Game, Set, Match (A Humorous Contemporary Romance) (Love Match) (42 page)

When he didn’t open the door, she went in with the full expectation to see him brooding on his bed, the sounds of Snoop
Dogg blaring from his earphones. But she didn’t find anything, he wasn’t there.

Quickly she backtracked to the living room, not there either. She did a quick sweep of the rest of the house, calling Jessica at the studio in the process. “Jessica, is Nick there?”

Izzy heard the snap of a popping bubble in her ear. “No, ma’am. But you just left here yourself. He didn’t pass you?”

“Oh, God.
Jessica, he’s gone.”

****

Jason walked his body through the series of stretches Brian insisted on for dexterity. His muscles weren’t used to so much torture, but since his life was such a mess at the moment, working out was one thing he knew would relieve the tension. Make that the only thing.

Izzy wasn’t on the menu, and he didn’t want anyone else. He heard the doorbell mid-stretch. God damn it. They didn’t give up. The reporters had never been so bold as to come straight up to the door.

He yanked open the door and stepped back in shock. “Nick? Are you by yourself?” His eyes scanned the front lawn for Izzy.

Nick’s eyes were stormy as he walked into the house. “What’s the matter, Dad, aren’t you happy to see me? Am I going to ruin your set up or something?”

He stepped aside to let Nick through. “I’m happy you’re here, Nick. I’m just wondering how you got here. Did your mom drop you off?”

Nick scowled. “Don’t you mean my glorified babysitter?”

Damn
. He’d seen the papers. “Nick, I’m sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.” Jason led Nick into the kitchen and handed him a soda. He almost thought better of it after he remembered Izzy didn’t want Nick to have too much sugar. 
What the hell?
 She wasn’t there.

“Nick, the press sucks. I take the good with the bad. But they had no right to go after you or Izzy, and for that, I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath. “I’m just trying to make it right.”

Nick didn’t look like he believed him. “Do you know what the kids at school are asking me? They keep asking what it’s like to have my own mammie. And if that now you’re my dad if I’ll move to the big house.”

Jason sucked in his breath. He figured it would be bad, but he hadn’t taken into account
the kinds of things that people would say. “Shit, Nick. I’m so sorry. I screwed all this up.” He shook his head. “I only wanted the chance to get to know you better.”

Nick sniffed and swiped at his face. “Is all this why you pretended to like me?
‘Cause you were trying to figure it out?” He sniffed again. “Or were you trying to get close to my mom?”

“Nick, I—”

“’Cause that’s what she is. I don’t want to come live with you.” Nick glowered and lifted his chin as he glared.

Jason felt like an ass. He knew he was an ass. “Nick, I never intended to take you away from your mother.”

Nick scowled, and his chin went up a fraction. “But the court, they might make me come and stay here. I’m not coming.”

Was he that bad? “You don’t have to come, Nick. But I will come to you.” Jason added, “I know better than
anyone, that just because a guy makes a donation doesn’t mean he’s a father. I didn’t know about you, so I missed out on getting to be a dad. But now that I do, I’m going be there for you if it kills the both of us.”

“What if I don’t want you around?”

Jason smiled. “I figure you’ll get used to me.”

Nick squinted. “Are you sure you’re not going to come make me live here?”

“I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to. Like your mom, I want what’s best for you.” To Jason’s surprise, he meant it. At first he’d been angry because he hadn’t known about Nick, but he knew Izzy had taken good care of him.

Nick nodded, and the tension ebbed out of his shoulders. Shyly, he peered at Jason over the rim of his Coke can. “I, uh, when you came over that day…” He paused before continuing. “I thought you and Mom were
gonna say you were getting married or something.”

Well, hell
. That, he hadn’t expected. “If your mom didn’t hate me, I’d say it might have been a possibility.”

Nick shrugged. “She doesn’t hate anyone. Not even people she should.”

Jason had a suspicion Nick meant Sabrina, so he didn’t say anything to encourage the line of thought. “How did you get all the way over here?”

Nick gave his classic teenager shrug.
“Cab. I snuck out the side door of the studio so the shutterbugs wouldn’t see me.”

Snuck out? “Good thing you were able to avoid them, but does your mom know you’re here?”

Nick cringed and had the grace to look remorseful. “I might have forgotten to tell her.”

Jason clenched his jaw. “Nick, that doesn’t work. You have to call her.” Jason strode to the cordless and dialed the number he’d committed to memory.

When she answered, he didn’t bother to mince words. “Izzy, it’s Jason. About Nick.”

She didn’t let him get out another word before she started sobbing into the phone. “Jason, he’s gone. I’ve called every friend he has and sent Jessica on a hunt all over the neighborhood. I almost asked the damn cameramen if they’d seen him.”

“Izzy, relax. He’s here.”

“What?”

“He’s here. He’s safe. I can drive him home after—”

“No, I’m on my way.” She hung up before giving him the chance to respond.

When she appeared forty-five minutes later, he wondered what traffic laws she’d broken to get from Pasadena to Malibu in such record time.

She stormed in searching around for Nick. When she saw him, she grabbed him in a hug so fierce, Jason worried about Nick’s air supply.

She pulled back examining him. “You know you’re grounded, right? No phone, no friends, no practice.”

Sheepish, Nick nodded as she squeezed him again. Jason watched from the foyer, a little jealous of the bond they shared. He hoped they’d be able to let him in at some point.

“Nick, can you give us a minute? I need to talk to Jason.”

Nick nodded and made himself scarce, knowing where to find the media room.

When Nick was out of earshot, she rounded on Jason. “Did you ask him to come here? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”

Jason stalked over to her. “No. I didn’t ask him to come. His arrival was as much a surprise to me as it was to you. And the moment I found out he didn’t have permission to be here, I called you.”

She nodded and looked around as if she wasn’t sure about which way to look. “He’s okay. He wasn’t hurt or anything when he got here?”

He reached out to pull her into his arms. “You saw him. He’s fine.”

She trembled in his embrace. “I was so worried. Then I was mad. Then I thought some crazy paparazzo had gotten him. Then I started to freak out that some crazed fan of yours got him.”

She spoke so fast, Jason had to strain to hear every sentence. “He’s okay. He’s safe. So are you. Everything will be okay.”

He pulled her into him, needing her close. This was the first time she hadn’t fought him since Sabrina had told him about Nick. He hushed her and stroked her hair.

He held on as long as he could, telling himself he only needed to hold her a little longer and everything would be okay.

She pulled back to look at him. “Jason?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

She furrowed her brow, then wiggled out of his grasp and ran to the bathroom off the hallway.

“Izzy?
Are you okay?” He knocked on the door. “Baby?”

She flushed, and he could hear the sink running. When she opened the door, her skin was clammy, and she averted her gaze. “I didn’t expect you to follow me.”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine. Nothing wrong with me that hasn’t been wrong with women for millennia.”

He frowned. “I don’t get it. What’s wrong with you?”

She buried her face in her hands and mumbled something unintelligible.

“Try again.”

“I’m pregnant.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“You’re what?” Jason breathed, eyes wide.

Suddenly the hallway felt too small, as if Jason was using all the air she preciously needed. Izzy shoved past him and walked into the living room. She didn’t make it far before he took her arm and turned her around.

“Izzy, tell me again.”

Exasperated, Izzy blew her bangs out of her face. “I’m pregnant, okay?” And because she was so raw and scared, and more tired than she’d ever been in her life, she continued in anger. “And yes, it’s yours. And yes, I’m the idiot who missed a pill. And no, I’m not trying to trap you, and no, I don’t want anything from you. And no, we won’t be working out custody.”

He put up his hands in surrender. “Izzy, easy. Calm down. I wasn’t—I mean I didn’t—” He took a deep breath and raked his hands through his hair. “You have to give me a second to process this. I went from having no kids, to one kid and now two. It’s all a bit much.”

“A bit much.”
She kept her voice low. “How do you think I feel, Jason? I’m finally going to have a baby, and the father is none other than the man fighting me for custody of my other child. You don’t even want children.”

“Now, wait a minute.” He couldn’t let her continue. “I’ve never said I don’t children. I’ve never given much thought to family.
Mostly because mine was so shitty.” He took a breath. “It’s just a bit more than I ever thought I’d have to handle.”

Izzy shook her head. “Again, this is all about you.
Poor Jason. You can’t spin this.”

“Is that what the hell you think I’ve been doing?”

“Damn it. You’re going to do what you always do, put on a show.”

“What the fuck? I—”

She put up a hand. “You’ll play the part, Jason. You always do. To the tennis world, you’re this perfect god. To your friends, you’re this consummate party boy. To Nick, you’re the perfect mentor, to me the perfect lover. And now…” She spread her arms. “And now? You want what? You want to be the perfect father? Provider? Which is the real you? You’re such the consummate actor, Jason. I never know what to believe from you.”

“That’s not fair, Izzy. I’ve been exactly the same since you met me.”

“No, Jason, you haven’t. You’ve got this shiny, glossy layer you use to mask who you are.” She stalked into the living room.

Rage contorted his face. “
Your damned pride keeps getting in your way, and you’ll never see the truth.”

“And what truth is that?” She stared at him, praying, hoping wishing.

Several beats passed, their breath mingling. “I’m in your life forever now, Izzy. You’re going to have to get used to that.”

Chapter
Forty

“Mr. Cartwright, I must say this is most unusual.”

Jason folded his hands to keep from fidgeting. “Judge Robertson, I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me.”

The judge’s usual stern expression softened. “Are you sure you don’t want Miss Connors present as this affects her?”

“No. No. That’s the last thing I want.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Look, last time we met, you asked me to work on visitation and custody and give thought to the best arrangement for Nick.” Jason swallowed around the lump in his throat. He knew what he had to do. What was really best for
Nick. Doing the right thing wasn’t easy though.

“As a professional athlete, I can’t provide him the kind of stable environment he needs.”

“You seemed certain about your place in Nicholas’s life. What’s happened to change that?”

He tried to avoid the judge’s shrewd gaze, but eventually gave up the fight and leveled his gaze with the older man’s. “Nothing has changed. I am certain about my position in Nick’s life.” He drew a deep breath. “I’m even more certain about Izzy as a mother. She’s brought him up to be a smart, vibrant, talented kid.”

He sniffed and looked around the judge’s office at the photos of different families on his wall. “I had nothing to do with that. I won’t punish him because I want to be part of his life. He’s old enough to know if he wants to spend time with me.”

Judge Robertson looked down at his papers again. “Would you at least like to think about it? Take another day or two to make this kind of decision.” His worn hands traced over the papers. “This can’t be undone.”

“I know it can’t be undone. And I need no more time. It’s the right thing to do. I’m sure of it.”

Judge Robertson wielded a heavy sigh. “Fair enough, Mr. Cartwright. I’ll process the necessary paperwork for you to sign away custody of your son.”

****

Izzy blew down the highway like the devil was on her trail. Since leaving Judge Robertson’s office, all she could think of was getting to Jason. Elation, confusion, anger, nausea, all warred for top billing in her body.

She swearing as she swerved to avoid a collision with the slow moving truck in front of her, Izzy took the Malibu exit. As she approached Jason’s, uncaring about the voyeuristic paparazzi, she sped past the front gate security with barely a pause.