Football Dad: (Friends to Lovers)

by Terry Towers

  It was on own fault really. Who in this day and age didn’t Google the name of someone they were dating? It was the first thing most people did. Especially when you were someone who had as many bad experiences as I did with men.

  Tears threatened to spring to my eyes. I couldn’t let this get to me. He was just another man who’d betrayed me. Another one to add to the list.

  Why wouldn’t he tell me about his past career? From the information I could gather from his fans, he was just recently retired this past season. This wasn’t a way back in history thing. He’d led me to believe he’d been a high school coach for years, when in actuality this was his very first year.

  I wanted the fans to go away, but at the same time I didn’t want them to leave. I had no idea what to say to him or how I should feel. I felt betrayed, but maybe he had a good reason for not telling me.

  Yes, they all had good reasons, London, a voice in the back of my mind mocked me. I was tempted to just stand up and walk out of the restaurant, but I couldn’t do that either. He was my ride and we were on the outskirts of town. I could easily get an Uber, I suppose.

  My mind was still running through my options when the group at our table finally dissipated and we were alone again.

  He turned to me and I could see the concern in his expression. We sat staring at each other for a moment. “I guess I have some explaining to do.”

  I nodded.

  “Here’s your order, guys. Sorry for the delay and…” she jerked her head towards the group of fans. “We got slammed,” the waitress said, placing our plates in front of us. “We’re so sorry about that.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Cole said, giving her a smile. “It happens.”

  “Still. We are sorry either way, this is supposed to be a place you can go and not have to deal with that. Enjoy your meal.” She returned his smile, gave me a cursory glance and walked away.

  Would this be what it would be like if we became a couple? Cole would be the main attraction while I was always the afterthought. It’s not like I was much of an attention whore, the exact opposite really, I’d always been a very introverted person, but at the same time it was slightly insulting.

  When the group came and surrounded our table, the only looks I received were dirty ones from the women out of jealousy. At the meet-and-greet with the Blue Man Group, I was an afterthought as well. I blew it off, but with this new information I knew I wasn’t just imagining it.

  He didn’t even look at his food, instead his gaze locked onto mine. “This wasn’t how I wanted you to find out, London. I swear to God it wasn’t.”

  “I don’t know what to think right now.”

  “I was going to tell you. I was going to tell you just before they came in, in fact.”

  “Uh-huh.” I looked down at my potato skins and cut one in half with my fork. Woulda coulda shoulda.

  He sighed. “I know that sounds like a lie. God knows I was going to many times.”

  “Then why didn’t you?” I wasn’t hungry anymore. My stomach started to churn a little bit. Laying my fork on the plate, I looked up and stared at him.

  He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s complicated.”

  “Then uncomplicate it for me. Omitting the truth is the same as lying in my book.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “When you make love with someone, telling them that you’re a famous football player should come up before you put your dick in them!” Anger welled up within me and I was having a hard time controlling it. I should have known it was too good to be true.

  His expression went blank for a moment. “It doesn’t change anything. What we have is real. Everything was real between us IS real.”

  I sighed, sitting back in my chair and shaking my head. “But it’s not real. You omitted a huge part of your life.” I’d never asked him who his ex-wife was or what she’d did for a living. Jesus, did I really know anything about the man that sat across from me? Pulling my phone from my handbag I Googled Cole’s name and added wife to it.

  “What are you doing?” He leaned over the table attempting to see the screen of my phone.

  “Finding out the truth.” The information popped up. I didn’t even have to look for a name. I knew exactly who the woman on his arm was as pictures began to load of him and his wife. My eyes widened as I stared at the stunning supermodel clinging to my boyfriend in the photo. “Your ex-wife is Nadine Grant!”

  I switched from images to news about my keyword search and the screen populated with announcements of their separation and of their divorce.

  “Let’s just go somewhere and talk. I swear to God, I was going to tell you just before those people came in.”

  “How can I compete with supermodels, Cole? Am I some sort of rebound? Slumming it for a while before finding your next supermodel or actress?” My mind was so busy once again racing through all the instances that I should have clued in that my mouth was on autopilot.

  “What? No. Fuck no, London.”

  “Then why me?” I couldn’t fight the tears anymore, a single tear slid down my cheek and I batted it away with anger.

  “Because you’re not like them.”

  “You can say that again.” I looked down at my flabby belly. Was I some sort of experiment?

  “I’m not with you for your looks.”

  My mouth dropped open.

  He shook his head in disgust. “That’s not what I meant. You’re beautiful, London. Of course I’m attracted to you, but it’s what’s in your head that attracts me to you.” He reached across the table to take my hand and I snatched it back out of his reach. If he touched me, I’d crumble as I always did and then I’d waste another six months of my life hoping to make it work. It was my history. It was what I did.

  I couldn’t let history repeat itself.

  The big house. The brand new Escalade. None of it was from a high school teacher’s salary. I’d known that and should have asked. Like always, I’d gotten so wrapped up in the idea of being in love that I failed to see the warning signs that he wasn’t what he portrayed himself to be.

  “Fuck!”

  My head jerked up to see Cole frowning as he looked out the window and into the parking lot. My gaze followed his and I immediately realized the reason for his outburst. A news van had just pulled up.

  “You have to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath.

  “We gotta go.” He stood and grabbed at my hand, pulling me to my feet. My phone slipped from my fingers, landing on the floor.

  Yanking my hand from his, I bent to retrieve my phone. “Why? Don’t want the news to see you with some chubby girl? A step down from supermodels.”

  “No. But your eyes are full of tears and you’ve got a smear of mascara running down your cheek. I’m assuming you don’t want to look like a sobbing mess when you debut as my girlfriend.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond. Should be more upset, grateful he was looking out for me or angry he was dictating what I should be doing. I didn’t have time to ponder it. He grabbed my arm this time with one hand, my handbag with the other and steered me towards the kitchen.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Away from here. The restaurant will find us a way home.” I looked back at our untouched meal and then back up to see a photographer snapping a picture of us through the window.

  “But… how did they…”

  “The group could have tweeted, fuck only knows… we’ve been lucky this hasn’t happened already.”

  We burst through the swinging doors that led to the kitchen, Cole leading the way.

  “Mr. Grant.” One of the cooks looked up and smiled at us.

  “We need to get out of here.” He pulled his keys from his pants pocket. “Is there someone who can bring my Escapade to the back so we can get out of here?”

  The cook that greeted us nodded and stepped forward from behind the counter. “Yeah, I can take care of that. Paparazzi outside, I take it?”

  “
That would be it.” Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he pulled a hundred-dollar bill from within and passed the money and keys to the cook. “This is for dinner. It looked wonderful.”

  “You didn’t have a chance to eat?”

  “No. It looked great though.”

  The cook frowned. “We’ll make you a new order to take home.” Without waiting for a reply, the cook turned and ordered the other chefs to remake our order.

  “It’s not necessary,” Cole protested.

  “Yes, it is. Ten minutes. Just ten minutes and we’ll have your vehicle ready to go and your meal ready.”

  Cole sighed and nodded. “Thank you. It’s appreciated.”

  “Yes, thank you,” I added. This was all so crazy it was surreal. What in the hell was going on? How did I go from having a nice, quiet life to running from photographers through the kitchen in a restaurant? Things like this didn’t happen to me.

  Chapter 14

  Cole

  This really wasn’t how I wanted London to find out. I’d waited too long. I’d been naive to think that my cover wouldn’t be blown well before now. I was lucky I had gotten this far really being able to act like a regular Joe Schmo.

  The restaurant got us out without incident and with take-out containers of fresh food that we’d ordered. It would be cold by the time we got back to London’s house. By the look on her face and her refusal to say much other than what was necessary to answer a question I had for her, I guessed I wouldn’t be invited in to talk this through.

  I’d royally fucked this up.

  Looking over at her in the passenger seat, our food on her lap, I felt a tug of regret in my heart. If I could just turn back time, just a little bit, maybe it would have turned out differently.

  There was still hope. She was angry. She felt betrayed. But I still hadn’t had a chance to explain myself. Once I explained myself and my reasoning, then she’d understand.

  She had to.

  “I’m sorry for what you went through at the restaurant,” I said knowing I had to say something to break the silence.

  “It happens.” She kept her eyes focused on the sights out the side window. “Or at least in your world.”

  My jaw clenched. “We live in the same world. I’m not that person anymore. I’m the person you met. That whole life is history.”

  “It doesn’t seem to be history. It was less than a year ago.”

  “It’s not like I’m not all over the internet. It’s not like I gave you a false name.”

  “No. You’re right. You didn’t. But I didn’t feel I should have had to do a Google search on you. I didn’t want to be that person that does a background check on a man I was interested in. I wanted to get to know you organically.” She turned her head to look at me. There were no tears, but there was pain in her eyes. “Consider it my mistake.”

  “No. It wasn’t. Trusting someone isn’t a mistake.”

  “I beg to differ.”

  I turned into her neighborhood. I didn’t have much time left before we were at her place and after she left the vehicle, I had no idea if I’d ever get her back. The problem was I had no idea how to win her back over in just a few mere minutes. If only I knew the magic words that would make this all right again.

  “I had my reasons. I never meant to deceive you.”

  “I just don’t know what to think. I thought you were a high school teacher. There were so many clues and red flags that I chose to ignore.”

  “But I am just a high school teacher, London. We all have a past. There’s tons I don’t know about you yet. I’ve never seen your resume. Playing in the NFL was just a job.”

  She cocked a brow at me. “It’s a lifestyle. It’s much more than a job. Fuck, your ex-wife is a supermodel. How do I compete with that?”

  I intentionally slowed the vehicle, trying to buy myself some time. “She’s my ex-wife for a reason. Beauty is more than just physical looks, London.”

  Cringing, I could tell that by the look on her face those weren’t the right words to say. I couldn’t win. Maybe that was the point. I wasn’t going to win, not until she had time to process. I had to be patient with her, I think that was going to be the only option I had at this point.

  Her house came into view as I turned the final corner. As I pulled into the driveway, I had no idea how to proceed. How could we go from spending a night making love to barely talking?

  No guts, no glory, a voice in the back of my mind chimed in. I didn’t become the number one quarterback in the entire NFL by not taking chances. After undoing her seat belt, she placed my container of food on the console between us and then reached for the door handle.

  Grabbing her arm, I stopped her from leaving. She looked up and into my eyes, our gazes locking. “I get that you’re going to need some time to process this. It’s a lot. But I need you to know that everything that is between us is real. I’m in love with you, London and I’m not going to let you go without a fight.”

  She was silent, but I could see her resolve wavering. The silence in the vehicle was deafening. “I need time to think. I’m not sure what I feel right now.”

  I wanted to push. I wanted to persist until she saw things my way, but I feared it would do more damage than good. I laid out my feelings for her and left myself more vulnerable to her then I ever have in done to anyone in my entire lifetime.

  Releasing her arm, I sighed. It was in her hands now.

  “All right. Just so you know. If you have any questions for me. Please. Please, ask.”

  Her expression softened a bit. “I will. Just give me some time. I feel over my head right now and I need time to process this.”

  “Okay. Whatever you need.”

  I hated seeing her open the door and walk away from me, but I had no choice. I just hoped she wasn’t walking away for good.

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  London

  “Hey Mom, you’re home early,” Justin said upon seeing me in the entryway of the living room, pausing the video game he was playing. Some sort of war, first-person shooter game, they all looked the same to me, though he insisted that there were major differences between all the games he simply had to have. He looked out at the bag of leftovers in my hand. “Leftovers or did you just not like it?”

  I shrugged. “Not sure if I like it or not. It smelled and looked good, but I haven’t tried it yet.”

  “Why?” He sat up straight on the sofa, putting. He looked down at his watch. “You’ve only been a couple hours. What’s going on, Mom?”

  I was torn. This wasn’t my son’s problem. But on the other hand he was pretty astute, maybe he was just the person I needed to give me a little insight on the situation. Besides, if things were to progress with Cole, then the decision I had to make would affect him.

  “Just give me a minute.” Walking into the kitchen, I separated the food onto two plates and grabbed some utensils. Re-entering the living room, I sat beside my son and passed him a plate.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Don’t mention it.” The food looked amazing despite sitting in take-out containers for over a half an hour. “I’m not that hungry and rather it not go to waste.”

  He’d already began to dig in.

  “You made the football team, by the way.”

  He stopped eating and grinned. “Are you serious?”

  I nodded. “As a heart attack.”

  “Wow. That’s amazing.”

  Looking at the expression of both surprise and happiness on his face, it would appear getting on the team meant more to him then he’d been letting on all this time. “You worked hard, honey, and it paid off. Congratulations. And just in case you’re going to ask, Cole said it was because you deserved it. He doesn’t want you thinking it was some sort of favor.”

  Justin’s smile widened. “That’s good.”

  “I’m very proud of you honey.”

  “Then what’s the problem, Mom?”

  “Did you know Cole was in the NFL?”

&nb
sp; Justin remained silent a moment. “I didn’t really know.”

  My eyes narrowed at my son. “What do you mean by you didn’t really know?”

  “Well, it’s not like Alex or Cole told me or anything. I just heard some of the other boys talk. I wasn’t really sure if they were just saying that, or if maybe he played in the NFL for a few years or if maybe he was a benchwarmer or what the deal was.” He shrugged. “Didn’t really think it was any big deal.”

  “And his ex-wife is Nadine Grant,” I added.

  “Who’s Nadine Grant?”

  “She’s a famous model. She’s been in commercials. On TV. In magazines. I’m sure you’ve seen her.”

  “Does she have a YouTube channel?”

  “I don’t know,” I replied frowning. “What does that matter?”

  “Hmm. And now he wants you. Wow.” He looked genuinely impressed by this fact and was missing the entire point of why I was upset as he began eat again. “Pretty cool.”

  “Okay. Honey, I think you’re missing my entire point.”

  “And what’s your point?”

  “He lied to me. That’s a huge part of his life and he completely omitted it.”

  “I told you to Google him.” He shrugged. “That’s on you, Mom.”

  My anger started to focus on my kid now. Was he just trying to be difficult? “I shouldn’t have to. We went to dinner and got swarmed with a group of fans and then reporters took pictures of us through the window of the restaurant.”

  “Wow. Awesome.”

  “You’re still missing the whole point.” My frustration levels were reaching an all-time high. “I thought I was dating a high school teacher that coached some football. I didn’t realize that I was dating some famous quarterback.”

  “But that was in the past, Mom. He is just a high school teacher now.”

  “It is, but his past is affecting his future. It’s information he should have shared with me before—” I stopped myself before I could tell him we’d made love. Or had sex. Or whatever it was that happened last night.

  “Before what?” His eyes narrowed at me. He knew I hadn’t been home last night. He’d been up this morning and witnessed my walk of shame, but regardless I didn’t need to boost about it. I may share a lot with my son, but my sex life wasn’t one of the things I felt comfortable discussing.