Chapter 21 Flo
“Morning, sleepyhead.” Leo beams at me in the hotel room living area as he chomps on the toast I ordered for him this morning, with Donkey beside him, positioned by his own little buttered corner on a napkin. “Ready to go and watch Daddy play his first preseason game?”
He nods enthusiastically and licks his fingers. “Yeah, let’s go!”
The kid is in a good mood today, and I can’t say I’m not either.
Although Evan and I hadn’t even touched each other last night, we still got off from watching the other pleasure themselves, which was an experience like no other.
I don’t know how Evan’s feeling, if doing it got his desire for me out of his system, and if it did, then good for him, but I feel like I’ve been sucked into a vortex of thoughts revolving around Evan West’s dick because I just know it’s huge. And last night was not enough for me.
However, we both knew we were doing it to ‘get each other out of our systems’, as Evan had called it, which meant it was a one-time thing.
Leo begins to waddle towards the door. “Wait a second, buddy,” I tell him whilst pulling on my shoes.
Grabbing his present from my bag on the kitchen table, I rush to stand in front of him.
“I’ve got a little something for you. Made it myself, and I thought today would be the perfect day for you to wear it, if you’d like?
” I hold up the mini red and white jersey I’ve been working on for the past two weeks in front of me.
I made sure to cut out any scratchy threads so it’s comfortable enough for him—he has a particular aversion to itchy clothing.
Across the back, in crisp red letters, is West, with a yellow and white stork stitched nicely onto each sleeve, its outstretched wings wide and elegant-looking. The front has his father’s number: 12.
“Wow!” Leo exclaims, starry-eyed. “Can I put it on?” He’s already shrugging out of the navy blue top I dressed him in before breakfast arrived, and grabbing the jersey from my grasp, pulling his tiny head into it.
It fits him, which is a relief since I didn’t actually get to measure the little guy out of fear that he’d mention it to Evan and ruin the surprise.
“Now you match Daddy.”
“Thank you.” Leo’s eyes flicker with pure, honest gratitude, and he wraps his chubby arms around my legs. I bend down and embrace him. “Will you make me clothes forever?”
I hitch a brow up. “Forever?”
“Yeah, forever and ever.”
I hum. “I’m not sure I can do that, buddy. You remember that I’m leaving at the end of Summer, right?” My throat turns dry.
It’s important to reiterate it to the kid, though. I don’t want him to get too attached and believe I’m going to be sticking around forever, when I’ll be replaced soon.
“You could stay!”
My blood runs cold, and I embrace Leo a little tighter, a burn rising behind my eyes. “That would be so great, little dude, it really would.”
Getting attached to Leo wasn’t part of the plan.
In fact, it was him that I was worried about at the start, but it’s been flipped on its head.
I shouldn’t have let it happen. I knew from the beginning that this was temporary—a summer job—and that I’d be moving on.
And yet, my heart swells when I think of walking away from Leo and Evan in a month.
Leo will forget me. He’s just a kid. However, I won’t forget him. Ever.
He then gasps, rushing away from me to snatch Donkey from the table. “Can Donkey have one?”
“I’m not sure I’d be able to make a jersey small enough, but I’ll sure as hell try, kiddo. If that’s what you want.”
That smile of his is unravelling me from the inside out, like a ball of yarn, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
“Fuck yeah!”
My face contorts with humour, and I shake my head. I really need to apologise to Evan for teaching his son how to use this word in the correct context. “Are you ever going to stop saying that, Leo?”
“Fuck no!”
Watching Evan grab onto another one of the New York Vipers’ men and yank him to the ground along with himself sends another spike of anxiety through me. Still, I take a bite of my cheese pretzel and stand up to yell, “Yes, take that dickwad down! You got this, West!” with a massive grin on my face.
It causes Evan to toss a glance my way, and as soon as he spots me, he rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but I can see him fighting that smile of his.
In fact, he’s not winning against it at all, and the Jumbotron homes in on him and shows him chuckling to himself as his teammates clip him on the back of the helmet in a ‘well done’ gesture.
Leo’s sitting beside me with his headphones on—in a special family and friends area where the cameras can’t reach us and the crowd can’t see us, which is where Leo is always seated—so he’s not affected by the loud crowd and announcements.
However, his little head is barely visible through the crowd, so I’m not sure his father can see him.
Evan stands on the edge of the line, crouched down with hands splayed out on the grass.
Focus and determination roll off him, and even from here, I can feel it filling the stadium.
The ball moves, and the men surge forward, full of power.
He doesn’t hesitate, instead putting all of his might into driving his shoulder into the opposite team’s players.
It’s hard to keep up with him since there are so many guys out on the field, but my blues find him with ease once he emerges from the huddle of bodies.
He’s the one who looks like he could be mine.
Evan is playing well today, and I have a feeling I know why.
He’d even let out a few laughs when we ventured back down to the hotel bar and restaurant to collect Leo last night, which gained him a few strange looks from the guys who hadn’t already headed to bed.
Bennett shot me a wink and tried to hide his smile by sipping at his drink, but the guy definitely knows something is up.
Evan peers back at us to see me hoisting Leo up onto my hip so I can point out his father to him, and his eyes widen once he spots the jersey he’s wearing. We do a little spin so the back is visible, and the smile that he’s now wearing makes my heart splutter.
It’s real. Full of pride. Full of appreciation. Just plain… well, happy.
Evan West looks happy.
His greys remain a little too long on me, spiralling with an emotion I can’t pinpoint. He’s looking at us like he can’t quite believe what he’s seeing, and his chest rises as he takes in a deep breath that makes his lips twitch. Then, he raises his hand.
“Daddy waved at me,” Leo exclaims with a giggle, opening his mouth to take a large bite of my pretzel.
“I think he liked your jersey.”
“You should make one for Daddy.”
I laugh, though I think I’d much rather see Evan West without a jersey than with one.