Jacob gathered up his clothes and started replacing them hastily one by one, suddenly nervous. “I would stay, but I’ve got to get out of here before your dad finds me, Lucia.”
I sighed and climbed off the bed, striding to the closet and pulling down a thin dressing gown. I slid it over my naked body but left the ties undone. “I think him finding you here is the least of our problems, Jacob. Besides, it doesn’t matter anymore. He will have to get over it.” A thought hit me and I turned back to him, biting my lip. I’d been so swept up in our combined emotions that we hadn’t really discussed what was going to happen. “You do want to continue this, right?” If he said no, I was going to die. Based on his earlier remarks, I knew he was going to be there for our child, but was it a package deal, or was I just going to be his baby’s mama?
Jacob dropped his shirt over his head before looking at me, a searing glance that caused my knees to weaken slightly. “Like you even need to ask that question. Hell, yes, I want you and the baby both.” His hands sought my waist, brushing past the silk of the dressing gown. “We are going to continue—I would fuck you, make love to you, all damn day and night if I could, but I’d rather your dad found out while we had our clothes on, and not here in the throes of passion.”
“O-oh,” I said, thinking that he was probably right about that.
Jacob tenderly pushed a stray hair out of my face. “Babe, I’m going to take care of you. I’m not going to let you go. We’ll figure how all this will work with me being a player on your father’s team and you employed there, too. We’ll find a way. I’ll take care of you if you want to quit, if that makes things easier, but something tells me that you’d rather continue to work, and I am cool with that, as well. You are good at what you do, and you have worked extremely hard to get where you are today.”
My eyes teared up, and he kissed me softly. “Don’t cry.”
“Well, you better get used to it if you say things like that,” I replied. “I hear pregnant women cry all the time.”
“Well, I will have to make sure we buy a load of tissues then.” He grinned, gathering me up in his arms. I laid my head on his shoulder, breathing in the heady scent of him.
“I have something to tell you.”
“It’s not twins, is it?”
I laughed; I hadn’t even considered that possibility. “Erm, no, at least I don’t think so. That would be insane… One baby is more than enough, I think. Don’t you?”
He nodded, his hands running up and down my back. “What were you going to tell me then?”
“Oh, right, yes. I’ve already decided I’m going to leave the team. Strike out on my own, well, with a partner, my friend Cara.” I told him our plan, and he seemed genuinely excited for me.
“Ah, such a shame though, I won’t be able to see you at the stadium any time I want, and that desk of yours… I haven’t had the chance to bend you over it.”
I laughed and swatted at him. “There will be plenty opportunity to do that in my new office.”
Jacob pulled back and kissed me again. “So what’s our next step?”
“With what?” I asked, a thousand thoughts running through my mind. I was going to have to go public with this relationship eventually, including the baby, but I preferred to do it in my own time. First, though, I was going to have to break the news to my father, which was scary in itself. The baby was probably going to make things easier with getting him to accept our relationship, and I just hoped that Jacob wasn’t going to take the brunt of the blame for all of this. I had been a very willing participant.
“With supper,” he said, causing me to relax slightly, “I’m starving. Do we want to go out or order in at my place?”
I thought of the nice swimming pool in his backyard and smiled. “Yours, of course. Just let me grab a few things.”
“You won’t need much. You’re going to be butt-naked if I have my way.”
I nervously sat down at my father’s dining room table, giving both him and Merry a small smile. Tonight was the night I was going to tell them the wonderful news. I hoped I wouldn’t be disowned by the end of the night. Jacob had offered to join me, to be by my side as I told them, but I knew this was something I had to do on my own, and I had to do it sooner rather than later—I couldn’t wait any more. Besides, things were likely to get heated if Jacob turned up out of the blue. Anyway he was, after all, meant to be working tonight.
“So,” Merry started out, tucking her napkin in her lap. “I have to say, Lucia, your father and I were a bit surprised that you felt the need to request our presence at dinner.”
“I just wanted to make sure you both were here and I know it’s a busy night,” I said, drawing in a breath, “but I have something important to discuss with both of you.”
“We might have to cut it short, I have a game to watch. But if it’s about your job, I’ve already heard that bit,” my father replied, his eyes darkening. “How dare the team think they can go on strike and not attend your therapy sessions? They’re in breach of contract. I’ll have their balls.”
“Oh, please don’t do that,” I said hastily as the first course was served. “I-I’m leaving the team, Daddy.”
“You’re what?” he asked, his expression one of surprise. “Leaving? But why? I thought this was your dream?”
“It’s my dream to help people,” I replied, fiddling with my napkin. “And as much as I like being around the stadium, it’s obvious to me at least that I am a distraction, something that is being forced on them rather than the guys or the staff reaching out to me. That was not my intention.”
My father’s expression grew darker, and he templed his fingers together over his soup. “Did someone say something to you, Lucia?”
“No,” I lied, not wanting to throw anyone under the bus. Looking back, I realized that all Greg’s snide remarks were not because he hated me. He wanted his guys to focus on their jobs regardless of the help I could provide, and I was willing to step away from the distraction. After all, I had helped some of them, including Jacob. Just the thought of him brought a tremor through my body. I was already missing his handsome face after two days of being solely in his company. If Merry or my father had noted my absence from the guest house, neither of them had said so. Instead I had enjoyed two long days at Jacob’s home, where he’d told me all the ins and outs of the little black book I’d found. Some of what he’d told me was hard to hear but my heart had already forgiven him, and we spent the remaining time contemplating our future together.
He’d been absent for some of the weekend, getting ready for the Monday night game, but we’d managed to fit in enough time with each other. He was traveling to the away game in Massachusetts, and though he had all but begged me to join him, to delay the inevitable, I’d declined, knowing that I wanted to talk to my father first.
“No one has said anything to me, Daddy. This is my decision. And I have decided to go into private practice with Cara. You remember Cara?”
“Your friend from university?” he asked evenly, taking in every word I was saying with more calm than I’d given him credit for. “She’s in Jupiter?”
“Starting her own practice,” I replied proudly. He knew Cara had worked hard to be where she was today too, and I couldn’t wait to join her on this journey. “I start in a few days.”
My father looked at me, concern in his eyes. “Are you sure about this, Lucia?”
I looked at him and smiled. “I’ve never been more sure in my life. This is what I need to do. My next step. It will be good, I promise. I’m so grateful to you for giving me my first real shot, but it’s time to move on. Make my own way, like you did.”
After a beat, digesting my words, he nodded. “I’m going to miss having you around.”
“You won’t be getting rid of me. I’ll still be there on the sidelines with you.”
“I am so proud of you,” Merry interjected, giving me a smile. “Who knows? Maybe you will become the therapist to the league!”
&
nbsp; “I’m proud of you too, baby girl,” my father said, using the nickname he called me when I was younger. “Whatever makes you happy makes us happy. You have my full support in everything you do.”
“Everything?” I questioned, a tiny laugh bubbled to the surface, giving away more.
“Yes…” he said with a frown. “Why do you say it like that?”
“Because there’s more,” I rushed out. Time to rip the band-aid off. “I’m pregnant.”
Merry’s smile dimmed a little and her eyes widened. “Pregnant?”
I nodded, stealing a look at my father. His spoon was still suspended in the air, a look of utter shock and surprise on his face. “A few weeks. You are going to be grandparents.”
My father set his spoon down in his bowl with a clatter. I bit my tongue, waiting for his full reaction. It was either going to go smoothly, or it was about to get very, very loud.
“How on earth!? But you haven’t been dating? I don’t understand. How did this happen?” He shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts, his face turning a deepening shade of red. “Who’s the father? Do I know him?”
I nodded again, knowing that this was the hardest part of the entire conversation. “It’s Jacob Maddox. But before you say anything—”
“A player? You were fraternizing with the players?” he shot back. His fist slammed on the table and caused the other plates to rattle in response.
“No, Daddy. Not players—just the one.” But either he didn’t hear me, or he didn’t want to.
“How many times have I warned you about them, Lucia? Oh God, this is really going to throw a spanner in the campaign. I can’t believe you did this, not now, not while I’m running for mayor. What will people think?”
“It just sort of happened, and I don’t care what people think!” I responded, hearing the shame in his voice. It tore me nearly in half to think I had disappointed him. “It was mutual, Daddy. I’m in love with him, and he’s in love with me.”
“Love! Bah! Jacob fucking Maddox,” he repeated, a thunderous look on his face. “I knew it. He has been sniffing around you for weeks! Don’t you think I haven’t noticed? I know everything that goes on in my team!”
“And I have been allowing him to do just that,” I said hotly, hating the way this was going. It was like talking to a brick wall. He’d already decided to hate Jacob and obviously believed he had a full say in who I would end up with; if he didn’t approve, then it was a no-go. I stood up, and my forgotten napkin fluttered to the floor.
“I’m an adult, in case you haven’t noticed. A grown woman, and I can make decisions on who I date and what I do. I don’t need your approval or polls to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. And I choose to tell you things about my life because I want to share them with you, but that doesn’t mean I need your permission to do them.” I was on the verge of tears and ready to leave. “And just so you know, we are both extremely excited about this baby. We are going to be a family no matter what happens. No matter what you say or do. If you decide to fire Jacob based on something that has nothing to do with his job, then—”
“Lucia, sweetie, sit down,” Merry interrupted. “You should know better. Your father is not going to anything of the sort, are you, David?”
He cleared his throat. I think he was a little taken aback at how fiercely I’d stuck to my guns. I’d never spoken to either of them like that before, never had the need to before now—but I just hoped it proved how much Jacob and the baby meant to me.
“No. I won’t fire him. But he’s crossed a line, Lucia—”
“Hush, David! This is a happy occasion. Your only daughter has just told you she’s with child. Gosh, a baby, so exciting!” Merry continued, a knowing smile returning on her face. “I’m going to be a grandma. Oh lord, do I have to be called grandma? Can it be like Nana Merry or something, well, not so old?”
“You can call yourself whatever you like,” I laughed, glad that I had her on my side. Not that I doubted she would be. I looked back at my father and reached out, touching his arm. “Jacob is a good man, Daddy. He’s had his issues, but he’s working through them. You’ll see when you get to know him better. He’s right for me.”
After a few tense moments, my father laid his hand over mine, the warmth of his touch thawing the ice that stood between us. “I see that now. I don’t think I’ve seen you happier than now. Congratulations, baby girl. I know you’ll be a wonderful mother, and Merry and I will support you and Jacob however we can.”
Tears sprang to my eyes as I realized he’d given us his blessing. “Thank you. Will you at least try to be nice to Jacob?” I asked softly.
My father grunted and turned back to his soup as Merry gave me a wink. She leaned over and whispered in my ear, “So when do I get to meet the hunk?”
All was going to be okay. Well, at least Jacob wasn’t going before the firing squad any time soon.
After dinner I figured it was time to tell Cara what was going on. I got her to meet me at our favorite bar, finding her already sitting there with two drinks on the table when I arrived.
“Hey, you sounded stressed, so I ordered you a drink,” she responded as I took a seat on the stool. “Your favorite.”
I eyed the fruity concoction that I so enjoyed drinking and sighed, knowing that for at least eight months or so it would be off the menu. “I can’t drink it.”
“Of course you can!” she said, pushing it toward me with a grin. “Geez, we can get a taxi if we’re going to get sloshed tonight.”
“No,” I said, giving her a look. “I can’t drink it at all.”
Cara’s grin faded as she looked at me closely, her expression going to complete surprise in an instant. “Oh my God, you’re knocked up!”
“Um, yeah, I am,” I said, a smile playing on my lips. Cara always had a way with words.
“Wow,” Cara replied, looking down at my stomach. “I can’t believe it. This is all so out of the blue!”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” I admitted, pushing the drink back her way. She drained hers before reaching for mine. “I’m going to be an auntie. That kid is going to be spoiled rotten. Shit, have you told your father? He’s going to freak.”
I nodded and told her about the dinner with my parents, then signaled the waitress and asked for a ginger ale. If the nausea didn’t go away soon, it was going to be a miserable eight months.
“So,” she continued, her eyes bright with curiosity. “Will there be some Jacob Maddox baby-daddy drama on the way?”
“There’s no drama,” I replied with a roll of my eyes, biting my lip to stop the grin that was trying desperately to form. “Everything is good, really good. Like beyond good, amazing even.”
“Wait,” Cara suddenly said, arching a brow. “You love him, don’t you?”
I felt my breath leave my chest as I thought about what Jacob meant to me. This was way beyond the little life we had created together. What I felt for him ran very deep, deeper than any feeling I had ever experienced. I missed him when we weren’t together. I craved him. “Yes,” I finally said, drawing in a breath. “I love him.”
“Oh, snap,” Cara replied, her eyes widening. “This is serious? Like settling down serious. Has he asked you to, you know?”
“Very serious,” I sighed, taking a sip of my ginger ale. I was truly sunk in love, but could it be such a bad thing to be in love with a wonderful man such as Jacob? We’d had our bumps, but we were smoothing them out. What couple didn’t have a few glitches when starting out? “But, no, he hasn’t asked me to marry him. We haven’t even talked about it… I think it might be too soon for that, you know?”
“Do you want him to ask you?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, we can be together and have a baby without the whole marriage part, right?”
“Yeah, of course, it’s the twenty-first century, anything goes,” she said with a laugh. “Well you must have talked about the baby, though.” Cara continued. “Is he fully on board? Or is this going t
o turn into Two Women and a Baby?”
“Oh no,” I said, laughing. “He’s definitely on board. I think this is it, Cara. I think I’ve found my happily ever after.”
“Well, it’s about time,” she exclaimed, draining her drink. “At least I have something to spend my money on now. Can I put in a vote for a girl?”
I laughed again, the rest of my worry melting away. This was going to work. I had full support of my parents, Cara, and Jacob. That was all that mattered.
It was almost too good to be true.
27
Jacob
“Are you sure you want to do this, son?”
I looked down at the paperwork I’d finished filling out, a ball of red hot emotion settling in my chest. After the bombshell Lucia had dropped on me a few days ago, coupled with the fact that I never wanted to have to worry about her safety ever again, I’d gone to the local courthouse to file a restraining order against my own father. I couldn’t take the risk of him popping up whenever he felt like it, getting in my face again or harassing the mother of my child. I didn’t want him in my life any longer and was willing to take drastic measures in order for that not to happen.
I’d also found out from Coach that they’d banned my father from all games and had also gone whole hog and gotten a restraining order on him, too. He was unable to set foot within a thousand feet of any building considered part of the team’s facility. Somehow, I managed to come out smelling like roses—the PR team spun the incident to make me look like a hero. I didn’t take much pleasure in that story, though. I knew I had lost my temper, knew I’d been wrong, but I wasn’t about to tell the police it was my fault and get my father off the hook for all the abuse he’d shelled out to me or my mother over the years.
The Playbook Page 18
