Huddle Up (12 page)

He had five Gs riding on this game, but it wasn’t about the money. Normally, he’d be ribbing Miller about his team’s dismal play, but Angel had Billy turned inside out. She wouldn’t listen to reason. In front of Gabby, she was almost herself, but each night Angel refused to come to his room.

Worse, she started letting him tuck in Gabby by himself like she was preparing him for shared custody.
Fuck that.
The three of them were a family. And families worked shit out. Tonight he’d promise her anything. And if that didn’t work, he’d throw her over his shoulder and toss her onto his bed then make love to her until she felt like they were a part of each other.

“Heard you’re in the dog house.” Miller said.

Billy shrugged. “She over reacted,” he said without conviction.

“Can’t say that I blame her. Sammy said her father lost everything.”

“I know. I know. But I’m nothing like her father.”

“We can call off the bet.” Miller’s mischievous grin gave him away.

Billy laughed. “Sure, cause your team is losing.”

The grin grew wider. “Just trying to help.”

“I have an idea,” said Terell. “Why not donate the winnings to charity.”

“That sounds like Samantha’s idea.”

“Shut up, Miller.” Terell flicked a pretzel at him.

Gabby skipped into the room wearing a pink dress and her rhinestone tiara. She curtsied liked she was receiving royalty instead of three large football players. Though facing a five-year-old girl seemed to turn such men into knights instead of brutes. She scooted onto Billy’s lap. Pointing to the screen she asked, “Daddy, why are those men hugging?

Miller and Terell laughed, and Billy smiled. “It’s called a huddle.” Before he could explain further she spoke again.

“Do you want to hear a joke?” Gabby asked.

“Of course, we do,” Miller responded.

“Knock, knock.”

“Who’s there?” Terell asked.

“Gabriela.” She played with the frilly hem of her dress.

“Gabriela who?” This time it was Miller.

“Gabriela O’Malley Burner,” she said in a rush. She broke into a fit of giggles like it was the funniest joke in the universe.

The three men joined in with raucous laughter. But it wasn’t lost on Billy that she added his last name. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. As he got up, he shifted her from his lap to his hip. “I have a cookie with your name on it.”

Angel didn’t have to know. The special occasion dessert rule was ridiculous. Anyway, watching a football game was a special occasion. What damage could the occasional cookie or two do?

Once in the kitchen he handed a cookie to Gabby, but instead of gobbling it up, she tilted her head and examined both sides. “Where’s my name?”

Did all five-year olds take things so literally? Gabriela O’Malley Burner. He wanted it to be legal. Realizing he hadn’t uttered the words yet, though he felt them with all his heart, he said, “I love you, Gabby.”

“I love you too, Daddy.” She planted a kiss on his cheek before taking a big bite of the cookie.

I love you, you love me. Just like that. So easy. So simple. So why hadn’t he said it to Angel yet? He certainly showed his love. In many ways, in and out of the bedroom.

“Touchdown!” Jake’s shout from the living room echoed through the apartment.

The bet. He showed his love, except, for when it counted. Except, for when it mattered most.

So what if she was being unreasonable? So what if he looked like a pussy for backing out of the bet? He denied her the one thing she needed to feel safe. All the money he had couldn’t do that. Only Billy could.

Tonight, he’d tell Angel he was sorry and mean it. Tell her he was in love with her. Tell her he wanted it be official.

Angel O’Malley Burner. His future wife. His forever love.

*

After his teammates left, Billy prepared dinner while Gabby played in her room with the elusive Lucy. The only evidence of the cat’s existence was the occasional present on the carpet and Billy’s own occasional sneezes.

Just as he put the roast in the oven, the doorman called. His father was downstairs. He should’ve known this was coming. After the story hit the papers of his ‘long-lost’ daughter he had called his father to break the news. He didn’t take it well. “Send him up.”

Fearing Gabby might overhear something she shouldn’t, Billy met him outside the apartment in the hallway. “Why the sudden visit, Dad??

Except for a bigger gut, his father looked like the same tank who’d come to blows with his seventeen-year-old son. By then Billy had already been taller. But now Billy had also packed on a professional athlete’s muscle. His father no longer intimidated him.

“I came to talk some sense into you. Let’s go inside. I could use a beer.”

“We need to talk here.” Billy peeked through the opening of the door to make sure Gabby hadn’t left her room.

“Oh, I see. A model? Playmate?”

“Neither.” Billy responded through clench teeth. “It’s my daughter.”

“I knew it.” He raked his hand through a shorter version of his son’s. “That O’Malley bitch is trying to squeeze money out of you just like her old man did me.”

Billy blinked as the realization dawn. “You paid off O’Malley to get rid of Angel?”
Please God, don’t let it be true.

“The five grand was well worth it. I wasn’t about to let you ruin your football career. O’Malley hit me up for another ten grand to put that tramp’s brat up for adoption.”

Billy’s slammed his fist onto his father’s jaw. When the bastard hit the wall and slid to the carpet, he didn’t feel an ounce of remorse. “I knew you dreamed of having a son in the NFL, but that’s no excuse for what you did.

“Blame O’Malley.” Slowly regaining his feet, his dad swiped away a trickle of blood from his lips. “He was more than happy to settle his stack of markers.”

If O’Malley were still alive Billy would have punched him in the jaw too. Leaving Angel and Gabby penniless and homeless was the least of O’Malley’s gambling addiction fallout.

Suddenly Angel’s reaction to Billy’s bet didn’t seem so unreasonable.

A
s Angel waited for the elevator to glide upstairs, she stared at the business card Hannah had given her at lunch. O’Malley’s didn’t do therapy. That’s what her father always said when she pleaded with him to get help for his gambling addiction.

But if someone like Hannah admitted to needing a therapist for what she called her ‘mommy dearest’ issues, then maybe Angel could get help too. When Billy made that bet she’d deflected all the fears and insecurities from years of O’Malley’s addiction onto him. Billy had never lied or tried to manipulate her. He’d been nothing but kind, loving, and generous. She hoped he’d understand. Hoped, he wouldn’t call her crazy because she needed therapy. Hoped he’d forgive her.

The doors of the elevator slid open. She froze after taking two steps out into the hall. An older man with the same colored hair as Billy’s looked at her with disgust. His father.

“Well look at you, all dolled up with my son’s money.”

“You will not speak to her that way.” Billy’s expression softened and he motioned Angel to come to him.

Angel sidestepped Mr. Burner and rushed into Billy’s waiting arms. “Is Gabby okay?”

“Yes, she’s playing in her room. I’m almost done here. Why don’t you head inside too?’

Billy’s father glared at her. “Not so fast. Admit that you knew about the money.”

“What money?” Angel’s heart pounded as if she climbed all forty-four stories.

“Dad!” Billy took her hands. His face a death mask of pain. “Angel, I don’t know how to tell you than to just say it. My father paid off yours to get you to break up with me.”

What?
Angel almost laughed. Did she hear that right? By the way Billy’s face tightened in distressed she knew he struggled with something else.

“There’s more.” His thumbs ran along her hands in a caress. “Did O’Malley try to talk you into adoption?”

“He had a social worker come to the hospital, but… oh my God! No, no, no.” God, if she didn’t need therapy before, she sure did now. How could two fathers be so cruel to their children, to their grandchild? “I refused. I couldn’t, I just couldn’t. She was a part of you, a part of us.”

Billy pulled her into a tight embrace. “You’re a strong woman, Angel.” He hugged her even tighter. “Thank God.”

“Don’t be stupid, Billy. She got pregnant on purpose,” Mr. Burner accused.

Before Angel could deny it, Billy defended her. “Don’t put that at her feet. I’m the one who didn’t wear a condom.”

“You can dress her up Billy, but she’ll always be a slut.”

Billy placed Angel behind his back as he turned to meet his father head on. “She was never that. In fact, she’s the one with a college degree. Not the son who you pushed and pushed to declare early for the NFL draft. Now go.”

Tears spilled from her eyes. No one had ever stuck up for her like that.

Up against his back, she could feel the tenseness in his muscles and how hard he was trying to keep himself in check. His father didn’t say a word as he pushed the down button.

Billy took a deep breath. “Dad, if you decide to be a part of my family, you’ll have to apologize to Angel. And to your granddaughter.” The doors opened. “Her name is Gabriela. Gabriela O’Malley Burner.”

Without a word Billy’s father stepped into the elevator.

As the doors slid closed, Angel squeezed his arm. “I’m so sorry, Billy.” She knew how hard it was for Billy to stand up to his father. She realized that she and Gabby weren’t the only ones hurt by O’Malley’s obsessive gambling. Billy had missed the first five years of his daughter’s life. But fate had given them a second chance and Angel almost threw it away.

“Let’s go inside.” Once in the living room Billy turned to her. “Angel, I,” He tipped up her chin with his finger. “Aww, Baby, I’m sorry he made you cry.”

“I’m not crying about that. These are happy tears.”

“Happy tears?” Billy scratched his head. “I’m confused.”

“You defended me. Believed in me.”

“Always.” He brushed her tears away. “Can you try to believe in me too? Believe that I will never, never place another bet in my life. Believe that I would never hurt you or Gabby.” He got down on one knee and held both her hands. “Believe that I will always love you. Marry me, my Angel.”

Looking down into his sincere blue eyes, her fears washed away on a wave of intense love. “I do believe in you.” Fresh tears sprung in her eyes. “I love you, Billy. I never stopped.”

A stomp of a foot sounded from the hallway. “Mommy, you’re supposed to say yes!”

Billy and Angel broke into laughter. Releasing one of her hands, Billy held out an arm. “Come on, Gabby, huddle up.”

Gabby ran over throwing her arms around her Daddy’s neck. He stood and wrapped them both in a warm hug. “Mommy, huddle up means group hug in football.”

Bounding out of Gabby’s room even Lucy seemed to know. She weaved around Billy and Angel’s ankles then rubbed her face against Billy’s pant leg.

“Can I have a cookie?”

“No, honey, you had one earlier,” he said with surprising firmness.

Angel hid her smile when she saw how equally surprised their daughter was. Gabby’s bottom lip started to quiver. Oh boy, Billy was about to get a taste of a five-year-old’s wrath. Angel slipped away from the hug.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

The panic in his voice brooked no sympathy from Angel. “To take a bath,” she said. “With bubbles. And maybe a beer.”

“But…but.”

Gabby’s wail filled the air.

“Welcome to fatherhood, Billy,” she said as she sashayed down the hall. Smiling she whispered, “And welcome to your happily ever after, Angel.”