Football Dad: (Friends to Lovers)

by Terry Towers

  Putting my index finger and thumb close together, I replied, “Just a little.”

  “You can take some home for Justin if you like. It might make up for me stealing you away all night last night.” He took a seat next to me and began serving himself. “Dig in. Take as much as you like.”

  “Thank you.” Leaning forward, I kissed him on the cheek. He turned his face and leaned in, kissing me back. There was a faint taste of bacon on his lips, I liked it.

  When he pulled away, the smile on his lips and the shine in his eyes reflected what I was feeling inside. Grabbing a slice of bacon, I popped it into my mouth. It was really good, not too crisp, but not too soft either, he’d hit that perfect bacon sweet spot. I was very, very lucky. I landed a good one for once.

  His expression grew serious. “Listen, I have to tell you something,” he said as he popped a forkful of scrambled egg into his mouth.

  I couldn’t help but frown at his sudden mood change. “Sure, what’s up?” As I was saying the words, a feeling of dread came over me. I prayed this wasn’t another one that ended up with my heart being shattered. Hadn’t I been through enough already with me? Didn’t I deserve a little slice of happiness as well?

  “No. No. Honey, no.” He reached out and touched my arm, giving me a soft smile. “It’s nothing like what I think you’re thinking. It’s not a big deal, just something you should know.”

  I wasn’t fully reassured, but I had to have faith in him.

  The door opened and slammed closed down the hallway. “Hey Dad, I’m home. Whose car is in the front yard?” It was Alexander.

  “We’ll talk later.” He leaned forward and kissed me again as I nodded.

  “We’re in here,” Cole called back.

  Alex appeared in the entryway of the kitchen and his eyes immediately went to me.

  “Morning, Alex.” I tried to be regal, but by the grin on his face, he knew exactly what had went on between his father and I. “I just dropped in…”

  He laughed, putting his hand up in the air and then walked towards the cabinets, grabbing himself a plate. “You don’t have to explain. It’s 6am. I get it.”

  I felt like I was a teenager again and that I had to explain. I opened my mouth to respond, but Cole placed a hand on my leg, high up on my inner thigh. High enough for a rush of heat to run through me and make me shift uncomfortably on the stool. My discomfort only seemed to amuse Cole as he moved his hand even higher.

  “Stop it,” I hissed in a hushed tone, batting his hand away and jerking my head towards his son who was seating himself across from us and surveying the food.

  “Don’t let me disturb you two. I’ll eat quick so you guys can get back at it.” He stabbed a potato wedge with his fork and shoved it into his mouth.

  “We…” Was there any point in trying to deny it? I didn’t think so. At this point I’d just be digging myself a bigger hole. Looking over at Cole, that shit-eating grin that I always found sexy just annoyed me.

  Leaning over, he whispered, “Oh come on. It’s fine.”

  “Totally cool. I can just take my breakfast to my room if it makes this less uncomfortable for you two,” Alex added.

  Taking a deep breath in, I slowly released it, a hint of a smile started to appear on my lips. I was overacting. It’s not like Alex was a kid and didn’t know his dad had sex. On second thought, he seemed quite unperturbed by my being here, was this a normal occurrence?

  Giving my head a shake, I focused on eating. What he had for a sex life before me was none of my business. I was still a little curious though.

  “You guys should be hurrying up. We have try-outs at noon,” Alex reminded us.

  “Yes, I should get going.”

  Cole nodded. “I have a fair amount to do before the guys arrive at the school.”

  We rushed through the rest of the breakfast, which was amazing, and put our dishes in the dishwasher. When I attempted to clear the pans and serving platters Cole stopped me “You’re a guest. Guests don’t clean up, that’s what I have Alexander for. Come on, I’ll walk you to the door.”

  I hesitated, but Alex seemed to be fine clearing the breakfast bar, so I allowed myself to be escorted out. Getting to the door, I slipped on my sneakers. As soon as I stood, Cole took me by surprise, stepping forward and pinning me against the wall, his hard body pressing against mine. I gasped as I clutched at his shoulders while his lips came crashing down on mine.

  A moan escaped me as his tongue slipped between my parted lips and began to dance with mine, tasting just slightly of maple syrup. My body pressed against his and I could feel his rapidly-rising dick against my stomach. My pussy clenched and I moaned a second time. I had to get out of here and fast before this got out of hand.

  Gathering as much resolve as I could possibly muster, I placed my palms against his chest and gave him a gentle push. He didn’t budge and I admit, the push was lacking. When his lips left mine to begin traveling across my jawline and to my neck, I knew I was in trouble.

  “Keep this up and I won’t be able to get out of here,” I groaned.

  “Would that be such a bad thing?” He grinned as he straightened, but he did back off and I released the breath that I didn’t realize I was holding.

  “Yes. It would.” I ran a hand through my hair, trying to flatten it. “You’ve got a team to put together and I have a kid that needs to be ready to be on that team.”

  “You do have a point.” He grinned, mocking me.

  Smiling, I shook my head and grabbed the door handle. “Okay, I’m going to go now.”

  With his index finger, he traced my collarbone. “Are you sure?”

  My resolve was wavering. Pulling open the door before I gave in, I stepped through the entryway and out of arm’s reach. “Yes. I’m sure.” With a nod of the head, I spun around and pulled out the keys to my car from my purse as I raced to my vehicle. Once in my car, I looked back to the doorway to see Cole framed-in with a massive shit-eating grin on his face.

  Chapter 12

  London

  This was it. Justin’s tryouts. As I was pulling up to the football field of his new school, I was so nervous because I was scared I was going to embarrass both of us and vomit. There were also the lingering thoughts of what had happened between me and Cole last night. My body had been buzzing all morning, even a quick masturbation job couldn’t take off the edge.

  Remain cool. This is about Justin, not you and your boyfriend. I coached myself.

  “Are you okay, Mom?”

  “Of course I am.” I looked over at him with a forced smile on my face. “This is going to go well. You’ve been practicing with Alexander and Cole and you’re doing great. Cole said it himself. This will be a piece of cake.”

  “He’s your boyfriend, Mom. I know what happened and where you were last night. He’s not going to tell you the truth. What if he just puts me on the team because of you and the rest of the team knows it? Or Alex tells them? What if you two break up?”

  I sighed. “He’s not my boyfriend.” I wasn’t sure what we were, if I were to be honest with myself. We had been dating, I suppose. But after last night, I was uncertain. A part of me feared that being so direct would be my downfall. But I didn’t think so, it would be nice to know what was going through his head in regards to our relationship status. We had a date tonight. Maybe I’d broach the subject. A voice in the back of my mind chuckled at the thought. Like I’d have the nerve to ask him anything like that! Being upfront and direct when defining a relationship was never my strong suit.

  “Yeah. Sure.” He rolled his eyes at me. “You don’t have to lie to me or yourself.”

  My jaw clenched. I wanted to argue with him and deny what he was accusing me of but didn’t. The last thing he needed was to argue with me before his tryouts. Besides, he was right, so I didn’t have a leg to stand on.

  “Come on.” Getting out of the car, I expected him to follow, which he did.

  There were already a few dozen boys all warming u
p on the field with more cars pulling into the parking lot behind us. This may be a tough one. But surely most of the boys wouldn’t be any better than the boys at the training camp, so Justin had a definite shot.

  Scanning the field, I noticed Alexander and a moment later his father. My gaze lingered on Cole a moment, my heart rate quickening, before turning to Justin. “Go get ‘em.” I gave him a wide, enthusiastic smile and a thumbs-up. I got an eye roll and a head shake in return as a response. I really wished he could see why I was making him do this. It would be good for him. He needed social interaction from something other than voices on the other end of a video game.

  Choosing to push my slight guilt feeling over making him do something he wasn’t inclined to do, I took a seat on the bleachers and watched the boys warm-up. There were easily a hundred boys in total by the time all the potential players arrived. The high school rooster limit was forty. He has a good chance of making it. Cole was joined by three other men as he gathered the boys up and began to talk. I couldn’t make out what they were saying despite straining to hear.

  Once he was done his speech the boys were separated into several groups and began running drills. Each of the coaches watched the boys closely making periodic notes. My heart caught in my throat each time my son was tested. He was doing good. He’d make it.

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  Cole

  What a fucking relief. I’d had a serious dilemma ahead of me. London’s son was borderline to make the team and up until the tryouts I couldn’t have said with certainty if he’d make it. If he hadn’t been good enough then I would have had to decide if I put him on the team as a favor to his mother or disappoint both her and Justin, after all of Justin’s hard work at the camp, and with me and Alexander. Luckily, I didn’t have to make that call. Justin had done amazing, far surpassing my expectations. I could put him on the team in good conscience. I wouldn’t be posting the official rooster list until the morning, but I intended to tell mother and child the good news the moment I arrived at her place to pick her up for our date.

  And I was going to tell her about who I was, or at least who I used to be.

  Pulling into her driveway, I’d barely made it out of the vehicle when the front door flung open and there stood London. She was such a beautiful woman and with each day that past she became more beautiful in my eyes. Tonight, she wore a nice pair of jeans and low cut floral, short-sleeved blouse, with a brown leather jacket flung over her arm.

  I met her at the front of the vehicle and pulled her into my arms as soon as she came within arm’s length. Damn, I loved the smell of her shampoo, mixed with the hint of perfume. It just made me want to hold her closer for longer. For the entire day, all I could think about was the previous night and how she’d just shown up. My cock twitched each time my mind wandered thoughts of it.

  “You look amazing.” Regrettably, I released her, running a lock of hair between my fingertips as I stepped back. I could only hope tonight would end like last night, spending the night with her curled up in my arms had been amazing. It had felt right. But I wouldn’t push what I wanted with her. I didn’t know all of the details of her past, but I know she’d been hurt and had trust issues. I wouldn’t dare chance chasing her away.

  “Thank you.” She blushed as she always did when I complimented her.

  “Come on.” Grabbing her hand, I led her to the passenger side of the vehicle and helped her in. Not because she needed it, she seemed to be doing much better in the heels, but because I wanted to. I was a selfish bastard, it gave me an excuse to touch her.

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  “This place is really cool. Cozy.”

  I nodded. “I really love it and the food is worth the drive.” The restaurant I’d taken her to was one of my favorites, on the outskirts of Boston. It had a pub feel without the drunks and seated roughly sixty people. It was a place I liked to go to when I wanted to be alone and away from any chance of people recognizing me. We had a lot to talk about and I didn’t want to be interrupted. I’d been lucky thus far with not having people out me, but I knew my luck would run out sooner or later.

  We were seated in a booth at the back corner of the restaurant with the overhead light casting a soft glow from above. It was a nice, romantic scene which couldn’t have been more perfect.

  “Mr. Grant, it’s so nice to see you!” Our waitress was stunning black woman named Sasha who was, I guessed, to be in her mid-twenties. She knew me and if I hadn’t called ahead and informed them I was coming and asked for a personal favor that none of the waitstaff would out me, then the gig would have been up the moment she approached the table. She was a massive NFL fan.

  “You too, Sasha.”

  “It’s been a long time.” She smiled, her brown eyes sparkling.

  “Indeed.”

  “Would you like your usual?” She passed me a menu and then turned to look at London. Her smile wasn’t as bright for London. She had a crush on me, and I’d known for some time. But no matter how attractive she was—and she was indeed beautiful—a girl fifteen years younger than me wasn’t my style.

  “We’ll browse the menu this time. Thank you.” She nodded, hesitated as if she wanted to talk a bit longer, thought better of it, turned and walked away.

  “Wow. She even knows what you like?” London raised a brow at me, a grin on her lips. “Why do I have a feeling she has a thing for you. Or are you such a regular customer here that your preferences are memorized?”

  I shrugged. “No idea. I’m guessing the latter.” God, was it that evident? “Though you never know, maybe she has a thing for middle-aged football coaches?”

  “Middle-aged football coaches, I’m not so sure. Sexy, blue-eyed ones with a body like yours, I would buy though.”

  Her brazen compliment took me off guard a moment and I didn’t know how to respond. It shocked me almost of much as when she showed up on my doorstep last night. I didn’t embarrass easily, but I could feel my face heat up. By the smile that spread across her lips I could tell she enjoyed throwing me off.

  Clearing my throat, I looked back down at the menu. “Let’s find something to order.”

  She nodded and looked down at the menu in her hands. “What’s good?”

  “Most of it really.”

  It took some time, but we eventually made our selections and gave our order. I was avoiding the discussion. I had to man up and just get it over with. Like a Band-Aid, rip it right off. It’s not like I killed someone or was sleeping with another woman. Fuck. I was making a big deal out of nothing.

  Reaching across the table, I took her hand in mine. “There’s something we need to discuss.” A look flashed in her eyes—fear. Jesus, what had men in the past done to her to make her so negative? “It’s nothing bad. Don’t worry.” I gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

  A crowd flooded into the restaurant, distracting me. Turning in my chair, I looked behind me to see a group of about a dozen men and women coming in all wearing jerseys with my old team embossed on them. I didn’t even have a chance to register before I heard one of the females squeal as her gaze locked with mine.

  Fuck!

  She pointed to me as all eyes in her party turned their heads to see who she was pointing at. “Holy shit! It’s Cole Grant!” The entire group came barreling towards us with the woman who spotted me first leading the charge.

  “Cole?”

  I heard London’s voice across from me, but I was momentarily frozen—at a loss for words. How in the hell was I supposed to get out of this? I couldn’t. The gig was up and I wasn’t the one to out myself.

  “Can we get some selfies? Maybe an autograph or two? You’re amazing. I can’t believe you stopped playing,” the original girl said.

  “You’re my hero, man,” a man said beside who came up to her side. “A legend.”

  “The team isn’t the same without you,” another voice from the back of the group shouted out.

  “Cole? What going on?” London asked, again. I turned my attention fr
om the group a moment to look at London, whose expression was one of complete confusion.

  Fuck and double fuck.

  Chapter 13

  London

  What in the heck was going on? I looked at Cole and then to the group of people who were crowding our table, hammering him with questions and praise. All of them looking at him as if he were some sort of God. What in the hell…

  I couldn’t get a word in at all. He glanced at me a couple times, giving me a smile. His smile wasn’t reassuring, not in the least. After a minute, I stopped attempting to get an explanation from him and instead opted to listen, hoping I’d get an idea of what was going on.

  It didn’t take long to find out exactly what was going on.

  I’d been lied to by yet another man. He could be added to the steam of men who had lied and deceived me, taking my heart and laughing knowing they’d pulled the wool over my eyes. Sure, in this case the lie wasn’t about another woman, but it was still a lie. I’d poured out my heart to him, bared all over the past several months and he’d omitted one extremely important detail of his life.

  He wasn’t just a high school teacher and coach. He was a fucking football superstar! Most women would have been thrilled to find out the man they’d been sleeping with was a football legend, but I wasn’t most women.

  As he continued to sign autographs and take selfies with fans, my mind began to run through the instances that should have tipped me off to his true identity. Him being so close to the other pro football coaches. The guys from the Blue Man Group wanting selfies of him for their kids. He’d gotten lots of second looks from people when we were out and about. I tried to sell it to myself that it was just my imagination, or perhaps it was because he was such a good-looking and fit guy, they just wanted to get a good look at him.

  I was such a stupid person.