Someone pulls me back as I call him an asshole, a fraud, a sick fucker. Ward manages to steady himself, and with my arms being held back I’m unable to protect myself when his fists collide with the side of my head, the throb deafening as my skull rattles.
I push off the hands that hold me back, and lunge at Ward, throwing him to the ground as a crowd surrounds us.
Knox, Drew, and Ellis urge me to stop. But I can’t. With my fists I take out the pain the twins have held onto all this time and lay into him. He destroyed Ashley. He almost destroyed Aria. The man deserves no mercy.
I pull back my fist one last time, knocking Ward out as a dizzying sensation comes over me. In the distance, I hear the sirens of an ambulance or cop cars barreling toward us. I fall back, my head throbbing, then in an instant, it’s like a bucket of water has just been dumped on top of me, I go numb.
And then darkness hits me, and I black out.
* * *
“He’s waking up.” It’s my brother’s voice and I can hear the concern in it.
My head throbs as I blink, the lights above me seeming way brighter than they should be.
“Tatum.” Aria is beside me, her blue eyes rimmed red from crying. “What were you thinking?”
I try to sit up, but wires are attached to me and I realize I’m in a hospital room, monitors beeping, and I’m dressed in a goddamn hospital gown.
“What happened?”
“You punched Ward Hudson senseless,” Knox, who’s leaning against the far wall says, frowning. “Then decided to give yourself brain damage.”
I grunt, managing to sit up despite Ellis and Aria trying to stop me. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat. The man deserved every punch.”
Ellis shakes his head at me. Knox looks away. And there are tears in Aria’s eyes.
“What?” I ask.
“Your self-preservation is at an all-time low,” Knox says. “You even care that you’re lying in a hospital bed. That we’re still waiting on the CT scan results?”
“CT scan?” I ask. “Shit, how long was I out for?”
Aria wipes away tears from her cheeks. “They think you may have had a stroke or a brain aneurysm.”
“Fuck,” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’ve been having headaches...”
“Caused by one too many hits to the head,” a woman wearing a stethoscope around her neck says as she comes into the room. “I’ve read your file, Mr. Madden, and you’ve had several serious concussions over the years.” She holds out a hand and I shake it. “I’m Dr. Ferrelli, your neurologist.”
“Do you have the CT results back?” Ellis asks, frowning at her. And I realize the scare I gave them.
“The good news is that there is no signs of a stroke or aneurysm,” The doctor says.
“And the bad?” I ask, knowing by the look she gives me that there’s more she’s not saying.
“The punch you took to your temple has caused brain trauma. I’m sure you’re already aware of concussion treatment?”
“Yeah,” I say, my chest tightening with the realization that when my coach hears about this, I’ll be benched again.
The doctor is still frowning at me. “I know this is the last thing you’re going to want to hear, Mr. Madden, but considering your previous head trauma it's my opinion that you retire. Any further concussions, even minor, could have long term consequences.”
Both Knox and Ellis curse. A coldness settles on me, but part of me knew this was coming. The end of my career. I know I should be angry. Or upset. But I feel nothing at the moment. Aria and Ellis ask the doctor my questions, but I don’t pay attention to the answers given.
I close my eyes and try to take in steady breaths.
Even after the doctor leaves and Ellis is talking to me, I can’t focus. My head is still throbbing and I feel like I could sleep for days.
But then I hear Aria gasp. She’s watching something on her phone. A video. It’s a clip of me punching Ward.
“Where did you get that?” Knox asks, taking the phone from her.
“Cleo just sent it to me. Apparently, it’s gone viral.”
“Shit,” Ellis says. “We need to move on this. You need to call your lawyers.”
“I’ll get on it,” Knox says, before pulling out his phone and leaving the room.
I fucked up. Big time.
It was reckless, impulsive to go after Ward the way I did. And now Aria, Rose, and I will pay the ultimate price for me using my fists.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Aria
Tatum is discharged after a few more rounds of testing. He has an appointment for tomorrow but it’s pretty clear what has been causing his persistent headaches. Trauma to the head from one too many concussions.
If he keeps playing, it might very well give him permanent brain damage.
I drive him home in silence, the impact of the doctor's words have shaken me to my core. I keep expecting Tatum to get angry, to cry. Anything. But he is stone cold. Stoic. Even when his friends, his physical therapist, Reggie, and the coach from the Chargers showed up at the hospital, he wasn’t emotional. He simply nodded, taking their words of sympathy in stride, listening to the doctor and asking questions but not making a big deal out of any of it.
Any of it meaning he has been advised to never play in the NFL again.
By the time we pull up to the house, I’m lost on how to console him. Confused about what he needs. “Do you need some water? Are you hungry?”
“No, I’m good,” he says, kicking off his tennis shoes before sitting down on the couch.
I look at the clock, it’s four p.m. It’s been a long day at the hospital and I just want to know what Tatum needs. Sitting down next to him, I take his hand, rubbing my thumb over his bruised and bandaged knuckles. I still can’t believe Tatum knocked Ward out. I saw the video. Everyone in the country probably has by now, so I know it happened but I’ve never seen that aggressive side of him.
“Say something.” My words are tender, but my worry is growing deep.
He exhales, dipping his head on the back of the couch, looking over at me. Those dark green eyes are as deep as a forest and I want to get lost in them, in his mind.
“Tatum, you’re scaring me,” I say. “Let me in.”
That gets his attention and he turns to me on the couch, face to face. “I fucked up today, Aria. And I don’t know if you’ll ever forgive me. I’m so fucking sorry.”
My eyes narrow, trying to understand him. I cup his cheek, the stubble rough and yet, his eyes are soft, tears filling them. “I shouldn’t have punched Ward. Fuck, Aria. Rose needs me to be upright, true. I need the courts to believe I can be the father she needs... and then I went and did that. It’s all over the news. After everything we’ve been through, I let Ward fucking Hudson get the best of me.”
“No,” I say forcefully. “You were trying to protect me and protect other women like me.”
“I wanted him to pay,” he says tightly. “I wanted him to suffer. I wasn’t being a knight. I was being a mercenary.”
“We don’t know yet what will happen with Rose. I have to believe that it’s all going to work out. I have to. Because if I don’t...” I choke on the words. He isn’t the only one carrying guilt over all of this. “Tatum, your whole world is falling apart because of me. If you feel guilty, just think how I feel?”
“I love you, Aria,” he says. “I may have lost football, but I’m not fucking losing you. So, don’t let go just yet. We can still fight for the life we want. For our love. For our Rose.”
Tatum draws me to him and our mouths collide. Crashing together in a kiss that is desperate and as full of longing as any kiss we’ve ever shared. We strip off our clothing, needing our bodies to be bare, our hearts exposed. We’ve put everything on the table for our love. Right now, it’s all out there, nothing is hidden, no secrets. He knows my story and I know his. Ashley may have been a part of our shared history, but she isn’t the sum of it. There is still a hell of a l
ot left for Tatum and me.
This. We have this. His hands running over my bare skin as he lifts me from the couch, carrying me to our bed. His hands run over my belly, between my thighs. My heart pounds as his fingers explore my lips, my folds, dipping inside me to my core. My clit is on fire as he touches me tenderly, the way I need, and I run my hand over his shaft. I know every inch of him by now. This man who taught me to love. To be his.
“I love you,” I gasp as he fingers me more deeply, adding a second, then a third as my pussy grows wet and warm, hot, hot, hot as he touches me. His other hand massages my breasts, my nipples hard as he grinds his hand against me, finger fucking me into oblivion. The build-up is so sweet, the release so damn necessary. The entirety of my soul is in a cage that needs to be set free. Losing sweet Rose wrecked me but I’m not ruined.
Tatum takes me to the edge, my thighs shaking as he kisses my pussy, licking me up and down. I shudder, I moan, the sounds escaping my mouth, not at all sounding like my own. But they are. This right here, with Tatum, the way he takes me past the point of pleasure, into ecstasy, into nothing but pure love plain and simple and I let go. I let go and fall into him all over again. My pussy drips for him and I pull him closer.
I need him in me. I need him to fill me. I need him. It’s always been him. Tatum Madden is the love of my life and I thought I lost him. Rushing to the hospital today, my heart burning with fear. Not knowing what to expect -- but he is here. Breathing. Fighting. Strong.
And mine.
“I love you,” I gasp, as his cock fills my pussy, made for him and him alone. I wrap my legs around his waist, not wanting anything between us. His skin and my skin, Two beating hearts, it’s all I want. Tears run down my cheeks and I gasp as his thickness takes over, takes me to the beginning, to the place where it all began. Him and me, nothing but us. “I love you.”
I say it again and again as Tatum fucks me, makes love to me, brings me to the point of no return. I come, my cries for release building until there is nothing but my panting and his grunts and we let go. We come hard. So damn hard and I kiss him. The kiss is nothing profound unless you could see the whole story. A baby on his doorstep and my life forever laced with his and a family trying to force us apart and our love holding it together. We won’t let go.
“I love you,” I say for the hundredth time and I will say it forever. Because Tatum is my forever.
I don’t know what comes next, where Ashley’s demands will land us, but I do know this: Tatum and I can get through anything together.
And we will.
So, when Ashley texts an hour later saying she’s on her way, Tatum and I dress quickly in blue jeans and t-shirts and washed faces. We are holding our breath because we’re scared to say anything that might break the spell. A spell wrapped in hope for a future that is filled with Rose becoming our little girl. We don’t need the picket fence and the fairy tale start. We just want to be together, the three of us, at the end.
Then my sister is here. She looks showered, sober. And in her arms is the infant carrier that holds a piece of my heart.
Rose.
I gasp, needing her and Ashley hands me the carrier, tears filling her eyes and Tatum opens the door wider, letting her in. In the living room, we sit as I unbuckle Rose with shaking hands and pull her to me. Her eyes are bright blue just like Ashley, just like me. And I kiss her, breathing her in. Tatum sits beside me, pulling us both into his arms, kissing Rose’s head and I try to steady my heart, not knowing what Ash might do next.
“I saw the video,” she finally says. “Quite the gesture.”
“It was the wrong way to go about getting some justice,” Tatum says. “I’m sorry for losing my shit. You and Aria never asked for that.”
Ashley shakes her head, licking her lips, pulling her hair up into a bun on the top of her head. I see the girl I used to know in those familiar movements. My sister.
“No,” she says. “It’s okay. Ward had it coming.” She sighs. “Deserves a hell of a lot more than a few black eyes.”
I cradle Rose in my arms, looking down at her, scared Ashley might decide to take this all away.
“Look,” she says. “I know you aren’t the father.” Her expression is tight when she finally admits, “I always knew.”
“You did?” Tatum asks jaw clenched.
She nods. “Yeah, I mean you were passed out that night. We never even had sex.”
I exhale letting go of my jealousy, of my sister being with the man I love. Tatum never slept with her.
“Then why did you bring Rose here?” he asks.
“Because I was hoping to get something from you. Knew the actual baby daddy would be more of a hassle to get a payday out of.”
She says it so plainly. As if lying to Tatum in an attempt to extort him is nothing to be ashamed of. But maybe this isn’t the worst thing she’s done. As I look at her, the track marks up and down her arms, the bruises on her jaw, the pain in her eyes -- my heart breaks. Not just for what she's lost, but what Rose has lost too.
There is no way Ashley will ever be Rose’s guardian. I see that so plainly now. She is sick and needs help getting clean. But the loss that means for Rose is a deep well that no one will ever be able to fill no matter how hard we try. The woman who gave birth to Rose can’t care for her.
“Look, you can have her. I’ll go,” she says. “I don’t want your money. I’ve fucked up enough already. I don’t want my mom to fucking make up some bullshit story about you buying my kid. You don’t deserve that.”
“Just like that?” I ask, but she’s already standing, ready to bolt. “Ash, let us help you. What do you need?”
“I don’t want anything. Just make sure Rose is happy. I know I’ve made your life hell for so long. I swear to you, Aria, I won’t bother you guys again. I’ll sign whatever you need, just let me go.”
I wanted to hear these words from my sister for so long, but now that they are here, I want her to take them all back. I don’t want her to walk away and never look back. I want her healthy, strong. I want her to be the beautiful girl I know she can be.
But she needs to want that for herself and I can’t make her.
“Why the change of heart, Ashley?” Tatum asks suspicion in his voice, his gaze hard.
Ashley swallows. “Honestly? I confronted the father and I thought he’d help me out. But yesterday he told me he wouldn’t give me a dime. Said you should pay, since you were so willing to play daddy. Fucking asshole. And at that moment, I realized I was just as twisted as Drew is.”
“Drew?” Tatum’s gaze narrows. “Drew, who?”
Ashley sighs, “Your asshole friend, Drew Keenan. He’d been fucking me on the side for months before I met you. That night I came over, he told me he was done with me. Thought I’d get back at him by screwing you, but you were too wasted.”
The shock of her words silences the room.
Drew is Rose’s father?
It seems unreal and yet when I put the pieces together, I realize the signs were there.
“Drew knew all this time that he is Rose’s father,” I say. It’s not a question. The day he told me to take Rose and leave, he knew she was his. He wanted her as far away as possible.
Tatum curses under his breath and when I glance over at him, I see my own shock and anger mirrored in his eyes.
“Yeah, since like, right after the paternity test. He called me telling me I better figure this shit out. He didn’t want to be thrown under the bus.”
“He had your number all this time?” I ask.
Ashley nods.
I feel sick. So many lies, so much betrayal.
“Look, I’m sorry,” she says, her eyes meeting mine. “Be good to Rose, it’s all I ask. And don’t let Mom near her. She’s more toxic than me. Oh, and don’t worry about Marcus. I got him the cash I owed him.”
I’d almost forgotten about the thug that had been after her. Who’d threatened me.
“How’d you manage that?” I ask, not
sure I want to know.
Ashley smiles. “I stole Mom’s retirement account.”
“Ash--”
“Don’t worry. It was money she’d stolen from me years ago.”
“Do you think that game of cat and mouse with Mom will ever end?” I ask.
Ash smirks. “Probably not. We’re fucked up, sis. Somehow you managed to escape the crazy and fall in love with a football star. All those years, I thought I was the one who had life figured out. Turns out I was wrong all along. Life isn’t about fame or fortune. It’s about what you’ve found. Love.”
I give her a hug, One long overdue and the last thing I expected to give. But as I hug her, Rose between us, I close my eyes and memorize the moment for what it is -- a final farewell to the pain we’d gone through all those years ago. A last goodbye to the past.
“Let us at least get you in a treatment program,” Tatum says. “Please, let us help you.”
Ashley bites the side of her lip as she stands and walks to the door. “Maybe. I just want to kinda decompress for a few days. It’s been a long week.”
“Don’t disappear on us,” I say. “Ash, we can work this out. Rose needs you in her life.”
Ashley gives a small smile, blinking back tears. “You’re her mom now, Aria.” She leans down, kissing the top of Rose’s head one last time, before walking away.
It should be one of the happiest days of my life, but as she steps in the elevator, not looking back, it isn’t joy filling my heart, it’s sorrow.
Love is complicated, and my relationship with my sister is the epitome of that.
Tatum wraps his arms around me. “I love you, Aria, but right now--”
I cut him off. “I know. You need to deal with Drew.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Tatum
I made a promise to Aria that I wouldn’t use my fists when dealing with Drew. And I won’t.
Game Day Baby Page 17
