Once Upon A Half-Time: A Secret Baby Romance (23 page)

“I’ll try to keep the count to one hand.”

“It’s not possible for you to run out of love for this family. The single hardest lesson for any parent isn’t selflessness—it’s
sacrifice
. It’s giving more of yourself than you think is possible…and putting your child’s needs first when you can’t do enough. Because of you, Bast has a great life, a wonderful home, and a bright future.
That’s
what it means to be a father, and you’ll be a great one…for both of your children.”

She offered me a cookie. I needed more than that. I glanced down the hall.

“Can I see him?” I asked.

“He’s sleeping.”

“Is it okay if I crash here?”

“You bought this house, Lachlan.”

“But it’s yours.”

Mom shook her head. “Fine. Then as long as it’s
my
house, you never have to ask to stay here.”

I knew better than to fight her, or to avoid the dozen kisses she layered on my face and cheeks. I apologized for keeping her up late before taking the steps upstairs.

Bast’s new room was larger than our old family room. I hadn’t come close to filling it with enough stuff—clothes, toys, posters of me on his wall.

He slept, somehow. The light from the doorway silhouetted either his head or his ass, I wasn’t sure how the hell he fell asleep twisted up, pillows astray. I kicked off my shoes and dropped my keys and phone on his desk. He didn’t appreciate me tucking him into the bed or grazing a hand on his cheek.

“Lachlan…” He was grumpy. “I’m
sleeping.
”

“Yeah, me too. Scooch your butt, Bast.”

His words slurred. “
Sebastian
...”

“Shut up. Get over here.” I curled an arm around him and snuggled him in close. That earned a kick in the knee as he shifted, but he didn’t mind the cuddle. “You make me think you hate your name.”

He shrugged. “It’s okay.”

“Want another one?”

“Can’t do that.”

“I’m your…” I swallowed. “I named you the first time. I can name you again if I want. Change it every week if you give me any lip.”

“Really?”

“Sure. I can call you Rachel or Diana. How about Mildred?” I hummed. “Maybe something fun—how’s Peanut Butter Reed sound?”

“I don’t wanna be a sandwich.” That woke him up. He turned to squint at me, confused. “You’re sleeping here?”

“Yeah.”

“But this is my bed.”

I poked him. “You sleep in my bed all the time, little man. Payback’s a bit—pain.”

“You’re weird.”

I grinned, kissing his head. “And you’re perfect…even if you get morning breath before midnight.”

He turned to breathe in my face. “Is it
b-a-d
?”

The little shit. “What’s Mom been feeding you? Garlic soup?”

“Stinky shoes.”

“Moldy pasta?”

“Skunk tails!”

“Some of her cooking tastes like that.”

Sebastian laughed. “But yours is the worst. At least Mom doesn’t catch on
fire
making sketti.”

I tickled him. “You’re right. Maybe I should take you to your favorite restaurant tomorrow?”

He got excited. “
McDonalds
?”

“You’re a cheaper date than Elle.” I tugged him closer. “Can I tell you a secret, little man?”

“Yeah?”

“I love ya.”

He groaned.

“What?” I tickled him again. “That’s supposed to be a
compliment
.”

“I know you love me. That’s not a
secret
. I thought it was something
good
.”

“It
is
something good. Don’t you love me too?”

“Yeah. I love you, Lachlan.”

He’d never know what a blessing it was to hear that until he had a boy of his own. Someone to watch over. Someone he’d work every day to impress, help, and protect.

I had a family to take care of and a wife who deserved more than an apology.

In an instant, I knew exactly what I had to do, how I could fix everything with Elle, save our careers, and end the Rivets’ cheating once and for all.

But first I had to swallow my pride and ask for help.

I
t was
the first time I came to a team meeting without any pastries or hauling any equipment.

But this meeting wasn’t at the field, and I called only the men I trusted—Jack and Cole.

…And their wives.

Piper didn’t count. She was my agent—and severely regretting her decision to take me on.

And Leah was as much a part of the team as Jack. Without her PR agency and constant charity work, after-school programs, and coordinated YouTube channel with Elle, the less respectable men on the Rivets would have been chased from the league years ago…including her husband.

I invited both families to my house—as neutral a location as I could manage at six o’clock in the morning. I had to meet them before practice, but texting them at midnight the night before hadn’t made me very popular.

Piper was the first to scold me. “Do you know how hard it is to find a sitter before the sun rises?” She pointed to a particularly unfortunate banana stain on her white blouse. “Toddler tantrum. Before the sun rises, my baby is more of a beast than Cole.”

“Hey!” Cole frowned.

“Sorry.”

Jack wasn’t a morning person either. Leah rubbed his shoulders and offered coffee for the group. She was smiling, chipper, and Piper couldn’t believe it.

“How are you so awake?” she asked.

“My secret.” Leah winked. “Sam cried
all
night. I didn’t go to sleep. This is still my second wind. More coffee?”

“Please.”

Jack grumbled, his voice thick with sleep or agitation. Probably both. “All right, rookie. What the hell is this about?”

I checked my phone. Elle texted me that she was on her way, but I had no idea if she was angry or upset. It was just as likely she’d flake out on me—and I’d deserve it.

“It’s something big,” I said. “It won’t be easy to hear.”

Jack frowned. “Last time you got this serious, you almost broke my nose.”

“This is more of a gut-punch.”

Piper groaned. “Please don’t punch anyone. It’s hard enough controlling Cole.”

“That’s two insults, beautiful.” He eyed her. “Give me a third, and you’ll be apologizing with your—”

She smacked his shoulder. Somehow, Piper made
The Beast
smile.

The knock echoed through the house. It was far less enthusiastic than Elle’s usual
shave-and-a-haircut
. But she was here.

And she didn’t understand why the others had also come.

I pulled her inside, but she stiffened, her voice low. “I thought you wanted to talk.”

“I do. We will. But first we have to do something we should have tackled a while ago.”

“Unless you’re talking about a wedding shower…” Her words wavered. “Please don’t get them involved.”

“They’re already involved. We all are. Did you bring everything?”

“My laptop.”

“Good.” I forced her into the living room. “Tell them exactly what you told me.”

“I don’t think they want to hear this story, Lachlan.”

It broke my heart, and she’d hate me for this, but I wasn’t letting her suffer with this alone. Not when we might have helped.

Elle stayed silent. Jack spoke for her.

“You weren’t fired for stealing,” he said.

She didn’t want to answer. “I was, actually.”

Leah leaned in close. “You’re no thief, Elle. Why did they fire you?”

“Because of
what
I stole.”

“Show them,” I said. “They have to see it.”

I hated the fear in her eyes, but she opened the laptop and selected the worst of the photographs.

“I’m sorry, guys,” she said. “We’re all implicated in this now. Blame Lachlan.”

Cole shrugged. “We blame him for most things.”

Fantastic.

Elle flipped through the pictures quickly, quietly. She didn’t have to say much. The photographs spoke for themselves, each more damning than the last. She lowered her voice, trying to explain the indefensible.

“The Rivets have been cheating for at least a year. Maybe longer. Peter spied on the teams you were going to play. Coach Thompson used those pictures to prepare for the games. The owners, some of the coaches, Peter, and I are the only ones who know.”

Silence.

I expected it.

Jack’s expression was the first to crumble. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. Only stared at the championship ring on his finger.

“This…” His words clipped. “This isn’t right. This can’t be…”

“They threatened Lachlan’s position if I didn’t cooperate,” Elle said. “After I took the photographs the demanded, Peter fired me. They must have thought I was a liability.”

The revelation stole most of Leah’s energy. She plunked onto the couch next to Jack. “I can’t believe they’d do this.”

“I can.” Cole couldn’t speak softly. He growled. “I knew they’d cheat. That’s the reason I’m here. Coach Thompson traded for me—made it clear that he expected me to hurt some people this season. He’ll break bones to win a football game, a few pictures aren’t gonna bother him.”

Piper shook her head, staring at the group. “If this gets out…”

“It’s a PR nightmare.” Leah groaned. “I have no idea how we can spin this. It’s a scandal wrapped in a nightmare all bundled up in a nuclear bomb just waiting to explode.” She paced the room, downing most of her coffee. The caffeine didn’t help to steady her hands. “This is worse than
anything
you’ve ever done, Jack.”

He shrugged. “I wish that were more comforting, Kiss.”

“We can’t hide this,” I said. “We have to come forward.”

“Good. The rookie volunteers to get crucified.” Cole laughed. “Go ahead. Let us know how that goes.”

Jack stood. I didn’t envy the pain he must have felt. My betrayal was nothing compared to his. The work he’d put into the team, the sacrifices he’d made, the way he had
changed
everything—his behavior, his habits, his entire life. Jack was a proud man, and he had a right to be. Not just because he had a beautiful family, but because he was the best quarterback in the league.

And now everyone would have the same thought.

Was it his talent that won games…or was it because the team cheated?

“Lachlan’s right,” Jack said. “We have to bring this to light. Everything we did…” He lowered his gaze. “My championship. Fuck. It’s all a lie.”

“No. Not a lie.” Leah took her husband’s hand. “You’ve worked your ass off, Jack. You carried this team. No one knew what the coaches were doing.”

Piper wasn’t convinced. “It won’t matter. These pictures influenced game plans and play calls. The league is going to get…involved.”

“Then there’s nothing we can do,” Jack said. “We have to reveal it before someone outside the organization does.”

Elle’s voice hardened. “No. This is why I didn’t tell you. We can’t say a thing about any of this.”

“It’s the right thing to do, Red.” I offered my hand. She didn’t take it. “It won’t come back on you. You have all the evidence—all the pictures and emails and testimony. We can end this.”

“There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”

Oh Jesus. I was getting really sick of secrets.

But Elle didn’t apologize. She opened a new file on her laptop.

Then looked away.

Ashamed
.

My vision flashed in white-hot anger. “Son of a bitch.”

Coach Thompson and Peter, slime that they were, had something else on Elle.

Nude pictures, taken from inside the locker room—the day we’d inadvertently showered and renewed our vows.

I’d find the asshole who’d taken her picture and rip his fucking cock off.

Elle cleared her throat. “They’re blackmailing me. It’s a character assassination. If I come forward, they’ll drop these. I’ll lose my credibility the instant the story spins of the photographer who showers naked with the team.”

Cole lowered the lid of the laptop. The others stayed silent.

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me this happened?” I asked.

She raised a hand. “There’s more.”

“Jesus!”

Elle opened another file. “Jack…I’m sorry about this.”

If I knew we’d be seeing a slideshow, I’d have brought in some popcorn from my car.

Jack hissed as he scrolled through hundreds of pictures. Apparently, Elle wasn’t the only one with a file ready for blackmail. Our quarterback was featured in dozens of questionable and scandalous images. Most of the pictures were of him, drunk and partying, with women crawling over his lap, bare-assed and grinning.

Jack swallowed, his voice low. “Kiss…these are old pictures. You know I love you.”

Leah didn’t look too closely. “I know, Jack.”

Elle closed the laptop. Everyone quieted.

“Almost every man on the team has a file,” she said. “Some are rather incriminating. Others are just embarrassing. There’s one series of images that will force someone out of the closet, and I don’t think he’s ready for that to be public. If we come forward with the cheating allegations, there’s a good chance these images will get leaked. The story will become about
us
, not the spying.”

No one spoke.

No one wanted to make the call.

Elle continued. “However, if we do this? I have all the evidence we need. Emails. Correspondence. The paycheck I was given with extra money for doing the job. But I can’t make this decision. I wanted to protect you guys—the players. Jack, Cole, Lachlan. It’s your futures. Tell me what you want to do.”

Jack didn’t hesitate. “We come forward. We’re a team, a family. We live together, and we die together.” He squeezed Leah’s hand. “The league and Frank Bennett won’t take any mercy on me.”

Leah wasn’t deterred. “I’m ready for them. We’ll meet with the league and bring it to the media first.”

Jack thought out loud. “Call Sports Nation. Can you get an interview arranged?”

Cole and I both made a disgusted sound.

“Who better?” he said. “Ainsley Ruport’s got a hard-on for all of us. At least it won’t look biased.”

Piper checked her phone. “How much time do we have?”

“None.” Jack swore. “We have to do it today. The regular season starts on Sunday. We can’t go into the season knowing this. If we get caught, last thing we want is to be punished for two years’ worth of fuck-ups.”

Leah was already talking with her office, planning with her secretary. “I can get a meeting set up for this afternoon, but this is going to create a shit storm. An umbrella won’t cut it; we’ll need to seek shelter.”

Cole never backed down from a challenge. “We can handle it.”

Piper hopped to her feet. “You three—say
nothing
at practice. Not to the media. Not to the coaches. Not to the team. Your agent—” she pointed to Cole and me, “
I
will speak for you. Jack, I’ll prepare a joint statement with yours. Elle, I need you to go home and bring me everything you have.”

“There’s a lot,” she warned.

“The more the better,” she said. “Leah and I will handle the interviews. And I’ll call my father. Some of the agents at his firm are actual lawyers. You’re gonna need one, Elle.”

If the thought intimidated her, Elle didn’t show it. She steeled herself. More fucking brave than I might have been, and far more poised. This woman amazed me.

And I asked so much of her.

I followed Elle to the door, but she didn’t want to talk. She shook her head before I even spoke.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

Now her voice weakened. “Not now. Not with all this happening.”

“Then when?”

“Maybe when our lives aren’t falling apart?”

“Red, you’re the only reason I’m standing in one piece.”

If she believed me, she didn’t say it. I reached for her cheek. She ducked away before I could touch her.

Her goodbye was a half-hearted whisper. I swore as the door closed.

One crisis starting, and another one imploding.

I fucked enough shit up. Who the hell knew if I made the right decision this time?

I slunk to the kitchen. Did I want to drink the coffee or drown in it?

Jack followed me. I owed him an apology, but I doubted it’d matter much once the team was suspended as a result of this bullshit.

I leaned against the sink. “Can I get you anything? A beer?”

“It’s six in the morning,” Jack laughed. “I don’t do that anymore.”

“Right.”

“Elle’s pissed at you.”

“She has every right to be.”

His warning was unnecessary. “Don’t fuck that up, rookie.”

“Might be too late.”

“With a girl like that you make the time.”

He was probably right. “We had a fight…about everything. The pictures. The baby. Me.”

“Did she win?”

“Absolutely.”

“Tell her that. Works for me.”

Not this time. My head ached as much as my body, and I still had ten hours of practice and drills and weight lifting ahead of me. I didn’t know how the vets handled it.

“Do you remember what it was like your rookie year?”

Jack thought the question was amusing for some reason. “Not at all. I drank most of that season away. I remember the women, the money, and the hangovers. But I think I spent most of the games scrambling and terrified.”

“You played good though.”

“Not as good as I should have been. I got lucky.”

“Lucky.” I shrugged. “I never used to need luck.”

“I live by it.”

Hell, it could help me, I’d shoe a rabbit and take a foot from a horse. “I could use a bit of luck.”

“Why?”

Like he didn’t know. “Come on. I’m not contributing shit to the team.”

“You got a reason for it?”

“Hell if I know. Half the time I don’t even feel like I am part of the team.”

I didn’t expect him to smile. “I was wondering when you’d notice it.”

“Notice what?”

He paused before he spoke, studying me. “I know your type, Lachlan.”

“Dark and curvy?”

“You’re good at your game,” he said. “Too good.”

“What a sweet-talker.”

“I’m serious. It’s time you got serious too. I don’t care what happened in training camp or during those exhibition games. You are and will always be one of the most talented players on the team. But do you know what your problem is?”

“This should be fun.”

“You still think you’re
Lachlan Reed
.”