The Game of Love: (BWWM Romance) (23 page)

Caroline sighed. “Baby, I’m going to—”

“Don’t you dare say die,” Sommer interrupted. “Don’t you dare tell me that you’re going to die.”

“I’ve known for some time now,
Sommer.”

Pulling her hand from her mother’s grasp,
Sommer moved across the room. She was trembling. Hard. The room was spinning and there didn’t seem to be enough air to draw a breath.

“Why would you keep this from me?” She cried, plastering her body into the corner.

“Because there was nothing I could do.”

“You could have come to Dallas. I could have taken you to see a specialist. Some of the top specialists in the nation
are there.”

Caroline motioned her daughter over, but
Sommer didn’t budge. She couldn’t. Literally, at that moment, she couldn’t even command her feet to move.

“Look,
Sommer, we both already knew that this second time around was going to be difficult,” Caroline explained. “When my test results came back, I decided to focus on living the best life possible. That best life included seeing my daughter fall in love and start a family. If I’d told you that I was sick, you would have been on the first flight out to Yearwood. But you needed to be in Dallas. You needed to be with Austin.”

“I needed to be here,”
Sommer contested. “Mom, I love Austin. I truly do. But no one can replace you.”

“And no one can replace you,
Sommer. How you see me right now is how Olivia will see you one day. She might even already see you that way. But you’re so stubborn and scared of everything that I had to push you to start your life. You’re the only woman I know who was actually reluctant to start a family with the man she loves.”

She motioned again. “Come over here, baby.”

Sommer pushed herself off of the wall and back over to the bed.

“Are you happy in Texas?” Caroline asked.

“I don’t know anymore, Mom.”

“Are you happy in Texas?” Caroline repeated.

“Yes ma’am.”

“And how is Austin treating you?”

Sommer’s eyes began to burn. “He’s been perfect.”

“And how about Olivia?”

“Even more perfect.”

Caroline nodded. “Good. You’ll be well taken care of.”

The tears finally broke through their restraints and plummeted down Sommer’s cheeks. “Taken care of how?”

“When I’m gone,” Caroline answered with more nonchalance than
Sommer cared to hear.

“You’re not going anywhere,”
Sommer argued, her face contorting with grief. “You can’t, Mom. Caroline Hayes, you’re not going anywhere.”

Tears rolled down the side of Caroline’s face. She was on borrowed time, she knew. She’d known months ago that she didn’t have very long left. It was only days now.

“Is Livvie here?” she asked. “I want to see my grandbaby.”

O
n cue, Emma appeared, her face moist and her nose red. Olivia was in her arms, innocent and fast asleep, and Emma’s legs suddenly took on extra weight as she carried Olivia across the room to the bed.

Caroline pushed up into a sitting position and swatted at
Sommer’s hands as she tried to help. Emma gently placed Olivia into Caroline’s arms, and pressed a kiss against her dear friend’s temple.

“Don’t you breakdown on me,
Em,” Caroline teased, but the two other women didn’t laugh. Couldn’t laugh. It was as if Caroline couldn’t see or hear how ill she sounded. And if she could hear it, it was as if she didn’t remotely care.

“So beautiful,” Caroline cooed, touching Olivia on the chin. Olivia’s eyes fluttered open and her brows came together as she looked up into her grandmother’s face.

“This is your face, Sommer,” Caroline said. “My goodness, it’s like looking down at you when you were born. That first night I held you, life seemed perfect. I remember your beautiful eyes looking up at me, so big and brown. I fell in love with you over and over again. Gosh, how easy and perfect life seemed back then. Even your father, who’d never really been attentive to me in any way, stared at the two of us like he was taking a mental photograph. Like he never wanted to forget that moment.”

She ran her fingers over Olivia’s soft black hair.

“I felt like I had all the time in the world back then. That my life would be filled with experiencing all of your firsts: first steps, first words, first day of kindergarten, first boyfriend. I could go on. And, for the most part, I was granted the ability to see most of them. I was even granted the ability to see my first grandbaby. I just never expected to leave you so young…”

Her voice trailed off and a sob escaped from the back of Emma’s throat.

“Caroline, why didn’t you say anything?” Emma pleaded.

“There was nothing anyone could do,” Caroline repeated. “
But it’s okay.”

“It’s not okay,”
Sommer jumped in. “You’re sitting here acting as though everything is fine, but you’re scared, Mom. I’m scared. Mom, I need you. Mom, I love you.”

Caroline smiled and placed Olivia back into Emma’s arms. Reaching forward, she wrapped her arms around Emma in a tight hug.
Then she looked towards Sommer.

“Come give your mother a hug,
Sommer.”

“Mom—”

“Sommer.” Her voice was stern. “Come over here and give your mother a hug.”

Sommer
walked over and climbed into the bed into her mother’s loving embrace.

“You’re coming back to Dallas with me,” she demanded. “We’re going to see an oncologist.”

“Okay,” Caroline replied, stroking her daughter’s back.

“Then, when you’re better, I’m going to take you to this seafood place in the city. They make these grilled scallops, Mom. You have to try them.”

“Scallops are my favorite food,” Caroline answered.

“
Then I’m going to take you to this Mom and Pop bakery me and Austin found. Their chocolate cake is out of this world. It’s not too sweet and it has just the right amount of frosting. Whipped, homemade frosting too. Not the thick stuff.”

Caroline kissed the top of her head. “I can’t wait.”

Then everyone fell silent. As though sensing the tension in the room, Olivia’s cries broke through the quiet and Sommer reluctantly pulled herself from her mother’s grasp.

“She might be hungry,” she said, her voice echoing throughout her head. “I know I just fed her but, she might be hungry. Mom, what do you—
”

When she turned around, Caroline was seizing on the bed.

“Reese!!” Emma called out and within seconds, he was at the door. “Call an ambulance!”

He pulled out his phone and began to dial.
Sommer, nearly blinded by tears, climbed onto the mattress and turned her mother over onto her side.

“Help’s coming, Mom,” she
whispered. “They’re on their way. Hang on. I love you. Hang on.
I love you
…”

*****

In five, four, three, two, one…

“And we’re here, live from the Championship parade in Dallas, Texas. I’m your host, Wendy Carter, and with me I have three special guests, all three who are sure to be hall of fame contenders: Wide-receivers Trent Holloway and Cason Allen, and MVP quarterback, Austin Riley.”

“Glad to be here, Wendy,” all three men answered.

“And it’s good to have you,” Wendy went on. “So tell me, are you guys still on the high from that win? I mean, game-winning touchdown in the last few seconds? What a performance!”

“It was intense,” Cason spoke up.

“But you all made it look so easy,” Wendy replied. Trent laughed and flirtatiously ran his tongue over his lips. Somewhere, Austin knew that Alexandrina was fuming.

“It might have looked easy on the outside, but I could feel my fingers tingling,” Trent added. “That last play was supposed to come to me because Pittsburgh had been on Case all night, but it was as if they sniffed out the play. I had three defenders in my face.”

“Yeah, that blitz came in pretty strong,” Wendy chimed in. “But you read right through that, didn’t you Austin?”

“I did,” Austin succinctly replied, ignoring the way her pupils grew whenever she looked at him. Seven years in the league, numerous interviews with Wendy, and still, she didn’t seem to get the hint that he wasn’t interested.

“So tell me, Cason,” she redirected. “When that ball was whizzing through the air, what was on your mind?”

Cason smiled. “My parents. My sister, Jasmine. My team. Everything just started to stream through my mind.
Then there was Amelia. I don’t know that I would have made it through all of this in one piece without her.”

Austin patted his friend on the back.

“That’s beautiful,” Wendy acknowledged, nodding. Then she looked towards Austin again and tried not to lose herself in the glimmering depths of his irises.

“Austin,” she began, “
Easily one of the greatest performances of the post-season, yet people aren’t buzzing about any of that. What they’re talking about is the darling little girl you introduced us to after the game. Can we get a shot of Miss Olivia Camden Riley?”

A still of Olivia’s small face adorned by a pink, flower headband was displayed on the screen, followed by a chorus of “
awws” from parade onlookers.

“Beautiful,” Wendy added. “But, as you know by now, the internet and social media scene has been abuzz with knowing something else.”

A man held up a five finger countdown and Wendy turned to the camera.

“After the break, we’ll talk more about the mother of this charming little baby girl.”

And
cut!

Austin rose from his seat to grab a quick drink of water, and Wendy grabbed his forearm before he could make it to the refreshment table.

“She’s beautiful, Austin,” she whispered. “Olivia. She’s an absolute darling.”

“Thank you,” he replied.

“So, who’s her mother? I mean, not too long ago you looked pretty cozy at an airport terminal with Jessica Costa, and now you appear on national TV with a baby girl that looks like you and, I don’t know, Tyra Banks could have made her.”

“Lay off of it, Wendy,” Gary called, approaching them from the far end of the set. “We already agreed to give you everything on air. Isn’t that enough?”

Wendy scoffed. “If he’s going to tell the world anyhow, why not just tell me now?”

Gary flitted his fingers. “Run back to your little group of sharks while you still have some credibility left in this city as a respected journalist. My sister became an anchor for a major news network without once flopping onto her back. Maybe you could have at least tried to have done the same.”

Wendy clenched her fists, but walked away without responding. Austin watched her go and wondered what had made her think that they ever had a chance together given her reputation.
Then he popped the top on a bottle of water and took a swig before turning towards Gary.

“Ready for this?” Gary asked, genuine concern outlining his features.

“Yes,” Austin answered. He opened his mouth to say more, but Gary’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Gary smiled when he saw Emma Riley’s phone number, but his smile quickly faded once he put the phone to his ear. Then he held the phone out towards Austin.

“It’s your mother,” he told him.

“What happened, Ma?” Austin answered.

“She wouldn’t call you,” Emma began, her voice quivering. “And I couldn’t reach you on your phone.”

“Who wouldn’t call me? Sommer? Is something wrong?”

In the background, he heard the familiar clamor of a hospital emergency room.

“Things were worse than we anticipated,” Emma went on. Suddenly, in the background, a scream pierced through the speaker. Sommer’s scream.

Austin’s chest squeezed. This was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid.

“Was that Sommer?” he asked, his eyes darting around the set. Across the room, a man signaled that he had one minute left before they went back live.

“She wouldn’t call you,” Emma reiterated, her voice now muffled with tears. “
But she needs you, Austin.”

Austin loosened the tie around his neck. “I’m on my way. Do everything you can to be there for her until I get there.”

He tossed the phone to Gary.

“Everything okay?” Gary asked.

“No. I have to go. Family emergency. Wrap up here for me?”

“I’ll handle it,” Gary reassured with a nod.

Wendy noticed him walking towards the exit and hurried after him as fast as her four-inch Manolo’s could carry her.

“Austin, wait up,” she called, grabbing his arm right before he reached the door. “Where are you going? We’re back on live in a few seconds. You can’t leave.”

“I have a family emergency, Wendy,” he answered.