Her husband nodded as his eyes grew wide. I could tell that I wasn’t going to get any more information out of them. Their lips were sealed.
“Thank you for your time,” I whispered as I backed away.
This was the end of the road. Brittany had gone as far as moving to keep me away from her. I suddenly felt dirty, like I was the creepy person who was obsessed with her. I took my phone out of my pocket and looked down at her number and photo on my screen. It was well past time for me to let go of her. If she had to go as far as moving to get away from me, I wouldn’t ruin her life anymore. I pressed a few buttons before my phone asked if I was sure about the decision. With a deep breath, I pressed Yes and deleted Brittany from my life. It was what she wanted.
11
Brittany
I’d never seen something so beautiful in all my life as I gazed into her eyes. They were the color of a churning sea before a storm. Flecks of deep green speckled the vibrant blue. They were as unique as the rest of her. She yawned, her perfect button nose curling up just as the nurse walked in and smiled at us.
“You have a beautiful daughter. Are you ready for me to take her down to the nursery? Moms need all the rest they can get, even if it’s just for a few hours.”
“Thank you,” I told her as I handed over my precious new daughter.
It was hard to let go of her, but I knew that the nurse was right. I’d be up every couple of hours now to feed her. It wasn’t a task that I minded, but my sleep schedule was going to have to improve. My mother had flown in the week before to help out for a while, though I’d made her promise not to stay longer than a month. I just couldn’t handle her for that long. After several hours here at the hospital, I’d forced her to go back to my apartment for a while. God only knew what she was doing there.
“Hey! How’s my favorite patient?” asked Gloria as she walked into the room.
I smiled. “I’m not doing too bad, but your girl just left to let me sleep for a while.”
“Perfect timing then! My shift just started, so I can keep an eye on her while you sleep. How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been hit by a train.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that’s about how it goes from other new moms.” She checked my vitals. “I’m not going to stay. You do need your rest, but I wanted to make sure you had everything you need.”
“Yeah,” I told her, a small pang in my heart. “Everything is perfect.”
She shifted uneasily, and I knew that she wanted to ask the question. It was the same one on my mother’s tongue every time my phone rang. I didn’t want to talk about it, but sooner or later, I wasn’t going to have an option. I knew that they just meant well, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t open the wound that was still felt so fresh even though it had been over half a year since we’d been together.
“I haven’t told him,” I whispered. “I can’t, and I don’t plan on doing it, either. It’s just not a part of my life I want to share with the public, and I know that they would find out. A secret is only as good as the number of people keeping it.”
“All right,” she told me supportively. “I won’t push the issue, but what about the birth certificate? They’re going to want that information.”
“Isn’t there an option to not put a name down?”
Gloria nodded. “There is, but do you really want that? What if something happens to you? Penelope will never have the chance to know who her father is. Not putting his name on there is a pretty permanent decision.”
“I still have some time to think about it, right?”
“You absolutely do. It doesn’t have to be filled out until you leave. I promise, though, that I won’t look to see who it is if you do decide to put his name on there.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. “I think you’re probably the only person who would do that for me.”
“Get some sleep,” she said as she left and closed the door.
I wanted to sleep. I needed to. My mind wouldn’t shut off as I thought about Corey. Just because I didn’t want to talk to him after the last drunken incident didn’t mean I wasn’t following his career. He was barely playing well enough to stay on the team. He was unfocused and sloppy at best. For a long time, I didn’t think about him or wonder if his game had something to do with our breakup, but in my final episode before going on maternity leave, I’d interviewed one of his teammates. It never aired.
* * *
“So, Antwan,” I said to my new guest. “Tell me how it feels to be getting so much play time recently.”
“Well, I think I have you to thank for that,” he said with a sly grin.
My cheeks blushed at once. “I don’t like to talk about my own private relationships. This interview is all about you.”
“I can’t help it when it’s the truth. My boy Corey can’t get you out of his head, and it’s benefitting me a lot.”
“New topic,” I said.
“Naw,” he said pointedly. “I like this topic. Why don’t you tell me if he’s turned you off to players altogether? ’Cause I gotta tell you, I would give you a night you’d never forget.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. Could we please get back on topic?” I asked him.
He stood up. “I just wanted to toss my hat into the ring. My game’s so good I don’t even need to do this show.”
“Our viewers would like to know more about you, though,” I muttered.
“Then come out on a date with me and you can share all the juicy details afterward,” he said.
I ground my teeth together, my heart racing as I thought about knocking his smug ass to the ground. It wouldn’t do to have me beating up the players, though. “Thank you for your time.”
He left the show without another comment and I pulled it at once. Instead, I aired a show we’d taped earlier but didn’t think had made the cut. My viewers still seemed to love it. The ratings were going strong, and besides the run-in with Antwan, I had no complaints about my job. I wasn’t going to be able to hide the fact that I’d had a child forever, and Corey would put the pieces together. It didn’t matter whether his name was on the birth certificate or not. He would eventually figure it out.
* * *
I ran my fingers over my phone, wondering if I should call him. I went back and forth, but as life frequently did, it made the decision for me. My phone started to vibrate and when Corey’s name and picture flashed across the screen, my heart started to pound. Was I really ready to tell him that we had a child together? I couldn’t think about it much, or else I would lose my cool. Before I had a chance to talk myself out of it, I answered the call.
“Hello?” I whispered, my voice sounding weak and frail.
“Brittany?” he asked. I could tell he was surprised. “Wow. I, um, I didn’t think that you would actually answer, I guess. How have you been?”
“I’m fine,” I said coldly. How did I start a conversation like this? I wondered. “How are you?”
“I’ve been better. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you to apologize for the other night.”
“That was months ago,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, but I still feel like an asshole,” Corey said before an awkward silence. “I would really love to get together sometime and maybe clear the air.”
“You dumped me,” I stated. “I don’t think I need much explanation about that.”
“Well, yeah, I did, but I’ve been trying to get ahold of you, it seems like forever.”
“You didn’t get the hint that I didn’t want to talk to you or have anything to do with you?” I asked him.
“Of course I did, but I don’t give up that easily.”
“Maybe you should. I didn’t call to talk about the past, okay?”
“Um,” he muttered. “You didn’t call me at all. I would have loved it if you called me, though. I mean, if you were going to call me, that would make sense. Was there something else that you wanted to talk about? We could do so over coffee.”
I gritted my t
eeth. I wish he wasn’t so nice and understanding. I really wanted to be mad at him and stay angry for another nine months, but it didn’t seem like he was going to let me off that easily. Knowing my time was running out, I had to decide.
“I don’t want to meet for coffee. We do need to talk, but not right now. I’m taking some time off,” I whispered.
“Oh? Just a vacation?” Corey probed.
“That’s none of your business. We can meet at the park by my apartment,” I told him curtly. “I will let you know when.”
“That sounds great!” he said, his voice full of excitement. “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
“I don’t know, a few days, I guess,” I muttered.
“Sure.” he paused. “So, how have you been?”
I sighed. “This conversation is over. I’ll call you in a few days. Goodbye, Corey.”
I hung up on him. Even the brief conversation had stirred all the old feelings I had for him back to life. He was amazing when he wanted to be. The problem was that he cared too much about what his team thought. Maybe if things were different, if he weren’t a rising star, then we could be together. I couldn’t live my life as his side piece or the trophy wife it was obvious that he wanted. We were just too different. The only thing we would ever share was Penelope.
My fingers idly moved across the paperwork on my lap. It was her birth certificate, patiently waiting for me to fill it out and sign. Corey had broken my heart. That wasn’t a risk I would take with Penelope. He had every right to have a relationship with his daughter, but I would never let my heart open to him again. The wound was still fresh for me as my bitterness settled in.
“He’s probably had a hundred girls since me,” I muttered.
“What was that, dear?” my mother asked.
I jumped. “Jeez, I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t sit around your apartment. I cleaned it, but it’s just so tiny! There wasn’t much to do.”
“Mom, I already told you I would get a bigger place in a few months. You have nothing to worry about, and I’m not leaving.”
She slumped down on the sofa in the room. “Well, I had to try. How’s the precious baby doing?”
A weary smile appeared. “She’s good. Taking a nap in the nursery.”
“Oh!” her eyes grew wide. “Good heavens, what was I thinking? You probably need to rest.”
“I do,” I said, pausing and waiting for her to get the hint. “I really do.”
“I’m sure Penelope will be up soon. You can never get too much time with your first grandchild, you know, especially when they live so far away.”
“Mother,” I warned.
She pulled a book out of the large purse she carried. “Just don’t mind me. I’ll get some reading in. Go ahead and sleep.”
I groaned but didn’t fight with her. At least with her in the room, I couldn’t think about calling Corey back. Laying my head back against the pillow, I closed my eyes and listened to my body for a minute. I was sore and I needed the rest. Things were going to get a lot rougher in a few weeks when my mother left. I needed my sleep to figure out just what in god’s name I was going to do. Forcing myself to push the mile-long list of concerns out of my mind, I slowly started to doze off. Everything was going to be okay. I smiled and thought about Corey. It was all going to be fine.
12
Corey
“How in the hell has your game actually gotten worse?” my father screamed. “Are you trying to get yourself kicked off the team?”
“Dad,” I muttered, “it’s not like that. I just need to get ahold of Brittany.”
His eyes raged. “Jesus, Corey. Not this shit again! You can’t really still be hung up on that woman. She doesn’t want you back!”
“I know, okay? I just thought we were going to clear the air or something.”
“All of this,” he raged, “is because your ex didn’t call you back? There are a dozen woman like her, just waiting for you to call. Nothing about her is special.”
Anger flared inside me. He didn’t know the first thing about Brittany. She was loving and caring. I would find a way to win her back. He couldn’t understand what we had. No one but Brittany did. I knew that I sounded like a crazy person to the rest of the world, but it was hard to let something go when you knew it was true love. I thought that I could find love again. Boy, had I been wrong.
“I’m done,” I muttered as I got up to leave.
“Oh, no, you don’t. You stopped going to counseling and now you’re—”
I threw up my hands. “I am not going back to counseling, and you’re going to butt out of my life, okay?”
His eyes grew wide. “Are you seriously talking to me like that?”
I carefully headed for my car and ignored him. “Bye, Dad. I’ll stop out next weekend after the game.”
“Is this a joke to you?” he screamed from the porch. “I will cut you off! You’ll be working at McDonald’s by the time I’m done with you!”
I got into my car, trying not to let his words get to me. It was bad enough that Brittany hadn’t called me back and now I had to deal with him. I looked down at my phone. There was still nothing from her, but I had a bold idea. I was sober and sad. I needed to do something. Without thinking about it or the repercussions, I gunned the engine and peeled away from my father’s house, only one destination in mind.
* * *
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” I muttered to myself as I sat outside her apartment.
I’d already seen her walk by the window twice, but her attention wasn’t on me. I was still working up the courage to go to her door and knock when I saw something strange. The man was well-kept, his pressed shirt straining against the weight of his large stomach as he walked around the apartments. At first, I thought he was just lost, but after several minutes, he circled around a second time. By his third rotation, I knew that something wasn’t right with him.
He wore thick glasses, the bald patch on his head reflecting the sunlight and causing a blinding glare. After the third time he circled, he stopped and inched closer to the steps. I didn’t like the way he was moving, but when he pulled out a picture of Brittany, my blood ran cold. Whoever he was, I could tell by his body language that he wasn’t there because of an invitation. I quickly thought about my own situation and my cheeks flushed. I was no better than him, really.
Now I was captivated by the show, so much so that I didn’t think about it when my phone rang and I automatically answered it.
“Hullo?” I said, whispering, though there was no need.
“Where the hell are you? We were not finished with our conversation,” my dad screamed.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m dealing with the problem so I can get back in the game. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? For me to deal with shit?”
“I want to know where you are. If you’re thinking for one second about getting back with that woman—”
“Dad,” I said coldly. “That isn’t any of your damn business.” I was feeling bold. “I know that you mean well, but I need to deal with this situation—and my career, for that matter—on my own. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you.” I chose my words carefully. “But that doesn’t mean you get to treat me like a child, okay? I promise I’ll come out and talk more later on, but not today. Maybe next weekend.”
“You are throwing away your dreams,” he said.
I snorted. “No, I’m not throwing away anything, but I’m not going to let basketball run my life. I know what I’m doing, I promise.”
“You’ll come back out to see me?”
His unsure words broke my heart. I was all he had left. No matter what happened with my career or life, I would always be his only son. I wouldn’t ever turn my back on him. “Yeah, Pops. I’ll be out soon.”
I turned my attention back to the man hiding in the stairwell. He hadn’t moved in the time I spent talking to my father, but it seemed like the longer
he stood there, the more apparent it became that I was going to have to do something about it. Before I could react, though, my time seemed to run out as I saw her. Brittany looked tired but just as beautiful as ever as she took a few steps away from her apartment door and leaned over the railing with her phone.
The man scurried away from her line of sight for a second before it seemed he mustered his courage and tucked his belongings into his pocket. I took a deep breath as he stepped again into the wide hallway. The way he moved bothered me more than anything else. From where she was perched three doors down, Brittany couldn’t see the man coming at her.
My instincts started to tingle, the hair on the back of my neck standing on edge. He moved like a tiger hunting its prey. There was nothing friendly about the way he moved through the shadows. It was time for me to make my move, even if it meant blowing my cover and Brittany never speaking to me again. The prize would be worth the punishment to know that she was safe from the man who was about to pounce on her now.
As quietly as I could, I pulled open my door and carefully shut it behind me. The noise, even one as soft as the door shutting, made Brittany look up. It was like she was waiting to hear the smallest noise from the most distant corners of the world. Something about her was incredibly different. She moved with a purpose now, her fingers typing on the phone as the stalker edged ever closer to her. Whatever she was doing out there on the landing wasn’t worth the risk she was now taking with her life.
In the deafening silence, my phone rang and pierced the thin ice that was protecting the situation from explosion. Instantly, the man turned around and saw me. The distance between us was greater than that between him and Brittany. His eyes became frantic as he went for her. She didn’t see it coming in time. Her piercing scream shattered any nerves that might have stopped me from lunging at the man.
Slam Dunk: A Second Chance Sports Romance Page 7
