Exception (Cambria University Series Book 1)

by Sadie T. Williams

  I’ve been crushing at practice. We leave for our spring trip tomorrow, a weeklong trip to Florida where we’ll play ten games in five days at Florida State University – two games each against number six FSU, number 22 Oregon, number four UCLA, unranked Arizona State and number 13 Texas. We also get two days off to enjoy the weather and go to the beach. Brooks and Bateman are coming down because it’s Spring Break at Cambria too. I am excited for a week of sun and softball with my favorite team and favorite guy.

  My phone dings. It’s a text from my dad.

  “KK, is it ok if Mom and I come to FSU?”

  “Absolutely!” My mom has not come to a game of mine in so long. She and my dad never travel together. This is a big step for both of them actually. John must have had an epiphany when he was giving Rhett his verbal lashings in Atlanta.

  “Good! I was hoping you would say that. Your mom is very excited.”

  “No problem, Dad. I’m glad you’re both coming.” I try to contain my excitement in my text.

  “B!” I shout through our apartment.

  “What?”

  “My dad and my mom are coming to Florida!”

  “No shit?” She looks totally perplexed, but she smiles when she sees the stupid grin on my face.

  “No shit. This trip just got way better, or way worse. Only time will tell.”

  “KK, you know you’ve wanted this since forever. It will be fine. Maybe not perfect, but definitely a good thing.”

  “Thanks, B.” She’s the only one close enough to me to know my whole life story. Every sad detail about my so-called “perfect” home life. The fact that my mom was so depressed because of my father’s actions that she cut her beautiful hair off in our bathroom when I was seventeen, just so he would notice her. She craved his attention. Now she has it again. I hope we’re heading for something beautiful and not something disastrous.

  We fly out the next morning and arrive in Tallahassee, where it’s 76 degrees and sunny. There are palm trees and fountains lining the streets. I love Florida in the spring.

  My phone dings with a text from Brooks.

  “Hey, babe! We made it. We’ll see you tomorrow morning at your game.”

  “I’m glad you made it. We’re heading to lunch and then to the field for practice. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Love you!”

  “Love you too, baby.”

  Monday we take the field for our first game at the Seminole Softball Complex. We’re sporting our all-white uniforms with black lettering, and Florida State is in their home gold uniforms with maroon piping. I check the stands, waiting for my parents, both of them, to show up. Brooks and Bateman arrive. With Rhodes and Blake. What the fuck? They convinced two of the horniest, party hard football studs to skip the bikini clad spring break beach trip they’re accustomed to come to our softball spring games? I’m at a loss.

  Right after the national anthem, my parents stroll in, together. The sight of them makes my heart leap from my chest. I simply can’t believe this is real. My mom waves at me when she sees me looking up their way. They’re together, but not overly affectionate. Baby steps. I’ll take it though. This is a huge moment. One of those moments that change everything.

  My parents settle in next to Brooks, who is seated next to Bateman, then Rhodes, then Blake. All of the people that care about me are here. This day can’t get any better.

  The rush I feel as I sprint up the middle of the field to the pitcher’s mound and cut over to the left to my position is second only to feeling Brooks inside of me. I never thought anything would top the feeling I get as I take the field and play this game. But then I met Brooks. Fuck, I need to focus.

  We’ve been working so hard since fall ball to prepare for this season. We are currently ranked second in the country. By the end of the week, we should be 10-0.

  We beat Florida State 3-1 in the first game. I love seeing my parents and Brooks cheering me on from the stands. I played pretty well – three for four at the plate, errorless in the field – and Coco pitched a phenomenal game. I scored two of our three runs, but only had one stolen base. The catcher for FSU is a stud.

  We have a two-hour break before we warm up before our next game against Oregon. After Coach Richardson gives us his great game speech, we’re free to hang out with our families to get some lunch and chill in the shade before our next game. Brooks and the boys, my parents, Blaire, her parents, and I head out to eat together. This is so surreal. My boyfriend, best friend, and our parents are going to go out to eat. My God, my life is different from just one year ago.

  We opt for a burger place close to campus called Backwaters. I can’t eat heavily ahead of the next game, so I opt for a chicken sandwich and a side salad. You know that saying that sometimes things are going so right that something bad has to happen? It’s like a law of the universe or some shit? Apparently that’s the case… again. Just as we settle in and order, Rhett strolls into the restaurant. How the hell does he always know where we are? Is that P.I. still following me? Brooks’ face turns pale. He looks sick.

  Rhett isn’t alone either. The boys are with him. Clearly, he’s forgiven them for taking my side in Atlanta. There is also a really tall blond girl. Maybe one of the boys finally has a girlfriend.

  Rhett approaches the table and acknowledges everyone.

  “Well, funny seeing you all here. John, Monica,” he says as he shakes my dad’s hand and nods towards the rest of us. “Brooks, how are you? You remember Whittier, I assume.”

  Whittier? Why do I know that name?

  Brooks nods, “Hey, Whittier,” he says curtly and extends his hand and shakes hers.

  “Hey! Soooooooooooooo good to see you!” She beams and leans down to hug him. She presses her tits against him and holds on a bit too long.

  This is weird.

  “Whittier, this is my girlfriend, Kiernan.” He glares at Rhett as he introduces me. I don’t miss the emphasis he put on the word girlfriend. “And her parents, her roommate, Blaire, her parents, and you know the boys.”

  How would she know Bateman, Blake, and Rhodes? I have so many questions.

  “So great to meet you Kieran.” She draws out the word “so” and I feel like I want to punch her in the face. “Rhett has told me so much about you! I’m so looking forward to getting to know you better.”

  She says “so” a lot.

  “Nice to meet you.” I give a strained smile.

  “Do you want to join us?” John offers.

  “Well, that would be great,” Rhett replies. His smile tells me there’s an ulterior motive to this visit. He’s not here just to see Brooks for spring break.

  Why does Rhett always pull shit in restaurants?

  Chapter 23: Brooks

  Whittier Van Buren is here. Whittier is tall, thin, and beautiful, with long legs and a tight ass. Her piercing blue eyes, long blond hair, and vanilla-colored skin pair well together. She could be a model. She was a model, actually, until her ego got her fired. Her great-grandfather, Errol Van Buren, started one of the first broadcasting companies in Minnesota. He purchased a radio station back in the 1920s and grew that into a billion-dollar company that owns seventeen TV stations and almost fifty radio stations across the Midwest today. Whittier’s father is now the CEO of Van Buren Broadcasting. He inherited the company from her grandfather, Augustus. My dad loves Whittier. Correction, my dad loves Whittier’s billionaire father, Maximilian. But even in high school he was against me dating her when my mom pushed the idea. So, why did he bring her here now?

  I don’t know what my dad’s play is here. I’ve never felt more nervous or uncomfortable in all of my life. My snake of a father brought my ex-girlfriend, if you can even call her an ex, on my current girlfriend’s spring break. I’m not sure how I will explain this to Kiernan, but I’m hoping I won’t have to until her game is over.

  “So, Brooksy,” Whittier practically purrs as she taps her French manicured fingernails on the table. Fuck, here we go. “How long have you and Kieran been
dating?”

  Kieran? Really, Whit? We’re stooping this low now?

  “Well, Kiernan and I have been together since August.”

  “But, I thought you broke up for a while?” she asks.

  “Well, yeah, thanks to my dad.” I glare at Rhett again. “Kiernan got a little freaked out, but we’re all good now.”

  “Well that’s just terrific.” Whittier smiles. I don’t like that look. She turns to Kiernan. “He’s dynamite in bed, isn’t he, K?”

  John spits out his water. Blaire’s face loses all color. Everyone’s jaws hit the table. My brothers look mortified. Rhett is trying to hide his smile.

  “Umm…” Kiernan is bright red. She can’t find the words and I’m furious. Bringing up old sexual encounters is embarrassing enough. Bringing them in front my girlfriend, worse. Bringing them up in front of her and her family? I can’t deal. I ‘m pretty sure steam is fuming from my ears at this point.

  “Outside, both of you.” I gesture toward Rhett and Whittier.

  We walk outside and the heat is nothing compared to the burning in my throat.

  “What the actual fuck are you doing here?” I ask her pointedly.

  She seems caught off-guard. “What do you mean?”

  “Like, why are you on spring break, here, where my girlfriend is playing, with my dad and brothers? There are millions of spring break vacation spots, including your favorite, Miami. What are you doing in Tallahassee?”

  “Son,” Rhett chimes in because Whittier is at a loss for words. “If you’re going to be dating, then you need to be dating the right girl.” I see – that’s his endgame. If I am going to date against his wishes, then I will at least date who he wants me to. I don’t know what he has against Kiernan. He probably doesn’t like her because he can’t control her. Plus, Whittier is a billionaire heiress, which I am sure doesn’t hurt in Rhett’s twisted mind.

  “Kiernan is the right girl, Dad. Fuck, are we really doing this again?” I ask, exasperated, and rub my fingers in circles over my temples.

  “She is not. I will never be convinced of it. And remember what she said in Atlanta? She won’t be with you if she tears our family apart,” he says as a wolfish grin creeps over his face. Motherfucker. “Whittier is perfect. She’s stunning, and will look the part at all of your events. She won’t hold you back or get mad at your travel schedule. She doesn’t even care if you fuck fans on the road. Her family is independently rich, and she’s willing to sign a prenup, which is rare in our world. If I divorced your mom, I would have nothing. We didn’t have a prenup.”

  “A prenup?!” I practically scream as passersby turn to look at me. “You think I’m going to marry her?” Rhett pulls a black box from his pocket and Whittier’s face lights up. “What the fuck is that?” But I already know. I’ve seen it before. It was always supposed to be mine, but I’ve never wanted it. I actually completely forgot about it because, well, rule number one.

  “It is your mother’s engagement ring.” He opens the box to reveal a large square-shaped diamond with a pavé diamond halo and pavé diamond platinum band sitting on navy blue fabric with gold letters that read Harry Winston.

  “And Mom just gave you her ring? Oh hell no! I don’t buy it for one minute. No fucking chance.”

  “Yes, she wants you to marry Whittier, just like I do.” Fuck, it’s hard to know when Rhett is lying sometimes. My mom did like Whittier back in high school.

  “That is such bullshit. You don’t want us to get married. Any of us!” I wave my arm, gesturing to no one in particular as I pace up and down the sidewalk. “You always told us not to date or get attached. Your five fucking rules, remember? You drilled them into our heads since we could walk. What did you promise her? What are you getting out of this?” I snap at him and turn to Whittier. “What did he promise you for this trip?”

  “He told me you wanted to get back together. That even though we’ve been apart for two years you still loved me and we would get married before the draft,” She’s glaring at me. “You were ready to settle down.”

  “Before the draft? As in the draft that is next month? Are you both insane?” I’m at a loss here. Can a person’s head actually explode? We may find out today. “Whit, I have not seen you in over two years. I wasn’t in love with you even then. Prenup or not, we’re not getting married. We’re not the same people we were in high school, but we were not good together anyway. You hate football. You were jealous of any girl who spoke to me and you’re the most egotistical person I know, next to Rhett. This is not happening. I am in love with Kiernan. What we had was not love.”

  “Yes, it very much was,” she snaps.

  “No, Whit, it wasn’t. It was good sex at best. And you were in love with the idea of me. The NFL wife life. The arm candy life. It’s not what I want. I’m happy. I wish that for you too, but you’re not going to find it with me.”

  “But your dad has the ring and everything,” she pouts. She doesn’t get told no too often. Rich girl tantrum coming up. Stomping, pouting, and huffing. It’s like there’s a manual that they follow, and Whittier wrote it. She’s the best at throwing a fit until she gets her way. Not today.

  “Keep the ring. I don’t give a shit. But I’m not giving it to you, and we sure as shit aren’t getting married,” I tell her as calmly as my rage will allow. I’m really angry with her, even though her tantrum is drawing a lot of attention. She’s blinded by the bling in Rhett’s hand and his empty promises of a glam life as an NFL wife.

  “Did you honestly think I’d agree to this?” I ask him.

  He nods. “Of course. We’ve had this planned out since you were a baby. We knew this was the life you were destined for, and if you insist on having one woman in your life, then you need to be smart about this. A lot can go wrong with the wrong woman. This is what is best for you,” he responds.

  “Dad,” I sigh. I’m not even mad anymore. I’m exhausted. “Kiernan is what’s best for me. I thought we made that clear. She makes me better as a person and football player. Do you know how miserable I was without her? I almost quit football. I would have quit for her, but she wouldn’t let me. She knows that besides her, football is the second love of my life. If you can’t accept her, then just don’t come around. But I guarantee you would like her if you tried.”

  “Doubtful,” he scoffs and crosses his arms over his fitted crewneck t-shirt.

  “She’s smart. And so funny. She’s a better athlete than I am and she loves football. She really analyzes game tape, like John said. For fun. She has a brilliant football mind. Do you really think it’s a coincidence that the year I date her I’m a Heisman winner and national champ? If anyone is meant to be an NFL wife, my NFL wife, it’s her. She could help me bring a title to Minnesota finally.” I pause. “I don’t even know why I’m defending her to you. If you can’t accept it, then just leave us alone. No more stunts like this.”

  Just then, everyone walks out of the restaurant.

  “I boxed up your food for you,” Kiernan says. She’s holding a white Styrofoam container that I assume contains the burger I didn’t get to eat. “We need to get back to the field, and I thought you’d be hungry.”

  “Thanks, babe.” I take the box from her and kiss her head. Always looking out for me. “We gotta go,” I tell my dad.Blaire and Kiernan have another game.”

  “Nice to meet you, Whittier,” Kiernan says as we walk to the car.

  Chapter 24: Brooks

  We find our seats in the stadium and I’m still seething at Rhett’s little stunt with Whittier. I can believe he would do something like that, but yet somehow I didn’t think he would go this far.

  “So what happened, bro?” Bateman asks.

  “Well, Rhett brought my mom’s engagement ring,” I begin.

  “No shit! I didn’t know you and K were that serious,” Blake says in disbelief.

  “Yeah, it wasn’t for Kiernan,” I continue. “He wanted me to propose to Whittier and get married before the draft. He said she
’d sign a prenup and everything. It wouldn’t surprise me if he has one drawn up already.”

  “What the actual fuck?” Rhodes gasps. “She’s crazy hot, but she looks psycho as hell. I’d probably still fuck her cuz damn she is fine, but I’ve dealt with crazy before and I can see that in her eyes.” No truer words have ever been spoken.

  “Go for it, man. It isn’t worth the drama though. I can promise you that. There’s no one in the world she loves more than herself and money.”

  “Rhett’s gone off the deep end, bro,” Bateman offers. “I’m sorry.”

  “How was Kiernan? Did she figure out who Whittier was?” I ask the boys.

  “Yeah, she remembered you had one girlfriend in high school. She put it together. You should probably tell her though,” Bateman replies.

  Rhett, Whittier, Bo and Brett plop down next to me. Come fucking on!

  “If our relationship survives this first year, it will be a miracle,” I whisper to Bateman. He chuckles.

  “Dad, what are you guys doing here?” I ask, completely annoyed. “Boys, grow some balls at some point in your life. Fuck.” I look down to Brett and Bo, who are on the other side of Whittier. They turn to the field and ignore me completely.

  “Well, I want to see what you see. Let’s see if she can wow me,” Rhett replies curtly.

  “I want to size up my competition,” Whittier snaps as she pops a bubble from the gum she’s chewing. She is always chewing and popping gum. I didn’t realize how annoying that is until just now.

  “It’s no contest, Whit,” I reply.

  I’m silently praying that Kiernan dominates. I hope Rhett and Whittier’s presence doesn’t rattle her. They’re playing Oregon who is ranked in the top 25, but just barely.