

  “No!” I warned him. “Never answer the door or the buzzer, okay? You’re my guest. I can do it for you.” I hoped I hadn’t scared him. The whole reason he was here was so I could keep him safe. I couldn’t guarantee it now that the press had found us. I had to call E.J. I just hoped he’d answer.

  I thought I’d dialed the wrong number because a woman answered E.J.’s phone.

  “Sorry, I think, I dialed the wrong number,” I said, my anxiety levels climbing exponentially.

  “Who are you calling for?” she asked me.

  “I’m sorry. I was trying to call someone else. I didn’t mean to disturb you,” I tried to explain, but she interrupted me.

  “Are you looking for Razor? He’s right here.” I heard some jostling of the phone before E.J. came to the phone.

  “Hello?” His voice breathless.

  What the hell? “Please don’t tell me, you suckered me into watching your kid so you could hang out with some woman,” I said, my anxiety turning to anger.

  “What? What are you talking about? That’s Annie, my business manager,” he explained.

  “Your business manager answers your personal cell phone?” I asked. “That’s so sweet of her. Now I know why she was glaring at me the other day. She’s one of your harem.”

  E.J. groaned. “Hillary, don’t do this. Just tell me why you called,” E.J. pleaded with me.

  The buzzer rang again.

  “Is something wrong?” E.J. asked.

  “Nope, everything is perfect. Everything is just perfect.” I hung up the phone, deciding to handle things on my own moving forward.

  I told Edge to stay inside the apartment while I went to deal with the reporter. “Don’t move. Your dad wouldn’t like it if he heard you didn’t follow the rules,” I warned him. “I’ll be right back.”

  Edge looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Bye,” he said with a shrug.

  Without putting much thought into how to proceed with this reporter, I headed out the door and down the stairs to confront the reporter. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I could see him, standing in the vestibule, reading the names on the mailboxes.

  “What are you snooping around for?” I asked as I approached him. “Can I help you with something? Did you want to see my utility bills too?”

  He turned quickly to face me, his cheeks reddening. “Oh, hi! Sorry, I was just looking around. This looks like a nice building.”

  I looked out onto my block. Nothing about my neighborhood would be deemed nice. I was very well aware I didn’t live in the safest neighborhood. “Great; you came here to lie to me. Thanks, but no thanks.” I slammed the door in his face.

  The reporter knocked on the glass door. “Wait!
Ms. Jackson, I’m sorry. Can we start again?”

  I was halfway up the stairs, but I stopped to hear him out. Not because I was particularly interested in answering any of his questions, but because I realized what a big mistake it was to engage with him in the first place. “No!”

  “Please,” he pleaded, clasping his hands together. When I didn’t respond again, he tried a different approach. “Does Mrs. Razor know you’re hiding her son? Did she give you permission to move her son in here with you?”

  Asshole!