Chapter 14
LONG STORY SHORT
FLETCHER
We play in Boston tonight, Seattle on Thursday, then fly home Friday for our home game on Saturday.
It’s going to be rough not seeing Lydia until then.
I miss her already. I miss her easy laugh and our chats about her current fixation project on my nights off.
I haven’t even been gone a day, and she’s all I can think about, this need for more with her.
I won’t even get to hang out with her before the game on Saturday since we have a press event at the Mall of America.
I haven’t told anyone Lydia is pregnant—well, outside of having a conversation with my mom—and I’m practically bursting at the seams. I have to get my thoughts out. Right now, there’s a lot going on in my head, which is not ideal before a game.
“What’s the deal, Fletchy baby?” Calvin drops onto the bench next to me.
I groan, looking around the locker room. It’s fairly empty as of now, with only Trigg, Levine, and a few of the other guys milling around.
“I have to tell you something,” I whisper, leaning back. “But not here.”
I trust Trigg not to tell a soul even if he could hear me with his headphones in, but I don’t trust Levine farther than I can throw him.
“What?” Calvin’s eyes grow wide as he leans in.
“Not. Here.” I stand, taking my phone with me since I’ll need to call Lydia shortly, anyway. I lead him into the hall and peek into the athletic trainer’s office, finding it empty. “Here.”
I gesture for him to enter, and he raises his brows. “Is it that serious?”
“Yes.” I run a hand through my hair. I put some gel in it, but that’s not lasting long at all.
“Alright, chill.” Calvin holds up his hands and enters the small room, leaning against the table as I shut the door behind us. “Well?”
I let out a long exhale. “Lydia’s pregnant.”
His eyes go wide. “You’re kidding.”
“No. It’s a long story, but no.”
“You got Lydia pregnant? Graff, what the hell! When did you sleep together? I don’t know whether to fist-bump you or smack you upside the head. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“What?” I whisper-shout, not wanting to draw attention to us. “No! We haven’t slept together. It’s not mine.”
“Why do you sound so disappointed?”
I shrug. I don’t think I’m ready to elaborate on that.
“Who’s the dad if it isn’t you?”
“Some guy she went on a few dates with this summer. He ghosted her after they slept together.”
The irritation I have for the guy burns in my core again.
“Asshole,” Calvin mutters.
“Right?” I shake my head. “Not the point. I’m worried about her. I haven’t seen her since we left last night, and she hurt her wrist, and I’m stressed.”
“You’re also in love with her.”
I don’t confirm or deny because I’ve realized that I don’t want to be stuck in the friend zone with her. Not anymore.
“What are you going to do about it, then?” Calvin asks.
“I don’t know. I need to think about it.”
“You want more with her?”
I press the heel of my palm into my eyes as I nod. “You of all people know I do. I have for a long time. But I took what I could with her and always hoped maybe someday she’d want me back. What if she doesn’t want me back, man?”
“She will. You two would be perfect together.”
“But this is a crazy time in her life. I mean, she’s having a baby. What if she thinks I’m doing this because I feel bad for her?”
So many thoughts are swirling in my mind, but most of all, I can’t stop thinking about how badly I want this, how badly I want her. I want to be a part of the baby’s life. Any piece of her is something I want.
I want to be there for her, now more than ever, and in a completely different way than before. I want to be her partner, her lover, the father to her baby. I want to be the man Jude wouldn’t step up to be.
“She won’t. And if she does, prove her wrong.” Calvin rubs my shoulder. “For now, do your pre-game ritual. Call her. She’ll ground you. Then, get your head on straight, ‘cause we’ve got a game to play.”
“Right.” I stand up straighter, pushing my hair out of my eyes. “You’re right.”
“There’s my captain,” Calvin says with a shit-eating grin. “I’ll see you in the locker room.”
Once alone, I take a deep breath, pulling my phone out and calling Lydia.
On almost the last ring, she answers, her voice full of sleep. “Hello?”
Some of the tension instantly leaves my body at the sound of her voice.
“Hey Lydi-bug, what’s up?”
She groans loudly. “Tired.”
“I bet. Your body is working overtime lately.”
“Yeah,” she mumbles.
“How’s your wrist? Did you go to the doctor today?”
Lydia’s always off on Mondays, so I assume maybe she’d go in today.
“Yeah. They want me to keep the brace for another week, but he’s not worried about it. Enough about me. You’re in Boston, right? Ready for the game?”
My shoulders slump, and relief washes through me. Her wrist is okay. She’s okay.
“Ready as ever,” I respond. “Boston is always a fun team to play against. They play hard, but we can play harder.”
“You’ve got this. Hey, what are you doing on Sunday?” Lydia asks unexpectedly.
“Umm, not sure. Probably practice since there isn’t a game.”
“Ugh, my parents are coming to town. My mom called me last week. Apparently, they’re going to Spain for a month and decided to grace me with their presence for lunch. I’ll probably tell them about the baby, but I might need backup.”
Lydia’s parents can be hard to deal with on a good day, so I’m sure it will be interesting when she tells them she’s pregnant. Honestly, I have no idea how they might react.
“I’m there,” I reply without hesitation.
“Ugh, thank you. I owe you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. You do more for me than you know,” she says, her voice growing softer at the end.
“I feel the same about you, so we’re even.” I need her to understand that simply by existing, she changes me daily. “Hey, I gotta go, but I’ll text you after, okay?”
“No problem. I’ll be watching!” I can hear the smile in her voice.
She’s always been my biggest supporter besides my parents. It’s rare that I even hear from my siblings with encouragement or excitement about my career, but I can’t blame them. They have busy lives of their own, with kids.
“Talk later.” I end the call the same way I always do, without an official goodbye.
A renewed sense of energy takes over my body. I can make this work with Lydia. I know I can. Things are already so easy between us. Taking that next step is only natural.
I just have to figure out how to get us there, and the rest will fall into place.