Line of Scrimmage: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Pass To Win Book 2) (8 page)

I
t was going
to be a great day. Until my cell started ringing like crazy, that was.

The morning had been a pleasant one. One with the sun shining, the birds chirping and everyone was singing that happy song from the animated movie. Thanks to Mia I had learned the difference between an animated movie and a cartoon. I was awakened by my cellphone’s special ringtone for Sean. Sean? What the heck, man? Chill out!

I stood up from bed and hurried in the bathroom. I took a quick shower and put on my business clothes. When I went back into the room, my cell was still ringing. What a bore of a man! After yesterday, my thoughts were settled. I had once again proven what kind of a man Sean Coleman was. A man I should stay away from. Mia as well.

“Honey,” I shouted. “C’mon, it’s time for school!”

I heard only grunting noises in return which made me chuckle. Weren’t all kids the same?

“You’re gonna be late. I made you some breakfast, hon. Mommy has to go to work. See you later, sweetie. Take care!” I yelled back and exited our apartment. She was a smart kid and would get everything under control.

My cell beeped again. Shit! It was a message from Sean. This guy wasn’t going to give up, it seemed. I clicked the message.

He was apologizing for yesterday
.
He apparently hadn’t known that cheerleaders would be there. He wrote that he had done absolutely nothing wrong and pleaded with me to call him.

Oh, no, sir. I put my cell on silent mode. I wasn’t going to go about my day with Sean calling me every five minutes or so. Understand the signals, would you?

Climbing into my car, I put my bag in the back and started the stereo. Music blared from the speakers as I headed towards work. Sadly
,
my dreams hadn’t come entirely true; I wasn’t working in my own law firm
,
but this was what it was. I should be content with what I have, right? I smiled to myself.

The law firm I worked for was located in a skyscraper downtown and was one of the most successful firms in the country. I was proud of my ability to handle even the toughest of cases they sent my way. It made me feel like they thought I was a valuable member of the firm.

I greeted some of my fellow colleagues on the way into my office
,
and then
I noticed a huge bouquet of flowers sitting on my desk.

“What’s this?” I asked my assistant.

“Flowers. They were brought in this morning. For you.”

“Oh my God,” I whispered under my breath because I already knew who sent them. They were beautiful roses with a white card attached to them in the middle of the bouquet. It said,
I’m so terribly sorry if I offended you or did something wrong. Forgive me. You know that I’m a stupid jerk. Please call me. SC

I had completely forgotten that this man was so persistent. Maybe he was changing.

“Who are they from?” my assistant asked.

“Um… No one special really. My aunt from Europe I had lunch with yesterday.” I lied. It was in my job description, so I was really good at it.

“Oh, okay,” she replied. I detected a grin on her face.

I picked up the flowers and threw them in the bin. Although the roses were my favorite type, which he knew, and they were so pretty, I had to do that. For myself.

The rest of the day was lazy and uneventful, which made it much harder for me. No matter what I was doing, a part of my brain insisted on focusing on Sean and us. Now that
us
consisted of three. It hurt to see him surrounded by all those women. He was a playboy and a womanizer. That was a fact and it was in his blood. As simple as that. The question was if I could live with that. If Mia could have a father like that. I recalled the days when we had dated at university. Girls had been constantly hitting on him, making me feel like the odd one out. It was a horrible feeling. To have to compete with other girls all the time. It drained all of my energy. That wasn’t for me. I sighed.

When I came home Mia was watching TV and proudly informed me that she had finished her homework.

“My smart girl! Well done!” I kissed her forehead. After I had taken off my coat, she brought her homework for me to check.

She was a brilliant girl and every day she made me remember why I loved being her mother. Basically anyone would love to be a mother to this beautiful angel. She had done all the tasks amazingly and was rewarded with an hour more of television. All these generations cared about, was the TV and their computers and phones.

“Mom?” Mia turned to me before she went into the living room.

“Yes, baby?”

“When is the big man coming again?”

There was a pang in my chest. My daughter was asking for Sean. What was I going to tell her? Shoot! I was absolutely taken aback. I definitely hadn’t seen this coming.

“Err… Well… He’s very busy, you know. He works a lot. Do you like him?” I asked her in my tiny voice as I pushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.

“Yes. I miss him. He was really funny and we played games together. The nanny doesn’t know those games, but he does. I want to play with him again. And he likes to play with me as well.” Mia smiled at me.

“He’ll visit us soon enough, I’m sure. I didn’t know you like him so much,” I said and she ran to the couch and turned on the TV.

I turned on my cell’s ringer and immediately it began to ring. I didn’t know what I’d do if it was Sean.

“Yes?” I picked up without seeing who it was.

“Honey, how are you? How’s my sweet little girl?” My mom’s voice came from the other side. I let out a breath of relief.

“Oh, I’m not your sweet little girl anymore, right?” I chuckled, teasing her.

“Of course, you are, baby. You’ll always be my little baby and my sweetest angel,” my mom replied with a smile.

“I know, Mom. I do. We’re great…just a bit tired from work,” I said. I was tired from Sean as well. But, hey, I wasn’t going to tell my mom about that.

“Aw, I’m sorry, honey. Just called to invite you to our place for a while. We miss our daughter and our granddaughter,” Mom said. “And here’s your dad as well.”

“Okay.” I chuckled.

“Hi, my dear Kay,” Dad said in his rusty voice. “Please visit us, babe. We’re old people, you know. We want to see as much of you as possible.”

“Dad, come on.” I hated it when they spoke like that.

“But it’s true, baby,” my dad said.

What was I going to do? When I was at their place all they did was pester me about my life choices. They were asking me about my partners, if I had anyone in my life. They urged me to find someone… Blah, blah, blah. I didn’t think I was ready for that. Always the same questions and the same answers. It was getting old.

On the other hand, I thought of Sean. He had always been so good with people, especially with my parents. They loved him. Sometimes I think even more than me. He had been joking with them and had always seemed to ask the right things and answer even better. He was charming, yes, and he had charmed my parents.

Suddenly, someone was pulling on my sleeve. It was Mia.

“Come, please,” she whispered. “The big man is on the TV.”

She pulled me with her while my mother and father changed the phone back and forth, persuading me to visit them. I remained silent, still in shock and surprise.

They played yesterday’s junior league training on the TV. The segment showed Sean exchanging high-fives with the kids, jumping with them, smiling with them. He ruffled one boy’s hair. Adorable. I was reminded again that he was really great with kids and above all he was a people person. He left his soul on the field and he was giving it all for those kids.

“You coming, baby? Please,” mom said finally.

“Yeah. We’ll come,” I replied.

Mom and Dad started cheering. If that didn’t burst my eardrums, I didn’t know what would. I giggled lightly and hung up.

I looked at Mia who was watching the screen as if hypnotized. Her eyes were glued on Sean and his every move. I smiled.

Dialing a number, I pressed the green button and waited.

“Kayla! Thank God, you called. I’m so sorry for everything. I’ve been calling you all day,” Sean said in one breath.

A wide grin appeared on my face. “It’s okay. Do you want to come with us to my parents’? With me and Mia?”

While I was talking to him, a scene popped up before my eyes. It had been in my parents’ house after a big match. Sean was talking vigorously with my father, giving him all the exclusive details. My dad, instead, watched him with eyes like Mia’s. Not moving. Deeply fascinated. Whereas Mom was making Sean cookies and threw a word or two in between. Those had been nice times.

I
counted
down the hours until the trip to Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn. My whole body was buzzing with excitement and so was the room I was in. Everything around me seemed better and lighter. As if the world’s atmosphere had changed for the better. That was the power of the good mood.

I wasn’t interested in anything anymore. Having nothing to do, I double checked the route to Kayla’s parents and mapped out all of the sights that lay between here and there. I was going to make the voyage a spectacular one that the girls wouldn’t forget for a long time.

At first, yesterday, I had thought that it was over. Things had looked pretty bad as I had fallen into a depression of some sort. Everything I had done had been undone with only one stupid move that I hadn’t really made. The worst part had been that I hadn’t known what was going through Kayla’s head. She had left me in the dark, not picking up the phone, not answering my texts nor had she said anything about the flowers. It had been awful. I couldn’t believe that I had lost Kayla again.

And now this…

This was a miracle from God. She gave me another chance to prove myself and I couldn’t let her down again. If this didn’t turn out well, it was going to be the end. I was sure of it.

Chasing the grim thoughts out of my head, I put my mind to work. I had an amazing plan that was going to be put into reality.

I grabbed my jacket and went out. My milk white BMW suv was waiting in the garage. In the trunk was my suitcase with enough clothes for a few days.

The asphalt screeched beneath the tires as I wove through the streets of the busy city. “Kayla, here I come,” I said to myself and sped up. A true gentleman never left women waiting for him and I wanted to stay true to that principle.

The adrenaline was rushing through my blood as I looked forward to the three of us spending time together. Woohoo, baby!

I waited impatiently at the stoplight. After the next right, I would be in Kayla’s driveway. I took a deep breath and did so. Her neighborhood was a peaceful one. And I liked it. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the both of them with three or four bags on the ground. Mia was waving and so was I. Her smile revealed a pearly white smile.

Pressing my foot on the brake, I stopped and got out of my car. I was dressed in a white cashmere sweater and cream pants. I put my shades on the top of my head.

“Hey, ladies. How are we feeling today?” I said.

“Awesome!” Mia shouted and launched herself towards me. I met her crouching and lifted her up.

“Oh, you’ve grown since the last time I saw you. You’re getting heavy,” I said as if through gritted teeth. In reality she was very thin and had a light weight. Just like her mother.

Mia hugged me tightly, giggling. In return I patted her head and fondled her long, curly hair. Just like her mother’s.

As a matter of fact, I noticed her mother watching us. I winked at her and she nodded smiling.

“Are you prepared for the best trip ever?” I whispered into Mia’s ear.

“Yeah!” she shouted.

“I didn’t hear you!” I chuckled.

“YES!” she screamed from the top of her lungs and the three of us burst loud laughter. I put her back onto the ground. And then went to greet Kayla.

I hugged her and pecked her on the cheek. Her skin was burning. It felt nice to have her smooth face next to mine. My hands enveloped all of her and I sensed her gasp when I did that. Her whole body trembled as my fingertips caressed the exposed skin on her back.

She was wearing a long yellow dress with white heels while Mia wore a small pink dress with white sandals. The perks of having a fashionista mother, I guessed.

“Come on ladies. Let the fun begin!” I said and helped them with their bags. We put everything in the trunk and sat on the leather seats. “Any special musical wishes?”

“Disney!” Mia shouted and I smiled. Sliding a CD in the stereo, familiar music boomed from the speakers.

The song was surely the one from the ice princess movie that was literally everywhere. Mia instantly started singing the words, warming up our hearts.

“We’re not taking the plane,” I announced and looked at Kayla.

“What do you mean? We’re going on a road trip?” She raised her eyebrows, but a wide smile graced her face. The girl liked surprises. And I knew the girl.

“Well, I have to keep a low profile, you see. And besides we’ll have a blast like this, don’t you think?” I was in a wonderful mood and nothing could change that.

“Yeah, it’s a great idea,” Kayla replied with a smile. Her attitude towards me was very different and odd. What the hell was going on inside her pretty head? Only she knew that. She was sometimes cold, sometimes really warm towards me and sometimes a hundred percent neutral. Just like a housewife in her midlife crisis.

“And I promise that we’ll be making several stops along the way, so that we can visit some sights. Especially Mia,” I said and the both of them clapped.

I put the car into first gear and off we went.

“I’m so excited, Kayla. My heart is beating so fast. I feel like a small child again.” I giggled. She did, too.

With my free hand I reached for hers. Once I caught it, I placed it on my chest. She inhaled. “Wow, you’re buzzing,” she whispered.

I nodded and shifted my eyes to the road.

The city was quickly replaced with the rural scenes. Mia was particularly stunned by everything she saw outside. Question after question she asked me or her mother about everything. It was amazing to see how curious a small girl can be. The windows were filled with the marvelous green color of the grass and the woods. We totally relaxed, singing along and laughing.

I stopped at a gas station briefly, to get some snacks but the journey continued shortly after that. Kayla was giving me some tasty ketchup-flavored chips from the bag. When I opened my mouth to grab one, she would retrieve her hand and the two girls would giggle softly.

“Oh, you naughty girls!” I said, laughing, myself.

All of us were cheerful. We made a great trio.

“About the other day…” I began, but Kayla interrupted me.

“Let’s forget about that. That’s better, don’t you think?”

“Cool,” I replied with an ear-to-ear smile.

“And by the way, thanks for the roses yesterday,” she whispered so that Mia wouldn’t hear. “They were very pretty.”

“Just like the one who received them,” I whispered back and I saw Kayla’s face turn beet red. Secretly, she took my hand and squeezed it. There was so much in that squeeze.

“OMG! An amusement park!” Mia shouted from behind. I turned to see her index finger pointing to a sign on the road.

“You wanna see it?” I said, smiling and looking at her reflection in the mirror.

“Yes, please. Can we do that?” Her tiny voice did wonders to me.

“Of course we can. Anything for the beautiful girl in the backseat,” I said and winked at her. She giggled just as she did every time I did that. Cuteness overload!

I turned right and exited the freeway. We were now driving on a bumpy narrow road that increased the fun in the car.

Kayla was laughing like a schoolgirl. “You sure about this, Sean?”

“One hundred percent. You don’t want to ride a rollercoaster, babe?” Once I said that I realized which words had escaped my lips. I had called her the same thing I had when we were young and in a relationship. Babe. And in front of the kid. Shit, Sean! You screwed up.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Kayla only patted my thigh and gave me that smile. That smile of hers that turned me on. I shook the thoughts from my head and focused on the path ahead.

The amusement park was one of the biggest I had ever seen. It made me wish I was still a kid as well. The positive energy and the innocence of it all were felt in the air. The place, itself, made you a kid. It was as if I had never even grown up into an adult in the first place.

I took Mia by the hand and she carried the both of us from carousel to carousel. She chose one horse and hopped on it. Kayla later told me that she had been into ponies recently. She was in that phase now. I hoped that she would stay in that phase. The next one which was all about make-up and boys was strangely terrifying and horrible. Ew!

Kayla and I let ourselves go in the moment as we did everything Mia wanted to do. We rode with open hands as if we were flying, we ran among the people like crazy and we tasted chocolate popcorn which was a bit too much for me. When did popcorn stop being just a nice, salty, addictive pleasure?

“I want that pony,” Mia said, pointing towards a stand with tons of stuffed animals. I realized that it was one of those stalls where you have to shoot to earn it.

“Okay. Follow me,” I replied and the three of us headed to the guy. I paid for a chance to win the pony and started shooting.

With each shot, Mia screamed with excitement. After all she was closer to the pony. I laughed like a baby as I shot targets that were moving fast even for me. These games were designed for fathers and strong men, not kids. Shame on them!

I scored the needed points and the guy asked me for the reward. I told him that we wanted the pony and with a smile on his face he gave it to Mia. In return she jumped up and down and thanked him. Then she turned to me and hugged me tightly. I had grown accustomed to her small arms around my neck. That place was always reserved for her. Sorry, ladies!

We spent half of the day there and once we flopped back onto the seats of the car, we were totally out of energy. Particularly Mia. She passed out in the back seat. I understood. Completely. The girl was running nonstop and even I couldn’t catch up with her.

I turned my head to see her sleeping and smiled. Warmth filled my body. Kayla caught the moment and she smiled. The three of us had an amazing bond. A special bond. And I realized that right now.

We continued our journey. Kayla was unusually quiet. Who knew what was going through her head! It was a tough situation she had found herself in. I definitely didn’t envy her any.

After a couple of hours
,
we parked in the driveway to the Vaughn house. I felt my muscles aching a bit and my eyes sore, but I could manage. It had been a long drive. But it was worth it. Kayla woke up Mia while I took care of the bags. I placed them on the ground when the door of the house opened and Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn came out to greet us.

They were just like I remembered them. Mrs. Vaughn had the same auburn hair like a bush all around her head and captivating blue eyes. As for Mr. Vaughn, his hair which had been black with streaks of silver once, was now all silver. However, he still had all of his pleasant and heart-warming features. I noticed some wrinkles around and beneath his eyes.

“Oh my dear Kayla!” Mrs. Vaughn shouted hugging Kayla.

They said hi and hugged Mia. And then came the hard part. Their eyes settled on me.

“What’s he doing here?” Mrs. Vaughn said in a hushed voice, but I could hear it all right.

“Mom, don’t be rude. It’s Sean for God’s sake. Not some stranger,” Kayla replied, defending me. I lowered my gaze and smiled. That was my girl! Go Kayla, babe!

“You didn’t tell us, hon. He…”

“Well, he came and that’s it. Don’t make a fuss about it please,” Kayla said and all of us entered.

Mr. Vaughn smiled at me and said hello. I had never felt more like the odd one out. But guess what? I didn’t care. I didn’t give a single damn about the thoughts of Kayla’s parents. If she wanted me by her side, I would be glad to be there.

Later Mrs. Vaughn shook hands with me out of courtesy, but I still sensed some bad blood between us. I supposed that what Kayla had told me about them was a hundred percent true. They were always messing with her life.

It was time for dinner and the food had been set on the table.

“Come on, kids,” Mr. Vaughn said and we all headed towards the table. He occupied the head with his wife opposite of him. Kayla sat to his left and Mia next to her while I was placed to his right. It was going to be fun! I sensed it in my bones.

“We didn’t know obviously that there would be five of us, so there’s not much food. But I guess we’ll manage somehow,” Mrs. Vaughn said. There we went! Ready, steady, go! The bombs began to drop.

I didn’t mind, but Kayla did. Her whole face went red and she opened her mouth to say something, but I prevented that. I caught her look and just nodded and smiled. That was enough to calm her down.

“So, Sean, how have you ended up with my daughter again?” Mr. Vaughn leaned in to whisper so that Mia couldn’t overhear.

I didn’t know what to say. Had Kayla told them about me being a possible father to the kid? I gulped hard. My hands were getting sweaty.

“Let’s eat, shall we?” Kayla saved the moment this time. We spent the rest of the dinner in silence with occasional compliments for the dinner and small talk. I could sense the negative energy aimed towards me. As if they could they wanted to stand up and strangle me with their bare hands. Or perhaps I was just being a bit paranoid.

The dinner ended with the clatter of the utensils as Kayla and her mother went in the kitchen to do the dishes. I took Mia by the hand and went in the small bedroom.

“Your sleepy, huh?” I asked her.

“Yeah,” she replied, rubbing her eyes. “I could barely stand. It was a great day. Thanks,” she said and yawned.

“Aw, it’s nothing, doll. Anything for you.” I winked at her and she giggled. I planted a kiss on her forehead and she sighed and traveled into the lands of the dreams. I covered her carefully and gazed at her for a while. She could be my girl. This cute bundle of joy. But no matter the paternity test, I was always going to be there for her.

I didn’t know why, but I didn’t feel exactly like sleeping. So, I changed and decided to go for a jog. A good night’s jog could do so much to a man. I heard that somewhere and it was undeniably true.

Climbing down the stairs of the house, I heard Kayla and her parents’ voices downstairs. They were yelling at each other. A family fight. I knew better than to interfere.

“You told him? You’re crazy!” her father screamed.

“I had to, okay? I had to. He has the right to know that he is possibly her father,” Kayla cried back.