He looks at me as if I’m a fucking moron, and apparently, I am because I allowed myself to be roped into coming to this messed up party tonight instead of being at home.
“We were in Twins Next Door together.” He says it as if it’s obvious but before I can say anymore a group of women have found their way into the circle and have begun grinding against any groin they can get their pussies on.
I need to get the fuck out of here. Standing, I slip away without looking back. As I’m opening my car door, though, Knox stops me.
“Hey, Tatum, you okay?”
I exhale, dropping my head. “I’m just tired. Got a pounding headache and I can’t stand watching Drew fuck up his life.”
“But about what that guy said about Ashley. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I just want to get home.”
Chapter Sixteen
Aria
When Tatum comes in the house, he reeks of pot and alcohol but one look in his eyes and I know he is stone cold sober.
“How was Drew’s?” I ask, following him into the kitchen, tightening the belt on the silk robe I’m wearing. I’ve just gotten Rose to bed in her crib, in her bedroom now that the nursery is set up. I thought maybe tonight Tatum and I could return to the place we were a few weeks ago. Our flirty texts put a bounce in my step over the last few hours, but right now Tatum looks beat.
He pours a glass of water and knocks back some pain reliever. “It was a cluster fuck. I really don’t want to talk about it.” He closes his eyes and leans against the counter. “Do you ever look around and wonder why the fuck you’re doing what you’re doing?”
I lift my eyebrows, a pang of hurt hitting me square in the chest. “Is that your way of telling me you wish I hadn’t moved in?”
He steps toward me, shaking his head. “No. Oh, my God, no, Aria. That is so not what I meant.” He groans. “I was talking about being Drew’s friend. Not about you, babe.”
“Babe?” I lick my lips, his sincerity erasing my fear.
He massages his temples with his large hand. “Is calling you babe too much, too soon?”
I smile. “No. It’s not.”
He reaches for my hand, taking in my cream-colored robe. “God, I’m venting about Drew when I should be looking at you.”
Our fingers lace and he pulls me closer. “I’ve missed this,” he tells me.
“So, have I,” I admit.
“Tell me something good,” he asks, brushing my hair away and kissing my ear.
“Your daughter took two good naps today which meant I got a good rest too.”
“Is that your way of telling me you have plenty of energy?” Tatum chuckles, his warm breath sending a flutter over my body.
“Do I need plenty of energy?” I ask, running my hands over his solid chest.
Tatum lifts me by the waist, setting me on the kitchen counter. “For what I want to do tonight, yes. You need plenty of stamina.”
I let my head fall back as he unties the belt, taking in my naked body underneath. He groans, massaging my breasts and plucking my nipples. “Fuck, woman, you’re killing me.”
I draw his chin toward me, as he stands between my knees. “No need to die over this.”
He kisses me hard as if he needs a reason to relax as much as I do. I tug off his t-shirt and he pulls my ass to the edge of the counter.
He starts to finger me, circling my clit and making my body as hot as fire. “God, I want to fuck you.”
“Then fuck me,” I whimper as he pulls out his thick cock. I reach for him, stroking his length as his fingers run over my thighs.
My body wakes for him in a way it wakes for no one else. For the last few weeks, I’ve grown comfortable with Tatum, living side-by-side him, but we’ve been extra cautious to make this about Rose -- not one another.
But today, when he texted that he was going out with his friends, I was no longer able to ignore my want.
All I could think about was how badly I didn’t want him to hook up with other women tonight and how much I wanted him inside of me.
I have no claim on him but right now, I want him to own me.
And so, when I ask him to fuck me, he doesn’t hesitate.
He drags me to his bed and in the darkness, he takes control. His strong, muscular body leans over me, making me feel delicate and small. And he keeps my legs parted, his hand running up and down my wet slit, getting me closer and closer to release. God, I haven’t come since he got me off. And I need it. Need him to take me back to that toe-curling place. That place where I lost myself in the moment.
His mouth runs over my skin, his tongue licking my wet pussy, my belly button, my hard as pebble nipples, and my mouth. His fingers move against my folds, and I know I’m dripping all over him, my juicy release telling him just how badly I want him. Want this.
He fingers me harder, opening me up and taking me to the edge.
God, it feels so good when he starts to take good care of me like this. The way no man ever has.
“You’re so ready, baby,” he tells me, and I whimper, unable to speak. I claw at him as he fills me up. That thick long shaft moving deeper and deeper inside of me until I am panting with want.
“Yes,” I moan. “Please.”
His cock is huge and my pussy walls throb as he fucks me just the way I asked. We come together and the moment is explosive, and I forget that there’s a baby sleeping in the next room.
“Oh, T,” I cry. “Yes, yes, oh God, yes.”
He comes inside me, and I close my eyes, knowing that moving in here wasn’t a good idea.
It was a freaking great idea.
Afterward, we stare into one another’s eyes and I feel a weightlessness I haven’t felt in so long.
“You okay?” he asks, running his thumb over my lips.
I nod. “Again?”
He laughs. “God, what’s gotten into you?” he asks.
My fingers run through his hair. “I guess getting Rose on a sleep schedule will work out well for everyone involved.”
He chuckles, rolling onto the bed and dragging me up on top of him. “You said you had energy to spare, right?”
I nod.
“Perfect,” he says, kissing me. “Because I haven’t been on the field in weeks and I need a good work-out buddy.”
Chapter Seventeen
Tatum
After the fucked-up party at Drew’s, a wall comes down between Aria and me. The first time we hooked up it was about tension and stress. The second time, it was about relaxing, about making one another feel good. Wanted. Seen.
Now it’s about having fun.
And hell, do we ever. I wake up most days with a rock-hard cock and I pull Aria toward me. We savor the lingering moments of Rose sleeping in and give one another the good morning we both crave. She rolls on top of me, straddling me. Her thin white tank top showing everything, her body opening for me as we get off.
I drag her to her knees, taking her from behind so I can squeeze her ass as I thrust deep inside her tight little cunt.
God, she feels good. We fit together and it’s like we’re a little family. A family that takes turns watching our little girl; that has dinner on the table at the end of the day, that texts photos of the baby to one another whenever she does something cute.
It would be fucking perfect if it wasn’t all an illusion.
And when Aria texts me from her studio, freaking out, I realize everything in our little bubble is made of glass. One crack and the whole facade will shatter.
Me: What’s wrong exactly?
Aria: Don’t drop off Rose.
Me: Um, I’m literally right here.
Aria: Right where?
She looks up and sees me in the foyer of the dance studio. I’ve got practice in an hour and Cleo is helping watch Rose at the studio today. But I know something is wrong because Aria never changes plans on me. She’s as steady as a rock, same as me. It’s why we work so damn well together.
“It’s a
really bad time, Tatum,” she says walking over to me. “You should go.”
“Sorry,” I say, dropping the diaper bag on a chair and unbuckle Rose from the infant carrier. “She needs to be changed. What’s going on?”
Behind her is a woman who carries the same features as the girl I’m playing pretend family with.
“Is this my granddaughter?” the woman coos. Her voice rattles with a lifetime worth of chain smoking.
“Mom, please can you give us a moment?” Aria turns icy, her voice even and sharp and it isn’t something I have heard before. Alarm bells go off as I try to see things from Aria’s point of view. Try to remember everything Aria has told me about her family.
We’ve mostly focused on her relationship with Ashley, not on her parents. At least, not much beyond her mother being a stage mom starting when she was three.
Aria doesn't even wait for her mother to reply. She grabs the diaper bag and shoves me into her office, shutting the door behind us. In the lobby, her mother is muttering not-so-quietly about Aria’s selfishness.
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask, pulling out the changing mat and kneeling on the floor with my daughter. “Tell me again why we hate her?”
“She ruined my life, Tatum. And if we’re not careful, she’ll ruin yours too.”
I rebutton Rose’s onesie and place her on my shoulder. “What can she do to us?”
Aria exhales, rewinding the bun on the top of her head. She’s in black leggings and a pale pink unitard, with leg warmers past her knees. She is so elegant, so beautiful, and right now, so utterly frazzled. Her eyes are bloodshot, and her hand trembles and I know this is more than mama-drama. Her mother hurt her. Badly.
“I have to protect Rose from my mother,” she says. “She came here to try and get money from me.” Just then the office door opens.
“Really, I came all the way down here from Irvine and you won’t even let me meet my grandbaby.” Her mom pushes her way into the office, not respecting her daughter’s boundaries. “I need to hold her at least,” she says, reaching for Rose.
To hell with that. I see the pain in Aria’s eyes, and I won’t stand by and let this woman inflict any more. I may not know what bullshit she’s pulled with the woman helping me raise my daughter, but like hell am I going to watch her ruin what we’re trying to build.
“We haven’t even met,” I say flatly. “I don’t hand my daughter over to strangers.”
“Well, now...” The women’s eyes change somehow like she’s masterminding a scheme. “You’re Tatum Madden, right? The football player.”
I give a hard nod.
“You’re the father then.” There’s something almost vicious in her expression, and I wonder how someone like her could have raised someone as sweet and good as Aria. “I saw the papers, with my little girl holding a baby.” Her lips curl up. “Most people wouldn’t have recognized her, but I know my daughter.” Then she gives a fake little sigh, her expression changing to mock injury. “I can’t believe my Aria would get knocked up and not tell me I’m a grandma.”
“This isn’t about you, Mom,” Aria says. And it’s obvious for some reason she hasn’t told her that Rose is Ashley’s.
Does the woman think Aria is Rose’s mom? I don’t correct her, and neither does Aria.
“You’ve always been so damn stubborn.” Her mother clucks her tongue. “I’m Bev, by the way,” she drawls out as if I give a shit. “And Aria, I would think you’d want to tell me how well you’ve done for yourself. I mean, really, an NFL star.”
I tense, not liking where this is headed.
“Aria and I aren’t going public at the moment. Privacy is important for both of us.”
Bev rolls her eyes. “You’re such a dumb little shit, Aria. Your baby-daddy has millions and you’re not cashing in on this? I thought I raised you better.”
The words shock me into silence. I’ve never met a woman so crass, so flippant, so entitled.
But Aria doesn't even flinch.
“This is why I don’t talk to you. Because you’re a gold digger. And I’m not. The only thing I want to talk to you about is my sister. If you’ve seen her--”
“I don’t care about Ashley right now,” Bev says, waving her daughter away, the words not even registering. “I care about this trio in front of me.”
I can practically see the money signs in Bev’s eyes. It’s not about meeting her granddaughter, nor about making sure Aria is okay, or even about where her other daughter has run off too. It’s about cashing in.
“It’s time to go,” I tell Bev handing Rose off to Aria. “Now.” I step from the office and push open the front door of the dance studio.
Bev mutters something about typical Aria as she walks out.
Cleo’s class is just wrapping up and several of the mothers waiting for their little girls turn, their eyes wide as they take me in. I see one mother pull out her phone and snap a photo.
This bubble Aria and I have been in is about to burst.
Aria told me she thinks there’s a shelf life on happiness and at the time, I thought it was the saddest thing I ever heard.
Now I wonder if there’s truth in that sentiment.
Chapter Eighteen
Aria
“I’m so sorry,” I tell Tatum when he comes back into the office. I place Rose in her car seat, and when I buckle her in, Tatum turns me to him, palms cupping my cheek, concern in his eyes.
“You don’t ever have to apologize for someone else’s behavior.” He looks pissed, and frustrated, but not at me. “Your mother is a piece of work. But I think we may have other things to worry about.”
“What?” I ask, then follow his gaze out the window of my office where a few of the moms have their phones out, taking pictures, or worse recording everything that just happened. “Shit.”
Tears form in my eyes but I blink them away.
“What do you want me to do?” Tatum asks. “We can let things work themselves out, but it might be best if we made a statement--”
I laugh, but it’s a high-pitched sound, almost hysterical, and I have to close my eyes and take a steadying breath before saying. “And what statement would you put out?”
His jaw bounces. “The truth. You’ve done nothing wrong, Aria.”
“But they’ll spin the story. I just...” A fear that I’ve spent my life trying to control fills me now.
One of the mothers has the gall to move closer to the open door, her phone in her hand, obviously taping us.
“I need to get out of here.”
“Okay.” Tatum doesn’t hesitate, he picks up the car seat and when I grab my purse, he wraps an arm around my waist and leads me out towards the parking lot.
I keep my head down, only stopping as I’m getting in Tatum’s car. I hear Cleo call out to me.
“Are you alright?” she asks.
“Sorry. I just need...”
“I’ll take care of everything.” Cleo looks at Tatum, who’s buckling Rose into her seat, and I see something pass between them. Before she shuts my door she says, “Call me later, okay? Let me know how you are.”
I nod, feeling an icy chill go through me. When we start driving back to Tatum's apartment, I say, “You need to make the statement.”
“You’re sure?”
“Before my mom does. Before those videos are leaked.” I stare out the windshield, my gaze is unfocused, knowing after this comes out that my past will once again be exposed.
That I’ll be exposed.
Every dark, horrible secret and lie laid out for the world to see again.
I shiver and Tatum takes my hand and squeezes it. “Whatever happens, you’ve got me, okay?”
I wish I could believe it. And I know in my heart that Tatum isn’t the type of guy to hurt me, not intentionally. But he also doesn’t know everything.
I’m shivering by the time we’re back at the apartment. Cold from the inside out. And I know Tatum is already late for his physio session.
“You should go,” I tell him after I’ve put Rose down for her afternoon nap.
“I’m not leaving you. I already called and canceled my session.”
“Tatum--”
He draws me into his arms, enveloping me in his strength. “I wanted to tear that woman apart for the way she spoke to you.”
I shrug against him. “I’m used to it.”
“No one should be used to that.”
I frown up at him. “You’re right.”
He brushes a stray hair away from my cheek. “Want to talk about it?”
“You saw her. What’s she’s like.” I sigh. “That was actually pretty tame compared to what she used to be like. I mean can you really blame Ashley for what she’s become having that as a role model?”
“Yeah, I can,” he says. “Everyone needs to be accountable for their own actions. And look at you. You’re not like them--”
“Maybe not. But I have my own scars.”
His back teeth clench together and he studies me. “Tell me.”
“What?”
“Everything. I want to know everything, Aria.”
I hold his gaze, his warmth filling me, giving me the courage to tell him things I’ve kept locked up for too many years. When I start talking, the words flood out of me and so do the tears. Tatum lifts me in his arms and carries me to the couch, holding me against his chest as I let his light expose the darkest parts of myself.
I tell him about the way my mom would get us to behave on set, the threats, the punishments, the isolation.
How she’d pinch me to make me cry for a sad scene, under my arm where the bruise wouldn’t be noticeable. How she’d bring men back to our trailer and have sex with them while Ashley and I were there.
“Jesus,” Tatum says, dragging a hand through his hair.
“Do you want me to stop?” I ask him.
“No.” He presses his mouth to the top of my head.
I pull myself closer to him, taking his strength, knowing that here and now, I’m safe. “It got worse when we became teenagers. My mom... she wasn’t the only one who thought they could treat us that way. Who thought...?”
Game Day Baby Page 9
