Risking the Crown

by Violet Paige

  I pulled the mic closer to my chin. “I work with the trainers on my diet and I try to get a workout in in between press events. Standard stuff we do on the road. Nothing special this week.”

  “Wes, Wes!” I pointed to the man in the back row. “Do you think Jenny Nichols is going to get any traction on her story?”

  “Jenny Nichols? Is she here?” I’d never heard of her.

  “The reporter who posted that your injury a few weeks ago may have been more than a severe sprain.”

  I chuckled. “You boys know people are always trying to dig up exposés before the big game. This is the Super Bowl. It should be about the players. The teams. The men who worked their butts off to get here. Next question.” I passed over him and moved to another reporter, hoping he had something for Hickson or Coach, but I could feel it. The fear that Jenny fucking Nichols might know something.

  It wasn’t a good feeling.

  We left the press conference and rode back to the hotel. Sam was on his phone the entire time, texting who the hell knows, and Coach was answering calls from ownership. That one damn question at the press conference had made the headline. Nothing else mattered right now. There was a firestorm of emails and texts blowing up my phone.

  I looked down when I saw Lennon’s number pop up.

  “Hey, Doc. Can’t talk right now.”

  “Wes, what’s happening? There are reporters downstairs in the lobby.”

  “What?” I sat forward in the backseat.

  “I got home from work and they were there like they were waiting for me. The only way I got up to the penthouse was because the concierge blocked them while I ran into the elevator.”

  “Shit,” I whispered. “What did they ask? Did you answer anything?”

  “They wanted to know if I had any comments on your injury. They wanted to know what medications I gave you.”

  “Did you say anything?”

  “Of course not.” She sounded pissed. “But this is insane. I can’t leave. They’re stalking me.”

  The car pulled up to the curb and Coach and Sam slid out, leaving me in the car alone.

  “I can get you out of there.” I tried to think what security team I trusted to escort her from the building, but I’d pay whatever I had to in order to keep her away from those vultures.

  “I’m supposed to fly to San Diego tomorrow.”

  “I know. I know.” It was all happening so fast. It was starting to crash down, and they had barely scratched the surface of this story. If I could make it through the weekend, and walk out of here with a Super Bowl ring, there would be a way to handle the press.

  “This is exactly what I talked to you about,” she seethed. “You’ve risked it. Everything, Wes.”

  “No one knows anything. The only story that’s out there right now is that I might have had more than a sprain.”

  “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “I’ll fly you out tonight. Beat the press by a day. We can talk.”

  “I can’t leave. I have patients.”

  I scratched the back of my head. “I need you here.”

  She sighed into the phone. “I can try to get someone to cover my shift. I’ll call you back.”

  I felt the relief sink into my shoulders. She could be here tonight. By my side. Battling this with me.

  “I’ll book the flight.”

  “All right, but I’m worried this is going to get worse before it gets better.”

  “It might. But it’s going to blow over, Doc. Trust me. I’ve ridden out worse scandals.”

  It wasn’t the right moment to tell her about how many women had accused me of knocking them up, or the guy who threatened to expose my private gambling ring. Ben was just one more on that list of people I’d paid off to keep their mouths shut.

  “I guess I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Yes, you will. I’ve gotta go. Coach is waiting.”

  I walked into the sunlight and into the hotel. I wasn’t prepared when a reporter popped up from behind a plant.

  “Wes, do you want to comment on the rumor that you used HGH and regenerative gels to repair broken bones?”

  “Who the hell are you?” My hand was already balled in a fist.

  “Jerry Cole with the Sports X.” He pushed a recorder in front of my face. “Is it true? Did you use substances banned by the AFA?”

  I shoved his hand out of the way. “I’m not commenting on rumors.”

  “So was it really a break and not a sprain? Did the Wranglers lie about your injury?”

  I walked away, heading toward the elevator.

  “Did your girlfriend help you get the HGH? Did she have access to the illegal substances? It’s Dr. Lennon Ashworth, right?”

  At the mention of her name, my eyes blazed. Who did this fucker think he was? Before I had a chance to deck him and flatten on the marble floor, Stubbs was next to me, pulling me into a conference room. He slammed the door behind us.

  “Calm the fuck down, Blakefield.”

  My chest was heaving. My pulse was thumping.

  “They’re going to drag her into this,” I groaned.

  “Stop right there.” He put his hands up. “I don’t want to know anything. Nothing about your hand. Nothing about HGH. Nothing about you and your girlfriend. Don’t say another word. If there is an investigation, I want to be able to say I know nothing. Got it?”

  “Then why’d you drag me in here?” I glared at him, feeling my blood pressure starting to drop.

  “To stop you from punching out that reporter in front of everyone. I can’t help you with what’s already happened, but maybe I can stop you from making a mistake today.”

  I hung my head. “Thanks.”

  “You’d do the same for me.”

  “I would.”

  “Get up to your suite. Get on the phone with your agent and come up with a plan.”

  I chuckled. “You make it sound simple.”

  “This is all just noise, man. Noise because no one wants the Wranglers to win.” He slapped me on the back, then poked his head out the door. “That guy’s gone. I think you can head up now.”

  “Thanks, again.” I felt calmer, less likely to slug someone. There was a way out of this. There always was. I just had to figure out what it was, and how much it was going to cost me.

  26

  Lennon

  I was about to land in San Diego. My world felt ripped apart. The press hounded me. Wes had been accused of cheating the AFA rules, and I was five days late. I was never late. My period ran like clockwork.

  One thing at a time. I couldn’t tell Wes about that now. Could be a total false alarm. But I couldn’t help it. My hand went to my stomach, wondering if there was a little life there. Had Wes and I made a baby? My chest clutched with anxiety at the thought. We couldn’t be parents. And not now, with this scandal falling from the sky.

  I walked down the jetway, stopping to find my luggage before locating the sign with my name on it. Ever since I left Wes’s apartment with a new security detail, I felt the need to look over my shoulder. I didn’t trust anyone. I couldn’t strike up a conversation with the lady next to me on the plane who babbled on and on about her twins. What if she tweeted something about me? What if she tried to weasel out some personal detail about Wes?

  This level of scrutiny had made me paranoid, and it had only been a few hours since the news broke.

  The driver took me downtown to one of the hotels on the water. It was the perfect San Diego scene. Romantic and magical. The lights sparkled on the water. But all I could think about was what Wes and I had to face. He was waiting for me. He had actually said on the phone that he needed me.

  I straightened my shoulders and walked through the revolving door.

  I knocked softly on the door. It opened, and Wes’s massive shoulders filled the frame.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey, Doc.” He pulled me inside, crushing my mouth with his lips. “Welcome to San Diego.�
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  I didn’t want to let go. I hadn’t seen him in days, and it felt good to be in his arms. To feel his strength wrap around me. He was warm and safe. I forgot about the storm brewing outside and just listened to his heart beat against his chest.

  “I missed you.” I tipped forward on my toes to touch his lips again.

  “It’s been a hell of a week here.” He took the bag off my shoulder and rolled my suitcase into the bedroom. “I already have a glass of wine for you.”

  I twisted my lip. “I don’t think so. Maybe some ice water. Still feeling a little queasy from the flight. We had a lot of turbulence.” I couldn’t believe I had made that up, but I wasn’t going to scare him for no reason.

  “Uhh, okay.” He dropped a few cubes and poured water into the crystal glass. “Here you go.”

  “So, what’s the latest? What did your agent say?” I sat on the couch and waited.

  “Lennon, I have to tell you. I want to tell you all of it.”

  “Okay. What’s the plan?”

  “I’m not talking about the plan and how I’m digging myself out of this fucking hole. I’m talking about the truth. The truth you asked for weeks ago.”

  I stared at him. His jaw was set in determination. “I’ve been taking HGH. Injections in my thigh.” He sat next to me. “And I had a procedure done by a doctor to fuse my bones together with a gel.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “I know. I know you think I’ve crossed a line and I did. Hell. I knew what I was doing. And I didn’t care. I wanted to win. I wanted to be here at the Super Bowl. It was all I could think about. All I could dream about.”

  “And now? Do you still think it was worth it?” I asked quietly.

  “Maybe.” He hung his head. “That’s the thing. I still want to win. And if it wasn’t for this damn reporter, I wouldn’t think anything about it. I’m only worried about being caught. I’m not sorry about the drugs or the procedure.” He cupped my cheeks between his hands. “And I want to be able to tell you I’m sorry. I know you think it’s wrong. And I play dirty. I cheated. I only care what you think about me. I don’t give a damn about the rest of the world. But I don’t want you to look at me thinking I’m a liar. Because with you, I’m not.”

  “Are you going to admit what you did?”

  He dropped the warmth against my cheek. “No. Why would I do that?”

  “To own up to it. To be honest with the AFA and your fans.”

  “Before I left Sunday, we said something to each other.”

  I’d never forget it. The way the word had rolled off his tongue. The moment I knew he owned more than just my body.

  I nodded my head.

  “And I do. I love you, Lennon. But you can’t ask me to do this. I’m not going public. My agent has a way to kill the story and the investigation. It’s going to take a huge chunk of my savings, but I’ve got new endorsements lined up. I’ll recover the money in three months, tops.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You’re not serious. You’re going to live with this lie?”

  “It’s done. My hand is healed. I deserve to play in the Super Bowl. If I confess, it will ruin every man’s life on the Wranglers. Their kids’ lives. Their wives’ lives. I’m not going to do that to them just because you think it would make me an instantly morally acceptable man.”

  I closed my eyes. This wasn’t the way I thought it would go. I thought the plan would be to hold a press conference and explain the medical transformation that had taken place. I thought he would want honesty and forgiveness.

  “I guess I shouldn’t have expected you to change. You warned me, didn’t you?”

  My hand gently tapped my stomach. What if I was pregnant? Could I have a baby with a man who lied to the world? A man who would cheat just to win? What kind of mother would I be if I let a liar raise my child?

  I stood and walked into the bedroom. I couldn’t look at his beautiful green eyes another second. He wanted acceptance from me. He needed it. And I couldn’t give it.

  Wes followed me, and I felt the nausea rising higher in my throat.

  “Lennon, I need you. Baby, you’re the best thing in my life. I see it. I know it. But you have to realize…”

  He was going on about how I had to buy in to his gray world of winning and losing, cheating and lying, when I rushed to the toilet, lifted the lid, and threw up.

  “Shit, are you okay?” He stood behind me.

  I wiped my mouth and looked up at him. “I think I’m pregnant.”

  27

  Wes

  “Pregnant?” I dropped to the tile floor next to her. “Holy shit.”

  “Yeah, holy shit.” She heaved into the toilet bowl a second time, and I held her hair.

  When she was finished, she stood and walked to the sink. I stared at her while she brushed her teeth.

  “I haven’t taken a test yet, but I’m late. I’m never late. And I’ve been nauseated. And then there’s the vomiting.”

  I nodded as if I knew the pregnancy symptoms. What I knew was pregnancy threats. Women who showed up at my door, wanting money. But there were never any babies. Just money-hungry whores.

  “So what do we do?” I crossed my arms.

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t going to tell you like this. Not until after the game. But it feels like everything is so screwed up already, so why not? Right?”

  God, I looked at her. Her cute nose, and those hips that had me on my knees. The woman who had taken the control from my grasp. And she was carrying my child. My baby. Our baby.

  I walked toward her. “You’re so beautiful to me. Sexy and smart. And to know that we made a baby together…” I felt a lump in my chest. An overwhelming need to protect her and our new family. “You’re fucking incredible, you know that, Doc?”

  “You’re not mad?”

  “Mad? Hell no. You know how hot you’ll be when your tits swell up. And when your belly grows with my baby.”

  “Our baby,” she corrected me.

  “Right. Our baby.” I pulled her against my chest. “Everything is working out. This day started out like shit and now it’s perfect. All I need now is that Super Bowl ring, and I’ll have everything.”

  She looked up at me. “How exactly are you getting out of the investigation?”

  I scooped her up in my arms and carried her toward the bedroom. “Let’s talk about that over breakfast.”

  “Wes, tell me.” She whacked me on the chest, but I wasn’t letting her go, and I wasn’t going to ruin the night with a bunch of legal jargon about the players’ union and lawsuits.

  “I promised you one hell of a night when you got here, Doc. So shut up and let me give it to you.” I positioned her on the bed and started undressing her.

  “You still want me? Like this?” she asked, with hurt in her voice.

  I lowered to kiss her. “I’ve never wanted you more.” I dropped her clothes on the floor. I thought she was sexy before. But nothing was hotter than fucking the woman I had given a baby. We weren’t careful. I knew that, but it didn’t seem to matter. I wanted to be buried in her. I wanted my seed in her, and this was why. She was carrying my child now.

  Her legs wrapped around me as I pushed inside her.

  “Fuck me, Wes,” she moaned. “Like the first night.”

  I slid into her. “Oh, this’ll be better than that.” I sucked hard on her nipple. “Because now I don’t just love fucking you. I love you.”

  We both paced in front of the bathroom counter. Lennon sat on the edge of the tub and then was up again. We couldn’t be still. She walked over to the stick lying next to the sink.

  “This is the longest three minutes of my life,” she sighed.

  “No shit.” I was horrified and excited.

  I had a messenger deliver a pregnancy test to the suite first thing this morning. Neither one of us needed the press spotting us in a drug store with one of these things.

  “I think it’s time,” she announced.

 
I held my breath while she read the test. In an instant, I was terrified it would be negative. Getting her pregnant wasn’t the plan, but with the possibility this was a false alarm, I realized how much I wanted her to have my baby. How much I wanted this together.

  I tried to read her expression. “God, you’re killing me, Doc. What does it say?”

  She lowered the stick. Her blue eyes were clear and certain. “I’m pregnant.”

  I grinned. “I knew it.”

  She laughed. “I knew it too.”

  I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her on the forehead.

  She looked up at me. “Can we go back to bed now just for a little nap? It’s not even 6am.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, let’s get some more sleep.”

  With enough money, anyone can be bought off. I learned that when I made my first million. My agent had learned it too. Jenny Nichols took her money and changed her story before the next morning’s headlines. She reported that her source was a phony and she had x-rays to prove that Wes Blakefield’s injury had in fact been a sprain all along.

  Lennon and I read the headlines in bed.

  “I can’t believe this.” She scrolled through her tablet. “There’s not a single mention of an AFA investigation. Why aren’t they looking into it?”

  I smiled and kissed her on the forehead. “I told you we had nothing to worry about.”

  “Not really the point.”

  “Can’t you be happy we’re not being interrogated? It’s going to be old news.”

  I knew she was still mad I hadn’t done the honorable thing. And now that I was going to be a father, that would have to change. I wasn’t going to let my son or daughter grow up the way I did.

  I wouldn’t be the kind of father who pushed them regardless of the rules. That meant I was going to have to start following them.

  My hand snaked under the covers to Lennon’s flat belly. In a few months, her body would be different. I was going to love every second of it. The ice cream runs. The trips to the doctor. All of it. Normal dad stuff that other guys did.