Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Foster
Hayes doesn’t answer the question, stepping off the pedestal and out of the press room.
I follow, but Easton and Decker decide to as well, and somehow, they’re the human version of a revolving door. Decker’s shoulder clips mine. Easton throws a look over his shoulder as though he’s about to try to tell me not to go after Hayes.
Just try it.
Questions still ring out in the room.
“Wentzel said no more questions,” Easton mutters as though he’s doing damage control for all of us.
“The rest of you have a good night,” Wentzel says, ushering everyone out with the same tone a kindergarten teacher uses the day before Christmas break.
Once we’re in the hallway, I push past Decker and Easton and head straight for the locker room.
Thankfully, the place is empty. The rest of the team went home, probably already laughing about something on the group chat that I’m definitely not reading tonight.
Hayes is at his locker, packing his bag.
“Hey,” I say softly, hoping to keep this between us. “I wanted to tell you.”
“Funny how that works,” he says without looking at me.
His voice is tight and flat and not one he’s ever used with me.
He glances over, eyes sharp. “You’re with me all the time, so if you’d wanted to tell me you fucked my sister and got her pregnant, I’m pretty sure you could have found your moment.
” He shoves a sweatshirt into his bag and zips it up—hard.
“I’m not doing this here. I’ll see you at Peeper’s.” He slides his bag over his shoulder and walks out.
“Hayes, come on.” I move after him. “Let’s talk about it.”
He doesn’t stop.
I run back to grab my own bag that I packed earlier because I wanted to get to Callie right after the game.
We had a plan. We were going to tell him. We were going to do it like adults.
Not in a press room as Hayes’s face went blank.
I exit the clubhouse doors and find everyone there.
Leighton and the kids.
Hayes and Callie’s parents.
And Callie.
She glances up, and my chest tightens from seeing no color in her face. Her mouth parts. Her eyes flick to Hayes, and she steps forward, then she freezes.
We pushed this too long.
It’s all our fault.
Hayes walks right by her as if he doesn’t see her. Leighton follows, Monroe on her hip, Lincoln bouncing beside her, Lake dragging along behind, continuing to look over her shoulder at Callie.
I start toward Callie as she moves in my direction. Then her parents step between us, blocking my path.
“What happened?” Mrs. Carlisle asks me, already panicking. “Why is Hayes so upset?”
Here are more people who won’t be screaming for joy at the news.
How did I forget we haven’t even told her parents?
Two people I’ve always respected. Who’ve always been kind to me in a way that now makes me feel like a thief because what should be a joyous moment for them—their daughter is pregnant with her first child, and they’re going to be grandparents—is only going to cause turmoil in their lives.
Why can’t life come with a pause button for moments like this?
My gaze shoots to Callie, and she exhales hard.
“Mom… Dad…” She bites her bottom lip.
Immediately their faces change and fill with matching concern. Mrs. Carlisle’s hand flies to Callie’s arm. Mr. Carlisle’s gaze swings to me.
I’m done with the secrets, the delays. The truth needs to be out there.
“Callie’s pregnant with my baby.” I swallow hard.
Callie gasps and narrows her eyes at me.
Maybe that was the wrong way to tell them. This is not the commercial version where everyone cries and hugs and some acoustic guitar plays in the background.
Mrs. Carlisle shakes her head, apparently refusing to believe it.
Mr. Carlisle stares at his wife, more worried about her reaction than the actual news, I think.
“Are you…” Mrs. Carlisle looks at me. “Together?”
Callie steps forward, her shoulder brushing mine, and the anxiety racing through my veins slows a bit. I press back to let her know I’m here with her. We’re in this together.
“We’re just having the baby.” She raises her chin a bit.
Mr. Carlisle turns his attention on me.
Her mom blinks. “So…”
“It was a one-night stand, Mom.” Callie takes over the talking, which is probably a good thing.
Mr. Carlisle continues to look only at me. This is uncomfortable. I should say something, but I’m not sure what.
“I take full responsibility,” I say, not meeting his eyes.
“Oh my god, Dad, stop the whole protective father act. He didn’t take advantage of me. I was a very willing participant.”
“Callie,” I whisper out of the side of my mouth.
“Sorry.” She massages the bridge of her nose for a second. “I get that’s not what you wanna hear, but it’s the truth. We… well, you know.”
“Yes, we understand what happened. We don’t need a play-by-play,” Mrs. Carlisle says, voice neutral. She’s usually overly sweet. I’ve never seen this side of her, and I have no idea if she wants to throw her hands up and be done with us or what.
“I wasn’t going to give you a play-by-play. I was just saying that… anyway. We were together once, and now we’re having a baby. Figuring out the co-parent thing.”
“A baby?” Mrs. Carlisle glances at Callie’s stomach.
Callie nods and tears fill her eyes. “Yeah. I’m twelve weeks along.”
Mrs. Carlisle’s eyes widen. “Three months?”
Callie nods again.
Mr. Carlisle’s gaze still hasn’t left me, and my guess is he’s counting my neck tattoos and wondering why his precious daughter would pick a guy like me. I can only imagine he’s second-guessing all those times he was nice to me. I snuck behind his back and made a mess of this situation.
“Everything is good? Baby is healthy?” Mrs. Carlisle steps closer to Callie.
“Yes, we were at the doctor yesterday. Everything is good. We were waiting to tell Hayes until I was out of the first trimester, and now… well, a picture got leaked, and he didn’t find out from us.” Callie glances at me.
I exhale a deep breath because I think we’re both in agreement that we’re idiots.
“Hmm.” Mrs. Carlisle glances at me. “So the roommate situation?”
I want to look away, but I stand firm. “The landlord was a sleaze, but we already knew she was pregnant at that point.”
Her eyes widen, but she nods, absorbing all the information.
“Mom, I’m sure you’re disappointed, and I’m sorry. It just…”
Mrs. Carlisle laughs and turns to her husband. “What do you think, Dave?”
He finally takes his eyes off me. “I think I’m gonna be a grandpa… for the fourth time.” His face lights up as he smacks me on the back. “Congratulations.”
“Come again?” Callie asks, forehead creased.
Mrs. Carlisle tugs her in for a hug. “Congratulations, you two. This is great news.”
“It is?” Callie looks at me over her mom’s shoulder. “You’re happy?”
Mrs. Carlisle pulls away, holding her daughter’s upper arms. “Of course we’re happy. A baby—what’s to be upset about that?”
“But I’m… I mean…”
Mrs. Carlisle waves her hand. “You’re thirty years old, Callie. I’m not sure about your dad, but I’m aware you’ve had sex before.”
Mr. Carlisle smacks me on the back and puts his hand out in front of me. “We’ll just agree to call it an immaculate conception, all right?” I nod, and he slaps me on the back again. “Welcome to the family, Foster.”
“Oh, Dad,” Callie is quick to interject, “we’re not getting married or anything.”
“She really does take me for an old fool.” He shakes his head lovingly at his daughter. “Foster is going to be in our family because he’s our grandchild’s father whether you’re with him or not.”
“Which I think may be in the future…” Mrs. Carlisle adds, her gaze shifting between the two of us.
This cannot be happening. They’re really happy that I’m going to be part of their family?
“And Hayes will be fine,” Mr. Carlisle says. “I brought him up better than to be a baby about this. No pun intended.”
Mr. and Mrs. Carlisle switch spots, and soon she’s wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me into a hug.
I wish I had their confidence.
Again, Callie and I look at one another over the shoulders of her parents.
“Congratulations, Foster,” Mrs. Carlisle whispers in my ear. “This is fantastic news.”
I want to keep asking Is it? but I hold her and nod, even though I’m still digesting their reaction.
“Would you like me to go with you to talk to Hayes?” Mrs. Carlisle releases me from the hug and steps back.
“I think I’d rather go by myself.” I look to Callie to see if it’s okay with her, but I feel like I did him wrong, and I’m the one who needs to face the consequences.
“You’re not going just to protect me from this, right?”
I shake my head. “It’s not that.”
“We’re going to let you guys talk. We’ll take the kids, so they won’t be there.
Congratulations again, you two. And you know we won’t object if you want us at an appointment or two.
” Mrs. Carlisle winks and looks at her daughter’s stomach one last time before the two of them leave huddled together, whispering and apparently over the moon about their family’s new addition.
Callie crosses her arms.
I lift my hands. “I’m just asking to talk to him first. To explain myself to him. To come clean.”
She looks at me long and hard, then nods. “Okay.” She steps into me and wraps her arms around my stomach.
I tug her into me, and she lays her cheek on my chest. I have no idea what the hug is for but having her in my arms feels too good to ruin it by asking.
When she pulls back, she looks up at me. “Thank you.”
“For?”
“For being here, standing next to me during all this. It’s nice knowing I’m not alone.”
I place my hands on her cheeks, cradling them, making sure she’s looking right at me. I swallow, but summon the confidence to tell her, to put myself out there like she just did. “I’m not going anywhere, Callie.”
Her hands cover mine, and she nods. We stand there for a few moments, and my entire world tilts, as if the world has shifted, though I can’t explain why.