CHAPTER 1 BEN
Kaylee’s eyes are wide, but I maintain my cool as always.
An important lesson I learned over the last decade playing professional football—and maybe even before that, really, as I faced many different types of opponents—is that you never let the enemy see you sweat.
And in this case, Shannon with the crazy eyes is the enemy. Who the fuck walks into a room and just blackmails everybody in it?
“Listen, Shannon,” I say, using the low pitch of my voice to try to reason with her despite the lessons of my past that prove you can’t reason with crazy.
“For starters, I’m sorry you’re going through a hard time.
Truly. My parents divorced when I was young, and it was pretty much enough to turn me off to marriage for the rest of my life.
But beyond that, I saw your shadow in your bedroom just before I walked into Kaylee’s room.
I gave her the signal to follow my lead, and that is what you overheard.
The only thing we’re faking is the conversation you so conveniently recorded, and it was all just a joke for your benefit. ”
She shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. Those celebrity gossip bloggers will have a field day with this recording.”
“They won’t give a shit about it, and just for your future reference, blackmail is in fact illegal,” I say.
I keep my tone flippant even though I’m secretly fucking outraged that this bitch could blow everything up before we’ve even gone out on our first date.
Clearly we need to be more careful, but I thought we were safe in Jack’s house with the usual residents downstairs engaging with their children.
“You want me to prove that we’re not faking a relationship? ”
Shannon’s crazy eyes dart between Kaylee and me, and that’s when I saunter over to Kaylee’s bed, climb on it, and kick a leg over so I’m hovering over her.
Her breathing quickens, and as my eyes bore down into hers, I see the panic there. I try to soothe that panic with my own look of confidence. I lower my lips to hers, and she wraps her arms around my neck as she deepens the kiss.
It takes all of a few milliseconds for my body to respond, but before I allow myself to get into it, I pull back and turn toward Shannon. “Proof enough for you?”
She shakes her head. “Not until I see you do that in front of everyone downstairs.”
I roll my eyes. “We have nothing to prove to you. Do whatever you want with that recording. I won’t be blackmailed over a joke.” I glance away from her and give Kaylee the look that I pray tells her to just go along with me. “Kay, you ready?”
She nods, and I climb off her and hold out a hand to help her up. Together we brush past Shannon and head downstairs. I keep my fingers linked with hers as we enter the room where Jack and Luke are hanging with their wives and kids, and Jack glances up at us first.
I throw my head quickly toward Shannon, who followed closely behind us down the stairs, and then I toss an arm around Kaylee’s shoulders and squeeze her to my side. She links an arm around my waist, and as odd as it is doing this in front of her entire family, it still feels so completely right.
“How’s the happy new couple?” Jack asks, and thank God he read my signal correctly. I guess that’s what happens after you’ve played on a team with a guy for a few years. You learn to read each other’s signals even off the field.
I lean down and press my lips to Kaylee’s temple. “Great,” I say.
There’s an awkward beat of silence, and I fill it. “Shannon is accusing us of faking it after we put on a little act for her benefit.” I let out a chuckle.
Shannon’s eyes widen as I tell on her.
Kate, who looks some combination of angry and confused, speaks up first. “She accused you of faking what? Your relationship?”
I nod.
Kate huffs out a laugh. “Right. Have you seen these two lovebirds?” she asks Shannon. “They’re all over each other all the time.” She rolls her eyes like it’s so gross, and Jack, Ellie, and Luke all nod in agreement.
“I can’t help it,” I say, reaching down to squeeze her ass. “She’s hot as fuck.”
Kaylee yelps a little at the pinch I give her, Jack’s vein is starting to bulge again, Luke looks like he’s going to be sick, and Kate and Ellie both give me the same look of warning for swearing in front of their kids.
Kaylee reaches up onto her tiptoes and presses a kiss to my mouth. “Right back at you, Big O.” She wiggles her eyebrows, and I laugh. “He’s really proven how he earned that nickname.”
We’re riding a fine line here between putting on an act and telling the truth.
“Why would you accuse them of faking it?” Kate asks Shannon.
“I just, you know…” Shannon says, trying to backpedal. “I overheard them talking and they were making it sound like they’re putting on some act for the media and also how Kaylee hasn’t had to fake—”
I interrupt her before she gets to the part about Kaylee and me actually fucking. “She recorded our conversation. I saw her before I turned into Kaylee’s room, so we put on a little show for her. Then she came in and tried to blackmail me.”
Kate stands. “She tried to what?” Her voice is a low hiss, and holy hell, she’s up there among the kindest women I’ve ever met, but you also don’t want to get on her bad side.
“Shannon, are you kidding me? After what you did to me, I tried to be kind. I let you stay longer even though you said it would only be one night and even though Jack didn’t want you here…
and then you try to blackmail my family? ”
Shannon’s crazy eyes go wide. “I…uh…oh, I—I just thought that maybe Ben could play my boyfriend just to get back at Kevin a little for the things he’s been doing.” The waterworks start, but unfortunately, not a soul in this room buys it or cares.
“Get the hell out of my house,” Kate seethes. “Now. Lose my number. Lose this address. You just killed any sort of hope for a reconciliation between the two of us. Our friendship was over before, but I gave you a second chance. You can forget that now.”
Jack stands. “Before you go, could you be so kind as to delete that illegal voice recording? Like right now so we can all watch as you delete it?”
Shannon is still crying, but she brought this on herself. She pulls her phone out of her pocket as she swipes away a tear, and then she looks between Kaylee and me. “I’m sorry.” Her apology holds little weight. She pulls open her voice memos and deletes the most recent one.
“Delete it out of your deleted folder, too,” I say so she can’t go recover it in secret later and figure out some way to use it against me. I lean over and take a look at what she’s doing.
“Ooh, good call,” Kaylee says.
“Not my first blackmail rodeo,” I say with a wink, and Kaylee laughs. “Play the most recent one,” I say just to make totally sure she deleted the one of our conversation.
Her shoulders sag as she plays it, and we all hear Jack’s voice. The one before that is Jack and Luke, and then one of Kate talking to JJ, and more of Jack.
“You came here to spy on us?” Kate asks, and now her eyes are filling with unshed tears as the betrayal hits her.
Shannon presses her lips together then blows out a breath. “I…I’m sorry. Michelle and Savannah paid us a lot of money before, and I just thought if I could find something—”
Jack snorts, cutting her off. “Michelle’s undergoing psychotherapy and Savannah no longer has a job, so I doubt either of them are planning to have you on their payroll anytime soon.”
Shannon glances around at the eyes on her. “It was wrong. I know that. You’ve all been so kind to me the last few days, and I’m so sorry. I’ve hit rock bottom…” She turns her gaze down to the ground. “It’s not an excuse for what I’ve done. I’ll just go get my things and be on my way.”
“Uh, that’s funny, but you get the fuck out of my house now,” Jack says, sauntering over from his spot in the family room.
He holds his hand out. “Give me your phone since it’s evidence now.
Leave your shit upstairs because fuck you if you think you’re going to steal from me.
I will send it along when I feel like it. ”
Shannon’s mouth drops open. “I didn’t steal anything!”
Jack’s brows rise, and he looks like he’s barely hanging onto his composure. “You stole my wife’s trust. Now hand over the goddamn phone before I call the police.”
“You can’t just take my phone,” she says.
“Watch me.” He reaches over and grabs it out of her hand. “You can’t just do what you did and expect to get away with it. You betrayed my wife, my child, my siblings, my best friend, my family, and myself. You fucked with the wrong people. Now fuck off out of here.”
“I need my keys,” she says flatly, clearly holding back her tears.
“Where are they?” Kaylee asks.
“My dresser.”
“Not your dresser. The dresser in the room you overstayed your welcome in,” Jack corrects.
Kaylee runs upstairs and retrieves the keys, and then Jack walks her to the front door and slams it behind her while Ellie hugs a trembling Kate.
“I was so stupid to trust her,” Kate says when Jack walks back into the room.
“You’re kind and forgiving, Kia,” he says, using his nickname for her. He wraps his arms around her as Ellie lets her go. “You weren’t stupid. You were wonderful, and she didn’t deserve it.”
“I’m sorry I let her back in.” Her voice is muffled as she cries into his chest.
“She’s gone now,” Jack says, soothing his wife. “And I’ll be calling Richard to see if we can press any charges.”
It’s such an odd thing to see this beast of a quarterback show his tender side, but Kate and JJ do that to him. It’s incredible, really.
And I can’t help but wonder if that’s something I could have, too.
With Kaylee Dalton.