Tough Break (FSCU Pitbulls Book 3)

by Stella Marie Alden

  I leave a message, finish up my homework, and take a couple tests online. My stomach grumbles and look at the time. Shit, I’ve missed lunch again.

  I make my way to the Student Union, thinking to grab a quick burger before practice and am surprised to see Danni. She’s speaking with a guy I’ve never seen before. I don’t like how she laughs freely or how close he sits.

  I stroll over and plant a long heated kiss on her mouth. “Hi, darlin’.”

  Then, real nice-like I hold out my hand to the suit. “Chris Vance, Danni’s fiancé.”

  His eyes narrow as he stands. “Luke Messier. Nice to meet you.”

  If this were the Middle Ages, the two of us would be drawing our swords. Instead, I give my woman a smile. “I was just about to grab something to eat. Join me?”

  She looks a little nervous. “I, ah. I can’t. I have to teach a class in ten.”

  The guy she’s with shoots me a look that says he’s going to steal my woman. He helps her out from the booth and puts a hand to her lower back.

  I wait for her to slap it away and she does but it’s too slow for my liking.

  Fuck.

  He’s everything I’m not. His watch costs more than I make in a year and his designer suit shouts money, as does his cologne. I think he even had his nails done with clear polish.

  I glance down at my hands, thick and rough. Is he the kind of guy she prefers? Did I rush into asking her to marry me? We got a lot of things to work through, mostly where we want to settle. Does she love me enough to follow me? And what about kids?

  I watch the two of them head out the door, no longer hungry. Instead, I change into sweats and take to the track. It’s been a long time since I was able to run well. My uneven gait causes strain on my back and the lack of a calf muscle is a severe detriment. Still, I manage and when I find my stride, it almost feels normal.

  I’ll never win a race but I’m not a cripple, either. I don’t bother to change for practice and it’s late by the time I arrive home.

  “Hi.” Karen looks up from where she’s watching TV.

  “Danni home?”

  “Nope. Went out.”

  “Do you know where?”

  “She didn’t say. Why?”

  “Nothing.” I grab a bowl of popcorn and watch reality TV where a bunch of assholes fight each other for the attention of a woman.

  I trust my fiancé. It’s the asshole who wants in her pants, I don’t.

  Okay, so maybe, when she comes home late, I overreact.

  “Where the hell were you?” I stand, glance at the time on my phone, and glare as she drops her books, purse and keys on the kitchen table.

  “Out with my friends, why?” Smelling of beer, she grabs a bottle of water, and chugs.

  “With that guy?” My fists clamp at my side and her eyes narrow.

  “There were a couple guys there. Which one do you mean?”

  “Mr. Suit?”

  “Holy shit. Are you jealous? Seriously?”

  Karen turns up the volume on the TV. “Do you two mind?”

  “Sorry.” I pull Danni into our bedroom and close the door.

  Her brown brows furrow and her pretty mouth turns down. “It’s almost Christmas, for God’s sake. I just went out to celebrate. Jeesh, Chris. You work until bedtime every night. I just wanted to hang out with my friends.”

  “So, now I work too much?”

  “I didn’t say that. What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You’ve been pissed since we got back from Atlanta. Did I do something wrong?” She sits on the bed and pats the space next to it.

  I sit and she cups my face, eyes penetrating mine.

  “Chris. Look at me. What’s going on?”

  I don’t even know where to begin and if I share everything, will she leave me? Hell, I suck at this. Why can’t she just be more reasonable?

  “Jackson is quitting college after New Orleans. He’s one of the top picks for the Draft. He wants me to be his trainer.”

  “That’s good, right?” She puts a hand on my thigh and I take it, wondering if it will be the last time she’ll want to.

  “A couple teams have hinted they need a guy like me. What do you think of LA? Ohio?”

  She stands and paces. “This is kind of sudden. Do I have to decide right now?”

  “No. Of course not.” My voice gets tight. “We could, whatever, see each other every few months?”

  “Hey, that’s not fair.”

  “Well, it’s the truth.”

  “What about staying in Freedham? Doesn’t CJ want you to stay?”

  “There’s no guarantee I’ll get the spot. I’ve screwed up a lot this year.”

  “Did you at least talk to him?”

  “I don’t have to. I know.”

  “Then we’ll come with you, wherever you go. Me and Karen are your family, now.”

  My fucking heart almost stops. “Say again?”

  She steps between my legs and pulls my face into her chest. “We’re in this together, okay. If you can only find work in some other city, I’ll find a college nearby to teach at. Eventually, I’ll tenure and have benefits. It may take a little longer than I wanted, but we’ll survive.”

  My eyes dampen and my throat grows tight. Best I tell her the rest while I got the nerve. “You recall how you mentioned kids and wondered if I wanted them?”

  She nods.

  “I do but we may need to see a specialist. The kind not covered by insurance. Remember how I told you my cock was broke?”

  “It wasn’t, though.”

  “Yeah, but they did a sperm count. An injury is blocking those little suckers from making their way out the front door. I would need surgery and even then, who knows? There’s other ways to make it happen but… shit… are you willing to go through all that?”

  She sits in my lap. “Sweetheart. Is this why you’ve been so moody?”

  “Well, then I saw you with Mr. Fancy Suit.”

  “He’s gay.”

  “Oh.” My face heats. “Damn. I should’ve guessed.”

  “Yeah, he dresses better than most of my women friends. The cologne is a bit much but his boyfriend likes it.”

  “Forgive me?”

  “Nothing to forgive.” She kisses me, we make love, and sleep.

  Chapter 33

  Danni

  I don’t want to distract Chris during the championship so accept an invite from Coach’s wife to a party at their house.

  “Forgive the mess.” She kisses my cheek when I hand her a bottle of wine.

  “This is my sister Karen.” I turn but she’s already being pulled into the room by a toddler chattering on about dolls, dogs, and her playhouse.

  “Don’t feel obligated to be her playmate.” Mel laughs. “She’ll talk your ear off.”

  My sister beams. “She’s precious. I can’t wait to have one of my own.”

  The thought while frightening, makes me smile. In a few more years, with the right man, my sister could be a good mom. Thank God, we’ve talked birth control because my mother did nothing of the sort.

  We walk past a huge modern kitchen, and go downstairs where there’s a small kitchen, a pool room, a gym, and a theater room with overstuffed chairs and two couches. Melanie introduces me to a few in her group.

  “Your house is amazing.”

  The gracious hostess smiles. “There’s an annex with a separate entrance where I have my office and physical therapy business. I’m still looking for a helper with the kids. Do you think Karen would be interested? Mostly babysitting and the like.”

  “We can ask her. She loves her job at the vet but it’s only part time. She needs to make a little more money if she wants her own apartment someday.”

  “Is that what she wants?”

  “Desperately. She says I cramp her style. I think she likes someone but is afraid I may not approve.” I sit on a stool by the granite-topped island.

  “It’s hard to know
where to draw the line. I’m not sure how much of her child-like behavior is because of my mom’s controlling behavior and how much is her disability.”

  “Have you had her tested recently?”

  “No. Being only part-time, I don’t have any insurance.”

  “You two are uninsured?”

  I shrug. “It costs too much.”

  “Even when I was homeless, I had some. What are you and Chris going to do next year? CJ would love to have him stay.”

  “Well, hopefully, we’ll both have our master’s. I’d like to live in Freedham but it’s up in the air. We need good insurance, for one. And I’m tired of being broke. It would be nice to be able to not worry about paying the rent or whether to pay the electric or buy food.”

  She pats my hand. “I am sure it will all work out.”

  “I hope so. Jackson is key. Those two have some kind of mind meld which is weird. His receiver comes from this nice middle class family. Chris? Not so much.”

  “Did your fiancé ever tell you how good he was?”

  I shake my head, no.

  “He probably would’ve gone on to be one of the greatest receivers in history. I think he wants to pass on his legacy and prove to people his success wasn’t just in his body but in his head, as well.”

  “I never thought of it that way.”

  “He’s come so far since meeting you. CJ wondered for a while if he made the right choice.”

  “Mrs. Griswold, apparently, is a miracle worker.” I follow Mel into the home theater room where the pre-game announcers flash pictures of the team, commenting on each and playing snippets of interviews from previous games.

  We all chat for a while but as soon as the game starts, the adults go silent. Alabama wins the coin toss and defers so the Pitbulls let them kick. I gasp as the ball sails close to the end zone and is placed on the twenty-five yard line.

  The opposition, according to the announcer, is older and bigger than our guys. It hardly seems fair. As they line up, I try to find a glimpse of Chris.

  “Watch this.” Melanie leans forward and holds her breath.

  Even the cameraman gets confused and focuses on the wrong player. What an incredible fake. The image zooms out to where Jackson has the ball and is taking it down the field for a touchdown.

  “Woo hoo!” I shout and jump up, nearly knocking over the chips on the coffee table.

  As the players line up, I quiet for the punt. We score again.

  We’re in the lead for the whole first half but our defense takes a beating. At half-time, we’re ahead by one.

  The ball goes back and forth across the field for the next couple hours, no one scoring until right before the end of the third quarter. I moan when Alabama scores.

  Then, the fight is on. I recognize some of the plays, but so does the opposition and they seem to have a counter move for each.

  By the end of the last minutes of the game, I’ve almost given up hope. Ryan has the ball and looks around and with no one to take his throw, I worry he’ll get sacked. He aims toward the sidelines to rid himself of the ball but instead, it sails across the field and is caught by Jackson.

  My heart thumps wildly as the other team uses their last timeout.

  We have to win. Jackson needs to make the draft so we can marry and have kids.

  I know I shouldn’t put so much importance on this moment. If we lose, we’ll figure it out. I clutch Melanie’s hand who’s gone pale.

  Sometimes I forget, CJ’s job is on the line, too. Division one coaches are paid to win.

  Break over, there’s three small yards to go. The ball snaps into Ryan’s hand, he jumps over the approaching defense, and I think it’s all over when someone grabs our quarterback’s ankle. However, Jose, a junior, pushes the pile from behind and the whole mess of players inch forward.

  Referees run forward and holding my breath, I bite my lower lip. Suddenly, two black and white striped arms go up, Alabama throws a red flag, and again we wait, hearts thumping.

  The last move plays out on the stadium monitor in slow-mo.

  “Did they make it?” I turn up the volume.

  My friend shakes her head. “I can’t be sure.”

  “It’s good!” The TV announcer shouts. “The Pitbulls have won the championship.”

  We hug, pop champagne, and the kids eat some well-deserved ice cream.

  Chapter 34

  Chris

  A bit drunk from the celebration, I fall flat on my back, and pick up my phone. “Hi Danni.”

  “Chris? What time is it? You okay?” The urgency in her voice makes me feel bad I woke her up.

  “I’m fine. I just needed to talk to you.”

  “Why, what is it?”

  “Will you marry me?”

  She laughs, a little more awake now. “I already said, yes.”

  “No, no. I mean, like right away.”

  “Now?”

  “Yeah. Why not?”

  “No, I am not flying up there tonight. Think… we need a license, blood tests, that sort of thing.”

  “Okay, then, let’s do it in Vegas. Right after my guy wins the forty.”

  “You’re a little too drunk to be having this conversation.”

  “Am not. P-perfectly sh-sh-sober. How about this? If my guy breaks-sh the record, you have to fly to Vegas-sh and marry me in one of those Elvis chapels.”

  She snickers. “No way.”

  “Yes, way. Promise me.”

  “You’ll never remember this conversation and if you do, I’ll pretend you dreamed it.”

  “You want the church, the white dress, and the works?” I picture me and her at the front of the church and the look on the preacher’s face when a whole lot of biker’s show up. Lightning strikes, God bolts the door, and a hole opens up where He sends them all to hell.

  Danni’s talking on about weddings but I missed most of what she said.

  “Huh? I lost my connection.”

  “I said, we can’t afford a big wedding.”

  “I wish I could give you the world, sugar. You know I’m working on it.” Fuck, even when I’m on top of my game, it’s never enough for her.

  “No, no. You don’t understand. I don’t expect you to do it all by yourself. Maybe we both can save up for a couple years and live together until we can afford a nice party.”

  Scrimp and save, it’s the story of my life, now. “You should find a rich guy who can give you everything.”

  “You don’t really mean that.”

  “No. I just wish my accident had never happened. You should’ve seen the house I rented. It was a fucking mansion with marble floors, a Jacuzzi, Olympic size swimming pool…”

  I must doze off for a moment.

  “Chris? You there?” She sniffles.

  “Sorry, I fell asleep. Are you crying?”

  “No. Good night, Chris.”

  “Night, Danni.”

  What the hell? Her cold tone tells me I did something wrong but I have no clue what it was. Should I not want her to be with me? Is it wrong to want her to be my wife?

  Women should come with a playbook so guys like me have a clue.

  Chapter 35

  Danni

  January in Freedham is so rainy and so lonely, sometimes I wish I’d never met Chris Vance.

  We’re not fighting but things sure aren’t like they were before he asked me to marry him in Vegas. The phrase walking-around-on-eggshells comes to mind.

  It’s Friday night and I sit at my kitchen table grading papers while drinking wine. Like every evening since the championship, my fiancé works in the gym with his wide receiver.

  Other than discussing finances, groceries, and schedules, we’ve hardly spoken. I miss our cuddling and pillow talks. I miss his warm embrace, his wide cock stretching me as he enters. I miss how he goes wild and talks dirty while we make love.

  Instead, he comes home exhausted long after Karen and I have turned out the lights. I even wonder if he’s cheating on me.

&
nbsp; Tonight, I’m determined to stay up and talk this out.

  When rain crashes down on my roof I worry about my sister. She’s gone out with friends and I hope she brought an umbrella. Pretty soon, I won’t even know. She found a roommate and is determined to move out despite my objections. I guess her dad could help pay bills. I sure as hell can’t handle any more expenses.

  Sighing, I hit save and open up the next document. My God, correcting papers is so boring. I can’t imagine doing it for a lifetime. Maybe, I don’t want to teach. My head droops onto the keyboard and I must snooze because what seems like moments later, the front lock turns.

  Startled, I look up and Chris limps in, dark circles under his eyes. “Hey.”

  “Hey, yourself.” I stand, slip my arms around him, and hug him tight. “Rough day?”

  “Yeah. Only one month left before the Combine.” He worms out of my embrace, grabs a beer from the refrigerator, and twists off the cap.

  “Is Jackson prepared?” I pour a little wine for myself.

  “Honestly? Somedays he blows me away and then others, it’s like he’s a different man. But, he gets into this zone thing? His eyes grow distant and it’s fucking incredible. I just need to crack the code. How do I pull his best out of him every time?” He pulls at his beard and shakes his head.

  I cup his cheek. “You are amazing. You can do this.”

  “But what if I don’t?” He stands. “You and Karen are counting on me. We have things we want out of life and so much teeters on how well my receiver performs.”

  I force his shoulders away from his ears and press him into the chair where I was sitting. Then, I knead the muscles until the hard knots near his neck loosen.

  “Honey. No matter what, we’ll be fine.” I kiss the top of his head which pivots toward me.

  “How can you say that? You want a nice house, kids and hell, you deserve those things. I can barely pay my share of the rent.”

  “You worry too much. Besides, I’ve been thinking, a big wedding makes no sense. I mean, I love your dad and his club is awesome, but I can’t picture them in a church. And my mom is gone, my father doesn’t really give a shit… Maybe we should get married in Vegas.”