The Kicker: A New Adult Sports Romance ~ Nico (The Rookies Book 4)

by Zoë Lane

  “How many?” I said around the cloth.

  She held up two fingers.

  “Front ones?”

  She smiled. “The very back.”

  I sighed but it sounded like I was gurgling cloth. It would take weeks for the teeth to reattach, if they ever did.

  Nico kissed my forehead. “I’m staying right here. You’re going to be fine.”

  Was I? I looked away. Diego’s words hit me again. His assault was payback for Nico’s lawyers “throwing” papers at him.

  “Vero?”

  I reluctantly met his apologetic gaze.

  “If you’d like us to leave, Vero, we will respect your wishes,” Mrs. Langetti said, her hard eyes on Nico.

  Nico looked at me for an answer. “I want Siobhan to stay,” I whispered.

  Nico looked like I’d just told him he’d never play football again. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he nodded silently. Mrs. Langetti kissed my forehead. “It’s okay, dear. You rest. Your health is more important than anything else right now.”

  “I’ll send a car for you tomorrow, if you don’t want me…” Nico kept his eyes down.

  I wanted to hold him, tell him I did want him, but at what cost? He was only being nice because he had to. I was his fake fiancée for at least another day or two. After that, I’d be on my own. Might as well start fending for myself now.

  His mother ushered him outside, and when the door closed, I let out a groan.

  Siobhan sat in a chair next to my bed. “Guess that means apartment hunting is out tomorrow. Casper has an extra room. You can bunk with us.”

  I shook my head. “You know I can’t.”

  “Would you rather be at Nico’s? Because he looked like he wanted to be your nurse.” She smiled knowingly.

  “I should’ve let him stay, right? He looked like I had murdered his dream.”

  “When I called him, he sounded frantic. Said you weren’t answering his calls. I think he dropped the phone when I told him you were on the way to the hospital.”

  I started crying. “Siobhan…”

  She held me close. “I know, I know… you like him a lot. Then why did you send him away?”

  “Diego. I asked Nico to drop the charges. To ignore Diego and let it all go. He didn’t.”

  “That’s why Diego attacked you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, Vero…”

  “I can’t trust anyone,” I whispered. Men had brought me too much pain. Diego had broken my heart and my body, but Nico…

  Nico could ruin me for life. I couldn’t let him in any further. This fake relationship had to end now.

  18

  VERONICA

  I gritted my teeth against the constant, dull pain throbbing in my leg. I used my hands to lift my leg and position it over the side of Nico’s bed, right next to the scooter. I let out a sigh once I got onto the scooter.

  The thing about a broken leg—other than the pain—was the way it limited me. All I wanted to do was grab my clothes and toiletries and leave. I had finally relented and agreed to stay with Casper and Siobhan. I just couldn’t stay in Nico’s wonderful condo and his amazing bed. Couldn’t have his mother stay and wait on me hand and foot because I was her future daughter-in-law, or have Nico continue the charade and nurse me too. I could only guess he was probably rethinking his plan to fool his mother. That I was more trouble than I was worth and tht he had asked the wrong woman to fake an engagement. He probably couldn’t wait until this was all over and I was out of his life.

  “I wish you would reconsider,” Mrs. Langetti said from the doorway. She went into the closet and retrieved my bag.

  I took the bag from her hand and thanked her. “I can’t. I think it’s best I leave now. I’ve stayed long enough.”

  “Long enough? You two are engaged. Shouldn’t you be together?”

  I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. This was too hard. If I could have one thing off my plate, then I could finish the meal. Or at least get started. “No, we shouldn’t.” I opened my eyes. My heart shuddered as the words came out. “I shouldn’t be here because we’re not engaged.” I’m sorry Nico!

  Mrs. Langetti stood with her mouth agape.

  “Diego and I broke up last week. Right before you arrived. He kicked me out of the apartment and…and Nico overheard me talking to Siobhan about it and how I needed a place to stay.”

  She put a shaky hand to her mouth and turned away.

  “He had said that he’d told you he was engaged and that you were expecting to meet his fiancée. He said he could provide a place to stay if…if I played the part of his fiancée.”

  Mrs. Langetti huffed and shook her head.

  “Nico said we would get along. I’d eat a ton of great meals—and I have—and after you left, he’d tell you that we had broken up and that’d be it.”

  She laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “That would be it. Sure it would.” She turned around, her dark eyes flashing with anger. “That’s what my son told you?”

  I slowly nodded. “Mrs. Langetti, I am so sorry. Please believe me. I never wanted to hurt you like this.”

  She held up a hand, and I slammed my lips shut. Her eyes turned sad. “You and I…I thought we had shared…”

  “We did!” I said quickly, wheeling my scooter nearer to where she stood at the bedroom door. “I’ll pay you back for the dress, I promise. It was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. That and your son, Nico, giving me a place to stay.”

  “You stayed in his bed,” she snapped.

  “I did. And he stayed on the floor.” Except that one night, but it wouldn’t help my cause if I admitted that now. “Your son was a complete gentleman.”

  “And that kiss I had walked in on?” She crossed her arms.

  My neck and cheeks heated. “That was…that was a surprise for both of us, I think. We had never kissed before that morning when you arrived.”

  She smirked. “I made you kiss that morning.”

  “Yes,” I said softly.

  “And so you thought, as his fiancée, that you could continue to take advantage?”

  “No!” I gripped the handlebar of my scooter. “That’s not what happened. Look, Mrs. Langetti, I lied to you. I admit it. It’s eating me with guilt and I’m sorry. But I meant everything I said to you about your son.”

  “Including loving him?” Her gaze pierced mine and held me fast. My heartbeat sped up and fear overtook my voice. She took a few steps forward, studying my face. “Do you really love my son?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know,” I whispered. “I’m so confused. But even if I do, I know he doesn’t love me.”

  She arched a brow. “You know this for a fact? I saw my son at the hospital. The way he held your face and kissed you. The fear in his eyes and the anger in his voice. Whatever my son is feeling, it’s far closer to love than the opposite.”

  My heart hitched.

  “Perhaps it’s best that you leave,” she said. “If you are confused, some time away may bring you clarity.”

  “It’s why I’m leaving. This relationship…it wasn’t supposed to be real and…and…”

  “And you want it to be real.” Mrs. Langetti smiled. “You need to speak to my son. Ask him how he feels.”

  I shook my head. “He promised me that he wouldn’t press charges against Diego.” I looked at my broken leg. I gestured toward it. “Diego did this to me because…” I couldn’t accuse Nico of this. It wasn’t his fault.

  Mrs. Langetti put a hand on my cast. “If I had to take a guess, this isn’t the first time Diego’s struck you, is it?”

  “He’s shoved me before.”

  “Nico told me he was rough with you at a party, and he punched him in the face.”

  I smiled remembering Nico’s gallantry. “He did. That’s true.”

  Her hand squeezed mine. “Stay, then. Talk to my son. Ask him what he’s feeling. If there is a chance he has feelings for you and the two of you can be
together—”

  “No. I…I need some space. I should go and figure things out for myself.” I scooted back and moved toward the bathroom to get the rest of my things.

  “We can’t make you stay, but I hope you reconsider. If you and my son have real feelings for each other, I…I think you should explore them.”

  I stared at her. I couldn’t believe she didn’t want me to leave her son alone. I had lied to her. She’d spent thousands of dollars on a dress for a wedding that wouldn’t happen. I didn’t deserve her graciousness.

  “I’ll let you gather your things.” And she was gone.

  I let out a breath as tears flowed from my eyes. For days, the weight of guilt had been so constricting. I’d become more fearful of her reaction, the anger, the hurt, and how I would have to deal with that too. Finally the truth was out. The release I felt…the freedom…

  And Mrs. Langetti hadn’t turned on me the way I’d thought. She was still on my side.

  Nico wouldn’t be. This was his secret to tell and I had ruined it. He would probably think I was just as selfish as I had thought he was when he went ahead and pressed charges. Neither one of us were thinking about the other—only what was right.

  I only regretted that all of this would cost me Nico.

  19

  NICOLAS

  I’d been so angry that I’d hit a record-length field goal. Coach Hicks applauded my efforts and asked whether or not it was because I had decided to be with the girl.

  I hadn’t. Even if I had wanted to, she had made it perfectly clear she didn’t want to be with me. And I had gone over it in my mind again and again. Maybe I could’ve done more. Maybe if I had pressed her harder, she would’ve chosen me. Whatever the answer was, right now, I didn’t have the woman I wanted.

  I hadn’t slept at all the night before and my mother had stopped me from punching a hole in the wall. Diego had beaten her up, and Vero didn’t want anything to happen to him. So he’d get away with hurting her. Again.

  And she’d rejected me. She thought my help had caused this to happen to her.

  If I were less arrogant, I’d have agreed with her.

  But I wasn’t.

  Diego had made a choice. No one had twisted his arm. Now I had a choice to make. And my arms were completely free.

  The driver told me Vero had at least accepted my offer to drive her back to my place, even though Siobhan had stayed the night with her at the hospital. I left HQ as fast as I could to get back and see Vero before we had to fly out tonight for our away game.

  I exited the elevator on my floor and immediately paused. My door was open.

  Siobhan stepped through with Vero’s bag slung over her shoulder, and she halted. “Oh.” She had the expression of a child that had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

  “What’s going on?”

  She frowned. “Vero’s inside. You should talk to her.”

  My mother’s bags stood against the wall near the door. Both of them were leaving? She stepped out of the living room and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. “The driver is downstairs waiting for me.”

  “You sure you can’t stay a few more days?” I whispered. “Maybe help with Vero?”

  She too frowned. “She doesn’t need my help. She needs you. It’s not good for me to be here…hovering. I’ll call you when the plane lands.” She grasped my shoulders and held my gaze. “Don’t be afraid to go after what you want, Nico. Be the man I raised you to be, not the one you’re afraid of becoming.”

  “Yes, Mamma.”

  She kissed both of my cheeks and greeted the driver at the door behind me, who grabbed two of her bags.

  I walked into my bedroom and saw Vero adjusting her leg on the small scooter she’d probably gotten from the hospital. I would’ve bought her a motorized chair, if she had wanted it.

  “Vero…”

  “It’s over, Nico,” she said without looking at me. “I’ve told your mother the truth. It’s time for me to go.”

  My mother knew? And she didn’t kill me at the door. Maybe I didn’t know her as well as I’d thought. I’d work on that, but right now, Vero was slipping through my fingers, and I hadn’t once dropped a ball this season.

  She slipped her purse strap over her head. Finally her gaze met mine. Her determination didn’t scare me. She was crippled. She couldn’t get far.

  “Veronica—”

  “No, Nico.” She held up a hand. “I’ve…” Her lower lip trembled. “I’ve appreciated all you’ve done for me. I do. Please believe me when I say that. But…but it’s not real, and Diego’s threats are. My body hurts…”

  I crossed the room. “And you would rather stand the pain of that and not have your heart hurt, is that it?”

  “Right,” she said stiffly.

  “Vero, I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She looked away, and a tear slipped down her cheek. I wanted to hold her heart-shaped face in my hands, but that damn neck brace denied me access.

  “We both know that’s not true. Your reputation precedes you.”

  “I haven’t even looked at another woman since you agreed to be my fiancée,” I ground out.

  “Fake fiancée, remember?”

  I huffed and crossed my arms. She was being impossible. I raked my hands through my hair and tried again. “Veronica. There’s something between us. I know you feel it. I do.”

  She smiled sadly. “You’re right. There is something between us. Lies…my ex. Your mother was disappointed that I had lied, but she took it better than I thought. I left the ring on the island in the kitchen. I’ll pay her back for the dress, don’t worry.”

  I put my hands on the handlebars of the scooter, my gaze daring her to challenge me. “Why are you fighting this?”

  We locked eyes. “You can’t keep me here.”

  “Watch me,” I said evenly. “Where are you going to go?”

  “Siobhan said I could live with her and Casper until I find a place of my own.”

  “Not good enough. Your stuff is here. I have a spare bedroom. You can move down the hall. We barely have to interact, if that’s your problem. You know I won’t take advantage of you.”

  “It’s not enough!”

  “Then what, Vero?” I lowered my voice in defiance of her yell. “What is it going to take for you to stay here?”

  “Why do you want me to stay? It’s over. I did what you wanted. I pretended to love you for your mother’s sake, and now it’s done. I’ve cramped your style long enough, and…” She closed her eyes and let out a breath. “I’m just tired, Nico. I want to leave, please. Let me go.”

  I dropped my hands from the handlebar. She was right; I couldn’t keep her here against her will. Clearly, she wanted to go. I held her gaze, searching for some sign that I should snatch her off her scooter and take her to bed—gently, of course. The lines around her mouth and the bags underneath her eyes were enough to prove her exhaustion.

  She broke eye contact and scooted around me. I didn’t follow. I only left my room when I no longer heard any movement.

  Like she said, the ring was in the box on the kitchen island. I’d have to talk to the jeweler about a return, but I was probably out of luck. I opened the case and stared at the ring. It had looked at home on Vero’s finger.

  I snapped the lid shut. I’d pawn the ring if I had to.

  20

  VERONICA

  I opened the door and Rose stood there with an awkward grin on her face.

  “You need me for another statement?” I asked, my heart swimming in the guilt pool that had filled my stomach over the situation with Diego and Nico. Thankfully, Diego’s assault on me hadn’t been in the press, but once he and Nico went to court over the incident at the restaurant, it would undoubtedly come out then. Rose had already prepped for that eventuality and I had prayed that this whole issue would be settled before that day.

  “I invited her over,” Siobhan said from behind. “I hope that’s okay. Figured we could make it a girls
’ night while our guys are away.”

  Their guys. I didn’t have one. “It’s your place,” I said and gestured for Rose to enter.

  Rose and Siobhan exchanged a hug. “Sorry I’m a little late,” Rose said. “I got stuck at the office for longer than I thought.”

  “Everything okay?” Siobhan asked with a worried look on her face.

  Rose laughed. “For once! I don’t have to write a single release or get ready for a news conference—nothing!” She gave me a smile. “How are you feeling, Vero? Any better?” She eyed my leg propped up on my scooter.

  “The pain has dulled somewhat, but I’m trying to stay as active as I can.”

  “She really should be resting, but she’s careening around the place like that scooter’s a go-cart.” Siobhan grinned wickedly.

  I sighed. “I am not. I just don’t want to feel helpless and be treated like an invalid.”

  “You are an invalid,” Siobhan reminded me.

  I scooted back toward the living area. “Only for a few more weeks.”

  “Months. Now you’re delusional. The game is just starting. Rose, I can take your coat, and the food is set up in the living room.”

  Rose and Siobhan joined me on the couch. We watched the Rhinos on the television.

  “How’s Landyn handling not playing?” Siobhan asked. “I know Casper said he’s restless.”

  Rose huffed. “Restless isn’t quite the word I’d use for it. He’s more than that. Kyle is doing well and he’s really jealous and nervous. It’s a side of him I haven’t seen before, that has required a lot of my attention.”

  “A bad side?” Siobhan asked.

  Rose shrugged. “Haven’t decided. And I need to soon, because we’re supposed to be having dinner with my parents when he gets back.”

  “Is this the dinner?”

  Rose nodded. “I ducked and dodged for as long as I could. My dad wants to meet him and my mother won’t stop sending me text messages, so I guess it’s time.”

  I laughed. “Nico’s mom is a helicopter one too.”