“Thanks for having us, Mike,” Candace coos. She’s gross – big teeth, big hair, and big tits. Just trashy. I bet she goes by Candi – with an “i”.
“So, what you two are here to tell us is that you are both pregnant and the fathers happen to be in the McCarthy family football dynasty. Rhett and Brooks McCarthy are the fathers of these children?”
“That’s right,” Candace replies almost cheerfully. “Those men are trying to skirt their obligation to their future children and we won’t have it.” She smiles at Bailey and rubs her arm, almost motherly. Bailey is sitting there with her hand on her belly, smiling. Whore.
Then it hits me. Bathroom blowie at the Pi Kappa party. The “B” name I couldn’t remember because I was so fucking tanked. “I didn’t even have sex with her!” I shout again. She’s a gold digger at its finest. This is a bold lie she is running with, and I’m not going to stand for it.
Watts and Duncan come out of their rooms at the sound of my loud outburst.
“Why are you so loud?” Duncan groans and rubs her head. Then she and Watts freeze as they read the TV. They know Bailey. They’ve seen her around.
“Shit,” Watts whispers.
My phone rings. “It’s Cameron,” I say as I walk outside. Thankfully, the April morning is chilly, but not too cold. I’m just wearing my t-shirt and sweats from the night before. “Cameron, what is going on?”
“You need to answer your phone when I call you,” he snaps. “This is bad news, but it isn’t the end of the world.”
“It’s not fucking true!” I shout into the phone.
“True or not, it is out there. It won’t lower your stock in the draft if we can get it under control. This type of stuff isn’t as bad as beating your girlfriend or being arrested. The NFL has dealt with way worse than paternity suits,” he says indifferently.
“It is a fucking big deal. I have a girlfriend who now thinks I fucked someone else. I need this cleared up, now!” I’m not worried about my fucking draft stock. I’m worried about the girl who owns my heart inside.
“Okay, okay, calm down. What do you want to do? I can do some PR damage control and get a paternity test scheduled, but those take a couple weeks.”
I think for a moment. “Get me on the phone with Simon. Now!” I command.
“I don’t think –“ Cameron begins but I cut him off.
“Do it. This ends now.”
I walk back inside and Kiernan is gone. “Where did she go?” I ask.
No one answers. “Answer me!”
“She’s in her room, but I wouldn’t go in there, Brooks,” Blaire replies. I storm past everyone to Kiernan’s door. I knock.
“Go away, please,” she squeaks.
“KK, it is not true. I am not the father of her baby,” I begin.
“Why would she say that then? She would know if you’re not, right? She knows you can prove you’re not, so why would she lie? Why would she take this so public if it’s not true?”
“Can I come in first?” I plead. She opens the door. She crawls back into bed and covers up. I sit on the edge of the bed next to her.
“This is what Rhett has warned me about. Remember we talked about this? He wasn’t right about a lot of things, but he was right about this.”
“We did, but I didn’t think this would happen in college. I can’t do this, Brooks. I’m not cut out for it.” She’s sobbing now.
“Don’t say that.” I can feel my heart sink. “They do this in hopes that we’ll either marry them, pay them, or they’ll get their fifteen minutes of fame. She’ll get a couple thousand Instagram followers just for being associated with my name. Whether it is true or not there is something to gain from the accusation.” I sigh. “She’s doing this because I declared for the draft and she wants to ride the publicity wave. I didn’t have sex with her, and you know if I would have I would have used protection.”
She grimaces at my words. “Condoms break,” she sniffles.
“I’ve never had that happen. You’re the only person I’ve ever had unprotected sex with. That girl, she’s the one from the bathroom at the frat house. After you dumped me.” I frown.
“She was the blow job?” Kiernan asks. She perks up a little.
“Yes, and I didn’t even come. I know she’s lying about this,” I reply and Kiernan winces at the thought of my dick in Bailey’s mouth. Can’t blame her. Just then my phone rings. “It’s Cameron. He’s getting me on ESPN.”
“Now?” She seems confused.
“Yes, I’m clearing this up. Right now. For us.” I answer her and answer my phone. “Cameron?”
“I got a number for you to call, ready?”
“Yeah.” I grab a pen from Kiernan’s desk, throw Cameron on speaker phone and scribble down the call line for ESPN.
“I still don’t think this is the best decision, for the record. If it turns out to be true they have you in full denial on TV. The NFL will care if you publicly lie,” he says.
“I don’t care about the NFL, and I’m not lying. She’s a gold digging slutbag and I won’t let this ruin my relationship. Who gives a fuck about the NFL?” I snap.
“Um, I do. Your draft stock does,” he continues.
“Then I will undeclare and play my senior year at Cambria,” I reply curtly. Cameron gasps into the phone.
“Let’s not make rash decisions. All will be well. Call ESPN. Clear the air. Just be… nice. We’ll talk after.” With that Cameron hangs up. The thought of losing his commission didn’t sit well with him.
“Brooks, you can’t undeclare,” Kiernan says softly.
“I sure as shit can. And I will,” I reply.
“You can’t keep threatening to give up football every time someone hurts my feelings.”
“Kiernan.” I turn to look at her with the ESPN hotline queued up on my phone. “I can. I was serious with Rhett. I will never play another snap without you by my side. I love you. Now, let me make this call. You trust me, right?”
She nods. “I believe you,” she says with a timid smile.
“ESPN,” a woman’s voice answers. Kiernan and I walk back into the living and I put my index finger to my lips to shush everyone. Bailey and Candace are still talking to Mike Simon about having the next round of McCarthy dynasty babies. They’re discussing how Rhett already has children, but Bailey is so excited to give Rhett his first grandchild and continue on the McCarthy name. Puke.
“This is Brooks McCarthy. Put me on with Simon,” I command. Everyone in the living room looks stunned.
“Yes, sir. We were expecting this call after we heard from Matt Cameron. One moment,” she says.
Just then, Simon holds up his finger to Bailey, who is in mid-sentence about how handsome I was the night she met me at the Pi Kappa party. Does she not realize what a whore she sounds like right now?
“So, in a turn of events we have Cambria star quarterback and future first round draft pick, Brooks McCarthy, on the line. Good morning, Brooks! This a pleasant surprise. We weren’t expecting you,” Simon introduces me. The camera pans to Bailey, who looks like she’s about to faint. She knows the truth, and she’s about to get busted on live TV. I hope she’s fucking scared shitless right now. Fucking cunt.
“Morning, Simon!” I chirp. “I wasn’t planning on being told that I’m about to become a father on the news this morning either. Yet here I am.”
“Uh,” Simon seems nervous, “yeah, it appears so. Should I say congratulations?” He makes a poor attempt at a joke.
“Well, not to me. I can’t speak for Rhett and Candi, but I can tell you that Bailey and I are not the proud parents of whatever is cooking in that belly of hers.”
“It’s Candace,” Candi snaps and it makes me chuckle.
“So, Brooks, you’re saying you want to address this accusation? You’re saying this isn’t true?” Simon probes. He looks genuinely happy that I’m rebutting this on his show. His ratings are going to skyrocket from breaking this news.
“Well, sin
ce fifth grade I’ve been taught that there’s only one way to make a baby. Has that changed?” I ask rhetorically.
“Not that I know of,” Simon laughs. Bailey is shifting uncomfortably in her chair.
“So if that’s true, considering that Bailey and I have never had sex, it’s my professional medical opinion that I am not the father of her baby,” I say in my best Maury Povich voice. Bateman high fives me. He loves Maury and the fact I just worked that into my conversation makes him laugh.
Bailey looks mortified. She won’t make eye contact with Simon, who is now looking directly at her.
“Ms. Newman, any rebuttal?” Simon asks.
“Um, well,” she stutters. She can’t find the words. She looks nervously to Candi, who pipes up in her defense. Candi is obviously the professional gold digger in this scheme. I wonder how they even met.
“Sometimes events occur like this with alcohol involved and it leads up to misremembering what the actual evening entailed,” Candace chimes in, trying to use big words to sound smarter than she is. I’m guessing she has done this before. “Perhaps Brooks is mistaken as to what happened that night.”
“Yes, that’s correct.” Bailey finds her voice. “We were both drunk.” Oh hell no.
“Brooks?” Simon asks. “True?”
“Oh, part of that is true. We met at a party. My girlfriend had just broken up with me and I was a wreck,” I begin. People love a heartfelt break up and make up story, so I’ll give them one. I know I need to tread lightly so I don’t come across as an entitled dick who happens to be able to sling a football. Cameron was right about that. I can’t make Bailey out to be the total whore that she is, but I need to make it known it was her idea and she instigated all of this.
“I went out with my boys with hopes of forgetting the pain. With hopes of healing my broken heart.”
Candace let out an involuntary “Ohh,” and presses her hands to her chest. Simon shoots her a what-the-fuck-are-you-doing look. She’s loving my story.
I continue, “We have a fraternity on campus that throws parties on the weekend, and we attend when we can. It’s a fun and safe environment to be college kids, ya know?” I ask, searching for Simon’s approval. I don’t want to come across as a drunk college kid with no morals, but I need to tell the truth.
“Oh absolutely! Heartbreak and frat parties. Even my old ass was in college once and remembers what that’s like,” he offers.
“So, we had some drinks and after a while, Bethany—” Simon cuts me off
“You mean, Bailey?”
“Oh right, Bailey, sorry,” I continue and Bateman is practically in tears with laughter. Bailey is fuming and completely embarrassed. “We don’t know each other very well. So anyway, she propositioned me. She had heard the rumors of my break-up and she wanted to heal my broken heart in the bathroom.”
“She wanted to help you heal your broken heart… in the bathroom?” Simon raises an eyebrow to Bailey. She’s being judged hardcore right now.
“That’s right, Simon. So anyway, she led the way to the bathroom so we could engage if you know what I mean,” I say as Simon nodes along on TV.
“Well, there was no way I was going to have sex with her,” I continue, and Bailey looks like she’s about to cry. “I was single, but I still felt like I was in love. I couldn’t do that yet. I can’t really explain it. It just didn’t feel right to do that with someone else, ya know? Not when my heart belonged elsewhere.”
“I completely understand, my man,” Simon confirms, nodding his approval.
“I mean, I’d just lost the love of my life, and I was heartbroken, so I decided to see if I could feel anything with another woman at this point. I thought if I could feel something with Bailey, then there was hope of getting over this heartache and moving on, even though I didn’t want to move on yet. It sounds stupid saying it out loud, but I didn’t know how else to get over my loss.”
“That is heart-wrenching, sweetie,” Candi offers. I stifle my laughter. Even Candi is eating out of the palm of my hand right now.
“So, I let her blow me,” I say matter-of-factly and Simon practically spit takes his coffee onto the table. The living room I’m standing in is silent, except for Bateman, who laughs until Blaire elbows him.
Bailey shrinks in her chair. She doesn’t know what to do. Candi’s face drops and she realizes this whole scheme is busted.
“I don’t know if I should ask, but I really want to know. What happened?” Simon asks. “After!” He interjects quickly. “Not during. We don’t need to know that,” He clarifies with a nervous laugh.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. There was no spark. I realized that while the equipment would work just fine, I missed the fire that I had with my girlfriend. Do you know what I mean? That feeling you get with the one person who is made for your soul? The person who is the exception to all your rules?”
“I suppose I do,” Simon says. “I was lucky enough to marry mine.” He holds up his left hand and flashes his ring. “I love you, my dear.” He smiles into the camera.
“Yeah, so imagine my surprise when I see on ESPN that I’m going to be a father with a girl I’ve never had sex with? I can tell you that my girlfriend is not super impressed.”
“So, same girlfriend or new one?” Simon asks with a smile. “I think we’re all hoping for the same answer here.”
“Same. Were you not listening, Simon? There’s no one else. She’s the love of my life,” I say. I just told the entire world that Kiernan Kelly is the love of my life. I hope she sees now that this is forever.
Kiernan smiles at me as I say it. She mouths I love you too, and I’m so grateful. Grand gesture number two. I guess I can’t be too pissed at Bailey now.
“Can we talk to this girlfriend?” Simon presses. “I bet she has a few words about this topic.”
“Um, well I can see. She’s standing right here.” I smile at Kiernan. I put my phone on speaker as she’s wildly waving her arms at me to indicate she won’t do it. “Say hi, babe.”
“Um, hello, Simon,” she says, glaring at me with her black eyes.
“Hi, miss,” Simon says. “What’s your name?”
“Kiernan. Kiernan Kelly,” she replies.
“So, Kiernan, what’s your take on all that has transpired? Do you believe Brooks?” Simon probes.
Here’s the moment. My heart stops.
“I do. I wouldn’t be talking to you right now if I didn’t,” she says without missing a beat, which prompts a chuckle from Simon. “We’ve always been honest with each other, even when we broke up. He told me about Bailey and what happened in that bathroom. It was my fault for putting him in that position. He would never have been there if I hadn’t broken his heart. We’ve moved past it and I don’t believe he would put himself in a position to father a child when he has such a bright future ahead of him,” she replies calmly. Very professional. John trained her well.
“And what position is that?” Simon probes further.
“You want me to break down the draft for you, Simon? Isn’t that what you get paid for?” she jokes.
Simon lets out a deep belly laugh. “You’re absolutely right, Miss Kelly. But I’m always interested to hear if people agree with me. Do you?
“Well, partially,” she begins and looks up at me. I give a nod, encouraging her to speak freely. She probably knows more than Simon, honestly.
“Only partially?” Simon’s interest is piqued by her response.
“I agree that he’s poised to be in the top three in the draft. With the Dolphins, Seahawks and Giants in those positions, it’s possible for Minnesota to trade up to take him. Which would be ideal for two reasons. One, Thomas Jones is old. He’s on his way out, so Brooks could come in and start immediately. And two, Minnesota is where his father shined for so many years, and where Brooks grew up. He could go home. But—” She pauses again.
“But? So far it sounds like we’re on the page, Miss. Kelly,” Simon questions, obviously interested.
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“The team that could benefit the most from drafting Brooks is right here in Massachusetts.”
“The Patriots? What about Brady?” Simon asks with a stunned expression.
“Well, the Pats are solid all-around. They have a young wide receiving corps and a top-five defense. There isn’t much they need to pick up, besides maybe an offensive lineman later in the draft,” she continues.
“Hmmm, okay. I agree,” Simon concurs.
“They could easily give up several draft picks in a trade with Miami to claim the number-one spot and draft Brooks before Minnesota has a shot to get him. Minnesota can’t afford to trade up to the one spot. Brady will be retiring soon and in my biased opinion, Brooks’ ability to use his legs pushes him past Brady anyway.” She is fucking unbelievable.
“Well, shi—” Simon catches himself, “Shoot. I didn’t think of that. You sure know your football. That’s the best draft analysis I’ve heard lately. I wonder if New England has thought of that.” Simon is clearly impressed with my girl and her assessment.
“Well, my dad is John Kelly, sir. I’ve studied the game for years. It makes it doubly interesting that I get to study the game and my boyfriend at the same time.” She laughs.
“John Kelly? As in the John Kelly? Patriots all-star and Super Bowl MVP?” Simon is flabbergasted.
“One in the same,” she says. She’s never bragged about her father, but since they’ve made amends, I like that she’s giving him a shout out on ESPN.
“Okay, hold on. Rhett McCarthy’s son is dating John Kelly’s daughter?” Simon still can’t seem to get a grip. He shakes his head, trying to knock the information around in there so he can understand what just happened.
“Yes, sir,” she replies.
“WOW! This is like the Montagues and Capulets coming together. Two football dynasties collide.” Simon is just in awe.
“I guess. I’m going to give the phone back to Brooks now. Nice talking to you, Simon,” she says and hands me the phone.
“So, I think that sums it all up,” I conclude. “Anything else, Simon? Want my girl to continue analyzing the draft for you?”
“Huh. Nah, we’re good there. I’m speechless. Bailey?” Simon turns to her. “Anything to add? Was there anyone else who could be the father?”
Exception (Cambria University Series Book 1) Page 33
