by Cala Riley
I tense. “Maybe.”
“Relax man, I’m only messing around. She’s an exceptional lady, she would be good for you.”
“Thanks.”
“See you tomorrow.”
“Later.” I hustle towards Reagan’s office, only slowing down once I’m in the office area. The blinds are up on her door and I see that she’s on the phone.
“Well, shit,” I mutter under my breath.
“If you’re needing to talk to her, you can come sit while you wait.”
I turn around and see a well-dressed kid with raven-black hair.
“You think she will be long?”
The kid shrugs. “Probably. If her hand actions are any indication, someone pissed her off.”
I take a seat, one chair between the kid and me. “I’m Garrett.” I hold my fist out for him to bump.
“Nick.” He bumps his knuckles against mine. Before he can pull away, I catch his hand, looking at his split knuckles, dried blood still in the cracks.
“This is fresh. What happened?”
“Some asshole had some girl pinned against a locker, picking on her. She was crying and everyone was standing around watching it. So, I stepped in and taught that fucker a lesson.” He shrugs.
“Sounds like a good reason for a throw down. Next time though, don’t tuck your thumb. Make a fist like this, that way you won’t get hurt.” I show him how to make a proper fist. He mimics me getting a feel for the correct way to do it.
“Sweet,” he mutters.
“Nickolas Kelly, Garrett Stone, in my office now!” Reagan says harshly, spinning on her heel and walking back into her office.
“Fuck,” the kid and I say in unison.
“You should probably watch your tongue,” I say under my breath.
“Pot meet kettle,” he grumbles back.
We walk into the office, hands in pockets.
“Ma, have I told you how beautiful you look today?”
“Ma?” I look between Nick and Reagan. “How old are you?”
“Not important right now,” Reagan snaps.
“Twelve,” Nick offers.
Twelve, she didn’t have a kid in college. So why is he calling her ma?
“Both of you sit down,” Reagan demands. Nick and I slide into the chairs in front of her desk.
“You really do look beautiful today,” I say lamely.
“Idiot,” the kid says under his breath while Reagan breathes fire.
“She’s turning red.” I side-eye him.
“Of course she is! We’re Irish and she’s pissed.”
“Enough!” Reagan yells, pinching her nose. “I have had enough today.” Reagan drops into her chair, biting her lip and looking at the ceiling. “Nickolas, you know I’m all for standing up for someone. But wasn’t there a different way you could have helped her instead of going in fists blazing?” She laughs brittly. “And Garrett, can you please for the love of all things holy not teach my kid how to make a proper fist.”
“Mi reina, if you think about it, I was helping you out. Now if he punches someone you don’t have to worry about him breaking his hand.” I wince.
“Digging your own grave, might as well jump in and start burying yourself alive.” Nick chuckles. Reagan shoots him a dirty look, stopping him. “Sorry, Ma.”
“What am I going to do with you two?” A tear leaks out of her eye.
“Aw, mi reina, don’t cry.” I stand up and go to her, pulling her into me.
“Come on, Ma, you know tears are my weakness,” Nick whines.
Before she can say anything the door swings open and an older gentleman walks in. “She throw anything yet?” he jokes.
Nick cringes. “Worse, tears.”
The old man hisses, “Shit. We better stop for some expensive whiskey on our way home.”
“Pops,” Reagan scolds.
“Don’t you Pops me, little girl.” He shakes a finger at her. He looks at me, brows raising. “Garrett Stone.”
“Nice to meet you, sir.”
“I would shake your hand, but it looks like your hands are a little full,” he teases.
“Just go, Pops, take them with you,” Reagan begs.
“Come on, kid.” Nick walks towards Pops who’s holding his hand up for a high five. “Good job protecting that girl.”
“Thanks Pops.” Nick beams.
“See you at home, Ma.”
“Bye baby. Later, Pops.”
Pops waves over his shoulder.
I let go of Reagan and walk to the door. I flip the lock and shut the blinds. I walk back to Reagan and pull her up from her chair. I sit down and pull her into my lap. I don’t ask questions, just offer her my silent comfort.
“I wasn’t trying to keep him a secret,” she says softly.
“I didn’t think you were.”
“His mom and my mom were sisters. There was a big age gap between the two,” she sighs. “When he was three, his parents were killed in an accident. I didn’t even think about it, I took him. I spent a lot of time with Aunt Ashley growing up. She was the one who taught me everything I needed to know about being a girl, if you catch my drift. Taking Nick in was the least I could do.”
“You love him.”
“I do,” she whispers.
I sigh. “Well fuck me, Reagan. I already knew you were an amazing woman, but now…” I trail off. “You are in a league of your own.” I kiss her temple.
“Now you know why family time is so important to me and why I don’t have a lot of time for relationships.” She nuzzles my neck. “I’ll understand if you want to end things here. You didn’t sign up to be an insta-dad.”
“Trust me, mi reina, if anything, this just gained you an easy hundred points.”
She laughs softly. “What time is it?”
I look at the clock on the wall. “It’s two.”
She sits up. “I have some more work to do.” She stands. “I’ll talk to you later.”
I tilt her chin up, making her look at me. “We’ll figure it out.” I kiss her softly.
“See you later.”
“Bye.”
Chapter 6
Week 6
Reagan
“Ma, can I please go sit in the stadium and watch them practice?”
Nick is at work with me today because I’m a terrible parent and forgot that it was a teacher planning day. Which means I didn’t arrange for someone to watch him. Pops had an appointment in the next town over, so Dad drove him early this morning. Which left me bringing Nick here.
It’s not that I mind having Nick at work. I love the kid and always want him with me. It’s just that I’m the first woman to ever hold a position like mine in the NFL. That means I had to work twice as hard to get here and I’ll have to work even harder to stay. To prove I deserve to be here. It’s not right, but it’s the name of the game.
With that being said, that means when I bring Nick to work, I’m afraid they see me as less than. I know it’s illogical. No one here has ever made me feel like I don’t belong. When I bring Nick, everyone says hi and offers to help with him, just like they would for any other employee. It’s an insecurity of my own that I have to work through and I know it.
“You can’t be down there bothering them, hun. I’m trying to finish as fast as I can.” I glance over my monitor at him.
“Okay,” he whispers, going back to the tablet I gave him.
Most kids love electronics, but not my Nick. While he loves video games, he would prefer to be outside, tinkering with old cars and lawn equipment or throwing a ball around with Pops and Dad. Sitting here, playing with a tablet for most of the day must be killing him.
“Hey, Reagan.” Jerry, one of my recruiters, knocks on the doorframe.
“Hey. What’s going on?” I look up from the report I was working on.
“Practice is almost over and I have that meeting with the Coach about the kid from San Francisco. I heard Nick here was bored. I wanted to see if he could come with me. He ca
n run around the field while I do my meeting, and then I’ll bring him back.”
I look to Nick, who has a pleading look on his face.
“I don’t know.”
“Please, Ma. I will sit at the very top of the stadium until they clear the field. I promise.”
I look back to Jerry. “Fine, but you don’t bother them while they are working. It might look like fun, but it’s a job to them.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replies, jumping out of his seat, leaving the tablet behind.
“Nick,” I warn.
He turns to me. “Yes, Ma?”
“They have fifteen minutes of practice left. You can sit in the stands at the fifty, but until they are done, you do not get on the field. Understand?”
He nods.
“Good. Come give me a hug. I’ll be down in about an hour.”
I watch Nick and Jerry walk away, talking to each other.
God, I love that kid.
I turn back to my computer and plan out my travel schedule. It has to be loose for the time being until season really starts, but there are some guys I want to see early, get a feel for. Plus, it’s better to sneak in now when they won’t be expecting a scout in the stands. I love jumping from stadium to stadium, team to team, but at the same time, I always hate leaving and miss Nick the whole time I’m gone. Before I know it, an hour has passed. I save my schedule and shut down my computer. I gather up our stuff and make my way down to the field.
What I wasn’t expecting was to see Nick and Garrett on the field, laughing and playing catch.
Garrett
Walking back to the bench, I spot a figure sitting in the stands. I smile when I realize it’s Nick next to another man I don’t know.
I grab my water bottle, waving at Nick. His smile is huge as he waves back. I head back to the team just as Coach starts his end of practice speech.
“Good practice, guys. You’re looking good. We have some improvements to make, but I’m proud of how you are coming together as a team. It’s fluid as if you are one. We have our first preseason game next week, so get ready for it. It’s against Houston. I want two hours of game tapes watched each night. It might seem like a shoo-in, but we need to treat each team and each game as if it’s our biggest. We do that and the ring is ours this year. Who’s with me?”
We do our Seattle chant, which I’m getting the hang of, before we split up.
“Hey Coach?” I call out.
“Make it quick, Stone. I have a meeting.”
“Can I use the field for a little bit? Reagan’s kid is here, and I thought I could play catch with him.”
Coach looks over my shoulder then to me. “That’s fine, but you have to put whatever you use up.”
“Thanks, Coach.”
I jog over to the stands where Nick is sitting. The man next to him is gone now, leaving him by himself.
“Hey, Nick. What’s up?” I ask.
“Nothing. Ma said I could come watch practice and play on the field, but I’m supposed to wait until all of you are gone.”
“Or, you could come play catch with me.”
He thinks it over. “Ma made me promise.”
“You wouldn’t be breaking your promise. I asked Coach if you and I could play catch. So you have permission to be on the field with me.”
He smiles at my logic. “Okay.”
We make our way over to the bench where I grab a ball. Most of the players have left, but Montgomery and Finch are still here.
“Hey buddy. Where’s your beautiful mom at?” Finch asks.
I punch him in the shoulder. “Shut up.”
He laughs.
“Working,” Nick responds. “Garrett and me are going to play catch.”
“Oh, yeah?” Montgomery teases. “You wouldn’t rather play catch with the quarterback?”
I feel an odd sensation in my chest when Nick answers, “Nope. I want to play with Garrett. I want to be an offensive lineman like him when I grow up.”
Montgomery meets my eye, the look telling me he knows what just happened.
He pats me on the shoulder. “You’re in luck, kid. Garrett is one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. He is the best person to be your mentor. You two kids have fun.”
Montgomery pushes Finch towards the locker room, teasing each other the entire way.
“You want me to run out?” Nick asks.
“Yeah. Not too far. I can’t throw like Montgomery.”
He runs back a couple of steps. “That’s okay. You do great at protecting him.”
Fuck. This kid is trying to tear at my heart today.
“I’m ready,” Nick calls, grabbing my attention.
I toss the ball to him, watching as he misses it the first time. He makes a frustrated noise, picking the ball up to toss it back.
“It’s okay. Your eyes need to follow the ball. You don’t want to reach out and grab the ball. You want it to go towards your chest so you can use your body to help control the ball. Try again.”
It takes a couple of tries, but the smile on Nick’s face is worth the patience when he finally catches it.
“Excellent job, bud. You’re a natural.”
He beams at me, tossing the ball back.
We toss the ball back and forth for a while. Something about playing catch with Nick just feels right. The kid has me wrapped around his finger, just like his mother, and they have no idea.
I walk in, locking the door behind me and toss my keys on the entry table. I walk into the kitchen and rest my hands on the counter.
“What a day.” I sigh.
My tablet and phone start ringing. I look at the tablet on my counter and see my parents want to video call. I swipe right and sit down. “Hola.” I look at both my parents sitting side by side.
“How are you, hijo?” Mother asks.
“I’m good, madre. How are you and Papa?”
“We are good, we had a good evening with the familia. You should have been here,” Madre scolds.
“Lia, we’ve talked about this,” Papa reminds her. “It’s season. He’s where he should be.”
“If only he played the right football,” she mutters.
“Yes, so we’ve heard a thousand times.” Father rolls his eyes with a small smile on his face. “How’s the new team, son? You like everyone?”
“It’s good. Everyone is awesome.”
“Are you keeping your nose clean?”
“My nose has always been clean, Papa, it was my liver that liked to get me into trouble,” I tease.
“Not funny, Garrett.”
“Sorry, Papa.”
“Have you met a woman yet?” Madre asks hopefully.
“Would I make a good dad?” I blurt out.
Madre gasps and Father curses under his breath.
“Please tell me you didn’t knock anyone up. Condoms. Condoms, Garrett, it’s not that hard!” Papa pleads.
“Sex before marriage is a sin, hijo!” Mother hisses while doing signs of the cross.
“Guys, calm down,” I beg. Once they both do, I start over. “I knew Reagan back in college. We recently reconnected. Long story short, she’s raising her cousin.”
“That poor nino.” Madre covers her heart with her hand.
“That’s a good woman,” Papa says.
“She is. She’s the best.”
“You want her.”
“I do.”
“Lia, will you go get me some water, mi amor?”
Madre huffs. “Kicking me out of the conversation.”
“Never, sweetheart.” Dad looks back at me and winks. Once Mom is gone, he speaks. “How serious about her are you?”
“Serious enough to be asking if I would make a good father,” I deadpan.
“Then there’s something you need to consider before going any further with her.”
“What’s that?”
“If you decide to be all in, you also have to be all in with the kid. You can’t walk away. He’s had enough loss in his life.
If you think this isn’t the real deal, then walk away now. Before his heart gets broken right alongside hers. Or think about the possibility of the both of them breaking your heart.”
I open my mouth to respond but he cuts me off, “Don’t say anything, just think on it.”
“Thanks, Papa.”
Madre comes back into the room, and we catch up about the family.
“All right you two, it’s after midnight there. You need to get to bed.”
“Just one last thing, hijo, is she catholic?”
I laugh. “I don’t know, madre. She’s Irish, I can tell you that, but I don’t know if she goes to church every Sunday.”
“Well, I’ll pray for the both of you that she does.” Madre nods, making Papa and I laugh.
“You realize I don’t go every Sunday, right?” I tease.
She waves my comment away. “You could if you played the right football.”
“‘Night you two. Love you.”
“Love you,” they say in unison before hanging up.
Chapter 7
Week 7
Reagan
“Hello, gorgeous.” I smile as Garrett wraps his arms around me from behind.
I slap his arm playfully. “Not here, Stone. This is my job.”
He chuckles at my half-hearted protest. I should be upset about him showing up here in the break room, but I can’t find a fuck to give.
“Stop looking so irresistible and maybe I will.” He kisses under my ear, causing my body to shiver. “You still staying the night tonight?”
“Unless something happens in the next few hours, yes. Nick is riding home with his friend and staying the night. Pops is picking him up at noon tomorrow.”
“I have you all night and tomorrow morning all to myself, whatever shall we do?” he teases.
I spin around and kiss under his chin. “I’m thinking we should order some takeout and hang out at your place. Naked,” I drawl, making him groan.
“Are you sure? I’ll take you out. Wine and dine you.” His hands flex on my hips.
“I’m sure.” I rub his chest, reassuring him that all I want is him. “But what if we get out of bed early tomorrow and hit up Pike Place before it gets too busy?”
