Chapter 24 #2
She lets out a laugh. “Ha. Perfect. Right.” She turns toward the staircase; I assume to ensure Harper isn’t within earshot.
She then leans toward me and lowers her voice.
“My husband was ignoring me, so I went out and fucked his best friend in the alley of a bar while that husband was at home with our two-year-old daughter. Does that sound perfect to you?”
I think my chin physically drops to the floor. I’m rendered speechless. In a million years, I never would have guessed that about her. In my mind, I assumed the divorce was Tanner’s fault. How could it ever be hers?
“Yep,” she reacts to what must be shock written all over my face.
“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life, and not a day goes by that I don’t regret it, even all these years later.
I ran home and tearfully confessed to Tanner right away.
We were legally separated by the next day.
” She leans back in her chair and nods her head in satisfaction.
“No one is perfect. We all have demons. We’ve all made mistakes.
And none of us has a time machine to allow us to rewrite the past. I wish more than most that we did, but we don’t.
All you can do is learn from those mistakes and move forward.
Try each day to be better than you were the day before.
Try to raise a good kid who isn’t an asshole. ”
Harper gasps as she descends the stairs. “You said a bad word, Mommy.”
Fallon raises an eyebrow as if to remind me just how imperfect she is.
I went home after Fallon’s and spent the evening doing a lot of thinking.
Yes, we’ve done everything in a messed-up order, but I can’t control the past. As crazy as it sounds, I think the best thing is for Daylen and me to date.
I’m pregnant with his child, but we’ll have to put that out of our minds if we want to get to know each other properly.
I do like him and can’t deny that I’m attracted to him, but there are certain things that can’t be rushed.
It’s got to be this way or no way at all.
I won’t just be with him because of this baby.
It’s not fair to either the baby or us. I know what it’s like to grow up in a house with parents who don’t belong together.
It's morning and I’m on my way to my father’s pickleball club.
My brother and I are playing with my father and Double Dees.
Pierce and I are going out for lunch afterward.
He leaves for college next week. I’m so happy he’ll be close by.
I want him in my life. I want him in his niece or nephew’s life too.
I see the three of them already sitting on a bench when I arrive at the club. Double Dees is yapping away, and I overhear him asking them, “What’s the useless skin at the end of a penis called?”
“A man,” I answer before any of them can, as I approach the group.
My father and Pierce chuckle while Double Dees smiles. “You’re ruining my joke, Triple Dees. The next part was supposed to be: What do you call a man with too much foreskin?”
I shrug. “I don’t know.” I do, but I don’t want to ruin it for him.
“Fiveskin,” he cackles.
I let out a laugh. “Good one, old man.”
He gasps in mock shock. “Old man? I’ll have you know, young lady, that I have a lot going for me.” He pauses for dramatic effect. “My eyes are going, my knees are going, my back is going, and my patience is definitely gone.”
My father clears his throat. “You’re not the only one getting old, Dave. Last night, I was in bed for twenty minutes when I heard the pizza guy cough. Then I remembered I originally came to my bedroom for my wallet.”
Pierce barks out a laugh. “Ha! You got jokes, Dad.”
He nods. “Those dipshits on my team are rubbing off on me. Humblecut keeps everyone laughing through every damn workout with his dirty jokes. The whole team hangs on every word that guy says.”
I can’t help but smile. I suppose I’ve learned to love Daylen’s sense of humor.
While occasionally ill-timed, like in front of police officers and cashiers, his jokes are clever and funny.
He’s such a happy person and takes genuine joy in making the people around him happy.
I hope our child gets that from him more than anything else.
“Are you listening?” Pierce asks.
“Sorry, I was daydreaming. What did you say?”
“Do you want to be partners?”
“It’s a little uneven putting the young people on one side, but sure. We’ll kick their asses, baby bro.”
The truth is, my father and I are by far the best two players. It’s better for us to split. Pierce and Doubles Dees are about the same. Pierce has youth on his side, but Double Dees plays more often. It’s a fairly even match this way.
My father and I exchange glances, letting me know he’s thinking the same thing as I am.
The game gets underway and, as expected, it’s a back-and-forth affair.
Pierce is cool as a cucumber, seemingly unaffected by the ebbs and flows of the game.
My father was right. He doesn’t have the competitive fire you need to play sports at the next level.
I’m happy that my father recognized it and encouraged Pierce to pursue medicine over a football scholarship.
It’s best for him. You need that killer instinct to succeed at a high level in athletics.
I’ve gradually come to the realization that my father isn’t a bad guy after all. It’s clear he and Pierce are close. I’m happy for my brother that he has a good relationship with my dad. I know how much Daylen treasures his relationship with his father.
At some point, I slam a ball a little too hard. It would have gone out, but Double Dees couldn’t get out of the way in time and it hit him in the stomach, meaning it’s our point.
“Damn it,” he curses, “if I weren’t so fat, it would have been our point.”
Pierce and I share a bemused look. Dave is a funny, self-deprecating guy. I enjoy playing with him.
We go on to win five of the nine games played. It’s been a fun morning. When I return to the bench to place my racquet in my bag, I pick up my phone and see a text from Daylen.
Red Flag: My family is visiting. We’re about to have lunch by my pool. Any chance you can stop by and join us? When the time comes that you let me tell them about the baby, I’d like for them to have met the mother of my child at least once.
Sometimes he’s so damn sweet. I can give him this.
Me: Of course. I have Pierce with me. Is it okay if he comes too?
Red Flag: Absolutely. He can talk to my sister about colleges in the area. She’s here looking. Thanks, I appreciate this.
DAYLEN
I was up all night tossing and turning. I’ve never been more excited about anything than when Kennedy told me that she’s pregnant. I was so consumed by my happiness that I didn’t stop to consider how she was feeling. How it would impact her body and her career.
I came on strong, and she was overwhelmed.
I’ve just never considered raising a child without two parents in the same household.
I had it for six years, and I cherish those memories.
I want that for my kid. Having my child half the time isn’t appealing to me, but she’s right, we’re not ready for more. Yet.
And then she told me about her mom. Now I understand why she refuses to talk to her.
I’ll never look at Ginny Jeffries the same way again.
I wonder if Coach knows. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask Kennedy that question, but then she started sobbing in a way I’m not sure I knew she was capable of.
It was like she needed to purge herself.
It’s clear to me that she doesn’t talk about it with other people.
I’m happy she felt comfortable enough with me to tell me. That must mean something.
God, we could be good together. I believe that. I just want a chance to prove it. I’m determined to win her over.
And the sex? It’s phenomenal. There’s something magical between us. It’s explosive every damn time.
I have to adjust myself, getting hard just thinking about the way we were yesterday. The way her body reacts to mine. The way I feel when she touches me. How rough I’m finding I like things with her. She’s opening my eyes to a part of myself I didn’t know existed.
But it’s not just great sex. There’s a connection I’ve never shared with another woman before her. She’s different, and I’m starting to think that’s a good thing.
Vance clears his throat from the leg press machine. “Dude, you’re really going to town over there. Is everything okay? Did one of your bimbos give you more than you bargained for?” he asks while nodding toward my junk, which I’ve got my hand on.
I shake my head. “Nah, my underwear is a little tight today.”
“Maybe you should wear your own,” he deadpans.
I can’t help but smile. “Vance McCaffrey, did you just make a funny joke?”
His face remains stoic. “I’m an underrated funny guy.”
“Ooh. Not sure about that.”
I really want to tell my best friend what’s going on, but I promised Kennedy I wouldn’t tell anyone yet, and the last thing I want to do is piss her off. It’s killing me though. I’m about to be a father, and I can’t even share the good news with the people I love.
Hmm, I wonder if I can tell one or two people. She’d never know.
I look at Presley as he works hard on the quad extension machine. “Elvis, do you ever lie to Layla?”
He stops what he’s doing and stares intently at me.
“Absolutely not. I’d never get away with it.
” He points at me. “Never lie to a woman because she’s going to find out anyway.
Most women investigate better than the FBI.
I told her I didn’t cut my toenails in bed last month because it drives her nuts when I do it.
Last night, four weeks later, she found a tiny nail clipping under the bed and was able to do her own little forensic analysis to determine that it was from the time I told her I didn’t do it.
FBI, like I said. It should be all women.
Every crime would be solved within a matter of hours if they ran the whole show. Guaranteed.”
I chuckle. “You’re sexy when you’re scared of your wife.”
He nods. “My wife still thinks I’m sexy. Every time I walk by her, she says, What an ass.”
I burst out laughing. Even Vance smiles. Sometimes your friends give you what you need without even knowing you need it.
After a fun, distracting morning workout with my teammates, I’m driving home. Coach wasn’t at the workout. One of the assistant coaches said he was playing pickleball with his kids today.
Of course, in my manic Google searches last night, I learned that a pregnant woman shouldn’t let her body temperature get too high.
Now I’m worried she was too hot when playing pickleball.
I can’t imagine how I’m going to feel during her basketball games.
Kennedy practically plays tackle basketball.
I’m preoccupied as I walk through the front door to BJ leaping into my arms. “Hey, baby girl. Daddy missed you all morning. Did Chef Benny give you lunch?”
Bark.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
I walk into the kitchen and see Benny chopping and prepping. “Hey, man.” I notice several steaks and other accompanying foods. “Why so much food? Am I having a party?”
He nods toward my backyard pool area. “Did you forget that your family is staying with you for a few days while Jagger looks at schools?”
My eyes widen. “Oh fuck. It’s been a crazy day. I totally spaced.”
He laughs. “I figured. I told them you had a morning workout and told me to let them in. They put their bags in the guestrooms and are out back by the pool now. I made them margaritas and set out a few appetizers.”
I slap his back. “Thanks, Benny. You’re the best, man.”
He winks. “You bet. I was…cleaning up a few things upstairs. Did you have a woman here last night?”
I nod. “I did. Yesterday afternoon.”
“How was BJ?” he asks with obvious concern, given BJ’s behavior around women. He knows I never bring women here.
“She loves this particular woman. In fact, I might have you grab a few things for her. She’s going to be around for a long while.” Forever.
He stops cutting and turns to me. “In all my years working here, this has never happened.”
I smile. “I’m getting old. Maybe it’s time. I’m gonna go see my family. Thanks for your help.”
He returns to cutting, and I start to walk toward the back glass doors, but before I open them, he says, “And congrats. I saw the tests when I was emptying the trash. You’re gonna be an awesome father, man.”
It hits me straight in the heart. I’m going to be a father. How the hell am I going to get through this visit from my family without spilling the beans?
I offer a small smile in gratitude. “I hope so.”
I take out my phone to text Kennedy about Benny getting some of the foods she likes when I look out to see my family laughing. I want them to meet her. When the day comes that I tell them about the baby, I want them to know who I’m talking about. I want them to know who the mother of my child is.
I decide to text her asking if she’ll come by.