by Claire Adams
“I’m just going to lay here,” I told her from the bathroom floor.
“No, you’re not, you’ll get chilled and really be sick. Come on, back to bed. Try and go to sleep. It will help,” she said, gently pulling my arm and helping me up.
I crawled back into bed where she tucked me in before pulling the shades to darken the room.
“Thank you,” I muttered, not wanting to move or talk for fear of bringing on another bout of vomiting.
“You’re welcome. I’ll be right out here. Holler if you need me,” she said, closing the door behind her.
I wanted to tell her she could go home, that I was fine, but I didn’t have the strength. I’d never had anyone to take care of me before. It was a very strange feeling. I liked it. It was my first real glimpse at what it meant to have a family. It isn’t all that scary, I thought to myself as my body relaxed and I drifted off to sleep. Maybe I could get used to the idea if it meant I had Liza around to take care of me, and I would be there to take care of her and our daughter.
Chapter 29
Liza
I felt terrible for Milo. He wasn’t around children and hadn’t built up a tolerance to the lovely germs and bugs that tended to follow kids around. Working in a school, I had been exposed plenty. Thankfully, I rarely got sick anymore, but Milo was a fresh, new victim. I should have thought about that before he came over to help with Ainsley—oops.
He would recover fast, I was sure of it. He was a strong, healthy guy, and this was a minor bump in the road. If he planned on spending time with Ainsley, he needed to start getting used to these bouts. While he was sick, I would do what I could to take care of him. I think it must have been that motherly instinct that made me want to help him. I wanted to tuck him in and feed him soup.
It made me feel helpful and needed. He needed me, and I wanted to be the one he depended on. I didn’t want some floozy who would dote on him with the sole intention of sleeping with him once he was better. Yes, I was territorial.
I took a minute to look around the posh hotel suite. It was evident by the disarray of the room that the maid hadn’t been in. I had a feeling Milo had requested no maid service. That didn’t mean he didn’t need it, however. I quickly called down to the front desk and ordered clean towels. The bedding could wait until tomorrow.
Pushing up my sleeves, I headed for one of the bags I had brought along and pulled out my bleach and Lysol. He had cleaned my house; now I was going to clean his room. The best way to get rid of the virus was to clean it away. I didn’t want him to have a repeat bout of the sickness or end up infecting the whole team by being a carrier. My dad would kill me if he found out the team got taken down by my daughter. I hadn’t quite told him yet about Milo staying the night—twice.
I shook my head, looking at the suitcases open in the corner of the room. He hadn’t even bothered to use the dresser or closet. He was literally living out of a suitcase. He had secured his future with the team. I knew that, and he had to see it now too. It was time to unpack the damn suitcases, buy furniture and make a home for himself.
I grabbed my phone and did a quick Google search for available apartments. I bookmarked some I thought he would like and got back to wiping everything down and spraying the room with Lysol. The room smelled clean, but between the bleach and the Lysol, I was feeling a little lightheaded. The room was clean enough to perform surgery in I decided.
“Liza?” I heard him choke out from the other room.
“Coming,” I called, carrying my can of disinfectant to the room. “How are you doing? Do you want some water?”
“That stuff stinks,” he complained.
I laughed. “Yes, it does, but I don’t want to get sick, and I don’t want you to become a walking germ factory. I’m killing the germs.”
“And the ozone layer, along with all the living creatures who have to smell that nasty stuff,” he whined.
“You’ll live—I promise. I’ll go grab you some more Pedialyte.”
He groaned and shook his head. “That stuff is gross and it makes me puke.”
I rolled my eyes. He sounded just like Ainsley when she was sick. “It didn’t make you puke. The flu made you puke. Quit being a baby.”
I delivered the Pedialyte and he wrinkled his nose. “Do I have to?”
“Yes. When you can hold this down, we’ll graduate to Gatorade. So, while you were napping, I did a quick search for apartments in the area. Don’t you think it’s time you found something a little more permanent? A place where you can actually unpack your suitcase?”
“You looked for apartments for me?” he asked, with surprise.
“Do you plan on living in a hotel forever?”
“No.”
“Then, look,” I said, scooting onto the bed beside him. “Here are some nice apartments that I’m sure you can afford.”
I scrolled through the three listings I had bookmarked. He wasn’t saying anything.
“Don’t you like them?” I asked.
“I think you misunderstood,” he started.
“Oh,” I said, jumping off the bed. He obviously wasn’t planning on staying. He still had one foot out the door, even though everything with the team was going well.
“You know, Ainsley needs stability.”
“I know that, which is why I want a house instead of an apartment. Even if the worst happens and I’m cut from the team, I can still live here. If this all goes bad, I know my career as a quarterback in the NFL is over, and I’ll have to find a job. Miami is my home. This is where I’m staying, and now that I know about Ainsley, it is all the more reason to stick around.”
“Oh,” I said again, surprised to see he had actually thought it all through. “So, are you actively looking?”
He looked embarrassed. “No, not exactly, but I have thought about it.”
“Ah, I see. You know what the right thing to do is, but you haven’t quite worked up the courage to take the plunge,” I said, understanding a little more. “No time like the present.”
“I’ve been kind of busy,” he defended.
“You have people, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “I have a people, Stan, my agent.”
“Well, you need a real estate agent. You tell them what you want, and they’ll look for you. That’s their job,” I said as if I were talking to a child.
“I know that.”
“No more excuses. You need to get out of this hotel room.”
“I know, I know.”
“Where do you want to live? A house? Condo?”
He looked me directly in the eyes, and I could tell he was very serious. “I want a house on the beach. Not one of those big mega-mansions, just a house. I want privacy, but I don’t need a huge plot of land.”
I nodded my head. That sounded very sweet and romantic in a way. I liked that he was humble. So many of the guys I had met in the football world were so full of themselves it was amazing they managed to fit their egos in the same room together. Milo wasn’t like that at all. He had cleaned puke off my carpet. That was as humble as a man could get in my book.
“That sounds very nice, and I think you can definitely afford it. Let’s look,” I said, sitting back down beside him and pulling up listings. “It isn’t like you have anything else to do.”
He put his arm around me, and I snuggled against him as I browsed the listings. “How about this one?” I held up my phone for him to look at.
“No way!” he said loudly. “That is a monstrosity. It would take me ten minutes to walk to the kitchen. I want a bungalow or a cottage. Something cozy and homey.”
I looked at the listing. “It isn’t that big. It’s five-thousand square feet, which is kind of small when you think about the homes of other professional athletes.”
“I’m not like them. I’m making good money now, but it isn’t going to last forever. I don’t want to live in a huge house anyway,” he reiterated. “I want something that feels like a home. I’ve been to plenty of those big,
fancy houses. They always feel cold, like people don’t actually live there.”
“Fine, let me see if I can limit the square-feet. Most people have a minimum, not a maximum,” I grumbled, taking the phone and fixing the search parameters.
I pulled up a couple of small homes. “How about these?”
He took the phone, studied the pictures and handed it back. “I need more land. I want beach and a yard. Am I being too picky?”
I laughed. “Maybe, but it’s your home, you’re supposed to be picky. Plus, I think the fact that you want a less home and more property is a good thing.”
“Can you hand me my phone?” he asked.
I reached over to the nightstand and gave it to him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m texting my agent. He can find me a real estate agent, and that agent can find me a house. Put your phone away.”
“What if I find something your future real estate agent doesn’t?”
“If that happens, then the real estate agent is fired. Put it away and snuggle with me. I need attention,” he playfully whined.
I laughed, “Obviously you are feeling better.”
“I am. I don’t feel like my stomach is going to jump out of my throat at any minute. The nap helped.”
“Good to hear. I need to check on Ainsley,” I said, sitting up.
His arm snaked around me, holding me close. “Don’t leave me.”
I laughed, “Relax, big boy.”
I walked out to the mini kitchen and grabbed him the Gatorade out of the fridge while I talked with Vanessa. She was happy to keep Ainsley a little longer.
“You were gone forever,” he pouted.
I giggled, “Gosh, you’re a bigger baby than Ainsley.”
He put out his bottom lip. “Come cuddle with me,” he said, putting out an arm and scooting over on the bed.
I kicked off my shoes and crawled in beside him. “You better not get me sick,” I warned.
“I’m sure it’s too late for that.”
“Go to sleep. I’ll lay here with you for a bit.”
“I’m not tired.”
“Want to watch TV or something?”
“Or something,” he whispered in my ear.
“You’re sick. No way!” I was only a little horrified.
“I’m teasing. Unless you wanted to take a shower with me? Wouldn’t that basically be germ-free? I won’t kiss you,” he said, clearly warming up to the idea.
“You need to rest,” I said, reaching for the remote and turning on the television.
I flipped through the channels. There was nothing on.
“Here, let me see it,” he grumbled, taking the remote from me.
“Do you really think it will be different when you flip through the channels?”
“Yep.”
He settled on a home improvement show. We watched and talked about what we liked and didn’t like. I knew he was watching to get ideas for the property he would eventually buy. It was cute. I could very much enjoy him shirtless with only a toolbelt and jeans on.
“What was that?” he asked.
“What?” I asked innocently.
“You shivered. I know you’re not cold. Were you thinking dirty? I know how you respond when you’re turned on. You sure you don’t want to take a shower?”
I blushed. The man knew me too well. “No,” I denied the accusation.
“Sure. It’s okay. I’ll be better soon and then whatever little fantasy just played out in your head can be brought to life. You name it, and I’ll do it,” he teased.
“You’re terrible. I have to get going, though. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“I’m feeling a lot better. Thank you so much for taking care of me and hanging out. It gets kind of lonely here.”
“I’m sure it does. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“When can I see Ainsley?” he asked.
“Uh, when you’re not contagious. I don’t want her to be sick for Christmas.”
“Fine. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.”
I turned to look at him one last time. It was hard to leave, but I couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t like we had a long-term relationship. I shook my head and left the room. The man had a terrible way of getting under my skin. I really didn’t know him, but I felt like we’d been together forever in a way. Like a soul mate kind of thing.
I didn’t believe in that, though. At least I didn’t think I did.
Chapter 30
Milo
All of Liza’s doting the day before had helped. I still wasn’t quite strong enough to head to practice, but I was feeling much better. I decided to take advantage of my day off and look at some properties. Last night I had taken Liza’s advice and done my own searching. I had found a bungalow that seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.
“Stan!” I greeted him with enthusiasm when he answered. “Do you have that realtor’s name for me? I found a house I want to look at today.”
“I think he’s going to get back to you today or tomorrow with some available listings,” he replied.
“That’s fine, but there’s one that I really wanted to see.”
“Okay, hold on, let me find it.”
He gave me the information, and I quickly hung up. I had a feeling Stan may not have accurately explained to the agent what I was really looking for. I didn’t want big. I wanted what I specified, and I wasn’t going to settle. I’d have the damn thing built if I had to.
I called the agent, explained the property I was interested in and managed to get an appointment. Why did no one want to show me what I was looking for? Everyone seemed dead set on steering me into something big and ugly.
Next, I called Liza.
“Hey,” I said when she answered.
“Oh, you sound much better!” she exclaimed. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel much better, and I owe it all to my nurse,” I teased. “Thank you for taking care of me. Really. That was a first for me, and I’m afraid you’ve spoiled me, now. The next time I get sick, I’m going to need you to take care of me.”
I heard her chuckle and smiled at the sound of it.
“Good,” she said, and I could actually hear the smile in her voice. “I’m glad I could help. I hope you’re not planning on going to practice. You may feel better, but don’t push it, you’ll be down again before you know it,” she lectured like a good nurse.
“I’m not. Actually, I’m going to look at a couple places today,” I told her, without telling her the details about the bungalow. I wanted to surprise her.
“Wow, that’s awesome and really fast.”
“Yep, when Stan wants to be, he can be very effective.”
“Good. I’m sure you pay him a great deal of money. He better be damn effective.”
“Exactly. So, I know it’s not a good idea for me to see Ainsley today, but maybe tomorrow?”
“I think we can work something out. Only if you promise to get some rest and drink lots of fluids. We don’t want a relapse for either one of you.”
“I will, I promise.”
“Okay, well just let me know. Have fun house shopping.”
We hung up, and I debated calling her back and asking her to go with me. I wanted her opinion but figured that might be a bigger step than either one of us was ready to take. We may not be ready to start talking about our future, but I could make sure Ainsley was always taken care of, no matter what happened.
I called the lawyer I’d put on retainer and scheduled a meeting for later today. I wanted to set up a trust fund for Ainsley. If my career fell apart, I wanted to make sure Ainsley didn’t have to worry about paying for college or her first car.
I stood, staring out the window of my hotel, watching the ocean ebb and flow. I didn’t do it often, but I let myself think about my past. My parents more specifically. I had been put into the foster system at the age of two. I didn’t remember my parents at all. How could I?
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My mother had been a junkie. According to my birth certificate, I had no father. She didn’t know who the guy was. I had somehow managed to never get adopted. I had been through several social workers and basically gotten lost in the system. I was the proverbial rolling stone, from one place to the next. Football had been my only constant.
I would make sure Ainsley always had a home. She already had a great start in life with a mother who loved her dearly and provided very well for her. Her conception may have been an accident, but she was no mistake. Liza and I may not be meant to live happily ever after, but I would make sure Ainsley got the benefit of my wealth. Liza could use it or leave it in a savings account, but it would be there for Ainsley. She would never want for anything.
I checked the time and decided I better get my ass moving. I didn’t want to be late to meet the realtor.
“Mr. Pastek?” a younger guy said, stepping out of a fancy sports car in front of the property I was ready to look at.
“I am. You must be James.”
“Yes, sir. I have a list of other properties that may be a little more suitable. This one has been empty for a while, and it shows,” he explained.
I shook my head, frustrated. For some reason, these people couldn’t seem to get it through their heads.
“I’m sorry. I know this property probably isn’t what you are hoping to sell me, but this is what I’m looking for. I don’t want a big house. I don’t know if Stan explained that, but I’m looking for something that is smaller and on the beach. If that is going to be an issue, let me know, and I will call someone else more familiar with that market,” I said, as nicely as possible.
“No, no. This is fine. It’s just that a man of your status usually tends to want something different.”
“I don’t.”
“Got it. Okay, well let’s go take a look. I’ll warn you, I’ve never been out here before. I pulled up some of the information on the place. It was built in the late fifties. It has three bedrooms and a separate apartment above the garage. It was abandoned about three years ago. A couple different real estate developers have tried to buy it, but the property can’t be commercially developed.”
