9. Lockheart
LOCKHEART
“Thanks for letting me meet here with you all.” My eyes roam over the room and my scowl drops a little when I take in my family in front of me.
Charlie and Antony, Emilia and her husband, Grayson Maverick, and the little brother I never wanted, Jaxson Brady.
After my mum died, I had no one left in the world to call family.
Now I have them. Warmth spreads through me at my next thought—and Lucky and Nico too.
“What are we doing here? And who’s the kid Eddie’s designing a room for?
” Jaxson’s American accent bursts through my thoughts and a smirk tips one side of my mouth up when Emilia slaps him upside the head.
“Ow, that’s assault, Shark. Grayson, your wife is hitting your best client here. Do something.”
He doesn’t see it coming when Grayson slaps him on the other side of his head, and the group erupts into laughter as he grumbles about being treated unfairly.
Once the laughter subsides, I nod my head at the Cooper-Mavericks and clear my throat, nerves swirling in the pit of my stomach.
This isn’t the kind of news you break to your agents and teammates, but they’re all I’ve got, and I need their support right now.
“I have a son. He’s five. I didn’t know about him until a couple of days ago, and I’d like it to stay in this room for now.
He and his mum are living with me, but we haven’t told him I’m his dad yet. ”
I watch each of them for their reactions and as their faces turn from disbelief to determination, silently asking, ‘what do you need from us,’ I feel humbled. This group of people are the best I’ve ever met and I knew they’d have my back. The nerves were ridiculous.
“Who’s the mom?” Jaxson shrugs when Marcello tuts at his intrusiveness, but I laugh and shake my head.
“It’s okay. He’s allowed to have questions.
” He smirks and flips the bird to Marcello, who just rolls his eyes back.
“I met her six years ago. In a club on my birthday. We hit it off, spent a couple months together, and then I did something stupid which fucked her off. I didn’t see her for years and didn’t want to.
So when Shark reintroduced us the other day, I didn’t know what was about to hit me.
” I lean against the unit and cross my legs at the ankle.
“Your thirtieth?” I nod my response to Antony’s question and count in my head to see how long till the realisation kicks in. “I think I remember her. The journalist you spent months with and never let us meet properly.”
Antony pouts and, even though I roll my eyes, I’m struck with a sudden pang of guilt.
I never wanted to go anywhere with the guys with Nico—she was mine and I didn’t want to share.
But now I’ve seen all these boys settled with their girls, the way they support them at games, share their lives with me, I realise how selfish I was.
“Shit! Nic Moran. The one who wrote those shit stories about you?”
Emilia shuts Charlie down quickly, before I can even open my mouth.
“She didn’t write them. Her sleazeball editor did and used her name.
She made the paper issue a retraction, but it was so small no one really saw it.
” There’s a protectiveness in her that makes me happy.
Shark likes Nico. “She was hoping to do the series about you guys, but her editor decided she just wanted Lockheart after his one year contract extension. We all know there’s been so many stories about whether he’ll retire after it ends, whether he’ll be offered another contract and all that bollocks.
The editor wanted the inside scoop and it’s a great idea for Owen to be involved with. ”
I don’t miss Jaxson snicker when she uses my first name, and I shoot him a warning glare, which he ignores and blows me a kiss instead.
“Stop frowning, Owen, you’ll get wrinkles, Owen.”
I growl at him, but before I can say anything, Emilia slaps him again.
He rubs at the spot she hit. “Ow, I haven’t been hit this much since Mama came to visit. And I didn’t even curse this time.”
Mama Brady is famous for disliking swearing, and, no matter who you are, if you curse around her, you can expect a slap.
“Don’t be a dick then. I call him Owen because I can. If you don’t want me calling you fucktwat from now to eternity, you’ll keep calling him Lockheart. Capiche?”
Antony grins inanely at her, knowing it was him that taught her capiche, and she rolls her eyes at him. I love this group of misfits.
“Alright boys, before you give my wife a headache, let's wrap this up. No one wants their wife to have a headache, if ya get my drift.” Grayson waggles his eyebrows at us, but none of us respond because Emilia stands with her spine ramrod straight, shoulders back, and her eyebrow raised at her husband.
“Um, I just mean I don’t want my beautiful, amazing, gorgeous, super smart wife to be in any pain, that's all, Angel,” Grayson sputters out as we grin at his backtracking.
My eyes meet Jaxson’s, whose smile is taking over his whole face. I quickly shoot my gaze to Charlie, who’s smirking back, and again to Antony, who’s grin matches my own.
“Shut it, Maverick. Owen, what do you need from us?” She turns her attention to me, and I don’t miss the twitch in her lips as her husband winks at her, or the slight tint of pink on her cheeks.
“I just wanted you to know. You’re the only family I have. I want you all to meet him soon and just help in any way you can, really.”
“Done!” Emilia states and looks at each of the guys in turn. They all nod their heads enthusiastically at me, murmurs of ‘of course’ and ‘for sure’ ringing out in the room.
I smile at my teammates and agents and realise just how much they really have become my family.
It’s one of the reasons I don’t want to stop playing.
There’s always the fear in the back of my mind that if I stop, I’ll lose them.
I give myself a mental slap around the head and scowl at myself.
Of course I won’t lose them. They’re not just colleagues.
And they’ve always been there to help me when I’ve needed them.
We’re there for each other through thick and thin, even Jaxson. I could never lose them. I’m lucky.
And that word makes my smile get bigger, my face soften, and my heart turn to mush. Just thinking about my son brings a warmth to my chest no whiskey could generate.
“Shit, he can fucking smile. Who’d have thunk it?” Jaxson’s voice infiltrates my thoughts and I secure a frown firmly in place on my face again. “Nah, you can’t hide it now, Lockheart. We all saw it, dude. You can smile.”
He bounces on his toes, and I roll my eyes at the boundless energy he has, reminding me of Lucky again. I can’t fight the damn smile from my face this time and Jaxson points and screams a-ha at me.
I reach out to grab his finger, but he dodges me and runs behind the desk whilst I try to grab him.
Emilia strides over to the door and opens it. “One. Two. Three…” We all scramble to get out of her office, knowing if she gets to five, the last one out gets a shit advert to do. Probably with our shirts off.
Chuckling, feeling happy and carefree for the first time in a long fucking time, I take a deep breath and push Jaxson back into the office and bound out of the door as he shouts behind me.
I’m used to walking into my house and hearing silence.
It never used to bother me, but today as I walk in and hear giggles coming from my living room, I realise just how quiet it was before.
And just how much I disliked it. As I round the corner, the vision of Nico and Lucky following a dance routine on YouTube comes into view, and instead of making my presence known, I just stand back and let the scene play out before me.
I lean against the door frame and watch as they shake their arses to the beat of some song I don’t know. I laugh silently when Lucky tries to shimmy, and instead of shaking his shoulders, shakes his whole body like a wet dog trying to get dry.
My gaze skips over to Nico, who looks nothing like a wet dog and more like a sexy little snake, her body swaying perfectly to the beat.
With each swoosh of her hips, my eyes are transfixed.
I watch as they glide from side to side, and I’d give anything to be pressed up behind her.
Her arse in my groin, grinding against me, feeling how hard I am from just watching her.
I stifle a groan as the beat gets faster and she shakes her arse with enough energy to fill a power plant.
The screen is filled with the dancers twerking, and I watch horrified as my five-year- old son tries to copy them but just manages to jerk his whole body violently back and forth.
My eyes are brought back to Nico as she laughs, and the sound fills my heart with a happy glow as I watch her pop her perfect arse out and back again, my body responding on a whole other level.
My breathing is shorter, my jeans tighter, and a fine sheen of sweat is forming on my forehead. Shit, I want her. Badly. I want her naked and dancing for me. I want that arse popping onto my dick whilst I fuck her from behind. A groan escapes my lips and I cover it with a cough.
They both jump and turn to face me, their surprise turning to joy, and maybe a little relief in my Whiskey Girl’s eyes when she sees it’s me.
“Great dancing, Lucky. You need to teach your mum a few moves though.” With a smile on his face and giggles flying out of his mouth, he looks to his mum, who sticks her tongue out at him and laughs harder.
“She teachded me all my moves, Lockheart. She’s better dan you fink. Mumma, show him how ya make ya butt jiggle.” He grabs her hand and tries to turn her around, but she refuses to move.
A memory of her arse jiggling as my palm came down on it floats into my mind.
Her skin turning a pretty pink colour and how she always moaned after each spanking.
I know the lust is written all over my face as I raise my brow at her.
Her face turns the same shade of pink her arse does, and I inhale loudly through my nose.
“Come on, Mumma. Shake your butt.” Lucky’s voice brings me out of my stupor and I laugh as he scrunches his face up in concentration, trying to urge her to comply.
“I don’t think she’s listening, buddy.”
Lucky nods and encourages her even louder, causing her to shoot a glare my way.
Everything about this situation feels right. Being here with these two, laughing and mucking around together, it just feels like they were supposed to be here all along.
“Lucky, I’m sure Mr. Lockheart doesn’t want to see my butt jiggle.” As she speaks, she has to bat his hands away as he tries to squeeze and shake her arse into doing what he wants it to do.
I can’t stifle my laughter, and the more I chuckle the more he pushes and pokes at her cheeks, frustration dripping from his very loud sighs when they just won’t do what he wants.
Nico folds her arms over her chest and I have to swing my eyes away as the motion forces her tits up and together. I will not come in my pants in front of my son.
“This. Is. Not. Funny,” she grits through her teeth, which just makes me laugh more.
“Sorry, Lockheart. I’mma haf to show ya her doing it anover time.”
He blows out a frustrated breath and flips the hair off his forehead, and my heart aches with how much I love him.
I may have known him for less than a week, but the love I have for him is endless.
It was instant. I fell in love with him the minute I set my eyes on him—the perfect combination of me and Nico.
“That’s okay, Lucky. I’m sure your mum will show me another time,” I say through my grin and she narrows her eyes at me with her eyebrow raised.
“I will if you will.” She places her hands on her hips and lets her gaze meet mine.
“I don’t dance, ever, but I’m sure you’ll give me a personal viewing of your perfect butt jiggle sooner or later.”
“Doubtful,” she scoffs, and I raise an eyebrow back.
“Challenge accepted, Nico,” I shoot back over my shoulder as I turn and walk out of the living room.
Strolling downstairs, wearing grey sweats and a towel around my shoulders to stop my damp hair from dripping down my back, I stop when I reach the kitchen and see a standoff between mother and son.
“Lucky, you know the rules. No peas, no ice cream. I made them the way you like them. And it’s not like I’m trying to make you eat mushrooms or anything.”
My mouth twists in disgust at the mention of mushrooms and I silently chuckle when I notice Lucky has the same reaction.
“But Mumma… dey taste like mouldy feet.” He folds his little arms over his chest and scowls at the offending vegetables on his plate.
I see Nico’s lips twitch but she keeps her face poker straight. “They do not. And anyway, how do you know what mouldy feet taste like? You eaten lots of them? Nibbled on rotting toes recently, son?”
He tries to fight the giggles, but he can’t, and starts to laugh uncontrollably. He lifts his fork to his mouth and puts a bunch of peas in, then shouts, “Mmmmmm toes.”
Emotion wells inside of me, thoughts registering in my head that I have no idea what his favourite foods are.
What he hates, besides mushrooms, or what time he has his dinner.
I quickly look up at the clock and take a mental note of the time, vowing to be here every day from now on to have dinner with him.
Obviously once training and the new season starts again, I might not be present every day, but I’ll be a part of his daily routines whilst I can.
I step into the kitchen, a smile fixed on my face. Lucky sits up straighter and Nicole’s cheeks flush a little. I like the reactions from both of them.
“Something smells good. Like chicken, rice and…” I sniff the air. “Peas. My favourite.” I grin at her and she smirks back.
“You like peas?” Lucky’s voice is filled with scepticism and wonder, so I do my best to reassure him I’m not lying.
“Yeah they’re my favourite. Not like those yucky mushrooms. I hate them. They’re all slimy and gooey.” I shiver for effect and Lucky’s eyes light up. He starts to hoover his food up and Nicole dips her head in thanks.
And this is all that I want. All of us, together, building a life, a family. Together. Teamwork makes the dream work after all.