“You’re awesome, Coach. Thanks!”
I nod and slap him on the shoulder, “Now, go shower, Mitchell, and study.”
“Yes, sir!” he calls and runs inside.
I toe out the doorstop and close the door behind me. It’s still pretty hot, but it’s definitely not as bad as it was in July. Regardless, the air conditioning greeting my skin is just what I needed. The first week of practice and I’d be in the showers after the kids left, it was so damn hot outside. I’d forgotten what it was like to be running around during practice, and at the end of the day, I was wiped out.
I’m not a coach that sits idly by; I’m running plays with the kids to show them exactly what I want. Thankfully, I’m doing less and less of it as they learn. It’s no big deal; I’d do it every day if I thought it’d benefit them. Rowdy was telling the truth about the team being wary at first. It was hilarious that the first week of July when I was actually practicing with them, they thought I was nuts. It worked, though. Being in shape and putting myself out there garnered respect from my students.
All the practices have also helped me leave the liquor bottle alone. With me running around and what not, then getting everything in place for the cabin, I’ve been so exhausted each night. I haven’t craved any alcohol. I’ve been too damn worn out that I pass out. Practice is at the ass crack of dawn along with the second set in the afternoons. I feel like my head barely hits the pillow, and my alarm is waking me back up minutes later.
I’m not ready to admit it to Clyde just yet, but he was right. I needed this job more than I realized. I thought I’d hate teaching a bunch of teenagers, but I actually enjoy it. Especially now that the students have realized that I know what I’m doing. They’re so eager to learn and do well that it makes me proud.
I also wasn’t expecting to have fun, but I do. I’ve always had my brothers and Dallas around, but it’s nothing compared to the team. It made me remember why I was always playing some sport in school. I’ve been lonely for a long time, and I hadn’t the faintest clue. Sure I’m surrounded by teens, but some of them are hilarious, and a few are starting to seek me out for advice. Me—the Owens fuckup, giving kids advice. It makes me want to really pull my head out of my ass and not let them down.
I stop in my office as the students get showered and changed to go home. Opening my laptop, I check my school email. I had no idea so many parents emailed coaches. I was shocked when I’d finally logged on the night before my first official day and found numerous parents either wishing me well or asking last minute information. There’s a notice about it going into the second month of my employment contract, some course grades from online classes I’ve been taking, and notes from various parents. One particular message stands out; it’s from a law firm. I click on it.
Nathan,
Congratulations on your second month at the high school. I saw the contract renewal from the probation period, and I’m happy to see that things must be going well for you. I hope you found a career you enjoy; you were always the most athletic person I knew, so this makes sense. Hopefully, I’ll be in town sometime when you have a home game; I’d love to see what you’ve done with the team. The principal told me the last time we spoke that he had hope for the team for the first time in many years. I’m happy for you.
Best Wishes,
Sunshine Simmons
I nearly choke. She emailed me. Holy shit...and she’s spoken to the principal about me since our appointment. I highlight her name and copy it into my browser window to search for her at her law firm. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. I was looking for personal info, so I’d dismissed her law firm biography, but she has her own page and everything on there. She looks stunning and professional, but sexy in her firm photo.
“Later Coach!” someone calls, poking there head in the open doorway.
I wave without glancing up and reply, “Practice, tomorrow! Have a good night.”
“Yes, Coach!” they call, and several more good-byes follow.
I’m too consumed with reading about the various cases she’s won to pay proper attention. I can’t help myself, there are two pages talking about her and even articles linked to her page. I discover that you can click on them to read more about multiple cases, paid and pro bono work along with various charities she’s involved with. She’s had one hell of a successful, busy life. I get to the closing and have to reread it several times.
Sunshine Simmons remains close with her father, who is a partner at the same law firm. She has a strong relationship with her mother and enjoys doing charity work with her when given the opportunity. At twenty-eight years old, Miss Simmons has accomplished a lot to be proud of, though her daughter is the only one that makes her face light up with astounding pride when she’s mentioned. She hopes that she will follow in her footsteps someday, though she will happily support her in whatever her daughter’s ambitions may be.
Not only is Sunshine Simmons more than capable of handling your case professionally, but she also has solid family values that would benefit anyone looking for a lawyer they can trust.
Click here to contact Sunshine Simmons
She has a daughter.
Sunshine
“Sashy, get the door!” I call after the chime echoes throughout the house. It’s probably one of her friends anyhow. I don’t usually have anyone stop over unannounced. Even my parents call if they’re coming over for a minute.
“Got it, Momma!” she yells in return, and I go about wrapping up the sticky buns we’d made together this morning.
Getting the weekends with my daughter has always been a bit of a struggle with a demanding career. It’s one thing I’ve never given up though, and with my father being a partner at the firm I work at, he’s helped make it possible. Being a lawyer is everything, and he knows that...but my work always comes after Natasha. If I can’t spend quality time with her, then that means I’m doing something wrong on the mom end.
Popping the top back on the orange juice, I place it back in the fridge. Other than the noise I’m making in here, the house is silent. I heard the chime from the alarm alerting that the front door had been opened. Usually, if it’s Natasha’s girlfriends stopping by, they’re loud enough that I can easily hear their excited talking. Deciding to duck my head in through the archway to check on her, my chest constricts at the sight before me. It’s like falling off a cliff and knowing you’re about to hit the rocky bottom.
My mouth falls open as I watch my little girl, who’s not so small anymore, and her father silently stare at each other. His bulky frame fills the doorway as she stands as still as a deer. They’re taking each other in, inch by inch with a quiet inspection from head to toe. I’m not an idiot; I know they’re aware of who the other is. There’s no way to be mistaken about it or deny it. Sashy looks just like her father, Nate can see it, as she can in him. It’s my greatest wish and forbidding fear all wrapped together, and I hadn’t the slightest idea it was coming.
Clearing my throat, my lip trembles when Nate finally notices me. He doesn’t shout or freak out like I would; but rather, he meets our daughter’s eyes and holds his hand out. Holding my breath, I watch as he says, “Hey. I’m Nathanial Owens, but people call me Nathan or Nate.”
I know what he’s doing—he’s giving her every single name he answers to. She'd be able to easily find him if she were to ever want to. His hand engulfs hers as she shakes his.
“I’m Natasha—Natasha Katelyn Simmons—and people sometimes call me Sashy.”
She hammers the nail in my coffin as she shares her full name in response. Hers has Nate’s mother’s name as her middle name. People called his mother Katie for short; she was one of the sweetest, most loving women I’ve ever met. I thought it was only fitting to give Nathanial the small courtesy of naming our daughter after his mom, especially since I was keeping him from meeting her.
“Nice to meet you.” He flashes his megawatt smile, which I haven’t seen since we were teenagers. God, I loved him
so much, and I’ve missed seeing him that happy. “So, how old are you, Natasha?”
She glances at me, looking for my permission for her to talk to him. I don’t deserve the consideration she’s offering me at this moment, though I appreciate it a great deal. I’ve raised a good girl. I nod, and her face lights up.
“I’m thirteen. Oh, sorry, please, come in.” She steps back, and Nate closes the door behind him.
He’s officially in my home. I feel like I’ve waited my entire life for him to be here, where he belongs. Yet, I’m flipping out inside having him here. It was never supposed to happen like this. I’m an idiot for thinking he’d never find out.
Swallowing tightly, I stride into the room. It’s time to pull on my big girl panties and face the consequences of the choices I’ve made. With a careful smile directed at the two of them, I inhale and say, “Natasha, will you please give me a few minutes to speak with Nate privately. You can visit with him some more after if you’d like.”
There’s so much emotion and curiosity when they stare at each other again. At that moment, I’m the outsider. I’m peeking into a room that’s filled to the brim with unanswered questions, excitement, and sadness. I know they both want to say so much, but first, I have to attempt to explain it all to Nate.
I’m shocked that he hasn’t lost his temper and gone postal on me yet. I have a feeling it’s only because of our beautiful daughter being present. Little does he know, there’s very little he could do at this moment to disappoint her. She peers up at him as if he’s a knight in shining armor. I can’t blame her for it either. Though, if he’s angry enough, he could become a dark knight to me and decide to take our daughter away for himself.
“Yes, ma’am.” She sighs heavily at my request, and then makes her way down the hallway toward her bedroom. She’s scared he’ll leave.
It’s unnecessary, though. I know Nate well enough that she has nothing to worry about. One thing about the Owenses is their loyalty; they have an abundance of it. Especially when it comes to their family. Nothing is more important to them. My heart races as it smacks me in my face that I should’ve contacted him the moment I got my job and was able to support our daughter on my own. Who am I kidding? I should’ve contacted him when I found out I was pregnant. He would’ve fought for us.
“I’ll call you back down before Nathan leaves. I promise, okay?”
She nods, her expression lightening at my word. I don’t break promises, ever. Not even to her father. I swore when I was fifteen I’d always love him and even over time and with distance in the way, that’s never changed. I watch as she takes each step. She closes her bedroom door, and then suddenly the room seems bursting full of tension that wasn’t present moments before.
His heated gaze lands on me once more, and I gesture toward the sitting area in the next room, my hand trembling. “Shall we sit? I’m sure you have questions.” I haven’t the slightest idea how to go about any of this, or how to even begin. I guess sitting is the best option, though with Nate who knows.
“That’s putting it lightly,” he growls, storming toward the couch. He folds his muscular arms across his wide chest, brooding as he waits for me to get comfortable. My anxiety is completely through the roof. I grab one of the throw pillows, hugging it to my chest as I take a seat on the other coach.
His brow rises, his voice a deep rasp. “That pillow can’t protect you, you know.”
I nod, swallowing, as sickness churns in my gut. “It’ll give me something to hold onto while I get a tongue lashing from you.” Now’s not the time to be a smartass, and I’m not—just voicing the truth.
His teeth flash, but the grin isn’t sweet. It’s calculating. “My version of tongue lashing you’d thoroughly enjoy, and sugar, you don’t deserve it right now. You’ve been so bad, I hadn’t the faintest clue either.”
Emotions overwhelm me, clawing their way through my body. My eyes fill with tears, ready to sob at the drop of a dime if he tells me he’s taking her away from me. I’m so lost on what to say, I’m speechless. The only thing I can manage to get free is a whispered, “I’m so sorry. A-above all, I’m sorry.”
I watch, my eyes glued to him as his hands fall to his jean clad thighs. He rubs them against the material roughly, fists flexing a few times. He eventually spreads his arms out along the back of the couch, unable to hold still. He exhales a sigh, at a loss for words as I am. He shakes his head, a laugh eventually breaking free. It’s a cross between shock and exasperation.
I go to speak again, and he holds his hand up. I close my mouth.
“The crazy thing…?” he begins and exhales. He glances at the ceiling, collecting his thoughts and admits, “…is this was the last fucking thing I was expecting today.”
I start to speak again, and he shoots me a glare.
Clearly, he wants me to be quiet while he processes. I can do that, though part of me wants to spit out anything I can to ease his wrath. He has every right to be furious, to scream and throw things. I kept his flesh and blood, his own child from him. I kept her away—like some deep dark secret—from him and his family.
“If you hadn’t sent me that email yesterday, I’d have never clicked on your business link. You know the one at the bottom of your messages?”
I close my eyes momentarily and nod. Of course, I did this to myself. I couldn’t help myself yesterday. I heard how well he was doing at the school and wanted to wish him well. I fucking miss him, damn it. I’ve missed him for half of my life. How was I supposed to know that one email would get him to show up at my front door? My gaze lands on him, watching and waiting.
He shifts again and sits forward, elbows on his muscular thighs as his hands run through his light hair. “I wanted to read your bio. Sometimes I need a reminder that you’re too good for me. I need it thrown in my face that you left and never looked back so I can keep going,” he confesses.
Tears fall over my cheeks. The guilt I feel from hearing him disclose his tormented feelings overrides all others. I’ve shattered the man I love, and it truly is my fault that he’s going through this right now.
Nate continues. “I must’ve read it ten times.” He exhales a shaky breath. “Each time I reread the part about your daughter, I just couldn’t believe it. I kept wondering, does she have a husband too? Did they leave him off because he’s a lawyer as well? Is she divorced? Was he a deadbeat? Could she have gone through more than I imagined?”
More tears coat my cheeks as I shake my head. I’m at a loss of how to comfort him or of what the right thing to say is. I quietly answer, “No husband, ever.”
His piercing irises regard me closely, looking at me like it’s the first time he’s actually seen me since I was forced to move away.
“I woke up today and decided that I had to finally come and see for myself. I decided that if you had a husband, it would be the final straw for me. I would make myself move on, some way. I’d legitimately go out and try to meet a woman to marry and spend my life with.” He tears up, and my chest feels like an elephant is stepping on it. “Because you see I’ve never been able to love anyone like I loved you. No one’s ever come anywhere close.”
A heartfelt sob rips free from me. I jump up, wanting to wrap my arms around him.
Nate points at me, his voice growing hard. “Sit down, Sunshine. You stay over there until I tell you to move,” he demands, and I fall back into my spot on the couch. He’s never spoken to me like this. I’ve dealt with him being a dick, but this is more like carefully refrained fury, and it’s building in him as he speaks.
He continues. “I thought, if I showed up and you were single but had a little girl, I’d invite you out to lunch. I’d try one last time to see if you wanted anything to do with me. If not, when I said good-bye to you today, it’d be for good. Never once did I even consider that it could be my daughter answering that door.”
His fingers yank at his hair as he jumps up. With a gut-wrenching cry, he shouts, “Fuck!” He’s so torn up, it’s heartbrea
king.
I leap up, pleading, “I’m sorry, Nate. I swear it, I’m sorry. There’s so much you don’t know, so much she doesn’t know!” I cry and hold onto his shoulders. The big man before me is broken, and it’s entirely my fault. “Please...I’ve always loved you,” I stammer out. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
He leans down, his forehead lightly resting on mine. Tears trek over his golden skin as he closes his eyes and softly admits, “You did, though. I’d died inside when you left and never came back. You were my whole world, and you never even called.”
My hands move to his cheeks, my thumbs rubbing the tears away. “I’ll never leave you again, Nathanial Owens. I’ll never love another man like I have always loved you. Please give me the chance to explain everything, and I promise you I’ll never keep her from you again.” I want so badly to lean in and press my lips to his, but I refrain. I’m too afraid for him to turn me away in disgust.
He leads me to the couch he just vacated, setting me beside him. Holding my hands in his, he nods for me to explain, ready for my truth. I tell him everything, beginning with when my family moved out of town. It was the day that ruined everything we had.
Nate
I showed up at Sunshine’s place with the single-minded goal of getting some sort of closure on this torch I’ve carried for her, for so long. The joke was on me when Natasha answered the door, and I discovered for the first time that I have a thirteen-year-old daughter. There was no question about it either; she looks just like my family and me. She has my eyes, and after she nearly kicked my ass in basketball, I know she has our athletic ability as well.
I’m not going to lie, the first few hours when Sunshine and I were discussing everything, I was freaking out inside. I had this overwhelming sense of betrayal from her, and I’m still angry about it. Not enough to let it come between my daughter and me, but Sunshine has some groveling to do where my kid is concerned. I understand her parents’ apprehension and the reasoning behind the choices she’s made. I really do, but what keeps killing me inside was not having the choice at all. She took the option completely away from me before I ever had the opportunity to be better. For her and Natasha I would’ve been.
2 Times the Bliss Page 7
