by Virna DePaul
“At first, I wasn’t ready for a kid. Hell, I don’t know if I’ll ever be. This career is hectic as hell. But I also knew there was no way I wasn’t going to support her. One way or another, I would figure it out. I wasn’t going to be like my dad.” He scoffed.
Ruby had never heard Alec mention his father before, not to the press, not to his friends, not to her. She could only connect the dots and realize his father had never been there for him, so, at the very least, Alec wanted to be better than that. Five hundred points for him right there.
“So I did the right thing. Do you understand, Ruby? I did the right thing. I proposed to Colleen, news got out that we were engaged, I even started a savings, planned a nursery with her, and read a fucking parenting book. No, two fucking parenting books, and all for what? It was all a fucking lie.” Anger oozed from his voice. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Ruby could see the strain of his muscles in his arms.
“How do you know it was a lie?”
He gave her a look like he wasn’t stupid. “She told me.”
“She told you?”
“Yes. The whole time we were planning a wedding, I kept thinking this isn’t right. I don’t love her. I never did. She was my girlfriend, and we made a high-profile couple, but I’d always known she wasn’t my future. So two weeks before the wedding, I made a decision. I couldn’t marry her. I would support her, be an involved father to the baby, but I couldn’t take part in a marriage where there was no love.” Alec looked at her then. Until now, he’d been speaking to the sky, as if a therapist sat there. “Do you blame me, Ruby?”
“Me?” What did she have to do with anything? That was his and his decision alone. “Whatever felt right to you, Alec.”
“Well, that’s what felt right to me. I’d never get it off my conscience if I’d gone through with it. So I told her one night. And she fucking blew up. Threw napkins in my face, a plate against the wall, and told me I was the biggest asshole she’d ever known. And oh, yeah…the baby was a lie. In fact, she was on her period right then.”
Ruby shook her head. This was high drama that could’ve so easily hit the press, yet he’d managed to keep it down. Maybe Alec could act responsibly when he wanted to.
He continued the story. “At first, I thought she was making it up. She was lying about not being pregnant just to piss me off, but then I saw the texts.”
“Texts?”
“To Margie, one of her friends who works at an OB-GYN. I looked through her phone later that night. She’d asked her to procure some fake ultrasounds for her, and that’s when I knew it was true. The whole thing had been a fucking lie. We broke it off that night.”
Everything fell into place—the fighting, the drinking, the crazy behavior that ensued…all of it.
“Alec, I didn’t know.”
“Nobody did, except for my buddies. I worked my ass off to make sure nobody found out, even though part of me wanted to expose her for being a liar and a fake so badly. But that’s not me, Ruby. I treated her respectfully in the public eye, and I still do. And even when she comes around like she did last night, looking for trouble, I still treat her with respect.”
Ruby couldn’t believe it. All the while Alec’s life was imploding, he was exploding. While he worked to keep his true feelings for Colleen under wraps, his anger toward her, he was acting out in other ways.
“To make it all worse,” he said, taking her hand and kissing the top of it. “I wanted you the whole time.”
This is where Ruby normally would’ve rolled her eyes at him. Yeah, sure, but you were engaged. It didn’t make sense. But…now, things were clear to see.
“After the first breakup, I was happy to be free, happy to finally pursue the woman I was really interested in. That’s when I asked you out. But Colleen couldn’t handle the fact that we were done, so she made up the pregnancy, and when I saw the ultrasound, I believed it was over. You have no idea how sorry I am that I hurt you.” He grazed her cheek with his fingertips.
Ruby looked up in an effort to keep her eyes from welling over.
She’d been through so much during that time, too. Here the man she’d been interested in had gone back to his girlfriend after claiming he liked her, and he’d come across as a player and a liar the whole time.
“Can you forgive me? Can we start over?” Alec’s eyes were full of hope.
“I can forgive you. But there are other things in play. I’m your publicist. I have my career to think about. And guess what? I have yours to think about, too.”
“We’ll keep it under wraps,” he said. “We’ll make sure the media doesn’t find out about it. That will protect your career and mine. But I’ll do anything for this, Red.” He turned her chin toward him with a gentle touch. “I’ll do anything for you.”
Looking into those earnest eyes that seemed wholly satisfied to see only her for the rest of their existence, Ruby wanted to believe him. She did. She truly did. She wanted to guide his hand back to the wetness between her legs and stare into those eyes as he undid her completely, right then and there. She wanted to walk into the press room, filled with people who knew nothing about their liaison, turn to Alec, and share a knowing wink about their steamy secret.
“Can we start over?”
A secret relationship. Ruby thought about it. In some ways, it could work, but that was the thing about secrets, though. Eventually, they came out. Usually in unpleasant ways.
“Alec, I’m sorry for what happened to you. I really am. You don’t know how many times I wanted to console you while you were going through all this, and I’m so glad I know the truth now. But nothing more can happen between us.” Hardest words she’d ever had to say. She wanted so much to fall into his arms and make her dreams happen. But Alec had already been through so much. She owed it to him—and yes, herself—to do what was right for both of them.
Alec stared at her, then sighed. He brought in his knees and covered himself with the pom-pom again, almost making her smile.
“Fine, I get it,” he said. “I’ll play by the rules. For now.” He gave her a pointed look. “But we will revisit this. Fair?”
She wanted to agree, but at the same time, she knew what was best, and that meant accepting the hard truth. Before she could reply, however, they were interrupted by a door opening nearby. Muted voices flooded within the stadium walls, as Ruby scanned around for a place to hide. Shit, it must’ve been later than she thought. Were those players coming in for practice? But then, Alec would’ve known about it. How the hell was she supposed to escape this without anyone seeing her?
Panic filled her chest. Getting caught naked with a Bootleggers player? With Alec LeBrun, no less, who’d just gotten lots of negative press for other “stunts?” Who also just happened to be her client? Her father would disown her. She’d be blacklisted from every agency in America. There would be absolutely no coming back from this.
Alec saw the panic in her eyes and pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle this. Get dressed.”
Someone walked through, opened the locker room door to the outside area they were in, kept talking, and propped the door open. Maybe it was the cleaning crew. Which meant they’d soon come looking for the laundry cart. Ruby quickly put on her clothes behind the cart.
“What are you going to do?” she whispered.
“Same thing I always do.” He flashed his sexy smile. “Talk my way out of it. Just need one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“A kiss.” Alec grinned and indicated the open door space through which Ruby could see the cleaning crew starting to work. There wasn’t much time. “Come on, Red. They’re coming!”
Ruby wasn’t used to shenanigans. Ruby was straight as an arrow, but she had to admit there was something fun and spontaneous about this that made her feel adventurous. Dangerous, but adventurous.
“Fine, I’ll still do it without the kiss,” he said, grabbing the pom-poms, his pants, shirt, and jacket.
Ruby couldn’t let the man who’d take the fall for her go without reward, so she sighed and leaned into him for a quick peck. But the second her lips touched his, Alec slipped his hand behind her neck and his tongue inside her mouth with such deliciousness, she thought her legs would give out. Wetness flooded her again, and she moaned against him.
Then, suddenly, he was gone, leaving a cold, empty space where His Royal Hotness had been a moment before, and her heart continued to pound. At the door to the locker room, Alec gave her that infuriating grin with those goddamn adorable dimples, then disappeared into the room.
The second he left, buck-ass-naked, she wanted him back. She wanted him back with a passion greater than she was willing to admit. Oh, yes, they would table this. They would revisit this decision in the future. Because there was no way she wouldn’t. Nobody had ever made her feel so alive in all her life.
“Hey, so glad you guys finally got here,” Alec spoke inside the locker room. “Got locked in last night. Those buddies are mine, such practical jokers. Do you have any idea how hard these benches are to sleep on?”
When someone from the cleaning crew apologized to him for getting locked in overnight, Ruby knew that was her cue. Straightening herself out, she slipped past the door and snuck into the exit hallway. She’d escaped one problem. But how many more had she created for herself?
Chapter 6
Alec was beginning to feel like himself again.
For the past month, Ruby had stayed by his side, navigating him through one press event after another. Doing all she could to get his image back on track. Giving him the chance to make things right: with his career, with himself, and with her.
In return, he’d been playing by Ruby’s rules, giving her space, not once mentioning what had happened between them that night at the Bootleggers’ stadium. That didn’t mean he couldn’t remind her every chance he got with a quiet look, making it clear he intended to share moments like those again with her someday—when she was ready for that, of course. But for now, he was content to spend time with her, though granted it was almost always in the presence of her photographer, Mike, who acted like some 1950s chaperone hell-bent on keeping Alec out of Ruby’s pants.
You can try, Mike, but you are so going to fail at that particular endeavor.
At the thought, Alec told himself to cool his engines. Now was not the time.
“I’m open, Alec!”
“Right-O, Luke,” Alec called to a happy eight-year-old. He was currently attending one his favorite charities in a local park for kids with cancer. Luke had just finished chemotherapy, and his bald head gleamed in the sunlight. From the moment Alec arrived, he’d instantly attached himself to his favorite football star.
Today’s event had been on his schedule long before Ruby’s quest to prove he was still a good guy began, and in truth, he’d been reluctant to have her photograph it.
“Not everything’s about my image,” Alec had told her. “I’m doing this because I want to, period. Find something else to photograph.”
“I know you’re not doing this for your image,” she’d replied. “But the best publicity is about showcasing the best in you. Yes, sometimes it seems contrived, but that’s the last thing this will be. You care for these kids. Let the world see that, Alec.”
In the end, he found he had a hard time saying no to Ruby. He didn’t know what that meant for their future together—he just knew there would be a future, whether she knew it yet or not. On that front, he was going to come out the winner.
For that to happen, he had to play the long game.
His gaze sought her out where she was sitting in the park bleachers, talking to some of the parents. Immediately, his mind went where it shouldn’t given what he was doing—their night at the stadium when he’d kissed those luscious lips, touched her impressively athletic yet curvy body, heard the sounds of her climax resonating all throughout the empty stadium. Nobody had ever scored on that field the way Alec did that night.
But he couldn’t dwell on it. He must stay focused. If he played his cards right, he might just hear that beautiful noise again one day, but for now, he had to prove his worth.
Alec tossed the football back and forth to Luke, enjoying himself immensely. Within minutes, a few other kids had joined them and they begged Alec to teach them how to tackle. The kids, due to their various states of health, couldn’t engage in rough sports. But a little bit of roughhousing wouldn’t be so bad, would it? After all, today, they just wanted to be kids.
He made a big deal of showing them what to do, cautioned them to go easy on him, then yelled, “Release the Kraken!”
Suddenly, Luke and an entire crowd of kids tackled him to the ground by surprise. He laughed, and the kids climbed over him like puppies. “Ruby! Help me!”
Ruby shook her head, then got down from the bleachers, heading his way. Though she was smiling slightly, she couldn’t hide the worry on her face.
Oh, shit.
“Alec,” she called, as she walked up to the scene. Along the bleachers, one or two parents might’ve had concerned looks on their faces, but most were into it, taking pics and having a fun time. “You know we talked about not overdoing things,” she admonished.
For a second, Alec felt guilty, but that changed as soon as he saw how happy the kids looked. “Guys, let’s all give Miss Ruby the sad look. Come on, you know the sad look.” He pouted and gave Ruby puppy dog eyes. The kids—three boys, including Luke, and two girls between the ages of four and ten—all followed suit.
Ruby rolled her eyes, fist at her hip. “Alec…”
“All right, all right,” Alec said, breaking through the kid pile, knocking them down one by one in fits of glee. “You heard the Big Bad Wolf. No tackling.”
Ruby bristled at his comment.
“I know, I know,” he said, standing and whispering in her ear. “I’m making you look like the bad guy. But you gotta admit it’s fun for them. Fine, and me.”
“Fun is one thing, but sometimes fun can do more damage than we think.” At her contemplative tone, Alec stiffened, immediately getting what she was hinting at. He didn’t like what it told him. That even as they’d been spending all this time together, a part of her was backing away from him.
“And sometimes,” he said, “fun is what makes the difference between going through the motions and having an amazing time in life.”
They stared at one another before she stepped back, clapped once, and faced the kids. Then, in her most excited voice, yelled, “Let’s all go find where they’ve put up the piñatas!”
Nobody moved. Alec suppressed a grin.
“I don’t want the piñatas,” one little girl said, clinging to Alec’s leg. “I want to keep playing with Mr. Alec. Pleeeeeease?”
“Come on now, sweetie. It’s time for the piñata, but maybe if you ask Mr. Alec nicely, he’ll take you there. Won’t you, Mr. Alec?”
“Of course I will,” he said, then murmured to Ruby, “And afterward, we can talk more about the merits of fun time.” He winked.
Ruby bit her inner cheek then pulled out her phone and looked at it like there was something important there.
Sure, Ruby. You can run, but you can’t hide. He laughed inwardly.
Luke crossed his arms. “I don’t want to play with the piñatas either.”
“I don’t blame you, buddy.” Tearing his gaze from Ruby, Alec looked down at Luke and touched the young boy’s shoulder. “Piñatas suck, but you want to know a secret?” At his ballsy proclamation that piñatas sucked, Ruby’s head snapped up.
“What?” The boy looked skeptical.
“I was the reigning piñata champion in fifth grade. I could beat that fluffy papier mâché donkey till it bled candy. So you know what I think?”
“What?”
“I think you’re scared.”
“I’m not scared.”
“Yeah, you are. You’re scared you can’t beat me—”
“I can beat you! Just watch me!” Lu
ke ran after the rest of the kids, determined to prove to Alec that he could beat him at piñata-whipping.
“Go get it, kid! Proud of you!” Alec yelled after him then, hands on hips, he turned to Ruby. “So, about fun. I think you and I—”
Quickly, she said, “I didn’t especially like that you undermined my authority with them, but I’ll admit that was impressive. You’re good with kids.” For a moment, Ruby looked like she wanted to eat her words, like maybe mentioning kids or babies wasn’t a good idea in front of Alec.
She was thinking of Colleen and what she’d done to him.
Damn his ex for interfering, even when she wasn’t around.
Since she’d seen him and Ruby having dinner, Colleen had been blowing up his phone. At first, it’d been too easy to engage with her. For every little thing Colleen jabbed at him, he jabbed back. Until he realized that was what she wanted and stopped replying to her texts altogether. Just like little kids who behaved bad in order to get attention, Colleen was doing the same. She was having way too much fun accusing Alec of being the worst ex ever.
Yes, he’d dodged a bullet with that one.
Then there was Ruby, ultimately and genuinely caring about his career with no ulterior motive other than to be the best publicist she could be. But more than that, she cared about him as a person. As a man. Hell, she was afraid her even mentioning he was good with kids would hurt him.
He hesitated and dug deep, relieved to find the pain of Colleen’s betrayal was only a dull throb now rather than a burning wound. Ruby had helped him get there.
“Nah. Kids are easy. They’re basically small versions of football players: they love sports, food, and yelling.”
She laughed. “I don’t know if that describes all kids, but I appreciate you getting out there with them. Not a lot of players do. Being with the little ones makes some feel vulnerable.”
“That’s because kids tell it like it is. If they don’t like you, if you come across as fake to them, they’ll let you know.”
