Keeley #3
“Have you adopted her?” Spencer asked as he played with Brayden’s hair again.
“It’s pending.” I sighed. “I need the divorce to go through before I can give the agency the rest of the information they need. Until it’s official, Simon still has some rights.”
I clenched my teeth and focused on brushing a piece of imaginary lint off the sheets.
It was more than an irk at this point. He had never been and never would be her father, no matter what.
But knowing that the law still regarded him as being entitled grated on me worse than his cheating ever had.
It wasn’t fair to Hannah, and I would protect her from having to spend time with him when he only wanted a relationship so he could lord his status as her “father” over me.
“I can’t risk having a custody battle with him over her.
It’s my own fault the divorce has taken this long.
I kept putting it off because I had so much happening, but I didn’t realize Simon still had parental rights.
I thought because we’d already separated when I got Hannah it was fine.
We’d only split a couple of hours before she arrived, but I just didn’t put two and two together.
Once I found out, I got the papers drawn up and lodged straight away.
Now I just need to wait for the time to expire and the court to rubber stamp it. ”
“But it’s happening. That’s good,” Brayden soothed.
“I can’t wait to throw Hannah a party.” Spencer grinned happily. He was as excited as a kid at Christmas.
“You don’t have to organize a party for her, you know,” I started.
“But I want to. I’m totally looking for an excuse to eat fairy bread and little boys.”
“Say what?” Brayden asked, turning his head so fast, his neck cracked. He groaned, the sound turning into a happy sigh at the end. “Fuck, I needed that.”
“Fairy bread or little boys?”
“Start with the little boys,” Brayden ordered.
Spencer chuckled. Still grinning, he replied, “They’re cocktail sausages. Kind of like breakfast links but with red skin on them. I don’t know why, but at home we call them little boys. Fairy bread is literally white bread with butter and hundreds and thousands on them.”
I looked at him blankly, and Spencer rolled his eyes. “Sprinkles. But not the long ones, the little balls.”
“Oh, okay,” I agreed still stuck on the little boys.
“All the Aussie PAGs would know what I’m talking about.”
“Y’all are weird,” Brayden teased.
“Speaking of the PAGs and the Seals….” I segued. “I want to tell management. If we’re going to do this, we need to let them know, or I’ll lose my job.”
“They already know, don’t they?” Spencer asked.
I shook my head just as Brayden nodded.
My heart stopped, white noise exploding in my ears. My chest squeezed, and I struggled to inhale. They knew? That wasn’t good. That was a disaster.
“I don’t remember who I spoke to. Rune told me so it would be the right person.
” Brayden waved a hand like he was dismissing the importance of that detail.
“I told him we were going to ask you on a date, and if they didn’t like it, they’d need to find another wing. ” He shrugged like it was no big deal.
But it was.
He’d…. Oh my God! He was their newest star player, and he’d threatened to walk away from the team if they didn’t like my dating them. That was… the sweetest thing I’d ever heard.
“When?” I asked.
“Weeks ago.”
I swallowed and huffed out a manic laugh.
“I think you broke her,” Spencer teased.
I blinked, my gaze flitting between them. I opened my mouth, then snapped it shut again.
“I think so too.” Brayden grinned and tugged me closer to him, then pressed a sweet kiss to my lips.
***
Spencer was in rehearsals for his upcoming show this morning, so I’d driven Brayden to work with me.
While I was at my desk, trying to work but completely distracted, he was hanging around the weights room with the guys before his meeting with Trisha, the team medic.
He’d been going out of his mind with boredom at home—training, watching tape with the team, travelling, and games were so built into his psyche that missing them while on IR was messing with his Zen.
But his spirits were high this morning; he had a good feeling about being cleared, especially because the headaches were completely gone.
I jumped when I heard the knock. I spun around, and relief slammed into me when I saw Brayden and Spencer there, both with bright smiles. I hadn’t even realized how much time had passed.
“All clear to return to training,” Brayden gushed.
“Thank goodness,” I breathed and resisted the urge to sprint over to him and wrap my arms around his waist.
Instead, I asked Spencer, “How was the rehearsal?”
“Good. We’ll be ready for the concert. We have another session the day before and a full sound check the day of.”
Excitement danced in my belly. I couldn’t wait to see Spencer in his element on stage.
I’d binged every video of him I could find, from his music videos to old YouTube videos of him in Battle of the Bands competitions.
Even when he was a teenager, he’d been magnetic.
I couldn’t wait to see what he was like as a performer now.
“Should we get the next meeting out of the way too?” Spencer asked.
I swallowed hard, my mood teetering on the edge of panic and fear threatening to envelope me. I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but I couldn’t keep lying to myself or the Seals anymore. We were in a relationship, and speaking to HR was the right thing to do.
Even if it could cost me my job.
I had a plan B of sorts, but I prayed it wouldn’t come to that.
Every time I thought of opening my own social media management company, my heart rate accelerated and I broke out in a cold sweat.
I needed this job, and I’d fight for it—I deserved it.
But sometimes there were more important things than financial security, a 401(k), and health insurance.
Brayden and Spencer were those things. I needed to take this leap, but I couldn’t deny I was terrified.
“Yeah,” I rasped, fear stealing my voice.
“It’ll be okay,” Brayden reassured me. He’d said it before—so had Spencer—but I was struggling to believe it.
We only had to walk five offices down the corridor to see Mike, the director of human resources, but my feet were moving like I was stuck in molasses.
“Come in,” he directed after I knocked.
I was glad he didn’t see the way my hand was shaking, and Brayden and Spencer were too sweet to call me out on it, but Brayden’s hand at the small of my back gave me the strength to push through the doorway.
Mike greeted us with a smile as he stood up. “Keeley, Miller, how are you?” He shook hands with both of us and held his hand out to Spencer. They shook and he added, “I believe we’ve only informally met, Mr. Clay.”
“Spencer, and yeah, ah, sorry for telling you to fuck off,” he mumbled. “Hannah wasn’t well.”
“It’s okay. I have kids myself, and there’s nothing worse than when they’re sick. I would have done the same thing, just perhaps with a little less-colorful language.” Mike smirked, and Spencer chuckled awkwardly.
“Take a seat,” Mike directed, and when we were all comfortable, he asked, “So, what can I do for you?”
“Keeley said yes to our asking her on a date,” Brayden cut in before I had a chance to start my prepared speech. I’d gone over every scenario in my head, trying to explain how our relationship had morphed from a professional one into more and begging for the team not to fire me.
“Congratulations,” he said with a smile. “We’d better get some paperwork filled out then.”
“Paperwork?” I asked, my brows furrowed. My mind screeched to a halt. Was it as simple as that? The employee handbook was clear that relationships between staff and managers were prohibited.
“Absolutely. The organization has clear policies in place for when relationships occur.” Mike smiled warmly and pulled a binder off the bookshelf next to his desk.
He busied himself taking out a few pieces of paper while my mind worked overtime just to get back on track to form a coherent thought. “But the employee handbook prohibits relationships between management and subordinates.”