Halftime Husband

by McCarthy, Erin

  “And no, I never thought your life was a beautiful disaster. I always thought you lived your life your way, and you had all these cool experiences in the industry. All you wanted to do was dance and you did.”

  “I still want to dance. The world doesn’t seem to agree with me.” I poured myself a glass of wine too. “And maybe I want something more now anyway.”

  “Marriage and a family?” she asked. Then she gave me a smile. “Don’t answer that. Just think about it. You might be building something and you don’t even know it.”

  Just then Willow came over to me, holding Amelia on her hip. “Isn’t she just the cutest?” Willow asked, brushing her hand over Amelia’s dark hair. “She looks like a baby Snow White.”

  “She really does.” I had never thought about it in those terms, but with her dark hair, fair British complexion, and pink cheeks and lips, Amelia had the same vibe going on. “Next time I babysit for her you can come with me if you want.”

  She kissed the baby’s head. “I would love that.”

  When she walked away again, I turned to Leah. “Don’t say a word.”

  “What?” She laughed. “I’m not saying anything.”

  “You’ve already said enough, to be totally honest with you.” I grinned at her.

  “That’s what friends are for.” Leah shook her head. “Remember when Grant’s assistant sent me a vibrator thinking that was what Grant told him to send me? That was so ridiculous.”

  “I almost forgot about that. It was very awkward. Time has flown by these last couple of years.” It really had. Two years of stress and financial strain. Ugh. I wished I had simple and easy answers for my future but I didn’t.

  We went and sat down with our friends. The view of the playing field was perfection. It was a sunny September day and I almost wished I was sitting in the sunshine. But I did enjoy the feeling of exclusivity in the box, I wasn’t going to lie. When I had dated Dante, there had been no perks. He’d been a rookie with a tenuous hold on his career and a bad reputation.

  “Do you see Dad?” Poppy asked me. She squeezed her thumb and forefinger together. “Tiny Dad, right there.”

  The kid cracked me up. Though I did need to discuss with Brandon her science experiment she had been working on. It was taking on the look of big pharm in her room. Lots of glass beakers and unknown potions that she wanted me to sniff.

  “I see Tiny Dad. He looks very serious.”

  “Tiny Dad is always serious.” Poppy stood next to me and wrapped her left arm around my neck. “Can I sit on your lap?”

  She was probably too old to be sitting on my lap, but Poppy was still just a kid who missed her mother. As far as I knew, she hadn’t spoken to her mother in the time I’d been living with them. “Sure.” I pulled her onto me and enjoyed the weight of her warm little body cuddled against me.

  “I want to be a placekicker for the NFL,” Willow told Maddox.

  She did? That was interesting. I wondered if Brandon knew.

  “Wow, that’s a cool goal,” Maddox said. “Do you play soccer?”

  “I used to. In Seattle. I was honestly kind of good. But right now I’m not playing and it sucks so much.”

  I’d never heard her brag about herself, so to hear her admit she thought she was a good player made me pleased. The fact that she was also so casually chatting with Maddox, who was covered in tattoos, was also reassuring.

  The game started and Willow turned her attention to the field. I saw the players moving around, heard cheering here and there, but I didn’t exactly grasp what was going on. I was mostly sipping my wine, chatting with my friends, and having my legs go numb from Poppy’s weight.

  Poppy still hadn’t moved by the end of the first quarter. I realized something was obstructing our view slightly. “What is that? Is that a drone?”

  “Oh, no, we’re on camera.” Willow promptly disappeared to the back of the box and picked up Sully, who was playing on the floor. She used him to make sure her face was entirely obstructed. I felt bad for her. She was just sitting squarely at the awkward age of twelve.

  “Good thing I wore makeup and curled my hair,” I said. “Sorry, guys, I never thought about that. They probably wanted a shot of the girls.”

  Poppy waved at the drone.

  “I don’t care,” Leah said. “I sing on stage in front of hundreds of people. You know I’m not self-conscious.”

  “I look like death from this pregnancy, but I’m too tired to care,” Savannah said.

  The drone disappeared. I didn’t particularly care either. Like Leah, I was used to performing. But a little warning might have been nice. I wasn’t sure the nanny was supposed to be seen drinking wine while caring for the coach’s kids. When the ex-wife was in rehab.

  My phone buzzed. It was my brother, Kyle.

  You’re dating Macnamara?

  That was a completely random text to receive.

  What?

  I just saw you during the game, looking all cozy with his kid and the announcer called you Macnamara’s girlfriend.

  I decided to mess with him since he clearly didn’t listen to anything I said. I had explained to my family I was the nanny.

  I live with him now.

  Cool. Can he get me tickets to a game?

  That made me roll my eyes. He was super interested in my life. Not.

  I wondered what Brandon’s reaction would be to having an announcer assume we were a couple. I also wondered if I should tell him.

  So many damn things to wonder about.

  Marriage and a family.

  Huh. I had no idea what I wanted.

  “Hi!” My sister, Madeline, was standing on her front step waving madly at us. “Girls, get in here and give Auntie a hug!”

  Willow and Poppy ran up to my sister with enthusiasm, making me glad I had decided to bring them to Texas for a few days. We had a game on Sunday, but Dakota had come with us. She probably could have stayed in New York. It wasn’t like my older sister, who had three teenage sons, couldn’t handle my daughters, but I had to admit I wanted her to come with us. I enjoyed her company. She’d spent most of the flight watching a sentimental movie with Willow that I would have absolutely hated.

  “Holy crap, it’s hot here,” Dakota said, picking at her T-shirt.

  As was standard summer clothing for Dakota, there wasn’t much of it. She had on very small shorts, a tight T-shirt, and a long sweater for the flight, which had been heavily air-conditioned. She peeled off the sweater now as we went up the walkway. My sister glanced over the girls’ heads at us and her eyes widened when she took in Dakota’s outfit.

  I was about to get a lecture on having hired a hot nanny. I could sense it coming already.

  “It’s Texas in September. It’s going to be hot,” I told Dakota. “You can take a cold shower when we get inside if you want.”

  “I don’t suppose you can join me?” She gave me a naughty grin.

  “No, I can’t. My sister would kill me. Look at her,” I said. “She’s scary.”

  Dakota laughed. “She’s a foot shorter than you and weighs about a hundred pounds. How can you be afraid of her?”

  “Just wait. She’s brutal.” With that, I took the last few steps and reached out to give my sister a hug. The girls had run into the house. “Hey, Mad, good to see you.”

  “Good to see you, too.” She hugged me tightly and went up on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear. Madeline had remained in Texas after high school and had an accent I didn’t. “Have you lost your damn mind?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I released her and gave her a smile. “Let me introduce you to our nanny, Dakota.” I turned to Dakota. “Dakota, this is my sister, Madeline.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” Madeline said. “The girls have been buzzing about you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, too.” Dakota rolled the hem of her shirt up a little.

  It was obvious to me she wanted my sister to move out of the way so she could get
inside the air-conditioning. Dakota was really not a fan of heat, something I had noticed over the last few weeks.

  But my sister was either not picking up on that, or just feeling the need to assert her dominance because she was still hovering in the door. “Is something wrong, Dakota?”

  I wasn’t sure what my sister was getting at, so I answered for Dakota.

  “Yes,” I said. “We’re hot. Let us in the damn house. It’s ninety degrees outside and I’m sweating my balls off.”

  My sister made a face and stepped aside. “You must be tired, too.”

  “We are.” It was late Friday night. I went into the house and Dakota followed me.

  I heard her sigh of relief to be in a cooler temperature. The sun had been beating down on us on the stoop. “Do you want to take a shower?” I asked her. “I can show you to your room.”

  She nodded, looking wilted. “Thank you.”

  “Where is she staying?” I asked Madeline.

  “In the bunk room with the girls.”

  Madeline had a bunk room with three sets of bunks for sleepovers and family. I guess it made sense but, at the same time, I felt bad for Dakota. It didn’t exactly sound comfortable for a twenty-eight-year woman. “It has an en suite bathroom,” I told her, trying to sell it.

  Maybe this hadn’t been my best idea.

  My nephews were in the family room and they were craning their necks to get a look at Dakota. The youngest, who was fourteen, had a look on his face that could only be described as pre-drooling. I was amused. Hell, I was thirty-nine and that was my reaction to Dakota half of the time. I went over and gave them fist-bumps. “What’s up, guys?”

  They all scrambled to their feet and it wasn’t to greet me. It was to get a better look at Dakota. Willow and Poppy had settled down onto the couch with my brother-in-law, who was showing them something on his phone. He stood up too and we had handshakes and greetings, while Dakota stood behind me, quiet.

  I didn’t think she was uncomfortable with the social dynamic. I think she was still just overheated. After I had greeted everyone, I put my hand on the small of her back. “I’ll show you upstairs.”

  She had an overnight bag and she went up the stairs with it at my urging. When we got in the bunk room, I closed the door behind us and locked it.

  “What are you doing?” she said. “I thought you were scared of your sister.”

  “I just need to kiss you. Really quickly.” I cupped her cheeks and brushed my lips over hers. “This might have been a mistake.”

  Dakota shrugged. “Why? I hope I wasn’t rude. I just need to get out of these clothes.” She stepped back and peeled off her T-shirt. “That’s better.” Then she undid her bra and tossed it on one of the lower bunks. “Is that the bathroom?” She pointed to a door and undid the snap on her shorts.

  My mouth was hot and my cock was hard. “Yes, that’s the bathroom.”

  “Cool.” She shoved her shorts down and walked to the bathroom in nothing but her thong. “Bye, Brandon.” She turned at the door and posed against the doorframe. “Your sister cockblocked you by putting me in here with the girls. It’s going to be a long weekend.”

  “You’re torturing me.” She was. Her nipples were taut and begging to be sucked. Her panties were black, but sheer. There really wasn’t even any point to their existence, that I could tell.

  “I don’t make the rules,” she said, giving me a grin. Then she went into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. I heard the lock turn.

  Adjusting my cock in my jeans, I unlocked the door to the bunk room and went back downstairs.

  “Is everything okay?” Madeline asked, putting bowls of snacks on the coffee table in the family room.

  “Yes. Dakota just doesn’t like the heat.”

  “Bring her to Texas then, that’s smart,” Chris joked.

  “She’s our nanny,” Poppy said, like that explained everything. She grabbed a handful of chips and shoved them in her mouth.

  “Mom, can we have a nanny?” My nephew, Ridge, who was seventeen, gave a grin.

  “Knock it off, Ridge,” Madeline said. “Or I’ll get you a Mrs. Doubtfire.”

  I sat down on the giant sectional, kicking off my sneakers. I reached for my own handful of potato chips.

  “Help me in the kitchen, please, Brandon,” my sister said.

  “Sure.” I stood back up and followed her. “What do you need?”

  Madeline opened her refrigerator and gave me an amused look. “You didn’t tell me your nanny is a blond bombshell.”

  “Yes. My nanny is a blond bombshell.”

  She pulled a bunch of grapes and some cheese out of the refrigerator. “Wash these grapes for me. Are you… involved with her?”

  “Do you want me to tell the truth?” I asked, genuinely curious. “And what makes you think I might be? Just because she’s attractive?”

  “You look very comfortable with each other.”

  Did we look like we were a couple? I didn’t hate the idea. “You saw us together for sixty seconds.” I took the grapes from her.

  “Yes, I want you to tell me the truth. Is something going on? I’m just concerned about the girls.”

  “The girls have no idea. We’re keeping it totally on the down low.” I ran the grapes under the faucet and put them on a paper towel.

  She put the cheese down on her kitchen island and shot me a look. “That’s a hard secret to keep.”

  “It’s fine. Poppy asked to change rooms, so now Dakota’s room is connected to mine.” I gave her a grin. “It’s easy access.”

  Madeline held up her hand. “Stop. I don’t need details about my brother’s sex life, thanks. Are you sure it wouldn’t be better for the girls to move here, with us? It would be a stable environment for them.” She pursed her lips. “I just worry about them so much.”

  “I know you worry and thank you for caring. But they’re fine. They really like Dakota. She’s firm but fun and they see her as someone they can talk to. It’s been a positive experience for all of us and I need you to trust me.”

  My sister stared up at me, studying me. “You look happy, actually. Less stressed,” she said. She bent down and pulled out a charcuterie board.

  I kept my voice down low, but the rest of the family was laughing and talking loudly in the other room. I didn’t think they could hear me. “Because I am. I am both happy and less stressed. I can thank regular sex and not having to worry about the girls as much. Both because of Dakota.”

  Madeline laughed. “Didn’t I just say no details? But good. As long as you know what you’re doing, that makes me happy, then. You’ve had a rough few years.”

  I was about to answer when I saw Dakota was coming down the stairs and into the kitchen. She was wearing different shorts and a T-shirt that said “Surely not everyone was kung fu fighting.”

  “I feel so much better, sorry for bolting like that. What can I do to help?” she asked.

  “Not a thing. Can I get you some sweet tea or a glass of wine?”

  “I’ll take some tea, thanks.” Dakota looked around the kitchen. “This is a beautiful home.”

  “Thanks. We just redid the kitchen. That was a nightmare with three teenage boys. They ate more microwavable food than should be legal and I’ll live with that guilt for the rest of my life.”

  I handed Dakota a grape. “You should eat something. You barely ate today.”

  She smiled at me and put the grape in her mouth. She put it in her cheek like a chipmunk with a nut. “Thanks,” she said.

  My sister raised her eyebrows at me.

  “What?” I asked her.

  “Nothing at all,” she said in a singsong voice. “Dakota, I hear you’re a dancer. Would you be up for going out tomorrow night, us adults only? We can go line dancing.”

  “I would love to. I hear Brandon can’t dance. I need to see this for myself.”

  “Oh, he’s not terrible. He’s just not good.”

  “I’m actually terrible. I stand by
that.”

  “Dakota!” Poppy yelled from the family room. “Can you come here?”

  “Coming,” she said. She grabbed another grape and then left the kitchen. “I’ll be right back.”

  My sister was chomping at the bit to talk. She pointed a finger at me. “You have a crush on her,” she said, her voice low and elated.

  “A crush? What am I, fourteen?” The very idea was ridiculous.

  “How did you meet anyway? The agency just sent her over?”

  “No. I met her at a party last year.” That was somewhat true.

  “Interesting.”

  “Not really.” I tried to play it cool. “About as interesting as the fact that you met Chris at a keg party.”

  “I did not.” She looked to make sure her kids weren’t paying attention. “It was actually at a bar.”

  “Scandalous,” I told her, rolling my eyes.

  Poppy came running to the kitchen. She grabbed my hand and yanked at it. “Father?”

  “No,” I said.

  “You don’t even know what I’m going to ask!”

  “The answer is still no.”

  She threw her arms up in the air. “Ahh, so annoying.” Then she ran away again.

  “She’s just like you were at that age, you know,” Madeline said. “Intense.”

  Dakota came back into the kitchen and heard what my sister said. “Was he a serious little grump even at eight?” she asked.

  Madeline laughed and handed Dakota a glass of sweet tea. “Yes.”

  “No,” I said. “I was just obsessed with football.”

  “Then I guess nothing has changed.”

  “I’ve got a few more interests now.” I gave Dakota a look, one I knew she would recognize. I wanted her. Her little striptease before her shower was still on my mind.

  Her eyes widened. “Well. It’s always good to expand your horizons.” Her voice was low, a little husky.

  “I feel like I should leave you two alone,” Madeline said. “Good lawd, it’s hot in here.”

  It was. I took the sweet tea from Dakota’s hand and swallowed half of it in one gulp.